A lost modern soul jazz classic! Altoist Bobby Watson is one of the most soulful players on his instrument in the past 20 years – and he never sounds better than when recording with bassist Curtis Lundy, a richly talented player who's best known to folks for his work with Betty Carter. This sublime session features Watson and Lundy playing in a quartet with Mulgrew Miller on piano and the great Kenny Washington on drums – grooving in a mode that's slightly modal, slightly spiritual – driven by an underground fire that makes the session a timeless one that we find ourselves returning to again and again. The spirit of the best 70s indie soul jazz sessions is alive and well on this one – and the album's filled with wonderful original compositions, including "Jewel", "ETA", "To See Her Face", "Minority", and "Orange Blossom". Plus, the CD also features 3 bonus tracks – "On The One", "Karita", and an alternate of "To See Her Face". CD

Bold, beautiful music from the Jazz Tribe of Bobby Watson and Ray Mantilla – proof that the partnership first forged years back can still be the source of some wonderfully soulful music! The album's one of the best we've heard from Bobby in years – almost a return to the simple, expressive quality of his albums as a leader back in the 80s! Part of the album's strength is the bass work of Curtis Lundy, whose presence on a record always seems to add something special – and other group members are great too, and include Jack Walrath on trumpet, Xavier Davis on piano, and Victor Lewis on drums – all nice and tight, yet never uptight, next to the alto sax of Watson and percussion of Mantilla. Tracks include many originals by the group – with titles that include "Pecado Primero", "Hello Albert", "Gesualdo's Tango", "Everlasting", "Eeeyyeess", "El Color De Mi Rythmo", and "Temples Of Gold". CD

A tremendous little record from Bobby Watson – one of the brightest young artists in jazz back in the 80s! The album features Watson grooving with the Italian Open Form Trio for the session – but all players come together with the cohesiveness of some of Watson's best work with Curtis Lundy – in that highly rhythmic, often soaring style that seemed to set Watson's alto free on magnificent solos – blown beautifully and expressively without any of the overly complicated modes that would trip him up in later years. The group features Piero Bassino on piano, Attilio Zanchio on bass, and Giampiero Prina on drums – and titles include "Appointment In Milano", "Ballando", "Watson's Blues", "Funcalypso", and "I'm Always Missing You". LP, Vinyl record album

Bobby Watson is definitely back home here – really re-rooted in the kind of greatness he was giving us on record many years back, at a level that's come back strongly in recent years – thanks to a top-shelf release like this! As you'll note on the cover, Bobby's got his key early musical partner in place – bassist Curtis Lundy, with whom he cut some of his finest in the 80s – and the alto giant's also got some other wonderful bandmates in the lineup – especially trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, whose upbeat tone and way of reaching up with his sound really matches the positivity in Watson's horn. Other players include the great Cyrus Chestnut on piano and Victor Jones on drums – and Carmen Lundy, makes a very welcome vocal return on the title "Our Love Remains". Other tracks include the Watson originals "Side Steps", "Bon Voyage", "Back Home In Kansas City", and "Blues For Alto" – and other tunes include "Red Bank Heist", "Mind Wine", "The Star In The East", and "Dear Lord". CD

Bobby Watson's always keeping it real in our book – as the alto saxophonist maybe hasn't made a bad record ever, and has continued to turn out the sort of fantastic music we loved right when he was an up-and-comer in an 80s version of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers! Here, Bobby's working with some key talents from his solo years – a re-formed New Horizon group that features excellent work on bass from Curtis Lundy, drums from Victor Jones, and piano from Victor Gould – plus trumpet work on some tracks by Josh Evans and on others by Giveton Gellin! The use of trumpet is somewhat striking, as it's an instrument that's not always in place on some of Bobby's small combo sessions – and both Evans and Gellin are clearly inspired by the warmth of the leader – as both soar out with a wonderfully full, rich sound that only adds to the classic soulful touch of Watson on the alto. Titles include Watson and Lundy originals "Keepin It Real", "One For John", "My Song", "The Mystery of Ebop", and "Elementary My Dear Watson 2020" – plus a nice take on the Donny Hathaway tune "Someday We'll All Be Free". CD

A cool late 90s set from reedman Bobby Watson – easily one of our favorite talents of his generation, working here in a laidback mode that's mighty nice! The set has Bobby blowing on both alto and soprano sax – the latter of which is always a treat – in a core combo that features piano, bass, drums, and guitar – the last used to color in the tunes gently, often matching the tones and sentiment of Watson's horn in a really nice way. There's a few other surprising elements too – a bit of wordless vocals from Pamela Watson on one track, and trumpet from Terrell Stafford on three more numbers – and given that Curtis Lundy handles bass and Ralph Peterson's on drums, you can bet that the album's got some very solid rhythmic grounding, even when things are gentle. Titles include "Just For Today", "Always A Friend", "Nubian Breakdown", "Nanatsu No Ko", "Concentric Circles", "Back Home Again With You", and "Afternoon In Ottobrun". CD

A great collaboration from two fantastic players – alto genius Bobby Watson and percussionist Ray Mantilla – both coming together here in a style that's even more than the sum of their mighty parts! The group has lots of Watson elements at the core – bass from Curtis Lundy, drums from Victor Lewis, and piano from Ronnie Mathews – but the presence of Mantilla's congas really changes up the groove, and the trumpet of Jack Walrath further emphasizes some Latin currents, while also linking up to the soulful energy of Watson's horn! Tracks are penned by all members of the group – and the record's overflowing with the sense of good spirit and boundless energy we always love from Bobby's dates as a leader. Titles include "Karita", "Chili Plaza Suite", "Ella Dunham", "Los Apolypticanos", "Know One Has To Know", and "River Jordan". CD

Two fantastic early cuts from bassist Curtis Lundy – one of which features superb vocals from the young Carmen Lundy too! The stellar "Never Gonna Let You Go" was the first time most of us heard Carmen's voice – which is perfect for this uplifting, hard-grooving number that also features superb alto from the great Bobby Watson! The group here also features Steve Nelson on vibes, Hank Jones on piano, and Kenny Washington on drums – and "Jabbo's Revenge" is a wonderful instrumental track from the group! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Early work from alto genius Bobby Watson – recording here with the Horizon Quintet, a hip group of spiritual soul jazz players that includes Curtis Lundy, Mulgrew Miller, Hamiet Bluiett, and Marvin Smitty Smith. The session takes up the soul jazz torch of 70s work by artists like Woody Shaw, Clifford Jordan, and Cedar Walton – with a mix of modal structures in the rhythms, augmented by searching solos, and just the right amount of hardbop energy. Tracks are mostly all long originals – and titles include "Premonition", "Wheel Within A Wheel", "From East To West", and "Point The Finger". CD

A classic Bobby Watson set from the early solo years of his career – just the sort of standout set that shows why he was one of the brightest new jazz voices of the 80s! The album's got a sound that's even more open-ended and exploratory than some of Watson's US releases – cuts that often stretch out a bit more than usual, still with the tight rhythms that make Bobby's music so great – courtesy of Curtis Lundy on bass and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums – but changed up a bit too, with some complexity that really matches Watson's inventive lines on alto sax. John Hicks completes the group on piano, bringing in a nice sense of warmth – and titles include "Dark Days", "Love Remains", "Blues For Alto", "The Mistery Of Ebop", "One For Aaron", and "Sho Thang". CD

A fantastic record – one of the best jazz vocal records of the 80s, and a real bright spot in an often dim decade for jazz! The set is Carmen Lundy's debut – and it's a masterful self-produced effort that immediately put her in the ranks of the ultra-hip, ultra-soulful jazz crowd – singers like Betty Carter and Dee Dee Bridgewater, both of whom took a lot longer to sound this good than Carmen! The record is set in a perfect setting – Carmen working closely with musicians headed up by brother Curtis on bass, and including soulful players like Bobby Watson, Rene McLean, Cecil Bridgewater, Jon Faddis, and Harry Whitaker. The whole thing's great – the kind of righteous vocal set that few singer ever seem to make this well – and titles include some great originals like "Good Morning Kiss", "Time is Love", and "Perfect Stranger" – plus excellent versions of "Dindi", "Love For Sale", and "The Lamp Is Low". CD also features 3 bonus alternate takes! CD

Features Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Frank Lacy on trombone, John Hicks on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and either Victor Lewis or Kenny Washington on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic set from one of our all-time favorite saxophonists – a musician who gave us a flurry of wonderful albums in the 80s and 90s, but hasn't graced the record racks as much in recent years! Fortunately, Bobby Watson's lost none of his charms at all – and really sounds beautiful here in some very familiar company – the trio of bassist Curtis Lundy, one of Watson's first important musical partners – which also features Stephen Scott on piano and Lewis Nash on drums! The group's got every bit of the soulful swing that you might expect – and Watson soars out with those sublime note on alto sax that we first fell in love with when he was part of the Jazz Messengers in the 70s. The material is very fresh too – as the set includes loads of originals by Bobby – reminding us again what a hell of a writer he can be – on titles that include "The Aviator", "The Cyclist", "The Goat", "The Luckey", "The Real Lone Ranger", "The Butterfly", and "The Guitarist". CD

A warm and soulful set of tracks by John Hicks – a wonderful album that moves past his more familiar trio modes, and shows how great he can sound with some horn players in the mix! The lineup here is wonderful – with a core combo that features Curtis Lundy's bass and Cecil Brooks' drums – joined by a shifting assortment of reeds handled by Bobby Watson on alto, Vincent Herring on tenor, and Elise Wood on flute! There's a lot of Watson-like energy on the record, but the album's also clearly Hicks' genius too – as he's at the height of his powers, crafting post-McCoy Tyner type blocks of modal sound, shifting mood and color effortlessly – perfectly matched by the always strong bass playing of Lundy. Titles include "Faith", "Piece For My Peace", "So In Love", "Don't Let It Go", and "Diane". CD