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One of Ornette Coleman's most groundbreaking albums – a set that takes his best free jazz energy of the 60s, and expands it out into the space of a longer suite – all originally designed as a film soundtrack, then never used in the movie at all! Yet even without the film placement, the album's one of Coleman's greatest – a unique blend of his best small combo 60s energy with some larger orchestrations that really go way out – mixing tones and modes from the soloists against a larger backdrop of woodwinds and strings. The result is mindblowing – very open-ended and freewheeling, yet filled with soul too – thanks to great alto and trumpet from Ornette, and raw tenor from Pharoah Sanders – working in the core quartet with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums. The set features one long double-length piece – four sides' worth of amazing music!

The title gets it right – as the album's easily the closest thing to free jazz that Ornette Coleman ever recorded – an album-length improvisation played by a "double quartet" that's overflowing with classic players! The style here is a fair bit like John Coltrane's Ascension album for Impulse – and like that one, the session features Ornette and his contemporaries really stretching out – blowing like never heard before on record, and working in a highly unstructured setting! Other players include Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Scott LaFaro on bass – alongside regular group members Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and both Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins on drums. One long track – just titled "Free Jazz"!

A great couple of harder-to-find Ornette Coleman records – nicely paired up in a 2CD set! First up is The Music Of Ornette Coleman, from 1967 – which is beautiful record that serves as both a showcase for Ornette's "serious" writing efforts – and his ability to play with a larger ensemble! It kicks off with Ornette playing trumpet solos with The Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet as they perform his "Forms & Sounds" live. That's followed by recordings of Ornette's "Space Flight" and "Saints & Soldiers" performed by The Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia Quartet, a string ensemble that brings a new light to Ornette's compositions! Skies Of America is an ambitious record with full orchestra, in a haunting sound that's light years from any of his smaller group recordings of the 60s and 70s! There's an incredible feel to the strings used here – played by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Measham – all tied up and dark, with swirling sounds that run up beautifully from the bottom, then take off to the skies promised in the title – opening the door for Ornette to come in and solo freely over the top – in a magical mix that easily makes the record a standout in his long and mighty career! Harmolodic theory is definitely a part of Coleman's conception here – but in very different ways than his quartet or quintet recordings. Lots of tracks on this one, including "Skies Of America", "The Men Who Live In The White House", "Sunday In America", "Dreams", "Native Americans", "Silver Screen", "The Artist In America" and more.

A stunning session by Ornette Coleman, and one that always seems to get overlooked in discussions of his albums for Atlantic! His quartet here features the amazing Scott LaFaro on bass, and a young Ed Blackwell on drums – both of whom give the tracks an amazing pulse that brings new energy out of Ornette and Don Cherry's solos – working in a modal groove that's as catchy as it is modern! All tracks are named after initials of titles of books by Sigmund Freud, including "T & T" (Totem & Taboo), "C&D"(Civilization and Discontent), "W.R.U.", and "R.P.D.D.". CD also features the bonus track "Proof Readers"!

An album that certainly lives up to the promise of its title – as it's filled with amazing instrumentation, groundbreaking compositions, and a sound in jazz that few ears could imagine at the time! The groove here is extremely modal – all instruments rolling along on the same rhythmic pulse, with drums, bass, trumpet, and alto sax incredibly intertwined! Ornette's really got an edge on his instrument – cutting even more deeply here than the clipped, punctuated cornet work of Don Cherry – and the rhythm team of Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins are simply amazing – not just keeping up with the energy of Ornette, but also really helping facilitate it as well! Titles include the haunting "Lonely Woman", plus "Peace", "Chronology", and "Focus on Sanity".

A key album for any fan of classic Ornette Coleman – a 1971 Atlantic release that pulled together tracks from the late 50's and early 60's that didn't make it onto Ornette's earlier records for the label! Why these tracks weren't released at the time is a mystery to all, because the material is great, and ranks with some of his best stuff – and over the years, the value of the album has grown even more within the early Ornette oeuvre – as it contains key tracks that have come to define his edgiest moments of the early 60s . The LP includes "First Take", a 17 minute earlier version of the material the ended up on Free Jazz, plus additional quartet recordings with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell – on titles that include "Check Up", "Little Symphony", and the wonderful "Joy Of A Toy".

At the height of his success, Pat tries to prove to the world that he's still got cred – and hooks up with Ornette, Charlie Haden, and Denardo Coleman for a little bit of harmelodic jamming. Thing is, we actually liked the slick stuff better! Titles include "Mob Job", "Video Games", "Song X Duo", and "Long Time No See".

The title gets it right – as the album's easily the closest thing to free jazz that Ornette Coleman ever recorded – an album-length improvisation played by a "double quartet" that's overflowing with classic players! The style here is a fair bit like John Coltrane's Ascension album for Impulse – and like that one, the session features Ornette and his contemporaries really stretching out – blowing like never heard before on record, and working in a highly unstructured setting! Other players include Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Scott LaFaro on bass – alongside regular group members Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and both Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins on drums. One long track – just titled "Free Jazz"!

Ornette's masterpiece for Flying Dutchman – and a great set that features Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman, Ed Blackwell, and assorted unnamed "Friends & Neighbors". The majority of the tracks on the LP – "Let's Play", "Long Time No See", "Forgotten Songs", and "Tomorrow" – feature prime playing in the Ornette late 60s/early 70s mode, with a slight bit of a spiritual bent that marks the material from the rest of his work. The group is incredibly tight, and Blackwell and Haden have never sounded better. The title cut, though, is the real mind-blower. It's in 2 parts, with vocal accompaniment by the unnamed mass of "extras", and a tight pulsing groove, with what sounds like an electric bass, and Ornette wailing away on violin. Great stuff, and a record that we hardly ever see in the original!

Essential stuff! This is one of Ornette Coleman's greatest albums – and it was recorded during a period when he just couldn't miss! The group features Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – working here with a lively dancing sound on the kit, one that works perfectly for Ornette's jaunty compositions. The chopped-up modal groove is in full effect here – making the record a treasure trove of angular, highly rhythmic numbers that are easily some of Coleman's best-remembered tunes! Titles include the classics "Ramblin" and "Una Muy Bonita" – performed in original early versions – plus "Free", "The Face Of The Bass", "Bird Food", and "Change Of The Century".

One of Ornette Coleman's best recordings from the 70s – and like his other album for Columbia, quite a change from the freewheeling sounds he was blowing over at Blue Note! The style here is a bit more high concept, but in a good way – with all the edges that Coleman had developed from the late 50s onward, brought into tighter focus for the Columbia setting – given a bit more complexity, although still with plenty of room for freedom – and played both with a smaller combo, and a slightly larger group. The mix of players is as striking as the sounds on the record – and includes Coleman on alto, trumpet, and violin – plus Dewey Redman on tenor, Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Bobby Bradford on trumpet, Jim Hall on guitar, Cedar Walton on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins and Ed Blackwell on drums. Asha Pulthi sings a bit on the larger ensemble tracks – making a rare appearance here before her 70s soul career in Germany – and titles include "What Reason Could I Give", "Street Woman", "The Jungle Is A Skycraper", and "All My Life".

An album that certainly lives up to the promise of its title – as it's filled with amazing instrumentation, groundbreaking compositions, and a sound in jazz that few ears could imagine at the time! The groove here is extremely modal – all instruments rolling along on the same rhythmic pulse, with drums, bass, trumpet, and alto sax incredibly intertwined! Ornette's really got an edge on his instrument – cutting even more deeply here than the clipped, punctuated cornet work of Don Cherry – and the rhythm team of Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins are simply amazing – not just keeping up with the energy of Ornette, but also really helping facilitate it as well! Titles include the haunting "Lonely Woman", plus "Peace", "Chronology", and "Focus on Sanity".

Pre-Atlantic work from Ornette Coleman – one of his first recorded statements in jazz – and one of his boldest! At some level, the complete Coleman sound isn't entirely in place here – as there's a bit of a trace of hardbop in the mix – not entirely, but just a bit. But at another level, the record's still way darn bolder than just about anything coming out of LA at the time – proof that amidst all the cool jazz ruminations of the 50s, there was a second wave of modernism about to explode! The group here features Don Cherry on trumpet, Walter Norris on piano, Don Payne on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and while the core harmelodic rhythmic approach isn't always in place, it's more than made up for by some surprisingly free energy. Titles include "Invisible", "The Blessing", "Alpha", and "The Sphinx".

A landmark in modern jazz – from the stark stares of the band on the cover, to the starkly haunting music in the grooves! Ornette, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell make severe statements about the future of modern music in tracks like "Humpty Dumpty", "Beauty Is a Rare Thing", and "Kaleidoscope" – bouncing the efforts of the whole group off the beat, in a way that's both challenging and groove-heavy at the same time, a key summation of the genius of Ornette's early vision!

A stunning session by Ornette, and one that always seems to get overlooked in discussions of his albums for Atlantic! His quartet here features the amazing Scott LaFaro on bass, and a young Ed Blackwell on drums – both of whom give the tracks an amazing pulse that brings new energy out of Ornette and Don Cherry's solos – working in a modal groove that's as catchy as it is modern! All tracks are named after initials of titles of books by Sigmund Freud, including "T & T" (Totem & Taboo), "C&D"(Civilization and Discontent), "W.R.U.", and "R.P.D.D.".

An album that certainly lives up to the promise of its title – as it's filled with amazing instrumentation, groundbreaking compositions, and a sound in jazz that few ears could imagine at the time! The groove here is extremely modal – all instruments rolling along on the same rhythmic pulse, with drums, bass, trumpet, and alto sax incredibly intertwined! Ornette's really got an edge on his instrument – cutting even more deeply here than the clipped, punctuated cornet work of Don Cherry – and the rhythm team of Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins are simply amazing – not just keeping up with the energy of Ornette, but also really helping facilitate it as well! Titles include the haunting "Lonely Woman", plus "Peace", "Chronology", and "Focus on Sanity".

Pre-Atlantic work from Ornette Coleman – one of his first recorded statements in jazz – and one of his boldest! At some level, the complete Coleman sound isn't entirely in place here – as there's a bit of a trace of hardbop in the mix – not entirely, but just a bit. But at another level, the record's still way darn bolder than just about anything coming out of LA at the time – proof that amidst all the cool jazz ruminations of the 50s, there was a second wave of modernism about to explode! The group here features Don Cherry on trumpet, Walter Norris on piano, Don Payne on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and while the core harmelodic rhythmic approach isn't always in place, it's more than made up for by some surprisingly free energy. Titles include "Invisible", "The Blessing", "Alpha", and "The Sphinx".

A really unique chapter in the career of Ornette Coleman – an album that he produced by himself in 1962, away from any other label – as an effort to showcase the newly freer sounds of his music! The recording's the first in a really groundbreaking stretch for the 60s – and it was fortunately finally issued by ESP Records a few years after the recording – providing a nice link between Coleman's earlier experiments and the sound of the younger generation usually showcased by the label. The group's a trio, with a sound that's quite different than the more rhythmic modes of Coleman on Atlantic Records – a freer, less structured lineup that features percussion from Charles Moffett and bass from David Izenzon. One track also adds in a string quartet – making the record one of Coleman's first experiments with this format – and titles include a 23 minute recording of "The Ark", plus "Doughnut", "Sadness", and "Dedication To Poets and Writers".

Beautifully free alto work from Byron Allen – a player who really shines brightly on this rare session for ESP Records – one of the few ever cut under his own name! Allen's got a style that's right up there with the 60s best from Ornette Coleman or Marion Brown – able to move with a fluidity that's breathless, even amidst rhythms that are very loose and open – as the trio here works in a style that almost echoes some of the harmelodic modes of Coleman, but which eventually pushes farther towards the freedoms of other artists on ESP! The set has some wonderful bass from Maceo Gilchrist, whose round, rolling tones really make the album sparkle – as do the punctuated drums of Ted Robinson. Titles include "Today's Blues Tomorrow", "Time Is Past", "Three Steps In The Right Direction", and "Decision For The Cole-Man".

A wonderful set by the enigmatic Charles Bell – a 60s modernist, but one with a great sense of soul! The album definitely lives up to its title, and has a fresh approach to the medium – a style that has some of the Modern Jazz Quartet influence in its structure, yet which also shares some more complex rhythmic ideas from the Ornette Coleman camp – mixed with a straighter hardbop vibe as well! The blend is quite compelling – and in addition to Bell's work on piano, the set also features Bill Smith on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Allan Blairman on drums. Titles include "Satan Said", "Django", "Portrait Of Aunt Mary", "Theme", and "Bass Line".

Possibly the first true moment of genius from Paul Bley – a key indie standout after a few years working for bigger American labels! By the time of this early ESP album, Paul Bley was no stranger to the American scene – having recorded a few records for different labels in the 50s, and making some surprise appearances on other sessions in the early part of the 60s. But by the time of this mid 60s set, Bley was really coming into his own – working in a style that would have a huge influence on the style of jazz piano for the next few decades, and which was one of the first strong statements of modernism from the Canadian scene. Here, he's working with Steve Swallow on bass and Barry Altschul on percussion in a trio format, working through a great batch of tracks by then wife Carla – like "Ida", "Start", "Closer", "Batterie", and "Sideways In Mexico" – as well as versions of Ornette Coleman's "Crossroads", Annette Peacock's "Cartoon", and his own "Figfoot".

One of Bley's best records from the 60's, and a great session recorded in Rome with Barry Altschul on drums and Mark Levinson on bass. We think of this era in Bley's career as sort of his middle period, after some important time spent with Ornette, one of the few pianists Coleman ever used, and Jimmy Giuffre, as we as Sonny Rollins, all of whose influence had made an impact on Bley, as a performer, writer and leader. The playing is wide open, but with a keen sense of group interplay and a wonderful dynamic between the three, a post free sensibility that was very progressive but never too noisy or oblique. The tracks include Ornette Coleman's "Ramblin", Annette Peacock's "Both", Carla Bley's "Ida Lupino" and "Albert's Love Theme", and Bley's own "Mazatalon".

A trio of classic albums from Don Cherry – packaged in a heavy book-like cover, with lots of new notes too! On the first part of the set, Cherry really breaks out on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. Titles include "Total Vibration", "Sun Of The East", "Brilliant Action", "Terrestrial Beings", "Bamboo Night", "The Mysticism Of My Sound", "Psycho Drama", "Smiling Faces Going Places", "Teo Teo Can", and "Dollar Brand/Spontaneous Composing/Exert Man On The Moon". Orient is a beauty from Don Cherry – and one of his rarest records! This set was originally only ever issued by the Japanese branch of BYG Records in the early 70s, and it features 2 live performances from France, both of them great! Don's in a spare trance-like mode here – working with one trio comprised of bassist Johnny Dyani and percussionist Okay Temiz; and another trio with Han Bennink on percussion and Moqui on tambura. Tracks from both sets are very long and stretched-out – a mixture percussion, trumpet, flute, piano, and occasional vocals, often done in a globally expansive style. Titles include "Si Ta Ra Ma", "Orient", "Eagle Eye", and "Togetherness".

Amazing stuff – and one of Chris Connor's greatest records for Atlantic! There's a depth to this set that passes some of her others from the time – partially because the album features a very hip set of tunes, written by Ornette Coleman, Norman Mapp, John Lewis, Peggy Lee, and others – and partially because the album has some sublime arrangements by Al Cohn that easily shift between darkness and swinging brilliance – all with that perfect sense of balance that Connor brought to her best sessions. Titles include "I'm Gonna Go Fishin", "Jump For Joy", "Night Bird", "Opportunity Please Knock", "Milano", "Day Dream", "Free Spirits", and a great version of "Lonely Woman"!

A lost classic, and a landmark blending of jazz and world music! The core of the group is that quintet of West Indian alto player Joe Harriott – one of the leading lights of the British jazz scene of the 60s, and a dedicated modernist who was as important to England as Ornette Coleman was to America. Harriott's group is expanded by the addition of John Mayer's quintet of Indian musicians, who play in tandem with Harriott's group in a swirling blend of styles and sounds. The sound is spacey and trippy, with more elements of Indian music, than of jazz, but Harriott still manages to get some nice playing in. The whole album is one long suite of tracks, and titles include "Contrasts", "Raga Megha", and "Raga Gaud-Saranga".

Way more than just "abstractions" – as the set's a very focused batch of some of the larger ideas that John Lewis had about jazz – explored beautifully here away from the Modern Jazz Quartet! The album has Lewis working with frequent partner – and fellow third stream conceptualist – Gunther Schuller – and also features great guest work from Ornette Coleman on alto, Joe Wilder on trumpet, Jim Hall on guitar, and Scott LaFaro on bass – all very different talents at the forefront of jazz at the time, helping bring a wider range of voices than you might normally get on a John Lewis project. Titles include "Abstraction", "Variants On A Theme of Thelonious Monk", and "Piece For Guitar & Strings".

A uniquely European Encounter between pianist John Lewis and violinist Svend Asmussen – and one that makes for a different blend of instrumentation than you'd get on some of John Lewis' other albums as a leader! The pair are supported by Jimmy Woode on bass and Sture Kalin on drums – for a 50/50 mix of American and European – in a style that's wonderfully spare, and which brings out some of the best dark tones of both players – and which also has Asmussen's instrument inflecting some nice color into Lewis' tones. The album sports a wonderful version of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" – plus a set of Lewis originals that include "If I Were Eve", "Winter Tale", "Slater's Theme", and "New York 19".

One of the first bold statements to come from Chicago's AACM underground of the 60s – a tremendous debut effort from the young Roscoe Mitchell! The album's got a "sense of the new" feel that's as gripping as anything recorded by ESP or Impulse around the same time – a rule-breaking, freely-creative approach to jazz that builds strongly off the changes already wrought by Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and Archie Shepp! The format is somewhat like the Art Ensemble Of Chicago at times – with measured horn work from Mitchell on alto, clarinet, and recorder, Maurice McIntyre on tenor, Lester Bowie on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Lester Lashley on trombone (as well as a bit of cello). Some tracks – like the brilliant "Sound" – offer a slow-building exploration of tones and textures – while others, like the blues-joke "Little Suite", or the harmelodic "Ornette", show a wry sense of humor that would become a Chicago avant hallmark as the years went on! CD also features bonus alternate takes of "Sound" and "Ornette".

Truly one of the Modern Jazz Quartet's greatest albums – and a set that has an edge and a darkness that's missing from some of their other Atlantic records! Part of the reason for this may be the group's fantastic reading of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" – a killer moody track that sounds great in the group's vibes/piano style – and which leads off the album with a chilling tone that's really unbelievable! The rest of the album's pretty great too – and there's a brooding intensity we don't normally hear in the piano of John Lewis and vibes of Milt Jackson. Other tracks include Gary McFarland's "Why Are You Blue" – plus John Lewi's "Belkis", "Animal Dance", "New York 19", and "Trieste".

A landmark album of the New York downtown scene – and one of the most groundbreaking guitar jazz albums of the 70s! James Blood Ulmer plays here with members of Ornette Coleman's group of the time – including Ornette himself, Denardo Coleman, and Jaamaladeen Tacuma. The style is very similar to that of Ornette's excellent Body Meta album – a mode that has the rhythms all turned inside themselves, using guitar as strongly as drums – in a style that's one of the most perfect visions of Coleman's harmelodic mode. The overall vibe is very Ornette-ish, but still also features plenty of great offbeat work by Ulmer on guitar – and titles include "Moons Shines", "Morning Bride", "Nothing To Say", and "Revealing".

Spiritual soul and spoken word with instrumental inflections – a perfect illustration of the righteous sound of the Flying Dutchman label at the start of the 70s! The imprint was famously home to Gil Scott Heron, Lonnie Liston Smith, Leon Thomas, and other hip cats at the time – but also recorded a fair bit of work that was even more progressive and political – including key records from forces helping to carry the legacy of Civil Rights well into the 70s! This package offers up a perfect blend of those modes – great jazz tracks that carry the legacy of John Coltrane forth even further, and political records that were often more powerful than anything in the press at the time. Titles include "Sais" by Lonnie Liston Smith", "Nevertite" by The Esoteric Circle, "The Creator Has A Master Plan" by Louis Armstrong and Leon Thomas, "Lament For John Coltrane" by Bob Thiele Emergency, "Friends & Neighbors" by Ornette Coleman, "Sit Down" by Carl B Stokes with Oliver Nelson, "Echoes" by Leon Thomas, "The Giant Is Awakened"b y Horace Tapscot, "Gonna Get Some Right Now" by Chico Hamilton", and "We're Threatening The Oppressors" by Angela Davis.

Quite an interesting record – one that was sort of a jam session party, starring most of the leading lights of Flying Dutchman during their early days. Thiele broke the set into 4 sides – 1. A bunch of messed-up jazz tunes from the Tom Scott, Roger Kellaway, Howard Roberts camp; 2. The Jazz Story – tracing the development of jazz in the 20th century, and featuring Esther Marrow on one track, plus some modern performances by John Carter, Bobby Bradford, and Horace Tapscott; 3. Dedication To John Coltrane – featuring work by the Elvin Jones Trio, The Ornette Coleman Quartet, and Joe Farrell; 4. A Few Thoughts For The Day, featuring some of the political spoken side of the label, with music by the Appleton Syntonic Menagerie. Very wild stuff overall – with more than a few great moments. Titles include "Lament For John Coltrane", "Head Start", "Freaky Zeke", "Lanoola Goes Limp", and "Jungle Sound".

Seminal sounds from cornet player Bobby Bradford – a date recorded in the UK in the early 70s, but with all the free-thinking and imaginative energy as his best sessions in LA! The group pits Bobby's horn against three young modernists – Trevor Watts on alto and soprano sax, Kent Carter on bass, and John Stevens on drums – all working in these long-flowing, very rhythmic numbers that lie somewhere between Bradford's work with John Carter, and the early 60s sound of Ornette Coleman. The alto/cornet interplay is especially nice – very mesmerizing over the course of the album's very long tracks – and Watts turns out to be a great musical partner for Bobby. Titles include "Love's Dream", "Coming On", and "Roswita's Dance". CD features bonus tracks ""She", "HM Louis 1", and an alternate take of "Coming On".

The sounds are definitely convergent here – very individual strands from all the musicians, but each finding space to come together in a really beautiful way! The album's got a great balance between improvised moments and more compositional impulses – a balance that's not unlike that moment when modern jazz was reaching for new freedoms in the 60s, yet still able to come back to the idea of unified group energy – perhaps a bit like Ornette Coleman in his post-Atlantic years, or the work of the west coast underground. The players really have a great feel for each other – and the quartet features Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, Alexander Hawkins on piano, Dominic Lash on bass, and Harris Eisenstadt on drums – on titles that include "Assemble/Melancholy", "Remember Raoul", "The Taff End", "Slow & Steady", and "Oat Roe + Three By Three".

Way more than just "abstractions" – as the set's a very focused batch of some of the larger ideas that John Lewis had about jazz – explored beautifully here away from the Modern Jazz Quartet! The album has Lewis working with frequent partner – and fellow third stream conceptualist – Gunther Schuller – and also features great guest work from Ornette Coleman on alto, Joe Wilder on trumpet, Jim Hall on guitar, and Scott LaFaro on bass – all very different talents at the forefront of jazz at the time, helping bring a wider range of voices than you might normally get on a John Lewis project. Titles include "Abstraction", "Variants On A Theme of Thelonious Monk", and "Piece For Guitar & Strings".

One of Jackie McLean's last "new thing" albums for Blue Note – and a very unique record that features Ornette Coleman on trumpet! The sound here is stark and hard – slight hints of the soulfulness that the "gospel" in the title might imply, mixed with the angular exploratory sound that McLean had been forging at Blue Note during the mid 60s. The album's easily one of the most "out" that McLean ever recorded, and the group also includes Lamont Johnson, Scott Holt and Billy Higgins. Tracks include the extended "Lifeline" suite, which takes up all of side one – plus "Old Gospel" and "Strange As It Seems".

A previously-unissued performance from Joe McPhee – recorded in the early 80s, and a searing ensemble take on Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman"! The arrangements are beautiful – as the track retains some of the haunting melody of the original composition, yet has a loose, creative approach that also allows for lots of improvisation in the middle – stunning performances from Joe McPhee on pocket cornet, Andre Jaume on tenor, Daniel Bourquin on baritone, Michael Overhage on cello, Radu Malfatti on trombone, Raymond Boni on guitar, Irene Schweizer on piano, Francois Mechali on bass, and Pierre Favre on percussion – plus a bit of vocals from Tamia at one spot. The track only runs for 13 minutes, making this a mini-album of sorts – but it's a true treasure, finally unearthed!

Truly one of the Modern Jazz Quartet's greatest albums – and a set that has an edge and a darkness that's missing from some of their other Atlantic records! Part of the reason for this may be the group's fantastic reading of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" – a killer moody track that sounds great in the group's vibes/piano style – and which leads off the album with a chilling tone that's really unbelievable! The rest of the album's pretty great too – and there's a brooding intensity we don't normally hear in the piano of John Lewis and vibes of Milt Jackson. Other tracks include Gary McFarland's "Why Are You Blue" – plus John Lewi's "Belkis", "Animal Dance", "New York 19", and "Trieste".

Incredible work from one of the greatest groups of the New York avant scene of the 60s – the legendary New York Contemporary Five, a combo that features Archie Shepp on tenor, John Tchicai on alto, Don Cherry on cornet, Don Moore on bass, and JC Moses on drums! This 1963 recording, originally done in Copenhagen, is one of the group's most lasting statements – a bold, bracing bit of jazz that seems to pick up energy from Ornette Coleman's dimming flame, prefacing Albert Ayler inferno to come, wrapped up with some of the sensitivity of Eric Dolphy in his final years – a record that rivals the best that any of those three players had to offer. Shepp's got an intensity that almost blows away his Impulse sides, and Tchicai has hardly ever sounded better – and even Cherry seems to be unlocking a whole new side of his spirit in the process of the recording! Titles include "Mick", "The Funeral", "When Will The Blues Leave", "Crepescule With Nellie", "OC", and "Cisum".

Incredible work from one of the greatest groups of the New York avant scene of the 60s – the legendary New York Contemporary Five, a combo that features Archie Shepp on tenor, John Tchicai on alto, Don Cherry on cornet, Don Moore on bass, and JC Moses on drums! This 1963 recording, originally done in Copenhagen, is one of the group's most lasting statements – a bold, bracing bit of jazz that seems to pick up energy from Ornette Coleman's dimming flame, prefacing Albert Ayler inferno to come, wrapped up with some of the sensitivity of Eric Dolphy in his final years – a record that rivals the best that any of those three players had to offer. Shepp's got an intensity that almost blows away his Impulse sides, and Tchicai has hardly ever sounded better – and even Cherry seems to be unlocking a whole new side of his spirit in the process of the recording! This set features titles that include "Mick", "The Funeral", "When Will The Blues Leave", "Crepescule With Nellie", "OC", and "Consequences", "Wo Wo", "Trio", and "Emotions".

Important 70s work from Don Cherry – one of the first albums to bring his overseas experiments to a larger US audience! The set builds nicely off of styles that Don forged earlier in France and Scandinavia – a freer style of music than his work with Ornette Coleman, and a richly organic groove that builds up strongly from the bottom, often with elements of world music settled in alongside the jazz – but there's also some funkier moments here too, a bit like the Brown Rice album, but looser overall! The groups on most numbers are relatively large and spiritual – almost like Alice Coltrane at times, but a bit more electric and funky at others – and players include Collin Walcott on sitar, Michael Brecker on saxes, Cliff Carter on keyboards, Lenny White and Tony Williams on drums, Lois Colin on harp, and Raphael Cruz on percussion. Cherry himself plays conch shells, bells, and flute in addition to his usual trumpet – and he even sings a bit on a few numbers, in a soulful, scatting sort of groove. Narada Michael Walden produced, and the whole set's got a very righteous feel – with tracks that include "Universal Mother", "Buddah's Blues", "Eagle Eye", "Mahakali", "Karmapa Chenno", "Surrender Rose", and "Journey Of Milarepa".

A really exciting avant jazz set from Mostly Other People Do The Killing – a killer quartet who manage to roll through a wide variety of styles that show a true depth of understanding of some of the greatest jazz of the past half century – and have a heck of great time playing it! Ostensibly a tribute to Ornette Coleman, MOPDTK do a lot more than pay homage to a master on this album. They manage to roll in and out of elements of hard and post bop, nod reverently to the international 60s avant garde scenes, and so much more – all with infectious enthusiasm. It would be mess in lesser hands, but these guys pull it off! Players include Peter Evans on trumpet, Kevin Shea on drums, Jon Irabagon on sax and Moppa Elliot on double bass. Titles include "Drainlick", "Two Boot Jacks", "Fagundus", "The Bats In Belfry", "East Orwell", "My Delightful Muse", "Allentown" and more.

Incredible work from one of the greatest groups of the New York avant scene of the 60s – the legendary New York Contemporary Five, a combo that features Archie Shepp on tenor, John Tchicai on alto, Don Cherry on cornet, Don Moore on bass, and JC Moses on drums! This 1963 recording, originally done in Copenhagen, is one of the group's most lasting statements – a bold, bracing bit of jazz that seems to pick up energy from Ornette Coleman's dimming flame, prefacing Albert Ayler inferno to come, wrapped up with some of the sensitivity of Eric Dolphy in his final years – a record that rivals the best that any of those three players had to offer. Shepp's got an intensity that almost blows away his Impulse sides, and Tchicai has hardly ever sounded better – and even Cherry seems to be unlocking a whole new side of his spirit in the process of the recording! This set features titles that include "Mick", "The Funeral", "When Will The Blues Leave", "Crepescule With Nellie", "OC", and "Consequences", "Wo Wo", "Trio", and "Emotions".

An amazing collection of music – some of the hippest jazz to ever come out of the west coast scene, and a legendary pairing of trumpeter Bobby Bradford and saxophonist John Carter! Both players have really gone onto leave their mark in later years – but honestly, they almost reached the peak of their powers with these incredible early recordings – beautifully bracing modern jazz, of a sort that somewhat follows an Ornette Coleman lineage, but which also opens up into the new spirituality that was hitting the LA scene in the post-Coltrane years – almost a bridge between the Coleman/Dolphy generation, and the later Nimbus scene that would rise in the west! The music here is stark, simple, and quite organic – yet has an energy that's all its own – an amazing progression of rhythms and horn sounds, wrapped together beautifully through a killer set of original compositions. Carter plays alto, tenor, clarinet, and flute; Bradford is on trumpet, and rhythm players include Nate Morgan and Bill Henderson on piano, Henry Franklin and Louis Spears on bass, and Bruz Freeman and Leon Ndugu Chancler on drums. The set brings together material originally issued on the Seeking and Secrets albums for the Revelation label – but then also features lots more previously unreleased tracks – making the set more than 50% new material! Most titles are of the 1969/Early 70s vintage of the Revelation albums – but the set also features some beautiful 1979 duets between Carter and Bradford, with no other instrumentation at all. 22 tracks in all – and an instant treasure!

Don Cherry really breaks out here on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. First part of the sessions feature the tracks "Total Vibration", "Sun Of The East", "Brilliant Action", and "Terrestrial Beings".

A massive jazz book by Gary Giddins – author of the much respected Visions Of Jazz – and featuring more 140+ articles from a nearly 15 year period! Many of the articles here are from Giddins' Weather Bird column in The Village Voice – with pieces on Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, Cassandra Wilson., Benny Carter, Lee Konitz, Rosemary Clooney, Herb Jeffries, Roy Hargrove, Marc Ribot, Terence Blanchard, David S Ware, The Bad Plus, Abbey Lincoln and many more. Hardcover, 632 pages.

A beautiful meeting of two major talents from the left end of jazz – recorded in the early 60's when both were working for Atlantic! Despite the "avant garde" title, this set is straighter than you'd expect – very much in the spirit of Coltrane's work for the label, but with perhaps some of the more angular styles that Cherry was laying down with Ornette Coleman at the time. The session has Coltrane joining Ornette's group of Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell – save for a few numbers that feature Percy Heath on bass instead of Haden. The set includes great readings of Ornette's "The Blessing", "The Invisible", and "Focus On Sanity", and Coltrane plays both soprano sax and tenor!

A pair of great albums from Dave Douglas – laid out here in a single package! Magic Triangle is a killer set from the Dave Douglas Quartet – a very unified sound from the lineup that features Douglas on trumpet, Chris Potter on tenor, James Genus on bass, and Ben Perowsky on drums! Working here without any piano, the four have a way of folding into a groove together beautifully – really layering their sound, and coming up with something wonderful – as full of tone and texture as Douglas' more laidback recordings, but handled with a rhythmic pulse that really sends the whole thing soaring! Titles include "Everyman", "Magic Triangle", "Padded Cell", "Circular", "Coaster", "Barrage", "The Ghost", and "Kisangi". Leap Of Faith is filled with bold lines from this great late 90s group – handled in a way that's both rhythmic, yet freed from its obvious constraints – with energy that almost takes us back to Ornette Coleman at the start of the 60s! The quartet features some wonderful interplay between trumpeter Dave Douglas and tenorist Chris Potter – but gets almost as much punch on the top end from bassist James Genus and drummer Ben Perowsky – each of whom burst forth brilliantly throughout. Titles include "Emmenthaler", "Millenium Bug", "Another Country", "Leap Of Faith", "Caterwaul", and "Euro Disney".