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One of Ahmed Abdul-Malik's hard to find Prestige sides, and not just rare, but a sublime blend of exotic styles with the jazz tradition! Like his other recordings, this set infuses modern jazz with some Eastern influences and exotic instrumentation in a compelling fashion, running through a set of... read more

Mose Allison's last album for Prestige Records – before moving onto even bigger fame at Columbia and Atlantic during the 60s! Unlike Allison's later sets, this one is mostly instrumental – but there are a few sweet vocal tracks that bring out the hip, rootsy lyrical modes that would... read more

An all-instrumental set from Mose Allison – one that drops out his familiar jazz vocals, and really brings a nice focus to his energy on the keys of the piano! Given that Mose really got his start as a sideman in other combos during the 50s, the selection's no surprise – and if you've... read more

A stone classic from Gene Ammons – and a record that introduced his talents to a whole new audience in the 60s! The album's a more laidback one than some of Jug's more hard-blown honkers – as you might guess from his hit rendition of the ballad in the title – and the... read more

Classic Jug, playing in a laidback open-ended blowing session, with other strong Prestige players – like Coltrane, Jerome Richardson, Paul Quinichette, Art Taylor, and Mal Waldron, who always seems to be the driving force between most Prestige sides like this. The album has only 4 tracks,... read more

Way more than just an album with Gene Ammons as a leader – and instead, a set that truly earns the "all stars" listed on the cover – thanks to a great array of supporting players, and a very loose, open-ended jam session style that lets everyone get in plenty of solo space! ... read more

In "back", the title is pointing to the fact that Gene Ammons is back on the scene, after being released from 7 years of a tragic 15 year narcotics sentence in prison. The album marks a proud return for Jug – who'd not recorded since a very successful flurry of sides recorded in... read more

One of Gene Ammons' classics from the 60s, and a straight ahead session of soul jazz tenor and piano, with drums by Art Taylor and a bit of extra conga from Ray Barretto. Nice rolling 60's soul jazz groove, and some nice piano comping behind Jug by Patti Brown and Walter Bishop Jr. Tracks include... read more

One of Jug's funkier albums from his time back out of the pen, and a tasty electric session with Billy Butler on guitar and Sonny Phillips on organ. Pretty Purdie plays drums, and he kicks it nice and lean on the great groover "Jungle Strut". The album also features a nice version of... read more

Dang! Poor Gene Ammons kept getting stuck with albums that had titles which referenced his prison time! Fortunately, the quality of this one's good enough to live past the stupid name – and the record has Gene blowing with a larger group of west coast soul jazz players, arranged by Bobby... read more

One of Ammons' classic blowing sessions for Prestige, with an all-star lineup that includes Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Mal Waldron, and Kenny Burrell. The group plays together on 4 long tracks, and in a tight hardbop vein, with long soulful solos from every player. Titles include "Pint... read more

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A wonderful batch of mellow, laidback balladry by Gene Ammons. Like a lot of the two-fers issued by Milestone and Prestige in the 70s when they came under the Fantasy umbrella, this set collects sides from a couple of different sessions, Nice An' Cool and The Soulful Mood Of Gene Ammons in this... read more

Our favorite side of Gene Ammons' talents – summed up nicely in a 2LP set! Ammons wasn't the first tenor player to work with a Hammond organ, but once the format gained popularity, Gene made a wise move to take it up – and it became a pairing that forever defined the later years of his... read more

A more laidback set than usual from Ammons' early 70s stretch on Prestige – but a record that nicely gets back to that big-toned tenor sound he used often on ballads from earlier years! The combo mixes both electric piano and organ – the former from Hank Jones, the latter from Ernie... read more

A real turning point in the career of Gene Ammons – a record that almost returns Ammons to his earthier roots, and in the process helps build up a whole new sound in soul jazz for the 60s! The "Jug" nickname in the title is kind of a joking way to help Ammons stand alongside "M... read more

Very nice album by Jug that often gets overlooked because it's comprised of 2 different sessions, and can't get the "historical" writeup of being a single significant moment in the studio. Some tracks – including "Lascivious" and "Soft Winds" – are with a... read more

Very nice album by Jug that often gets overlooked because it's comprised of 2 different sessions, and can't get the "historical" writeup of being a single significant moment in the studio. Some tracks – including "Lascivious" and "Soft Winds" – are with a... read more

Killer live work from Jug – recorded during the early 60s in Chicago, with just an organ-based trio, and very much in the feeling of the best small-group lounge jazz shows of the day! The material is issued here in a 1967 version, its first release – but the grooves were recorded at... read more

Although late in the Prestige jazz funk years, and not in the small combo mode of some of Ammons' best early 70s sides, this is still an excellent batch of tracks – thanks to hip arrangements from Bill (William S?) Fisher! The format's almost in a Kudu/CTI mode, as larger arrangements... read more

Nice and cool, but not in a west coast way – and instead a set that's got Gene Ammons working some wonderfully soulful magic on a set of gentle ballads! The set's got a brilliant late nite sort of feel – one of those tenor albums that seems to sound even better in the space past... read more

Ahhhh . . . The Jam Session years of Gene Ammons! This album was one of a number that Jug cut for Prestige during the mid 50s, all excellent examples of how perfectly the label's "blowing session" style could work when it wanted to. The set takes Ammons' tenor, and groups it with an... read more

Kind of an obscure session by Ammons – most likely recorded in that jumble of contracts and conflicting label arrangements in the early 60s – a time when Jug actually did some of his best work! There's no players listed on the notes – which is sometimes typical for these early... read more

Classic mellow Jug – from a time when Prestige discovered that Gene Ammons would sell equally well to the mellow jazz crowd as to the jukebox jumpers! This set brings together tracks from 3 Gene Ammons 60s albums – 2 of which were best sellers, Velvet Soul and Sock, the last of which,... read more

Classic mellow Jug – from a time when Prestige discovered that Gene Ammons would sell equally well to the mellow jazz crowd as to the jukebox jumpers. Most of the cuts feature Gene with a deep soulful tone that could qualify as "velvet", but which still has enough of a rough edge... read more

One of the tasty blowing session albums that Jug cut for Prestige – remarkable in the quality of the players (Coltrane, Mal Waldron, Pepper Adams, and others), and in the relaxed easy groove of the solid soulful tracks. There's 4 long cuts, and they all swing nicely nicely nicely! Titles... read more

These two tenor giants meet in the period slightly before Ammons death, and they're grouped with some of the younger funky players on Prestige, like Leon Spencer, Idris Muhammad, and George Freeman. The sound is fairly traditional, but there's some nice funky moments. Tracks include "Out Of... read more

The brain trust of soul jazz in the early 60s – led by tenorist Gene Ammons on both albums! Soul Summit Volume one features Ammons and Sonny Stitt on tenor, plus Jack McDuff on Hammond – a definite soul summit for the time – with 3 top-shelf players in the lead, all getting... read more

Smoking blues from Billy Boy Arnold – an artist who never got the fame as some of the bigger acts on Chess Records in the 60s – but who could certainly cook with the best Chicago electric sound! Arnold sings and plays guitar on the record – with a bold, upfront quality that... read more

This is a late 60's reissue of an early 60's album originally titled In A Minor Groove. These tracks show Dorothy at her early best, and jamming (yes, that's right, jamming) on the harp along with her quartet that included Frank Wess on flute, Herman Wright on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. And... read more

Great stuff by the grooviest artist ever to play a harp! Dorothy Ashby had a unique soul jazz harp sound, and although the instrument she used is probably more thought of in terms of bedtime lullabies, she actually makes it swing nicely, and with a soulful sound that draws back to traditions of... read more

Some obscure but great 60s work by Chet Baker – and one of 5 albums recorded under the guidance of Richard Carpenter, best known as the author of "Walkin", but also Chet's manager at the time. The record's got a lot more soulful feel than some of Chet's other work – thanks to... read more

An obscure session that Chet recorded in the mid 60's with a rhythm section from Detroit that includes the Kirk Lightsey, Herman Wright, and Roy Brooks – and that features some firey playing by George Coleman on tenor. Tracks include "Rearin' Back", "Grade A Gravy", and... read more

Really wonderful stuff – and one of Gary Bartz's greatest albums ever! This double-length live set was recorded around the time of his NTU Troup albums for Milestone – but it's a bit more straightforward than those sides, going back towards a searching soul jazz sound, with some slight... read more

Very righteous material from Gary Bartz – and one of his classic NTU Troop albums, with Andy Bey on vocals and electric piano, and the great Stafford James playing some mighty heavy bass! The tracks are nice and long, with a very soulful sound that mixes freer spiritual playing with a good... read more

Two funk blacksploitation soundtracks, back to back on one CD! Cornbread, Earl, & Me wasn't exactly a Superfly-type film, but the Blackbyrds do a nice job of playing Donald Byrd's score of funky instrumentals and sweeter jazz themes, written to fit the "coming of age" story of the... read more

An amazing album that has Art Blakey completely reinventing himself for the 70s! Blakey shifts from straight hardbop to kind of a modal soul jazz groove, touched with some of the electric playing of the younger jazz generation, but not enough to qualify as fusion or funk. Instead, he's working... read more

A beautiful Art Blakey album from the early 70s, and one that's got the same sort of electric soul jazz vibe as his great Buhania record! Art's playing here with a great set of musicians that includes Woody Shaw, George Cables, John Hicks, and Ramon Morris – and the group grooves together in... read more

One of the most excellent records ever on Prestige, and one of our favorite LPs ever! The great reed player George Braith lays down a set of moody dark tracks with backing by a group that includes a lot of percussion, electric guitar, electric bass, and, on one track, backing by a choir of female... read more

Early 50s material recorded by the late Clifford Brown – issued here in a classic "memorial" package slightly after his death in 1956! And while Brown never recorded much for Prestige – and never really as a leader – these sides are still a great example of his... read more

A sweet sweet change for Rusty Bryant – as electric piano moves in on the usual Hammond heard on most of his funky sessions – with a resulting groove that's outta site! The change in keys makes for more of a soundtrack funk feel than a rough-edged one – not smooth at all, but... read more

A real smoker of a session – Rusty Bryant's first comeback album of the jazz funk years, done in a mode that virtually set the tone for other Prestige sessions of the time! Rusty's working here on alto sax, in a mode that's clearly inspired by the Lou Donaldson sessions of the time on Blue... read more

Fantastic funky jazz from tenorman Rusty Bryant – one of the real standout titles in the classic early 70s Prestige jazz/funk years! Rusty leads a group that includes heavyweights like Charles Earland on organ, Virgil Jones on trumpet, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums... read more

Fantastic funky jazz from tenorman Rusty Bryant – one of the real standout titles in the classic early 70s Prestige jazz/funk years! Rusty leads a group that includes heavyweights like Charles Earland on organ, Virgil Jones on trumpet, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums... read more

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Kenny Burrell at his best – lean, mean, playing in a stripped down session that he rarely matched in later years! The record's got an open-ended jam session feel – Kenny listed as the leader, but playing in a laidback setting with Cecil Payne on baritone, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Doug... read more

A wonderful album by these two jazz guitarists – and one that features them playing in a much harder mode than usual! The album's cut in the open-ended style of some of the Prestige jam session sets – with a very able group that includes Mal Waldron, Art Taylor, Doug Watkins, Donald... read more

Kenny Burrell joins the quartet of Hammond hero Brother Jack McDuff – in a session that's not only a classic Prestige cooker from the 60s, but also one of Kenny's most hard grooving albums of the decade! Jack's tight group really seem to push Burrell into some great new territory – a... read more

A beautiful bit of insanity that properly displays why we think Jaki Byard is one of the greatest overlooked talents of the 60's! Jaki plays here not just on his usual piano – but also electric piano, celeste, vibes, and even a bit of tenor – shifting wonderfully to match the spirit of... read more

One of the great ones! No kidding, Jaki Byard was an amazing talent in the 60s – and records like this one are rare treasures to be sought-after by any serious jazz fan. Byard had an incredible range of talents and influences – and, like his frequent bandmate Roland Kirk, he could... read more

Two rare albums from one of the greatest modern pianists ever! Jaki Byard With Strings is a wonderful album – and nothing like any other "with strings" album you've ever heard! Sure, the set does have some stringed instruments in the group – but it's a small combo session... read more

A trio session – but a killer! Unlike some of Byard's earlier trio work from the 60s, this one's a pretty compelling set – with some very trippy influences, and a strange mix of 60s grooving, Eastern rhythms, and trad jazz themes. Jaki plays piano (and guitar on one track!) –... read more

A treasure trove of lost material from Jaki Byard – recorded during a time when he was at the height of his powers! The 7 tunes on this set were originally cut for the 2 volume series of live recordings Byard did for Prestige in the mid 60s – and of those 7, only 1 was ever issued, and... read more

One of the greatest records ever by this hip jazz ensemble – and one of their most unique! The record has the band grooving hard through two incredible suites of Latin music – Gary McFarland's "Latin Kaleidoscope" and Francy Boland's "Cuban Fever" – each of... read more

One of the few Cobb sides for Prestige to feature an organist, in this case the obscure player Austin Mitchell. The record's got a pretty deep gutbuckety groove, thanks to trombonist Buster Cooper, the other main soloist on the album. Cobb's rich Texas tenor is firmly in place – and titles... read more

Possibly the strongest album ever recorded by mellow-voiced jazz vocalist Earl Coleman – a singer with a deeper style that's very much in the classic Billy Eckstine mode, but which swings a bit more freely in a small combo! The set's got a nicely open style – with longer tracks than... read more

A beautiful name for a beautiful record – a classic set of hardbop material from John Coltrane's early years as a leader – and a session that has him working with Donald Byrd on trumpet, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums! The album's got a beautifully... read more

Classic early John Coltrane for Prestige – less a bold statement as a leader than a strong batch of blowing session-styled tracks that show how well Coltrane could hold his own with more established players! The groups on the set vary from track to track – and feature players that... read more

Classic early John Coltrane for Prestige – less a bold statement as a leader than a strong batch of blowing session-styled tracks that show how well Coltrane could hold his own with more established players! The groups on the set vary from track to track – and feature players that... read more

Darkly brooding work from John Coltrane's early years as a leader on Prestige – a very unique little record that features twin baritone sax support from Pepper Adams and Cecil Payne! Both players are wonderfully hip here – more than enough to match Trane's unique musical vision for the... read more

Strong work from John Coltrane's early years as a leader – even if the album is sort of a collection of tracks that Trane recorded for Prestige, instead of a discreetly separate session! Side one features Coltrane's tenor in a spare setting with Earl May on bass and Art Taylor on drums... read more

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John Coltrane made plenty of great music during his late 50s time at the Prestige Records label – some of it under his own name, and a lot more while working with other leaders! This package presents the full recordings from that second half of Coltrane's Prestige performances –... read more

A bold early statement from a young John Coltrane – and an album that really has him expanding his talents as a tenor soloist! Coltrane's working here in open-ended quartet format – with backing from the Red Garland trio that includes Paul Chambers and Art Taylor – on a set of... read more

A bold early statement from a young John Coltrane – and an album that really has him expanding his talents as a tenor soloist! Coltrane's working here in open-ended quartet format – with backing from the Red Garland trio that includes Paul Chambers and Art Taylor – on a set of... read more

A bold early statement from a young John Coltrane – and an album that really has him expanding his talents as a tenor soloist! Coltrane's working here in open-ended quartet format – with backing from the Red Garland trio that includes Paul Chambers and Art Taylor – on a set of... read more

A bold early statement from a young John Coltrane – and an album that really has him expanding his talents as a tenor soloist! Coltrane's working here in open-ended quartet format – with backing from the Red Garland trio that includes Paul Chambers and Art Taylor – on a set of... read more

A mellow soulful classic by John Coltrane – and one of his best-remembered early albums for Prestige! The session has all the gentle glow that you might guess from the title – a laidback, open-ended approach that has Coltrane blowing long solos over rhythms from the trio of Red Garland... read more

A beautiful album that more than lives up to its evocative title – an early session from John Coltrane, filled with long tracks that slide along brilliantly! As with many other classic Prestige albums from Trane, backing is by the trio of Red Garland piano, Paul Chambers bass, and Art Taylor... read more

A beautiful album that more than lives up to its evocative title – an early session from John Coltrane, filled with long tracks that slide along brilliantly! As with many other classic Prestige albums from Trane, backing is by the trio of Red Garland piano, Paul Chambers bass, and Art Taylor... read more

Tenors can't get any more conclaved than this – as the record brings together 4 players on the instrument in a great match from 2 of the best sides of 50s jazz! John Coltrane and Hank Mobley represent the more open, soulful side of the spectrum – and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims the tighter,... read more

2 trumpets, 2 tenors, and a heck of a lot of open-ended blowing session magic! The format for this one's incredibly loose – as might be guessed by the "leaderless" nature of the record – but the session's a great example of the Prestige blowing session mode at its best –... read more

The great altoist Sonny Criss is one of our favorite-ever reed players, and this beautiful session from his late 60's "comeback" period is a loving portrait of the wide range of his deep deep talents! On the surface, the record is deceptively simple, and only features Criss' work on alto... read more

A fantastically beautiful album that strongly proves the old jazz adage "It's not the song, but the singer"! The "singer" in this case is alto player Sonny Criss – and the songs are a middle of the road batch of compositions, like "Sunny", "Willow Weep For... read more

One of Lock's great albums recorded with Johnny Griffin, and like the rest of them, this is a hard-hitting, head-to-head tenor set with lots of long tracks and good hard solos. Griff and Lock trade lines hard and fast, especially on their rendition of Monk's "Straight No Chaser". Other... read more

Volume 3 of Lockjaw's classic early Cookbook sessions – cut for Prestige in a key transitional moment, when Lock was trying to break past the R&B roots of earlier years, and emerge as a more sophisticated jazz soloist, capable of carrying an idea way past the short format of singles and... read more

Classic 60s soul jazz from Eddie Lockjaw Davis – more than an album's worth of materal on a single CD! First up is part of the album Misty – great work from the famous team that featured Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor and Shirley Scott on organ – recorded here in the mellow, open-en... read more

Classic 60s soul jazz from Eddie Lockjaw Davis – more than an album's worth of materal on a single CD! First up is part of the album Misty – great work from the famous team that featured Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor and Shirley Scott on organ – recorded here in the mellow, open-en... read more

Another one of the famous live sets that Eddie Lockjaw Davis & Johnny Griffin cut together during the early 60s – recorded at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, with a very lively audience, and a twin tenor frontline that was quite popular while it lasted! Davis & Griffin groove soulfully... read more

Don't pass this one up! Although lots of other albums by Eddie Lockjaw Davis are laidback quartet and quintet sessions, done in a soul jazz organ/tenor mode – this session features Eddie working with stunning bigger band backings, in a searingly soulful sound that's simply incredible! The... read more

The title's terrible, but the album's a great one – a really classic-styled jam session, of the sort that the Prestige label hardly ever recorded! The session features 4 tenor giants of slightly older vintage – Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Coleman Hawkins, Arnett Cobb, and Buddy Tate –... read more

The title's terrible, but the album's a great one – a really classic-styled jam session, of the sort that the Prestige label hardly ever recorded! The session features 4 tenor giants of slightly older vintage – Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Coleman Hawkins, Arnett Cobb, and Buddy Tate –... read more

A seminal mid 50s Miles sessions for Prestige recorded during one of his most fertile periods. This set features a quartet format, with Miles backed only by Red Garland, Oscar Pettiford and Philly Joe Jones, a document of his exploration of small group jazz before settling on the quintet lineup... read more

An early full-length album issued under Miles Davis' name – one that brings together some earlier 10" and single recordings for Prestige! The feel here is quite similar to Davis' work of the time for Blue Note – done with tracks that are short and tight, and very boppish –... read more

An early full-length album issued under Miles Davis' name – one that brings together some earlier 10" and single recordings for Prestige! The feel here is quite similar to Davis' work of the time for Blue Note – done with tracks that are short and tight, and very boppish –... read more

A session of "collectors items" that Miles Davis recorded for Prestige in the 50s – both dates that were too short to be issued as albums by themselves, combined here into one full length record! The first batch of material is from 1953 – and features Davis working with Sonny... read more

A session of "collectors items" that Miles Davis recorded for Prestige in the 50s – both dates that were too short to be issued as albums by themselves, combined here into one full length record! The first batch of material is from 1953 – and features Davis working with Sonny... read more

A seminal session from the team of Miles Davis & John Coltrane – not nearly as "cookin" (at least in a blowing session way) as you might guess from the title, but instead a beautiful example of the lyrically modern explorations the pair created together! Rhythm is by the trio... read more

A key early appearance on record by Sonny Rollins – recorded here with Miles Davis and Jackie McLean in the landmark Dig session! The album's the stuff that 50s bop dreams are made of – a session that has up-and-coming modernists working in the new freedom of the long playing record,... read more

A key early appearance on record by Sonny Rollins – recorded here with Miles Davis and Jackie McLean in the landmark Dig session! The album's the stuff that 50s bop dreams are made of – a session that has up-and-coming modernists working in the new freedom of the long playing record,... read more

A key early appearance on record by Sonny Rollins – recorded here with Miles Davis and Jackie McLean in the landmark Dig session! The album's the stuff that 50s bop dreams are made of – a session that has up-and-coming modernists working in the new freedom of the long playing record,... read more

A strange mix of material – but some great work overall! Most of the record features Miles Davis recording with a quintet that includes Thelonious Monk on piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – on longer versions of "The Man I Love" (in... read more

A slightly different issue of these great bop sides, originally issued on 10" and packaged under this title in a coupls of different LP formats, with Miles working with a quintet that includes Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke – on longer versions of "The... read more

With JJ Jackson on trombone, Lucky Thompson on tenor, and Horace Silver on piano – on long versions of "Walkin" and "Blue N Boogie".... read more

A beautiful little record by Miles Davis – oft overlooked next to some of the better-titled Prestige sessions of the 50s, but a great one nonetheless! The session features Miles working with trio backing from Red Garland on piano, Oscar Pettford on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums –... read more

A beautiful little record by Miles Davis – oft overlooked next to some of the better-titled Prestige sessions of the 50s, but a great one nonetheless! The session features Miles working with trio backing from Red Garland on piano, Oscar Pettford on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums –... read more

A huge moment in jazz – not just for trumpeter Miles Davis, but also for saxophonist John Coltrane – who was virtually introduced to the world at large with this record! As you might guess from the title, the record's the first to feature Coltrane playing along with Davis – a... read more

One of the classic early Miles Davis & John Coltrane sessions for Prestige – a well-crafted quintet album that shows Miles finding a stronger voice than ever, and Coltrane beginning to emerge as a key force on his own! Backing is subtle and soulful – handled by the trio of Red... read more

One of the classic early Miles Davis & John Coltrane sessions for Prestige – a well-crafted quintet album that shows Miles finding a stronger voice than ever, and Coltrane beginning to emerge as a key force on his own! Backing is subtle and soulful – handled by the trio of Red... read more