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A massive look at the mighty pairing of Cannonball Adderley and David Axelrod – a partnership that's way more than just jazz musician and producer! Axelrod's talents in the studio are many, but his greatest heights were possibly reached in collaboration with Cannonball – a relationship that spawned an amazing run of singles and albums that allowed the saxophonist to expand his music to amazing new levels, and touch audiences that few other jazz musicians could reach! Axelrod's sense of sound and timing are a perfect match for Cannonball's intrinsically funky approach to the saxophone – and no matter what the setting here, from big band to small combo, studio recordings to live date, high concept records to relaxed jazz sessions, there's an undeniable groove in the music that never lets up. The CD pulls together a very wide range of work from key Axelrod/Adderley Capitol recordings – and offers a double-length look at their pairing that's as soulful as it is essential. Titles include "The Black Messiah", "Space Spiritual", "Do Do Do", "Gone", "Ndolima", "Up & At It", "Hummin", "Make Your Own Temple", "Tensity", "Fun In The Church", "Khutsana", "Price You Got To Pay To Be Free", "Walk Tall", "Music You All", and "Dialogues For Jazz Quintet & Orchestra".

One of the few albums ever cut as a leader by pianist Ronnell Bright – a player best known for his accompaniment behind famous vocalists, like Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson! This rare date was cut in Paris – at a time when Bright was visiting the city with Vaughan – and it's a stripped-down trio date with a nicely relaxed feel – one that has Bright really opening up on the keys, in ways you don't always hear on his material with singers. Other players in the trio include Richard Davis on bass and Art Morgan on drums – and titles include "Johnnie Pate's Blues", "Sail Em", "Doxology", "Chasing Sarah", and "R&R Groove".

Some incredible early work from John Coltrane – 3 sessions recorded under the leadership of Paul Chambers, and even done before Coltrane's more famous work with Miles Davis! First up is material from the Imperial album Chamber's Music – led by Chambers, and one of the earliest small group sessions with Coltrane – a very spare batch of bass-heavy tracks with an incredibly relaxed groove. Chambers is at the full peak of his youthful talents, and solos quite a bit next to spare piano fills by Drew. Trane's tone is loud and raw, with more bluesiness than you'd expect – and we mean that in a good way! Titles include "Dexterity", "Trane's Blues", and "Eastbound". Added to these are 3 more tracks from a really wonderful Massachusetts session in 1956 – recorded for Transition Records – and featuring Coltrane and Chambers with Pepper Adams, Roland Alexander, and Donald Byrd – playing, long, bluesy, almost-improvised tunes that include "Trane's Strain", "High Step", and "Nixon Dixon & Yates Blues". Last up are more tracks from the album Whims Of Chambers – again recorded under Chambers' leadership, this time for Blue Note in 1956 – with a group that includes Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, and Horace Silver. The writing is great, and the group has a nice dark edge that gives the session a slightly different sound than other Blue Note albums from the time. Chambers leads off with the bass on most tracks, kind of putting the work at an off-center pace that really gives it a fresh feel – and which makes it different from the straighter bop sound of his albums as a leader on Vee Jay. Tracks include "We Six", "Dear Ann", "Tale Of The Fingers", and "Omicron". CD features 11 tracks in all – quite possibly not all of the tracks from the albums, but the important Coltrane ones.

Really righteous work from the Chicago scene – a very hip album that features some especially nice guest work on flute from Nicole Mitchell! The group is headed up by percussionist Hamid Drake, who really sounds great here – almost more relaxed and organic in his handling of drums and tablas than on other records – really settling into a sound that recalls the glory days of the earlier AACM scene. Other players are well-matched for this vibe – and include Ernest Dawkins on tenor and alto, Daniel Carter on saxes and clarinet, Sabir Mateen on saxes and bass clarinet, and Greg Ward on alto and clarinet – all players whose reeds work together beautifully, with tight formations at some points, and much freer solo sounds at others. Titles include "Bindu #2 For Baba Fred Anderson", "Remembering Rituals", "Born Upon A Lotus", "Bindu #1 For Ed Blackwell", and "Do Khyentse's Journey 139 Years & More".

Free-flowing and angular reed work from Francois Jeanneau – a fair bit more soulful than you might guess from the "techniques" in the title! The setting is relaxed and almost informal, but moves along with that subtle sense of groove that often marked the best Owl Records sessions from years back – a rhythmic approach that comes from the flowing piano of Michel Graillier, the punctuated bass of JF Jenny-Clark, and the tight drum work of Aldo Romano. Jeanneau's out sometimes, but mostly just fluidly exploratory – a bit post-Coltrane, but with more space between the notes at times. Titles include "En Marge", "Autrefois Les Baleines", "Heliodanse", "Le Lynx", and "Techniques Douces".

A key album in the legendary 80s run of Shalamar – and a set that gets a tremendous amount out of a very stripped-down sound! The sound of Shalamar builds from a bit of bass, some snapping drums, waves of keyboards, and especially great vocals – warm and sweet, but never too commercial – despite the hit status of an album like this. If anything, the group have a style that's a bit more relaxed and personal than some of their contemporaries on the Solar Records scene at the time – one that matches the friendly title, and unassuming cover image of the set. Titles include "A Night To Remember", "Playing To Win", "Friends", "On Top Of The World", "Help Me", "There It Is", "I Can Make You Feel Good", and "I Don't Wanna Be The Last To Know". 2CD version is overflowing with goodness – 15 more bonus tracks that include "Talk To Me", "Good Feelings", "Sweeter As The Days Go By" – all originally left off the Friends album – plus "There It Is (12" M+M inst mix)", "A Night To Remember (12" M+M mix)", "Megamix – A Night To Remember", "Friends (single)", "Night To Remember (12" M+M inst)", and "I Can Make You Feel Good (single)".

The very last performance at the legendary Keystone Korner in San Francisco – a well-blown session from Zoot Sims' overlooked years on Pablo Records! Like other Pablo dates, this one's got a very easygoing groove – a relaxed format that allows Sims to really stretch out on his horn – tenor on most numbers, but some surprisingly great soprano sax as well – a subtle delight that shows up at key points during the Pablo years. Rhythm is by the trio of Frank Collett on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums – and titles include "Dream Dancing", "Changes", "I'll Remember April", "Tonight I Shall Sleep", and "If You Could See Me Now".

The first full look at a near-lost southern soul label – the tiny Minaret Records imprint, based down in Florida, but part of the larger family of labels held by Memphis powerhouse Sun Records! Working down in the Florida scene, Minaret had a fair bit of independence – and managed to cut some great indie soul sides that borrow elements of 60s Memphis soul, but make the whole thing come out with a fairly different sound. There's a looser, more relaxed feel to these Minaret sides – one that comes from the comfortable studio setting, and the cohesive house band – which provided an atmosphere that most other southern labels were starting to lose by the end of the 60s. The whole package is a great discovery in southern soul – supported by some great notes on both the company and the artists, and a set of 18 tracks that includes "Money Man" by Johnny Dynamite, "Fine Time" by Genie Brooks, "Eternally" by Willie Gable, "Don't Worry About Me" by Willie Cobbs, "Shell Of A Woman" by Doris Allen, "Blue Diamonds" by The Double Soul, "The Judgement" by Candy & Billy, "South Side Of Soul Street" by Genie Brooks, "Bright Star" by John Hamilton & Doris Allen, "You Have Done Me Wrong" by Willie Cobbs, and "Who's Been Warming My Oven" by Gable Reed.

If you ever needed a key example of the genius of Cannonball on Capitol Records, this tight little set may well be it! The record's got all the best elements of a Cannon classic firmly in place – production by David Axelrod, electric piano by Joe Zawinul, and some tremendously soulful work from Cannon and Nat Adderley on their respective horns – all presented with a sense of relaxed tightness (if we can use such a phrase) that's jaw-droppingly brilliant all the way through! Cannon speaks a bit and pushes the band into action with charisma and warmth caught nicely by Axelrod's recording – and the band grooves on long, snakey tunes that mix equal parts funk and soul jazz together, coming up with the quintessential Adderley groove on nearly every number! Tracks include the seminal "Why Am I Treated So Bad", plus "Mini Mama", "I'm On My Way", "One For Newk", "The Scene", "Yvette", and "The Other Side".

One of the best albums in years from altoist Jesse Davis – recorded in a relaxed, open-ended style that really unlocks some new magic in his horn! Davis' studio records are all quite nice, but this live date really takes him to places we've never heard before – a really old school exploration of alto modes that brings us back to Stitt or Criss, and shows a long-winded creativity we hardly knew that Jesse had. The rhythm section really helps the feel of the record, too – with a lot of humanity in the piano of Spike Wilner, mixed with the impeccable work of Peter Washington on bass and Billy Drummond on drums. Ryan Kisor's trumpet adds one more horn to the mix – and titles include "I'll Close My Eyes", "Piece Of The Apple", "Pray Thee/Beyond The Storm", "Journey From The Lighthouse", and "Body & Soul".

Easy-going Verve swing at its best – the kind of small group session that let a player like Harry "Sweets" Edison shine in a way that he didn't always get to do in a larger group! For this set, Edison's joined by Ben Webster on tenor sax, Barney Kessel on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Alvin Stoller on drums and Joe Mondragon on bass – in a format that features tunes that are a bit shorter than on some of the other Verve swing sides of the time, but still very much with a relaxed and open-ended feel. Titles include several Edison originals – including "Hollering At The Watkins", "Used To Be Basie", "Studio Call", "Opus 711", "K.M. Blues", and "Walkin With Sweets".

The first couple of Fred Neil records for Capitol from 1966 to 1967 – the classic self-titled and the lesser remembered, but still quite strong Sessions – back-to-back and as great as ever! Fred is one of the 60s most underrated singer/songwriters – and his early Capital work is among the best places to start with his work – as it's got a rough folksy quality that's really wonderful, and very much in the spirit of Tim Hardin, with whom we'd draw the closest comparison to Neil at the time. This set kicks off with the sublime "The Dolphins" – one of those tracks that's lived far longer than his own music, and which has had the benefit of a number of more famous recordings, but which sounds no better than in Neil's own hands. Other tracks from the the self-titled album include the original version of "Everybody's Talkin" – again far superior to the later one – plus the cuts "Sweet Cocaine", "Green Rocky Road", "Everything Happens", and "Badi-Da". The Sessions album is also a treat, and has the singer/songwriter playing in a very relaxed studio vibe – with some spare backing, and edgy playing that opens up a side of him that we've rarely heard elsewhere. Supposedly, the session was largely improvised, and designed to recreate the feel of his legendary live shows. The tracks are fairly long, and include titles like "Felicity", "Please Send Me Somebody To Love", "Looks Like Rain", and "Fools Are A Long Time Coming". 17 tracks and 80 minutes of music in all on this CD from Rev-Ola!

An obscure female soul project from 70s-era TK Records – one that features production by Clarence Reid, hence the group's name! The groove here is very much in the best Miami club mode of the time – upbeat, but still nicely gritty overall – more fast funk in the instrumentation, with slight touches of strings – and vocals from the quartet that slide nicely into the rhythms, which themselves bear plenty of TK touches! The whole thing's got a feel that's a lot better than you might guess from the cover – kind of a rougher take on the Gwen McCrae vibe of the time, almost set loose to do things with a more relaxed approach overall. And the vocals are surprisingly strong at points too – with one singer coming to the forefront with a deeper soul mode than you might expect. Titles include "I'll Be Damned If It's Me", "What Am I Gonna Do", "Push Me Back In The Corner", "More Of A Woman", "That's How It Is When You Are In Love", "New York City", and "This Time Tomorrow".

Pure piano magic from Bobby Timmons – a pair of great albums from his years at Riverside Records! First up is Sweet & Soulful Sounds – a wonderful mellow trio session from Bobby – done with a spare, relaxed approach that's a nice contrast to the recordings he was making for Prestige around the same time – but which still has the same deep, soulful approach to the piano that makes those records so great! Half a dozen trio numbers with Sam Jones and Roy McCurdy are rounded out with two piano solos, "God Bless The Child" and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" – both of which present Bobby in an especially introspective mode, one you don't hear that often on record! Remaining trio tunes include "The Sweetest Sounds", "Turn Left", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Another Live One", "Alone Together", and "Why Was I Born". Born To Be Blue is one of Bobby Timmons' most obscure trio sessions from the early years – recorded at the tail end of the Riverside years, which is probably why the album disappeared so quickly! The set's in a similar format to some of Bobby's other records for Riverside – a trio set with either Sam Jones or Ron Carter on bass, and Connie Kay on drums – but it's different in that Bobby's a bit more introspective – "blue", if you will – working in less of the gutbucket soul jazz mode than before, and really hitting some lyrical magic on the keys! The album includes the original tunes "Know Not One", "Often Annie", and "The Sit In" – plus a great reading of Tom McIntosh's "With Malice Towards None".

A relatively recent set from Patti Austin, but a great one too – an album that has her working in warmly jazzy arrangements that are much more restrained than her soul work of a few years before! There's a relaxed, easygoing feel to the set – one that's somewhat smooth, as you might expect from Austin, but in a way that's a bit more indie than commercial – most likely due to the Concord Records approach. Most numbers have keyboards alongside the vocals, but these are kept to the warmer side of the spectrum, and never overwhelm Patti's vocals too much. Arrangements are by Narada Michael Walden and Louis Kingpin Biancaniello – and titles include "Do Si Doe In", "In & Out Of Love", "Don't Go Away", "Totally Unacceptable", "Once In A Lifetime", and "I Will Be There".

A classic bit of stretched-out spaciness from the early days of Virgin Records – two side-long tracks that are filled with lots of cool keyboards, percussion, and other hip instrumentation! The record's the brainchild of Cyrille Verdeaux – who plays piano, organ, mellotron, and even gong on the set – working with a different group on each side – guitar, vibes, bass, and percussion on side one – and on side two, tenor from Didier Malherbe, guitar from Steve Hillage, and synth from Tim Blake! The sound is a bit too relaxed to be jamming, but definitely has a nice sort of proggish vibe – never sleeping, and always nice and exploratory, even when spacey.

Incredible work by one of our favorite singers ever – the great Matt Dennis, an artist who's better known for his famous compositions of the postwar years, but who's also one heck of a great vocalist too! Matt's got a friendly, personable style of singing – one that reminds us a lot of Bobby Troup or Roy Kral, but which comes across with an even more relaxed and down to earth feel. The set features material from 2 of Matt's few albums under his own name – the Trend session Matt Dennis Plays & Sings, and the RCA set Dennis Anyone – both recorded live in the mid 50s, in a really unique style that has Dennis accompanying himself on piano, and delivering a bit of patter between the tunes as well. And while you might fear some schmaltzy, loungey sort of style to these sets, don't – because Dennis was cool and comfortable with himself, and there's an amazing sense of casual understatement to both sets. We love both records to death, and it's great to see them presented here like this – accompanied with some great notes that also include lyrics to some of Dennis' best numbers! 24 tracks in all – with titles that include "The Land Of Danger", "Where Do We Go From Here", "Will You Still Be Mine", "Junior & Julie", "It Wasn't The Stars That Thrilled Me", "Let's Get Away From It All", "Show Me The Way To Get Out Of This World", and "Too Late For Love".

Stephanie Mills in fine formation here – working with the team of James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, who helped the lady reach the heights of her career in the early 80s! The sound here is catchy and contemporary, but hardly ever too commercial – just relaxed and grooving, in a mode that lets Stephanie's vocals flow nicely over the top, but with a bit more of an easygoing feel than in her records of previous years. As usual, Lucas and Mtume bring a nice touch of jazz into the album – a subtle warmth that makes the best moments sparkle, really resonating nicely with Mills' vocals. Titles include the massive hit "Never Knew Love Like This Before" – plus "Sweet Sensation", "Try My Love", "I Just Wanna Say", 'Wish That You Were Mine", "D-a-n-c-i-n'", "Still Mine", and "Mixture Of Love". CD also features a bonus extended mix of "Sweet Sensation".

An obscure female soul project from 70s-era TK Records – one that features production by Clarence Reid, hence the group's name! The groove here is very much in the best Miami club mode of the time – upbeat, but still nicely gritty overall – more fast funk in the instrumentation, with slight touches of strings – and vocals from the quartet that slide nicely into the rhythms, which themselves bear plenty of TK touches! The whole thing's got a feel that's a lot better than you might guess from the cover – kind of a rougher take on the Gwen McCrae vibe of the time, almost set loose to do things with a more relaxed approach overall. And the vocals are surprisingly strong at points too – with one singer coming to the forefront with a deeper soul mode than you might expect. Titles include "I'll Be Damned If It's Me", "What Am I Gonna Do", "Push Me Back In The Corner", "More Of A Woman", "That's How It Is When You Are In Love", "New York City", and "This Time Tomorrow".

A key album in the legendary 80s run of Shalamar – and a set that gets a tremendous amount out of a very stripped-down sound! The sound of Shalamar builds from a bit of bass, some snapping drums, waves of keyboards, and especially great vocals – warm and sweet, but never too commercial – despite the hit status of an album like this. If anything, the group have a style that's a bit more relaxed and personal than some of their contemporaries on the Solar Records scene at the time – one that matches the friendly title, and unassuming cover image of the set. Titles include "A Night To Remember", "Playing To Win", "Friends", "On Top Of The World", "Help Me", "There It Is", "I Can Make You Feel Good", and "I Don't Wanna Be The Last To Know".

The title's a hokey one, but the album's surprisingly great – a hip batch of jazz and funk numbers from the Muse Records catalog, and one that goes way past the dated language on the cover! Most of the tracks here are from the 70s, and they really show the depth of Muse's groove at the time – an inherited approach to soul jazz from 60s work at Prestige Records – one that features some of the best artists on that label, all recording in very relaxed, open-ended company! Titles include "Heavy Juice" by Houston Person, "So What" by Johnny Lytle, "Iron City" by Grant Green, "Mambo Inn" by Lou Donaldson, "As Time Goes By" by Mark Murphy, "Harold's House Of Jazz" by Richie Cole & Eddie Jefferson, "Speak Low" by Melvin Sparks, "Possum Grease" by Johnny Lytle, "Street Song" by Bobby Hutcherson, and "Prodigal Son" by Harold Ousley.

One of our favorite albums ever from Harold Land, and a great set that has a hard soul jazz feel – despite the "west coast" in the title. Harold's playing with a great group that includes Barry Harris, Joe Gordon, and Sam Jones – as well as guitarist Wes Montgomery, who's work on the session really gives it a soulful edge! The cover lists the rhythm section as "all-soul", and it's right, as the accompaniment for Harold here is more sensitive, and more swinging than on most of his other records. The set sparkles with brilliance, and with great relaxed soulful playing. Cuts include "Compulsion", "Ursula", "Terrain", "Klactoveedsedstene", and "West Coast Blues".

More than just a great overview of Lou Rawls' jazz work for Capitol Records – because the set also features 3 previously unissued numbers that Rawls recorded with the Curtis Amy Sextet! Those 3 tracks are almost worth the price of the album alone – as Amy's combo was one of the hippest on the LA scene of the time, and offers Lou a rare opportunity to sing in a more relaxed setting than some of his more tightly arranged big band numbers. But honestly, all the work here is pretty darn great – and even the already-issued tracks are tremendous – a great illustration of how Lou linked together jazz and blues during the 60s soul era – and came up with a classy, sophisticated groove that inspired many others in years to come! Arrangements are by Benny Carter, Onzy Matthews, and HB Barnum – and titles include "Nobody But Me", "How Long How Long Blues", "Blues For Weepers", "Something Stirring In My Soul", "I Wonder", "Let's Burn Down The Cornfield", "Old Folks", "Somebody Have Mercy", and "Why Do I Love You So" – as well as the 3 unissued numbers, "Fine & Mellow", "Mean Old World", and "Long Gone Blues".

One of the most interesting records in years from Macy Gray – and not just because she turns towards songs from other folks – and covers music from Radiohead, Teenage Fanclub, My Chemical Romance, The Eurhythmics, and others! Those song choices are great – a refreshing forum for Gray's well-known vocals – but along with them, there's also a sense of play to the record that comes across strongly, too – a feel that's maybe a bit more relaxed, and slightly whimsical – which breaks through some of the more monolithic modes that have held strong from Macy's stardom. Of course, given that the great Hal Willner had a hand in putting the record together, the playfulness of the record makes plenty of sense – and really allows for some great guest appearances from JB Smoove, Idris Elba, MC Lyte, and others. Titles include "Creep", "Here Comes The Rain Again", "La La La", "Smoke Two Joints", "I Try Is Cool & All But", "Wake Up", "Really", and "Lovelockdown/Buck".

Nancy Wilson turns her wonderfully sophisticated vocal style towards a batch of hits from Hollywood films of the 40s, 50s, and 60s – arranged and conducted by Jimmy Jones, in that classy blend of jazz and soul that suited Wilson so well in the 60s! The style is really a cut above the usual – handled with great poise by Nancy throughout, but also done in a mode that's relaxed enough to get past some of the stodgier sounds of records like this. The mellower tunes are actually some of the best here – personal, reflective, and echoing the "Guess Who I Saw Today" sound of Wilson in the 60s. Titles include "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Almost In Your Arms", "When Did You Leave Heaven?", "My Shining Hour", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "Wild Is The Wind".