A great mid 70s session from keyboardist Sonny Phillips – very different than his early work! Although Sonny 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 – as it moves beyond simple funky jazz, into a realm that shows Phillips picking up a lot of outside influences, and going for a style that was mellower, more laidback, and a bit more cosmic – while still hitting some nice funky moments. The set was recorded by Houston Person, and features Phillips on piano and organ, with backing by Ben Dixon, Jimmy Ponder, and Ralph Dorsey. Titles include "Salaam 7", "Goin Home", "My Black Flower", and "Jalal". CD

Keyboardist Sonny Phillips was one of the lesser-known talents on the Prestige roster of jazz funk greats in the early 70s – and this nice 2-in-1 CD brings together his 2 best albums for the label, both of which feature Phillips on organ, along with giants like Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Rusty Bryant on tenor. The album Sure Nuff is probably Phillips' best for the label – a set that's done with the lean, hard funky sound of other greats working for Prestige during the same time – especially on the cuts "Sure Nuff, Sure Nuff", "The Other Blues", "Be Yourself", and "Oleo". Black On Black has a bit more of a mellow groove, but still kicks nicely, especially on the tracks "Check It Out", and "Black On Black". 10 tracks in all, with the usual "Legends Of Acid Jazz" package. CD

With Bernard Purdie and Ben Dixon on drums. CD

2 albums recorded by Esther in the years before she broke into big fame on the Kudu label. Burnin is a stunning live set that marked Esther's move from being a loud young R&B singer into an older, more mature interpreter of material in a more jazzy style. She's backed here by a good group that includes Jack Wilson on piano, Richard Tee on organ, Chuck Rainey on bass, and Cornell Dupree on guitar – and she moves through a heartbreaking set of material that heralds her later 70's recordings for Kudu. Tracks include "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", "And I Love Him", "Shangri-La", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". Confessin points back at Esther's earlier career in R&B, but has a nice jazzy finish – thanks to players like Sonny Criss, Teddy Edwards, and Herb Ellis – and the record also features a few more sides from the Burnin sessions at Freddie Jett's Nightclub in LA. Titles include "Romance In The Dark", "I Wonder", "I'm Getting Long Alright", "In The Evenin", and "I Love Paris". Due to time limit restrictions, the CD excludes the cuts "I'm Getting Long Alright" and "It Could Happen To You" from the LPs. CD

2 of Boogaloo Joe's best and rarest albums on one CD – guitar jazz funk at its best! First up is Boogaloo Joe – a killer session of funky guitar jazz, and the record that gave Ivan "Boogaloo" Joe Jones his nickname! The set's a full-on wailer that really blows away Joe's first two on Prestige – breaking out ouf the box with a killer lineup that includes Rusty Bryant on tenor, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Sonny Phillips on organ – all working with Joe's incredibly tight guitar lines to craft some wicked tunes that take soul jazz firmly into the sound of the 70s! Titles include "Boogaloo Joe", "People Are Talking", "Dream On Little Dreamer", and "Atlantic City Soul". Right On Brother is next – and is Ivan's first truly sublime album – a set that showed the world that he was easily one of the greatest jazz guitarists of his generation – able to spin out single-note jams with a speed and dexterity that few others could match! The groove here is totally great and very righteous – heavy drums from Bernard Purdie, wailing organ from Charles Earland, and saxophone from Rusty Bryant – all cooking together in the best early 70s Prestige jazz funk mode! Titles include "Right On", "Brown Bag", "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", and "Poppin". CD

A nice back to basics session from jazz singer Etta Jones – recorded with backing by a small combo that includes Houston Person on tenor – and done in the laidback style that always seems to bring out the best in her singing. Other players include Idris Muhammad, Jimmy Ponder, and Sonny Phillips – and tracks include "The Way You Look Tonight", "Be My Love", "Don't Misunderstand", and "Gloomy Sunday". CD

The original album of lovely clarinet work by Buddy DeFranco –backed by Oscar Peterson's quartet – plus a mammoth bonus number that runs nearly half an hour! The players includes Ray Brown on bass, Herb Ellis on guitar, and Louis Bellson on guitar. The tracks are open-ended, in that swinging Verve style used on the best mid 50s LPs – and while the Peterson group doesn't work in the same soul style of some of DeFranco's recordings with Sonny Clark, they make up for it with their own light touch that helps DeFranco take some chances on his solos! Titles include "Sweet & Lovely", "Fascinating Rhythm", Pick Yourself Up", "Love For Sale", and "Easy To Love". As a bonus track for this edition you get the 23+ minute "Lullaby In Rhythm" – recorded with the same personel plus all star winds Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Harris and Flip Phillips – with great soloing throughout! CD

A sweet double-length set – one that features two classic Prestige albums from Gene Ammons! Boss Is Back is a great comeback for tenor legend Gene Ammons – not just in a musical sense, but also because Jug had spent most of the past few years in prison – as part of the usual trumped-up drug charges that were filed against musicians at the time! At the time of this album, Ammons had not recorded since a very successful flurry of sides recorded in 1961, done for a number of labels, and issued slowly during his time off the recording market – a precursor to this fantastic return to form, which has Gene hitting more of a jazz funk mode, in the best Prestige style at the end of the 60s! Case in point is the presence of Bernard Purdie on drums on a number of cuts – in a lineup that also features some organ from Sonny Phillips, piano from Junior Mance, and electric bass from Bob Bushnell – plus congas from Candido for a nice extra kick! Titles include the funky cuts "Tastin' the Jug" and "Jungle Boss" – plus "Madame Queen" and "Feeling Good". Brother Jug is a great bit of jazz funk from tenor genius Gene Ammons – really reinventing himself here after some time off the scene in the 60s! The set has Gene picking up a great groove with help from Billy Butler on guitar and Sonny Phillips on organ – and the great Bernard Pretty Purdie is also on drums, and kicks it nice and lean on the great groover "Jungle Strut"! The album also features a nice version of "Son of A Preacher Man", plus "Ger-ru", which features Junior Mance on piano. CD

With Bill Hardman, Idris Muhammad, Sonny Phillips, Charles Brown, and Jimmy Ponder. CD

Recorded in the 40s, and issued only much later by Pablo Records – but a set that's very much in the best spirit of the classic Jazz At The Philharmonic performances that were issued famously by Verve! The set features two key groups – one with Charlie Parker and Sonny Criss on alto sax, Flip Phillips on tenor, Fats Navarro on trumpet, Tommy Turk on trombone, and Hank Jones on piano – playing long jam session takes of "Leap Here", "Indiana", and "Lover Come Back To Me". Then, things move to a smaller group mode on some shorter tracks – with Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Navarro on trumpet, and Jones on piano – on titles that include "Rifftide", "Stuffy", and "The Things We Did Last Summer". CD