One of the greatest 50s showcases for the tenor talents of Warne Marsh – a deceptively understated album that captures Warne at his most fluid and creative point! The setting is a quartet – with Ronnie Ball on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and Marsh is magnificent throughout, really blowing with a tone that is fresh and filled with modern ideas – yet never overdone, nor too willfully complex to lose the train of the tunes. The approach is almost Konitz-soulful – a wonderful distillation of ideas in the hands of one magical talent – and titles include "Ad Libido", "It's All Right With Me", "Playa Del Ray", "Autumn In New York", and "You Are Too Beautiful". LP, Vinyl record album

70s issue of a great little live set – recorded in LA in 1951, one of those private recordings from the time that saw brief release on the Xanadu label. Tracks are long, and Warne's playing in a much more open-ended mode with a quartet that features Hampton Hawes, Joe Mondragon, and Shelly Manne. Tracks include "Fine & Dandy", "You Go To My Head", "Buzzy", and "I Got Rhythm". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece by Warne Marsh – and proof that there was always a committed modernist lurking behind some of his more straightforward playing! The session has sort of a post-Tristano underground west coast feel (if we can make up such a heavy handed term!), and it features a piano-less quartet with Marsh on tenor, Gary Foster on alto, Dave Parlato on bass, and Terry Tirabasso on drums. Foster's playing at this point in his career is wonderful, with lots of crispy icy tones that remind us of the best Konitz recordings of the mid 50s. Tracks are long and introspective, and titles include Tristano's "Lennies Pennies" and "317 E 32nd", Konitz's "Subconscious-Lee", and the original improvisation "Touch & Go". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work from Lennie Tristano – some brilliant recordings made at the Half Note in 1958 and 1964, all of which feature Warne Marsh in the group on tenor sax! The first half of the set features Lennie's piano with Marsh's tenor – in a cool quartet with Henry Grimes on bass and Paul Motian on drums. Remaining tracks feature Tristano and Marsh with Lee Konitz on alto, Sonny Dallas on bass, and Nick Stabulas on drums – working in slightly more open territory than the other tracks. Titles include "Continuity", "My Baby", "She's Funny That Way", "Subconscious Lee", "317 East 52nd", and "Background Music". LP, Vinyl record album