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A beautiful later set from Lorez Alexandria – produced by Houston Person, and put together with a sensitivity that really stands out! Although Lorez always sparkles on tunes that swing, she really rises to the occasion even more here on the ballads – really gentle tunes that are taken... read more

Always-great work from singer Lorez Alexandria – still sounding wonderful, even at this late date! Her presentation's a bit earthier than before, but no less poised than on earlier sessions – with the same sense of space and timing that's always made her one of our favorite jazz... read more

A beautiful later session from Bill Barron – one that has him playing both tenor and soprano sax, in a group with brother Kenny on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. The feel here is quite different than Barron's earlier groundbreaking work – but equally wonderful in... read more

Walter Bishop takes a trip back to his bop roots with this one – working in trio and quintet formation, and running through a host of mostly older bop standards! The quintet tracks are our favorites – as it's not often we hear Bishop in this stretch with a group larger than a trio... read more

An album on Muse, but one with the same hip grooves as Walter Bishop's excellent work on the Black Jazz label! Like those gems, this set features Bishop working on Fender Rhodes – hitting a groove we never would have expected in the old days, and really going for a style that's at the... read more

Cindy Blackman's looking a bit foxy on the cover, but her sound here is solidly soulful – a forceful batch of tunes that really match the best energy of the Muse Records soulbop scene of the early 90s! There's a nice blend of modern ideas and straight jazz energy here – sounds that... read more

Cindy Blackman's one of those players who always surprises us with her music – coming across with a lot more to offer than just her unique role as a girl drummer in jazz – sounds so bold, we instantly forget her gender and pretty image on the cover, and always just let ourselves get... read more

A righteous bit of soul – one of the only non-jazz albums we've seen on the Muse label, and a really great session that reminds us of work by Alice Clark and Esther Marrow – two other overlooked 70s soul singers who also recorded for jazz labels! Rickie's got a deep soul approach to... read more

An 80s repressing of the album Fast Last – one of the excellent avant sides for Muse from the early 70s, and a record that features Lester Bowie playing in a number of different settings – all with a sound that's different from his Art Ensemble recordings, and from his work for ECM. ... read more

Cecil's smoking on the cover, and he's smoking on the record too – really cooking things up in the best old school soul jazz style of his Muse Records years! The album was recorded live in New Jersey, and it's proof that plenty of great jazz was still coming from west of the Hudson in the... read more

An amazing album – and one of the underground soul jazz classics of the 70s! The album's also one of the few ever cut as a leader by drummer Roy Brooks – one of the hippest players on the Detroit scene back in the day, working here with a great lineup that includes Woody Shaw, George... read more

Obscure work from Kenny Burrell – material originally issued by Muse Records, most of it with a very laidback feel – as you'd guess from the title! The original sides were produced by Helen Keane, who'd done some of Bill Evans' greatest sets – and who had a real ear for the... read more

Michael Carvin's one of those players who always makes us sit up and take notice – not just for his own dynamic work on drums, but also for the way that he manages to lead a group with such soulful fire! This album's a great example of that skill, as Carvin brings together a mix of players... read more

The music of Michael Carvin is always a revelation – a joyous, soulful outpouring of feeling that never fails to move us – and which always makes us wonder why more folks don't treasure gems like this that he made as a leader! Carvin's drum work is filled with energy from the get-go... read more

Another one of the great LPs by a band that was probably one of the best to grace the Muse label – and who have not really ever been reissued. Eddie Green, Odean Pope, Tyrone Brown, and Sherman Ferguson form the core of this funky fusion outfit, and they play in a beautiful way that mixes... read more

A spacey album of keyboard duets between Joe Chambers and the great Larry Young! The album was recorded shortly before Larry passed away, and it features him and Chambers on a number of different keyboards – electric, acoustic, and organ – plus additional drums by Chambers on a few... read more

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Nothing too mad here, Alto Madness is a wonderful record that really shows the genius of Richie Cole in the 70s! Cole on Muse is a wonderful combination – sharp-edged alto sax, rooted in tradition – but let loose on some freer soul jazz modes as well, really showing the strong jazz... read more

Plenty of poise here – a lot more restraint than before for guitarist Larry Coryell, but still plenty of soul as well! The rhythm section is a key element of the set – as it features Stanley Cowell on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all working in... read more

Warmly wonderful work from guitarist Larry Coryell – an album that's got a simple, straightforward feel – and a rock-solid rhythm section in the form of Stanley Cowell on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums! Despite the far-reaching resumes of all the players,... read more

We never tire of the saxophone work of Sonny Criss – and this mid 70s gem is a perfect example of his brilliance! Sonny's sound on alto here is completely his own – raspily, soulful style that's really unique – and which draws strongly from Criss' rich life experience, including... read more

We never tire of the saxophone work of Sonny Criss – and this mid 70s gem is a perfect example of his brilliance! Sonny's sound on alto here is completely his own – raspily, soulful style that's really unique – and which draws strongly from Criss' rich life experience, including... read more

A compelling 70s set from reedman Eddie Daniels – a lot darker than some of his smoother jazz sides to come! There's a feel here that's almost in the CTI camp, but a bit spacier overall – as Daniels' work on flutes, tenor, and clarinet comes into play nicely with Fender Rhodes and... read more

The legendary meeting of the two biggest Brazilian keyboard talents of the 70s – Joao Donato and Eumir Deodato – coming together in beautifully funky formation! The sound is a great blend of the moody electric work of Donato's classic Quem E Quem album, and some of the fuller, funkier... read more

Amazing late 70s work from Charles Earland – quite different material than his contemporaneous sets for Mercury and Columbia, and much more the rootsy soul jazz he first cut at Prestige! The tracks are long, and filled with rhythms – that undeniable Earland groove, which is laid out... read more

Two tenor greats pay tribute to a host of other tenor greats – but with results that are quite different than you might expect! The album's hardly the type that just revisits familiar cliches from tenor giants of years past – and instead, the team of Houston Person and Teddy Edwards... read more

An overlooked fusion set from the mighty Muse Records – an early 80s date recorded under the leadership of keyboardist Mitch Farber, and featuring work from Randy Brecker on trumpet, Gary Campbell on tenor and soprano, and Steve Khan on guitar! Given the players, there's almost a major label... read more

A 70s soul jazz classic – one of those albums we go back to again and again over the years for inspiration! The album was one of the first from young reed player Carlos Garnett – and it's virtually a super-session, with a lineup that includes heavyweights like Buster Williams, Norman... read more

A 70s soul jazz classic – one of those albums we go back to again and again over the years for inspiration! The album was one of the first from young reed player Carlos Garnett – and it's virtually a super-session, with a lineup that includes heavyweights like Buster Williams, Norman... read more

Heavy, spiritual Coltranesque Afro-jazz from '74 from Carlos Garnett! The album's one of Carlos' best for Muse – with a heavy soul jazz lineup that includes players like Huberrt Eaves, Reggie Lucas, and Anthony Jackson. Ayodele Jenkins sings vocals on a few tracks – and the album... read more

One of Carlos Garnett's great soul jazz albums for the Muse label from the mid 70's. There's a very deep feel here, and the music is played by an ensemble that's fairly large, and which has a similar sound to the Norman Connors jazz LPs that were on Buddah and Cobblestone (which is no surprise,... read more

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Beautiful spiritual post-Coltrane jazz, played by an excellent but oft-overlooked duo from the early 70s! The Grubbs brothers are fantastic reed players, with a soaring sense of soulfulness that keeps things lively throughout – a style that inflects their horns together nicely to shade in... read more

Features Junior Cook on tenor, Slide Hampton on trombone, and Mucky Tucker on piano.... read more

'A much hipper record than you'd guess from its cheesy early 90s cover – an image that's almost a relic of the unfortunate time when jazz was trying to take on hip hop album art! Fortunately, Philip Harper's got a lot more depth than his photo – a rich quality that sparkles with the... read more

A soaring, soulful session – and one of the best albums ever from drummer Louis Hayes! Hayes still has some of the style he forged with Horace Silver in the 60s – but he's also working here with some very spiritual younger players, who really help open up the sound of the record –... read more

An overlooked session from Jimmy Heath – and a perfect illustration of his mighty powers in the 70s! At some level, the record's an extension of the hip soul jazz Jimmy was cutting back in the 60s – particularly on his later work as a sideman for bigger players – but at another... read more

Great extended work from vibist Jay Hoggard – a live date that has him spinning out beautifully on a set of really long tracks! Hoggard's trademark sensitivity to sounds and tones is very firmly in place here – but the live setting almost seems to focus it a bit more, even though most... read more

With Houston Person on tenor and Ralph Dorsey on percussion and congas!... read more

One of the last albums that Richard Groove Holmes ever recorded – but a surprisingly strong little set, and one that shows that he never stopped hitting the Hammond hard, even in the later years of his life! The record's got a depth of feeling that goes way beyond the dated, cheesy album on... read more

Great gritty sides from the mighty John Lee Hooker – material with a slightly obscure origin, but recorded in the late 50s, right in a stretch when he was cutting some of his classics! Hooker's guitar and vocals are center stage – both growling with a hell of a lot of soulful power... read more

The date's a bit late, but this is a nice groover from Willis, with a strong jazzy sound, and organ by Mickey Tucker and guitar by Pat Martino. A few of the tracks are a bit more lyrical than the old days, but Willis' tone is always a treat, even in the mellow moments. Titles include "Miss... read more

A nice return to the soul jazz style of Willis' years at Prestige – after cutting a few too-smooth albums for bigger labels during the 70s! The style here is nice and easy-going – longish tracks, with a quintet that features Willis' old bandmate Pat Martino on guitar, plus Charles... read more

A 70s set from Willis Jackson – but one that has him working in the same groovy array of rhythms and phrasings brought to his best 60s work on Prestige! The group here features two familiar factors from before – Pat Martino on guitar and Carl Wilson on organ – both really... read more

A Texas tenor takes on one of Chicago's mightiest reedmen! Worth it for the presence of Freeman alone (only a handful of recordings exist of the man), this live date from '78 features Gator and Von fronting a heavy, heavy band with Carl Wilson, Yusef Ali, and Joe(as in "Boogaloo") Jones.... read more

Great later work from vocalist Eddie Jefferson! Although the title of this one might be read as a haunting premonition of Eddie's untimely early death, the grooves within show nothing of the tragedy that was to overtake him a few years later. Hard swingin' jazz vocal stuff, put together by one of... read more

One of the weirdest, wildest albums ever from Eddie Jefferson – a real standout classic that shows him retooling his sound for the 70s! After years of writing lyrics to James Moody and Charlie Parker tunes, Eddie lays out some crazy lyrics for modern jazz standards like "Freedom Jazz... read more

One of the weirdest, wildest albums ever from Eddie Jefferson – a real standout classic that shows him retooling his sound for the 70s! After years of writing lyrics to James Moody and Charlie Parker tunes, Eddie lays out some crazy lyrics for modern jazz standards like "Freedom Jazz... read more

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Steve Kuhn at his funky best! Over the years, you may have seen Steve's name turn up on collections of hip funky tunes from the early 70s – but probably have never been able to find the right record that offers that same sound. Well, search no further, because this is the record – and... read more

Pat's opening up his guitar lines here, and playing in a freer, post-Coltrane way than on his earlier albums. He's backed up here by Eddie Green on electric piano, plus Tyrone Brown on bass and Sherman Ferguson on drums. Tracks include "Impressions", "Consciousness", and "... read more

Later work from Pat Martino, but a set that shows that the guitarist has lost none of his fire over the years! The set's done with a relatively freewheeling sound – not free, but open, as Martino spirals out wonderfully with some very creative solo lines – often quite extended, and... read more

Pat Martino in one of his greatest settings – live, in front of the kind of an audience where he could really open up! The set's a great marker of the growth that Pat experienced as the 70s approached – taking all the lessons he'd learned from his years gigging it up in the soul jazz... read more

James Moody's definitely feelin it here – stepping back into a straighter hardbop mode after some funkier sets of the early 70s – really sounding great on tenor, alto, and flute – and working with a very hip quartet for the date! Kenny Barron's in the group on both electric and... read more

James Moody's definitely feelin it here – stepping back into a straighter hardbop mode after some funkier sets of the early 70s – really sounding great on tenor, alto, and flute – and working with a very hip quartet for the date! Kenny Barron's in the group on both electric and... read more

An odd title, but a really wonderful album from Mark Murphy – an 80s session for Muse that easily matches some of his most creative moments for the label in the 70s! There's some wonderful versions of soulful jazz tracks here – takes on "Effendi" by McCoy Tyner, "Beauty... read more

One of his best for Muse, with a beautiful set of jazzy vocal grooves that includes his reading of "Stolen Moments" (later made famous by United Future Organization), plus "D.C. Farewell" and an excellent version of "Waters of March". Warm and breezy, with that... read more

With Melvin Sparks on guitar, Jon Logan on orban, Bad Bascomb on bass, and Bernard Purdie on drums!... read more

A great little album from Person – one of his best for Muse, and a record that sounds a lot better than the cover or title might indicate! The group's a very swinging quintet with Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Sonny Phillips on organ, Frankie Jones on drums, and Buddy Caldwell onc ongas –... read more

A sweet little set from Houston Person – a record that's a nice return to basics, much needed after some of his overproduced sessions of the mid 70s! The group here features a number of old Prestige stalwarts, helping Houston to hit a laidback soul jazz vibe – players who include Jimmy... read more

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Hannibal made some mighty wonderful music in the 70s – and he really carries that tradition strongly forward on this overlooked gem from the early 90s! The album's not as boldly righteous as some of Peterson's dates for MPS, but it's still got a hell of a lot of soul – a well-blown... read more

Although Sonny Phillips was one of the funky organ players to record for Prestige during the classic jazz funk years, by the time of this recording, he'd emerged as a more spiritual talent, with a looser, freer approach, and a much more open-ended vibe. This 1976 session is a good example of that... read more

Mellower than some of Dave's MPS records – with not as much psychedelic playing, but still some great jazzy grooves, laid out in a nice electric vein! The lineup includes vibes, electric piano, art, tenor, and guitar – and the best tracks have a dancing modal mode that shows that Pike... read more

Bumping, bass-heavy jazz from Lonnie Plaxico – a set that certainly has some of the traces of the Arsenio Hall-ish image on the front cover, but also some slightly hipper elements as well! Plaxico's basswork has a nice sense of darkness on some of the best numbers – almost a version of... read more

Surprisingly sweet grooves from guitarist Jimmy Ponder – one of the few from the jazz funk generation who kept on going strong into the 80s! Jimmy's sound here is nicely laidback – a nice change from his smoother albums of a few years before, and set up in an almost-classic sort of... read more

Great back-to-basics work from Jimmy Ponder – a well-crafted but laidback session that has the guitarist really opening up nicely in a hip quartet! Jimmy never tries too hard to get things back to the sound of the old days – never any of those hokey nods to the acid jazz generation you... read more

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An unbelievably fantastic album, and perhaps the greatest one that Dom Um Romao ever did! Dom recorded this one in America with a blend of Brazilian and New York musicians – creating an incredible sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! We'd place this record next to the best... read more

An incredible set of Brazilian jazz – one of the few albums that percussionist Dom Um Romao recorded as a leader, and sublime all the way through! The record's got a wonderful blend of funky fusion and Brazilian percussion – and features a group from two continents that includes Sivuca... read more

A really well-crafted set from saxophonist Antoine Roney – quite possibly our favorite member of his jazzy family, thanks to wonderful work like this! Roney's got a great approach to the tenor here – a style that has some of the searching, searing tones of the post-Coltrane generation... read more

Very vibrant work from trumpeter Wallace Roney – the sort of record that seems to burst out strongly even on the ballads – which is no surprise, given Wallace's tone at the time! The group here is a strong one for Roney – Antonio Hart on alto, Geri Allen on piano, Ron Carter on... read more

Underground grooving from trumpeter Wallace Roney – one of the excellent albums he recorded for the Muse label in the 90s – a wonderfully well-rounded set that's a tremendous tribute to his tone! The group here is every bit as great as Wallace's work in the frontline – Ravi... read more

One of Wallace Roney's best sessions from the time – an album with a great sense of balance and fullness, and a tremendous tribute to Roney's strength as a leader on Muse Records! The album features equally great contributions from Antoine Roney on tenor – a player who balances out... read more

A really soaring set from trumpeter Wallace Roney – as tight an album as he ever cut in his early days, working here with a group that includes Mulgrew Miller, Tony Williams, Gary Thomas, and Charnett Moffett. The tracks are mostly longish – with Roney blowing in that proud, full mode... read more

An overlooked soul jazz treasure from tenorist David Schnitter – recorded with lots of warm tones, and buoyant kind of a Strata East sensibility! Schnitter stretches out in long, well-crafted solos – sounding a bit like Ricky Ford or Clifford Jordan at the time – situated well in... read more

A later set from Shirley Scott, but one that's recorded with an old school lineup that includes Art Harper on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – plus some guest tenor work from the mighty Buck Hill! The tunes are a lot more open and fluid than Scott's sound on Prestige in the 60s – with... read more

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Some of the best work ever from legendary trumpeter Woody Shaw – and honestly, a batch of music that may well be one of the best runs at a label by any jazz musician, period! Woody first came on the scene as a sharp talent from the east coast in the 60s – playing with a drive and fire... read more

A late date for Woody Shaw, but a great one too – a bit more straightforward than some of his more righteous albums of the 70s, but still proof that Shaw is easily one of the greatest trumpeters of his generation! The album's got a laidback sort of feel, and features a fair bit of familiar... read more

A late date for Woody Shaw, but a great one too – a bit more straightforward than some of his more righteous albums of the 70s, but still proof that Shaw is easily one of the greatest trumpeters of his generation! The album's got a laidback sort of feel, and features a fair bit of familiar... read more

A fantastic album by Woody Shaw – spiritual, soulful, and filled with some nice modal grooving! The group's one of the best he ever worked with on Muse – with Billy Harper on tenor, plus Rene McLean, Steve Turre, Joe Bonner, and Cecil McBee – and the approach reminds us of some... read more

One of Woody's last albums – a back to basics set, recorded with a group that include Kenny Garret on alto sax, Kenny Barron on piano, and guest guitar work on one track by Peter Leitch. The approach is straight modal hardbop – in the spirit of Woody's first recordings for Muse –... read more

Shaw and Braxton are an unlikely pair of fronliners – as one's got a soulful modal style, and the other's a colder modernist – but they work surprisingly well together on this album, which mixes players throughout the album, by adding in Muhal Richard Abrams, Cecil McBee, Arthur Blythe,... read more

Hard swinging work from James Spaulding – still sounding great after all these years! Spaulding's in perfect company here – with Ronnie Matthews on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums, plus horn work by Dan Faulk and Don Sickler, next to the range of flute and alto... read more

A great take on the music of Thelonious Monk – recorded with special sensitivity by reedman James Spaulding, who ensures that the sound goes way past the usual Monk-styled outing! Things start out in relatively familiar territory, but as the record progresses it really opens up – as... read more

A great take on the music of Thelonious Monk – recorded with special sensitivity by reedman James Spaulding, who ensures that the sound goes way past the usual Monk-styled outing! Things start out in relatively familiar territory, but as the record progresses it really opens up – as... read more

Great work from James Spaulding – one of the few players of his generation who actually got better with age! As he was in his classic 60s Blue Note recording sessions with other leaders, Spaulding is a hell of a group player – extremely sensitive to the other members of his groups... read more

Features Stitt on alto and tenor – plus Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums.... read more

Plenty of style here – a great later date from Sonny Stitt – one of those near-perfect gems from the years when he had fallen far from the mainstream of jazz, but could still blow with some of the best! There's a simple, almost understated quality to the date that's really wonderful... read more

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A great little session of soul jazz – and very much in a classic mode, but with touches of the Strata East sound of the 70s. Although Blue Note and Prestige had seemed to abandon straighter soul jazz by the early 70s, Muse was cranking out some nice sides with older players of the 60s scene.... read more

Nice lost session that has the great mellow bassist Buster Williams heading a group that includes vibist Roy Ayers on a number of cuts, plus other nice players, like Kenny Barron, Billy Hart, and Jimmy Rowles. The highlight of the album is a beautiful 12 minute reworking of Roy Ayers "Vibratio... read more

A totally excellent Buster Williams album from the mid 70's, and one of the best (and hardest to find) albums on Muse! The bassist has always been one of our favorite talents – and this little gem is one of the few albums he's cut on his own, a majestic bit of soul jazz and funk, recorded... read more

With Jaki Byard on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. Includes "Samba Du Bois", "Nefertiti", "Airegin", "The Last Page", and "The Summer Knows".... read more

No coolin out here, as the set's a great batch of soulful jazz numbers from the legendary Muse label – filled with overlooked gems from the imprint's key 70s run – including a fair bit of gems that will set you digging for other treasures from the label! The style here is less straight... read more

Things definitely get plenty deep on this jazz trip – a great run through the 70s catalog of Muse Records, and one that's filled with some incredible bits that we'd rank right up there with the best work of the time on labels like Black Jazz or Strata East! Muse always had a way of really... read more

Way more than just a jazz funk revival – given that all of the tracks here are from the mighty Muse Records, one of the coolest companies going back in the 70s! The set does a great job of mixing straighter funk with some more righteous numbers – showing two key sides of the label's... read more