A nice little cooker from Junior – with no pun on the artist or title intended! The album's one of Cook's few sets as a leader, and arguably has an even better focus than most of the rest – thanks to strong production from Cedar Walton, who's also backing Junior for the record with his trio of Billy Higgins on drums and Buster Williams on bass. The groove is nice and fluid – in the best Walton way that combines warmth with a sense of free-soaring energy – and Junior's solos seem a bit more hard-bitten than before, but still with that sense of lyrical warmth that he developed with Horace Silver. Titles include "Chi Chi", "Hindsight", "Heavy Blue", "Illusion Of Grandeur", "Fiesta Espanol", and "Detour Ahead". CD

Two tenors, indeed – Clifford Jordan and Junior Cook – both sounding great in this date from mature later years! The rhythm section is sweet, too – with Kirk Lightsey on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Eddie Gladden on drums. CD

With Bill Hardman on trumpet, Slide Hampton on trombone, Al Dailey on piano, and Walter Booker on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

Junior's definitely cooking on this session – working with trumpeter Blue Mitchell at a time when both players were members of the Horace Silver Quintet – but in a groove that's somewhat different than the Silver sound overall! Junior Cook's tenor really is tremendous on the record – played with a sharp, raspy tone that's almost deeper than his work with Horace Silver – a cutting quality that almost reminds us of Clifford Jordan at his best. Mitchell's great too – really spurred on by this sound, and finding some new notes in the setting – and other players on the date include Gene Taylor on bass and Roy Brooks on drums, both from the Silver group – plus piano from either Ronnie Matthews or Dolo Coker, each of whom handle half of the set. Matthews is especially great – a real treat at this early point in his career – and titles on the set include the sublime "Mzar", plus "Blue Farouq", "Sweet Cakes", "Turbo Village", "Field Day", and "Pleasure Bent". CD

A real gem from Woody Shaw's greatest period – a very hip sextet session, recorded with Hayes, Cook, Shaw, and a rhythm section that includes Ronnie Matthews on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Guilhermo Franco on percussion. Tracks are long, and stretch out in that searching, modal style that Shaw was using a lot at the time – and although the Hayes/Cook team are listed as the leaders on the set, the record clearly owes a lot to Shaw's influence and style. Titles include "Ichi Ban", "Book's Bossa", "Brothers & Sisters", and a great take on "Moontrane". LP, Vinyl record album

Junior Cook on tenor sax, Mickey Tucker on piano Wayne Dockery on bass, and Leroy Williams on drums. Tracks include "Cedar's Blues", "I Should Have Known", "This Is The Place To Be", "Cup Bearer", and "Over The Rainbow". CD

Fantastic work by this excellent 70s combo – a quintet whose leaders recorded famously with Horace Silver in the 60s, then took his inspiration to very different spiritual territory on their own! Both drummer Louis Hayes and tenorist Junior Cook are fantastic – but the whole group here is completely sublime – with Woody Shaw on trumpet, Ronnie Matthews on piano, and the great Stafford James on bass – a really rich player who gives the album a whole lot of depth – whether things are swinging straight, or taking off in new spiritual dimensions! The combo handles both modes wonderfully – and the long, open space of the live recording has Cook and Shaw turning out some very soulful standard solos, then soaring to the skies on some of the hipper numbers. All tracks are over ten minutes long – some much longer than that – and titles include "Moment To Moment", "Moontrane", "Ichi Ban", "All The Things You Are", "Four For Nothing", "Pannonica", and "When Sunny Gets Blue". CD

A real gem from Woody Shaw's greatest period – a very hip sextet session, recorded with Hayes, Cook, Shaw, and a rhythm section that includes Ronnie Matthews on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Guilhermo Franco on percussion. Tracks are long, and stretch out in that searching, modal style that Shaw was using a lot at the time – and although the Hayes/Cook team are listed as the leaders on the set, the record clearly owes a lot to Shaw's influence and style. A wonderful record that we just don't turn up often enough! Titles include "Ichi Ban", "Book's Bossa", "Pannonica", "Brothers & Sisters", and a great take on "Moontrane". CD

An amazing record – one of the best on Motown's short-lived Workshop Jazz subsidiary! The album is the first to feature Roy Brooks as a leader – and the super-hip drummer from Detroit really knows what to do with the opportunity! He's working here with a hip group that includes members of the Horace Silver quintet – including Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, and Gene Taylor on bass – as well as Detroit contemporaries George Bohannon on trombone and Hugh Lawson on piano. The overall style of the record is quite different from Brooks' work with Silver – and has a much more open-ended feeling emotionally – an early hint at the qualities that Roy would unveil on his rare indie sides at the start of the 70s. The tracks are a mix of soul jazz numbers and others with a rougher-hewn sense of modernism – almost like the excellent work coming out of Chicago during the early 60s, from artists like Gene Shaw or the MJT+3. All the players are at their best, and the album features some of the nicest tenor work we've ever heard from Cook. Titles include "Soulsphere", "Soulin", "Homestretch", "Passin The Buck", and "My Secret Passion". LP, Vinyl record album

Lockjaw and Griff were a mighty team together – and their records from the 60s cook with incredible intensity. This great set brings together 2 albums – The Tenor Scene and The Midnight Show – both recorded at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, on January 6, 1961. The group's incredible – a mixture of hardbop and moderism that's unstoppable – and all tracks are long, all with incredible two-tenor solo sections, plus some nice soulful piano from Junior Mance. Titles include "Bingo Domingo", "Land Of Dreams", "Bean O", "Robbins Nest", "Our Delight", and "Light & Lovely". LP, Vinyl record album

Lockjaw and Griff were a mighty team together – and their records from the 60s cook with incredible intensity. This great set was recorded at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, on January 6, 1961 – as part of a marathon live session that was a big seller for Prestige. The group's incredible – a mixture of hardbop and moderism that's unstoppable – and all tracks are long, all with incredible two-tenor solo sections, plus some nice soulful piano from Junior Mance. Titles include "Bingo Domingo", "Straight No Chaser", "I'll Remember April", and "Light & Lovely". CD

Bertha Hope on piano, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Dave Riekenberg and Junior Cook on tenor saxophone, Walter Booker on bass, and Leroy Williams on drums. CD

Brilliant live work from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – a set of well-recorded, long and open tracks that really lets him stretch out on his solos – and direct a majestic group of musicians as a leader! We already love Freddie Hubbard in the studio, but on a live record like this he always seems to find deeper, more powerful currents in his music – soaring out with a lineup that includes George Cables on Fender Rhodes, Junior Cook on tenor and flute, Kent Brinkley on bass, and Michael Carvin on drums – mostly playing tunes from the CTI years, but with a very different, more spontaneous vibe. Each track runs the length of the side of a record – and titles include long takes on "Sky Dive", "The Intrepid Fox", "Povo", and "First Light". CD

One of the first albums to really show Blue Mitchell's genius as a leader – recorded past the more formulaic bop modes of some of his other Riverside sessions, and handled with a lyrical edge that really gets at the best aspects of his playing. Of course, part of the reason for this is that Blue's in the company of some of his Horace Silver bandmates – including drummer Roy Brooks, tenorist Junior Cook, and bassist Gene Taylor – but even more than that, the presence of a young Cedar Walton on piano really makes the set sparkle, as does the choice of some extremely strong material – such as "The Cup Bearers" and "Capers", both written by that young and glowing jazz compositional lumiary, Tom McIntosh, and the tunes "Turquoise, written by Walton, and "Dingbat Blues", written by Charles Davis. Forgive the long sentence, but the quality of this one's best expressed in a single breath! CD

Lyrical beauty from trumpeter Blue Mitchell – one of those records that really has him coming into his own, sounding fantastic on Blue Note in a way he never did on his earlier albums as a leader! it's clear that Blue learned a lot while playing in the group of Horace Silver – a way of balancing rhythm with warmer emotion – and moving past more standard hardbop into the more sophisticated territory you'll hear on this set. A young Chick Corea is on the set on piano, shading the tunes with some slightly Latin touches – and fitting in surprisingly well with a quintet lineup that also includes Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Al Foster on drums. Cook is great too – matched with Mitchell as on some of the Silver sessions – and titles include an early version of the Terumasa Hino tune "Alone Alone & Alone", plus "One Shirt", "March On Selma", and "Samba De Stacy". LP, Vinyl record album

Lyrical beauty from trumpeter Blue Mitchell – one of those records that really has him coming into his own, sounding fantastic on Blue Note in a way he never did on his earlier albums as a leader! it's clear that Blue learned a lot while playing in the group of Horace Silver – a way of balancing rhythm with warmer emotion – and moving past more standard hardbop into the more sophisticated territory you'll hear on this set. A young Chick Corea is on the set on piano, shading the tunes with some slightly Latin touches – and fitting in surprisingly well with a quintet lineup that also includes Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Al Foster on drums. Cook is great too – matched with Mitchell as on some of the Silver sessions – and titles include an early version of the Terumasa Hino tune "Alone Alone & Alone", plus "One Shirt", "March On Selma", and "Samba De Stacy". CD

The thing to do – is jam! Blue's sounding wonderful in this classic set for Blue Note – one of his best small group albums – recorded with a sound that's solidly in keeping with his lyrically melodic work in the Horace Silver group! The quintet features Chick Corea on piano – sounding incredibly subtle, and making us wish he'd recorded more sides like this – plus Junior Cook on tenor, nicely matching Blue as he did on so many albums from the time – and bass by Gene Taylor and drums by Al Foster. Titles include the hit soul jazzer "Fungii Mama", plus more introspective numbers like "Mona's Mood", "Chick's Tune", "Step Lightly", and "The Thing To Do". CD

A killer session from Horace Silver – a record that has the legendary Blue Note pianist working with his famous quintet that includes Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums! The album's one of the group's first, and really showcases their sublime blend of rootsy soul jazz rhythms and more exotic, sophisticated approaches to arranging – playing in a style that mixes harder grooves with more meditative compositions with incredible lyrical beauty! The album includes tracks that mix both of these styles – and titles include the classic "Sister Sadie", plus "Baghdad Blues", "Melancholy Mood", "Break City", "St Vitus Dance", and the lovely "Peace". CD

A killer session from Horace Silver – a record that has the legendary Blue Note pianist working with his famous quintet that includes Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums! The album's one of the group's first, and really showcases their sublime blend of rootsy soul jazz rhythms and more exotic, sophisticated approaches to arranging – playing in a style that mixes harder grooves with more meditative compositions with incredible lyrical beauty! The album includes tracks that mix both of these styles – and titles include the classic "Sister Sadie", plus "Baghdad Blues", "Melancholy Mood", "Break City", "St Vitus Dance", and the lovely "Peace". Plus, this CD also includes an extra bonus cut – "How Did It Happen?" CD

A killer session from Horace Silver – a record that has the legendary Blue Note pianist working with his famous quintet that includes Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums! The album's one of the group's first, and really showcases their sublime blend of rootsy soul jazz rhythms and more exotic, sophisticated approaches to arranging – playing in a style that mixes harder grooves with more meditative compositions with incredible lyrical beauty! The album includes tracks that mix both of these styles – and titles include the classic "Sister Sadie", plus "Baghdad Blues", "Melancholy Mood", "Break City", "St Vitus Dance", and the lovely "Peace". CD

Classic Blue Note work by Horace Silver – the stuff that soul jazz legends are made of, and an album that showed he was destined to be a huge force away from the Jazz Messengers! Blue Mitchell and Junior Cook hold down the frontline with Horace – playing in a mellifluous style that links the tenor and trumpet magically, dancing in sweetly lyrical lines over the impeccable rhythm team of Gene Taylor on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. Tracks are short, tight, and grooving with a sound that's virtually the blueprint for early soul jazz – and the album includes classic Silver tunes like "Come On Home", "Mellow D", "Finger Poppin", and "Swingin The Samba". LP, Vinyl record album

Early 60s magic from Horace Silver – working here at the height of his youthful powers! The album's a perfect example of the sound that Silver created while at Blue Note – a lyrically melodic approach to soul jazz, but one that was able to open up the rhythms past stock riffs and gimmicks – and grow into a magnificent sound that never failed to excite! The group on the set is perfect – with Junior Cook on tenor, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Gene Taylor on bass, and the incredible Roy Brooks on drums – and the tunes sparkle with wit, warmth, and imagination throughout! Titles include "Where You At", "Without You", "Horace-Scope", "Nica's Dream", "Strollin", and "Yeah!". CD

A bit less well-known than some of the real Horace Silver classics on Blue Note – but an incredible record that shows the Silver Quintet at all its lyrical best! The record is a masterpiece of original voicings from Horace – not just in the unique tunes he penned for the set, but also in the strong direction he gives the group – a well-knit lineup that includes Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums – all coming together with some of the most fluid, most intuitive energy of any combo of the time! The melodic themes are structured loosely, so that Mitchell, Cook, and Silver can extrapolate on beautifully-spun solos – and titles include "Sweet Sweetie Dee", "Nineteen Bars", "The Dragon Lady", "Silver's Serenade", and "Let's Get To The Nitty Gritty". LP, Vinyl record album

A bit less well-known than some of the real Horace Silver classics on Blue Note – but an incredible record that shows the Silver Quintet at all its lyrical best! The record is a masterpiece of original voicings from Horace – not just in the unique tunes he penned for the set, but also in the strong direction he gives the group – a well-knit lineup that includes Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums – all coming together with some of the most fluid, most intuitive energy of any combo of the time! The melodic themes are structured loosely, so that Mitchell, Cook, and Silver can extrapolate on beautifully-spun solos – and titles include "Sweet Sweetie Dee", "Nineteen Bars", "The Dragon Lady", "Silver's Serenade", and "Let's Get To The Nitty Gritty". CD

One of the few live recordings ever done by Horace Silver during his Blue Note years – a real surprise, considering what a crowd pleaser he was at the time! The set catches Horace working with that great quintet that graced most of his best early Blue Notes – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and the always-amazing Roy Brooks on drums. The groove is tight tight tight, and the live set crackles with the same sort of energy as the live sessions by the Jazz Messengers on Blue Note – rolling soul jazz, but with a bit of a lyrical touch to flesh things out. Because of the live setting, tracks are a bit longer than the usual Silver session – which makes for freer soloing, and a bit of a rougher edge that keeps things lively throughout. Titles include "The Gringo", "Filthy McNasty", and "Doin' The Thing". CD

An uptown sound, recorded downtown at the Blue Note – a bold large ensemble outing from McCoy Tyner, and one that reminds us of that great group he was getting in the 70s! The players here are all super-hip – showing that key Tyner ear for picking sidemen – and the lineup includes Virgil Jones and Kamau Adilfu on trumpets, Steve Turre on trombone, Joe Ford and Doug Harris on alto and flute, Ricky Ford and Junior Cook on tenors, and Louis Hayes on drums – all moving with tight formation, over the sort of soaring Tyner numbers that always win our heart! Titles include "Lotus Flower", "Genesis", "Three Flowers", "Blues For Basie", and "Love Surrounds Us". CD

Cedar's working here on a great set of his own compositions – pulled from Prestige albums of the late 60s, and presented here as an "All Walton" outing! Even from the start, Walton showed a tremendous ability to compose – and in his early days with the Jazz Messengers, his tunes were some of the most deeply soulful in Blakey's book. By the time of this set, Cedar had emerged as one of the freshest new voices writing in 60s jazz – capable of holding onto the soul jazz sound of the early 60s, but also stretching it out into a hipper, more exploratory vein that set a tone for the post-Coltrane years. Players on the record include Kenny Dorham, Junior Cook, Leroy Vinnegar, Blue Mitchell, Clifford Jordan, and Billy Higgins – and titles include "Spectrum", "Jake's Milkshakes", "Higgins Holler", Twilight Waltz", "Head & Shoulders", and "Short Stuff". CD

Cedar's working here on a great set of his own compositions – pulled from Prestige albums of the late 60s, and presented here as an "All Walton" outing! Even from the start, Walton showed a tremendous ability to compose – and in his early days with the Jazz Messengers, his tunes were some of the most deeply soulful in Blakey's book. By the time of this set, Cedar had emerged as one of the freshest new voices writing in 60s jazz – capable of holding onto the soul jazz sound of the early 60s, but also stretching it out into a hipper, more exploratory vein that set a tone for the post-Coltrane years. Players on the record include Kenny Dorham, Junior Cook, Leroy Vinnegar, Blue Mitchell, Clifford Jordan, and Billy Higgins – and titles include "Spectrum", "Jake's Milkshakes", "Higgins Holler", Twilight Waltz", "Head & Shoulders", and "Short Stuff". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning look at the early years of the Jamaican music scene – tracks from the years before ska, rocksteady, and reggae really took over – but which really helped set the scene for years to come! All the work here is from the hands of Duke Reid – soon to be known for his famous mid 60s productions on the Treasure Isle label – already here with his ear to the ground, capturing the unique shifts in the island's culture – some in mento and calypso, some in jazz, and others in modes that are very similar to the sounds to come! You'll recognize more than a few names here from important later work – and the huge 84 track package features dozens of titles that appear here on CD for the first time ever – countless great gems from artists who include Derrick Morgan, Roland Alphonso, Cosmo & Dennis, The Prodigals, Derrick & Patsy, Laurel Aitken, Chuck & Dobby, Basil Gabbidon, Hortense Ellis, The Moonlighters, Eric Morris, Frank Cosmo, Monty & Roy, Rico Rodriguez, Jiving Juniors, Alvin & Cecil, Lord Power, Laurel Aitken, and even Duke Reid himself. CD

The first moment of genius from the Steve Miller Band – a killer debut that also features a young Boz Scaggs as a key member of the group! Steve's the core star here, though – setting things up in this amazing blend of psych, blues, and hard rock – one that's easily a lot more ballsy than most of his Bay Area contemporaries at the time – really taking off on some propulsive rhythms, razor-sharp guitar, and cooking keyboards! Scaggs' vocal help is mighty nice – and titles include "You've Got The Power", "Pushed Me To It", "Junior Saw It Happen", "Baby's Callin Me Home", "Roll With It", and "Key To The Highway". CD

Excellent! An astounding 4CD set covering 15 years worth of fine Jamaican music, stopping at all the relevant points for novices, but digging deeply enough to unearth some nice hard to get bits for the initiated. The first disc in the set, Train To Skaville, represents an 8 year block during the formative years of the 60s, starting out with some Mento cuts, then a couple of nice Jamaican R& B numbers on through a nice batch of Ska. Disc 2, Do The Reggay, focus on the transition to Rocksteady and early reggae from 1968 to 1970, as the tempos started to get a little more laidback, and the dawn of the 70s gets highlighted with disc 3, Black & White: Reggae Rising. Disc 4, The Time Has Come, brings it all together collecting a tremendous batch of roots rock. 90 tracks in all, the set includes Derrick Morgan "Fat Man", Stranger Cole "Rough & Tough", Don Drummond & Tommy McCook "Music Is My Occupation", Roland Alphonso & The Soul Brothers "Phoenix City", Desmond Dekker & The Aces "Rudy Got Soul", Keith & Tex "Stop That Train", Toots & The Maytals "Do The Reggay", Lee Perry People Funny Boy", the Untouchables "Tighten Up", the Pioneers "Longshot Kick The Bucket", Gregory Isaacs "Don't Let Me Suffer", Harry J Allstars "The Liquidator", Niney "Blood & Fire", Ken Parker "Groovin Out On Life", Bob Marley & The Wailers "Small Axe", Horace Andy "I Fell Good All Over", Junior Byles "A Place Called Africa", Zap Pow "This Is Reggae Music", Slim Smith "The Time Has Come", Big Youth "S90 Skank", Burning Spear "Marcus Garvey", and way too many more to list here! CD

The first moment of genius from the Steve Miller Band – a killer debut that also features a young Boz Scaggs as a key member of the group! Steve's the core star here, though – setting things up in this amazing blend of psych, blues, and hard rock – one that's easily a lot more ballsy than most of his Bay Area contemporaries at the time – really taking off on some propulsive rhythms, razor-sharp guitar, and cooking keyboards! Scaggs' vocal help is mighty nice – and titles include "You've Got The Power", "Pushed Me To It", "Junior Saw It Happen", "Baby's Callin Me Home", "Roll With It", and "Key To The Highway". LP, Vinyl record album

The first moment of genius from the Steve Miller Band – a killer debut that also features a young Boz Scaggs as a key member of the group! Steve's the core star here, though – setting things up in this amazing blend of psych, blues, and hard rock – one that's easily a lot more ballsy than most of his Bay Area contemporaries at the time – really taking off on some propulsive rhythms, razor-sharp guitar, and cooking keyboards! Scaggs' vocal help is mighty nice – and titles include "You've Got The Power", "Pushed Me To It", "Junior Saw It Happen", "Baby's Callin Me Home", "Roll With It", and "Key To The Highway". CD features the bonus track "Sittin In Circles". CD