Maybe the greatest album ever from vibist Lem Winchester – an early soulful star on his instrument, but one who was taken from us all too soon! Lem's got this groove that really brings the instrument forward a lot – a harder touch that rivals that of Johnny Lytle, but a looser, freer sense of lyricism – hinting a bit at the Roy Ayers to come. This album's got a biting hardbop vibe, mixed with soul jazz elements – and the group features key contributions from Benny Golson on tenor sax – plus Tommy Flanagan on piano, Wendell Marsall from bass, and the great Art Taylor on drums. Golson's at his rootsiest here, too – and titles include "Down Fuzz", "Mysticism", "The Dude", and "Will You Still Be Mine?". CD

One of the rarest Newport albums ever issued – a split LP that features a side apiece by two of the coolest talents of the late 50s! Side one features work by the Randy Weston trio – with Weston on piano, George Joyner on bass, and GT Hogan on drums – performing great Weston originals that include "Machine Blues", "Hi Fly", "Beef Blues Stew", and an excerpt from the great "Bantu Suite"! Even groovier is work from the quartet of vibist Lem Winchester – a combo that also includes piano from Ray Santisi, bass from John Neves, and drums from Jimmy Zitano. The set is one of the few times that Winchester recorded away from Prestige Records in his all-too-short career – and the cover even bills him as "Patrolman Lem Winchester", with a picture of him in a police hat – a reference to his day job. Winchester titles include "Now's The Time", "Take The A Train", and "Polka Dots & Moonbeams". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by vibist Lem Winchester – a hip talent from the soul jazz generation, but one who left our planet all too soon! Here, Lem plays vibes with backing from the Ramsey Lewis trio – excellent rhythm work from Eldee Young on bass and Redd Holt on drums – plus lyrical piano that blends nicely with the vibes, almost in a Jack Wilson/Roy Ayers sort of mode! Tracks include "Joy Spring", "Jordu", "Sandu", "Message From Boysie", and "Where It Is", an original by Winchester. LP, Vinyl record album

Oliver Nelson is definitely taking care of business here – thanks to some key help from the great Lem Winchester on vibes, and a young Johnny Hammond Smith on organ! The pair bring a mighty deep groove to the record – which gives Nelson a chance to show off some of the deeper tones on his tenor and alto sax – a sound that gets a lot more space for personal expression than on some of his albums with larger arrangements! The raw sound of the record is a great change from the more composed modes you might know from Oliver's other dates – and the set's further illustration that Nelson was one of the most complete, most versatile talents in jazz at the time. Titles include "Trane Whistle", "In Time", "Groove", and "Lou's Good Dues". CD

It's always something nice when Etta Jones makes a record – but this one is especially so, thanks to some intimate small group backing from players who include Oliver Nelson, Lem Winchester, Wally Richardson, and Richard Wyands! The style is relatively intimate throughout – more late nite than some of Jones' other records, in a way that really works well for her vocals, and takes her away from some of the crossover pop modes of her albums that sound a bit more like Gloria Lynne. Titles include "Easy Living", "Through A Long And Sleepless Night", "My Heart Tells Me", "I Only Have Eyes For You", "That's All There Is To That", "Love Is The Thing", and "Canadian Sunset". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums we've ever heard from organist Joey DeFrancesco – a record that burns with strongly soulful work by Bobby Hutcherson! Hutcherson really helps Joey really flesh out his standard Hammond groove for the set – pushing the organ into broad new colors on both the ballads and uptempo numbers – and almost creating a sound that brings back echoes of some of the Johnny Hammond Smith and Lem Winchester collaborations back in the early 60s! George Coleman plays tenor solos on 2 tracks in the set, but the real sax credit here goes go Ron Blake – who plays tenor, soprano, and flute throughout – sparking the most driving tracks with a searing edge that's really great. DeFrancesco takes off on some Larry Young-ish riffs at times, but keeps things in check overall – and titles include a great remake of Hutcherson's classic "Little B's Poem", plus the originals "Down The Hatch", "Colleen", and "The Tackle" – and a nice take on "Somewhere In The Night", one of those tracks that never lets us down! CD

Shirley Scott on organ with Kenny Burrell, Arnett Cobb, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, George Duvivier, Arthur Edgehil, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Haynes, Oliver Nelson, Joe Newman, Jerome Richardson, Buddy Tate, Stanley Turrentine, Lem Winchester, and others. CD

A lost gem from Etta's early 60s years on Prestige – an album that has her singing with three different groups on the session, but coming out on top every time! The format's actually a good one – not nearly as schizophrenic as you might think – as Prestige pairs Etta with a range of some of their best players of the time, including Lem Winchester on vibes, Jerome Richardson and Oliver Nelson on tenor sax, Wally Richardson and Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Richard Wyands on piano. All tracks have a laidback, late nite soul jazz feel – and Etta sings beautifully on titles that include "Give Me The Simple Life", "The More I See You", "Reverse The Charges", "Looking Back", and a great Latin take on "Nature Boy". CD

A Johnny Hammond 2-fer – a pair of very early albums, back to back on a single CD! First up is Talk That Talk – subtle early magic from Johnny Hammond Smith, and the kind of sweet organ jazz set that really set Smith apart from his contemporaries in the 60s! There's a slightly offbeat vibe here that's hard to peg, but which already marks Hammond as one of the more inventive players of his generation – never content to just rehash R&B modes for jazz organ, and instead really exploratory in terms of timings and phrasings – using his instrument to great effect in a hip combo that features George Tucker on bass, Art Taylor on drums, and Ray Barretto on congas – plus some excellent tenor from Oliver Nelson on three tracks! Titles include "Talk That Talk", "Bennie's Diggin", "Portrait Of Jennie", "An Affair To Remember", "The End Of A Love Affair", "Riptide", "Misty", and "Minors Allowed". Getting The Message is a vibes and organ delight – a rare early set from Johnny Hammond Smith, and a date that features a key appearance from vibist Lem Winchester! Winchester only cut a handful of dates before shuffling off this mortal coil far too soon – and he's a hell of a player, with a richly chromatic tone that works beautifully next to Smith's organ lines – a pairing that's quite different than other organ/vibes duos you might know from the time, and one that's got to be heard to be fully appreciated! There's a complexity here that we love, even when things are straight and swinging – and titles include "Lid Flippin", "Getting The Message", "Princess", and "Dementia". CD

Yusef Lateef's Detroit is a mighty funky one – a great summation of all the soulful sounds he'd crafted on previous records, but with a full groove that really points the way towards the 70s! Lateef's reeds are still the main attraction – great solos on tenor and flute – but there's also some wonderful electric elements on the record, which offer Yusef a very different setting than usual, and one that has some wickedly offbeat funky touches too! The groove's exotic, and has this unusual feel that's very different than most other Atlantic jazz of the time – much more in the mode of some of the hippest electric sets from the underground. Bernard Purdie handles drums – which ensures the funky elements of the set – and titles include "Eastern Market", "Bishop School", "Belle Isle", "Livingston Playground", "Woodward Avenue", and "Raymond Winchester". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best non-Winchester albums from the team of Ferrante & Teicher – not as crazy as some of their work, but still with some good elements of the piano trickery that made them famous. Titles include "Out Of This World", "East Of The Sun", "Over The Rainbow", "Stars In My Eyes", and "Stella By Starlight". Also features the original tracks "Serenade To A Star" and "Beyond The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album