Two albums by one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time! Early In The Morning is a very hip affair – recorded with the Ramsey Lewis Trio backing her up on one side, and a group led by Frank Foster on another – both playing in a tight soul jazz mode that works perfectly for Lorez's ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
One of the greatest albums ever from Lorez Alexandria – an ultra-hip singer who recorded for Impulse and King, but who sounds especially wonderful on this rare date for Chess Records! The album's got a groove that definitely lives up to its title – a jazzy, bouncy sort of rhythm that's ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
(Still sealed, barcode has a cutout hole.)
Ray Bryant Trio —
Gotta Travel On ... CD Argo/Universal (Japan), 1966. Used ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
A stone groover from the great Ray Bryant – one of his brilliant albums for Cadet from the 60s! Ray's soul jazz trio (with Freddie Waits on drums) is augmented by the 2-horn trumpet section he used on some of his other Cadet recordings from the time – trumpet from Snookie Young and ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A stone groover from the great Ray Bryant – one of his brilliant albums for Cadet from the 60s! Ray's soul jazz trio (with Freddie Waits on drums) is augmented by the 2-horn trumpet section he used on some of his other Cadet recordings from the time – trumpet from Snookie Young and ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Mighty High features sweet and slow-burning organ from the great Milt Buckner – a really simple session overall, but one with lots of magical touches! Milt plays with a tone that's much lighter than a lot of his contemporaries on the Hammond – not as many tricks as Jimmy Smith, and ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A hip live date from Kenny Burrell – recorded with a trio that includes Richard Davis on bass and Roy Haynes on drums – both of whom help Kenny find a groove that's a bit lighter and more fluid than usual! The rhythms here are quite gentle, almost spare at times – and always ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Verve Originals pressing, digipak has some wear.)
A killer by Lou Donaldson – one of his earliest sides for the Argo label, recorded right after his landmark organ jazz sides for Blue Note – Natural Soul and Here 'Tis – and like those, recorded with a lineup that includes Big John Patton on organ! The rest of the group features ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A great CD that combines most of the material on Art's two albums for Argo – Art (1960) and Perception (1961). Art is a beautiful album of understated brilliance – one of Farmer's early shifts into the sublime, an easily blown batch of trumpet tracks played with trio backing by Tommy ... (Jazz) read moreCD
One of the best albums ever by this crack soul jazz combo – the mighty Jazztet, an early 60s group led by Art Farmer and Benny Golson! The set was recorded in Chicago, and it features the group hard-grooving through some really well-arranged numbers – lively tunes with a snapping, in-th ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Landmark work by one of the greatest jazz outfits of the early 60s! Art Farmer and Benny Golson were both known as well-composed players during the 50s – strongly soulful, but often with a fine sense of arrangement that usually tended towards the lyrical side of things. With this group, ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Really wonderful work from trombonist Al Grey – sounding hipper here than at any other point in his career! One of the great reason for Al's sound here is the presence of tenorist Billy Mitchell – a partner with Al in the Basie band, and a great player who gives just about any session ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Great early work by jazz vibes guru Bobby Hutcherson – recorded early in his tenure in NYC in the early 60s – backed up by trombonist Al Grey and tenor sax man Billy Mitchell! Of course Hutcherson would go on to spin out all those great records for Blue Note, and these early recordings ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(2004 pressing with red border around cover. Case has a small cutout hole.)
Illinois Jacquet —
Desert Winds ... CD Argo/Verve, 1964. Used ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
An easily-grooving set that features Illinois Jacquet blowing over small combo arrangements with Tommy Flanagan on piano and Kenny Burrell on guitar – plus some added Latin percussion from Willie Rodriguez! The presence of the Latin percussion really adds a nice element to the album – ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Illinois Jacquet —
Go Power ... CD Argo/Universal (Japan), 1962/1966. Used ...
$13.99
Go Power indeed – as the album's a really stripped down groover, and one that has the tenor of Illinois Jacquet working in spare trio formation with Milt Bucker on Hammond and Alan Dawson on drums! The record's got a sound that's even earthier than some of Jacquet's other work for Argo ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Jamal's recorded here live at the Blackhawk in San Francisco – a club that always gave a warm welcome to pianists of any nature. The trio features Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – and tracks include Jamal's own "Night Mist Blues", plus "The Best ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Magical early work from Ahmad Jamal – a scintillating blend of piano, percussion, and bass – with a sound that was incredibly fresh at the time, and which still sounds pretty much so to our ears! The album crackles with imagination and rhythm – really hitting on all burners ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Not just a wonderful record for the music, but also for the classic cover image too – a photo of Ahmad Jamal's righteous night club The Alhambra – an Eastern-themed spot on Chicago's Michigan Ave, where Jamal made some incredible music for a few short years! Jamal was one of the few ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A live set – one of many fine ones that Jamal recorded for Argo during the early 60s – recorded at his own Alhambra Club in Chicago, with the classic trio that included Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums. Tracks are light and lively – and very Jamal – and ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Groundbreaking work from the legendary Ahmad Jamal – not just in his own career, but in live jazz in general! The album's a classic recording of Jamal's trio with Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – captured at the Pershing Lounge on the south side of Chicago, where ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A sprightly set from the Ahmad Jamal Trio – but also a record that's not as brightly colored as you might guess from the title, thanks to a nice undercurrent of darkness in the mix! Jamal's piano work is often nicely punctuated – perhaps living up to the "happy moods" ... (Jazz) read moreCD
2 Argo Records gems from Ahmad Jamal – back to back on a single CD! Happy Moods is a sprightly set from the Ahmad Jamal Trio – but also a record that's not as brightly colored as you might guess from the title, thanks to a nice undercurrent of darkness in the mix! Jamal's piano work ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A compelling title – as the record was recorded at Nola Penthouse Studios in New York, one of the hippest places to lay down tracks at the time – but the cover shows an image of the Playboy building in Chicago, famous from the TV show Playboy's Penthouse, Hugh Hefner's first foray into ... (Jazz) read moreCD
The part 2 to Jamal's classic Pershing set – But Not For Me – featuring more material from the same date, one of the most successful live piano recordings of the time! Jamal is quite at home in the setting – grooving with his trio of Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A nicely expanded take on the Ahmad Jamal sound of the early 60s – one that adds in guitar from Ray Crawford and violin from Joe Kennedy to Jamal's usual trio grooving! The main focus here is often still on the core group – which features Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on ... (Jazz) read moreCD
One of Ahmad Jamal's best early albums for Argo – a brilliant set of live recordings, done at the Spotlite Club in Washington DC in 1958 – and with a fluid vibe that's simply incredible – one of the best true statements of Jamal's genius from the early years! The trio is ... (Jazz) read moreCD
An amazing step forward for the young Etta James – a singer who was delivering a raw, shouting form of R&B just a few years before – but who here ascends into soul music heaven with her famous work on the album! The title cut is the stuff of legend – played and played, again ... (Soul) read moreCD
Queen of Soul is right! Heck, on these early albums, Etta practically invented soul – or at least invented a deep soul style of singing that would be taken up by countless other female singers during the 60s, but rarely matched with this kind of brilliance. Straight up beautiful stuff! The ... (Soul) read moreCD
Beautiful Etta James album with heartbreaking vocals over icy Riley Hampton arrangements, and a classic bit of early Chicago soul. Tracks include "Don't Cry Baby", "Fool That I Am", and "I'll Dry My Tears". Sweet and mellow, and proof for anyone that the move to ... (Soul) read moreCD
Ramsey Lewis Trio —
Bossa Nova ... CD Argo/MCA (Japan), 1962. Used ...
$18.99
One of the most unique albums from Ramsey Lewis' early years at Chess Records – a spare set of bossa groovers that has the Lewis trio with Eldee Young and Redd Holt augmented by added Brazilian percussion and guitar! The sound is spare, sharp, and soulful – and the record's one of the ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Proof that Marian McPartland actually did something professionally before working for NPR! This obscure session from the 50's is one of her best, and features the lovely pianist cut live before a crowd at The London House in Chicago. Titles include "Easy Blues", "So Many ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(1999 Japanese pressing - Includes obi.)
James Moody —
James Moody ... CD Argo/Verve, 1959. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Great work from Moody's "second phase" – the post-Overbrook time in which he picks up the flute, drops a bit of the bop style, and starts working in a much more complicated style that showed that he had a hell of a lot of room to grow as an artist! This album's Moody's second for ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Pivotal work from James Moody! The record was cut at a time when Moody was completely reinventing himself – shifting from the hard bopper of earlier years, into a sophisticated, slightly exotic player with an interest in mixing many different styles into a unique soul jazz vision. As part ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Last Train From Overbrook, a wonderful album from Moody – one of his "comeback" albums for Chess/Argo, recorded after his release from the Overbrook institution, hence the title. By this point, Moody was writing and playing with much more of an edge than during his bebop days ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Oliver Nelson —
Fantabulous ... CD Argo/Verve, 1964. Used ...
Out Of Stock
A cool cooker from Oliver Nelson – one of the few 60s albums he cut as a leader with the same sense of soul and swing as his backings for other players! The sound here is right up there with Nelson's work with Jimmy Smith over at Verve – soaring, soulful arrangements that sparkle in ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Max Roach —
Max ... CD Argo/MCA (Japan), 1958. Used ...
$18.99
Killer set of bop tracks recorded by Max and other NY bop heavy hitters – like Hank Mobley and Kenny Dorham – plus a guest appearance by Ramsey Lewis on piano, in one of his few non-Chicago, non-trio sides! The record's got that great kind of energy that Roach could hit when he really ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Out of print 20bit K2 pressing, includes obi.)
Gene Shaw —
Break Through ... CD Argo/Dusty Groove, 1962. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
An amazing record – bold, proud, and soulful – a set that we'd easily rank with any classic early 60s session on Blue Note – and for good reason too! This rare date is the debut as a leader for trumpeter Gene Shaw – also known as Clarence Shaw in an earlier history of work ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Punch through barcode.)
Sahib Shihab —
Summer Dawn ... CD Argo/Rearward (Italy), 1963. New Copy ...
$18.9922.99About March 15, 2024 (delayed)
A fantastic early record by Sahib Shihab – a motherlode of modal jazz grooves, cut during the early days of the Clarke-Boland Big Band! The record features a core group of players from that ensemble – including Shihab on alto, baritone, and flute, plus Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Sonny Stitt —
Sonny Stitt ... CD Argo/MCA (Japan), 1958. Used ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
A record with a simple, elegant title – and a similar cover image too – but if you know Sonny Stitt, you know there's often plenty beneath the surface, and this classic Chess Records has plenty to offer, once you start listening! The album's right up there with Sonny's work for Roost ... (Jazz) read moreCD
The 2 rare non-Blue Note sessions by organist Baby Face Willette – back to back on one CD! Behind The 8 Ball is hard-hitting organ jazz from Willette – served up in a style that's much more creative, and much more open-ended than his better-known Blue Note sessions. Baby Face has a ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A great little collection with material from Ahmad Jamal, Zoot Sims, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Etta James, Oliver Nelson, Yusef Lateef, Art Farmer, and Illinois Jacquet. (Jazz) CD