A fantastic early album from jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby! Ashby's a unique talent like no other – and despite the fact that she plays a rather sleepy instrument, the harp, she swings with an other-worldly quality that's simply amazing, quite exotic, and very much in the camp of players like Yusef Lateef or Les Jazz Modes, who were trying similar experiments in jazz. This session features Dorothy in a quartet with the flute of Frank Wess, the bass of Herman Wright, and the drums of Roy Haynes, whose warm lyrical touches provide the perfect melodicism for the group. Titles include "Rascallity", "Bohemia After Dark", "Taboo", "Autumn In Rome", and "It's A Minor Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

Badass organ funk from the mighty Leon Spencer – a set that's got a bit of a fuller feel than some of his previous albums for Prestige – but a groove that's also equally great! The style here is somewhere between blacksploitation funk and some of the grooves from the CTI/Kudu camp – with a bit more horns than before on some of the titles, arranged tightly to provide a great foil for Leon's leaner lines on Hammond! Arrangements are by Ed Bogas on the fuller tracks, and players on the album include Hubert Laws on flute, Frank Wess on baritone, Victor Paz and Virgil Jones on trumpet, Joe Beck on guitar, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Grady Tate on drums. One track features Leon working in a smaller trio format – and titles include "Superstition", "Give Me Your Love", "The Price A Po Man's Got To Pay", "Where I'm Coming From", and "Trouble Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album of vocal tracks from Chet Baker – one that elevates the sound of his earlier small group work with some added backings on some tracks – all at a level that continues the new level of sophistication that Baker brought to jazz on his first few recordings! The mid 50s set is overflowing with key performances from Chet, both on vocals and trumpet – and the core group features wonderful work on piano from Russ Freeman, and this great use of flute by Bud Shank – which seems to underscore some of the moodier currents in Baker's music. Some tracks feature larger arrangements that really elevate the proceedings – handled by Johnny Mandel, Marty Paich, and Frank Campo – and the album's classic Chet all the way through – cool but fragile – summed up in the set's perfect take on the stone classic "Lets Get Lost" – plus titles that include "Just Friends", "Grey December", "I Remember You", "Long Ago & Far Away", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "I Wish I Knew", and "Daybreak". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic bit of space age funk – and maybe one of the greatest moments ever from Philly Soul maestro Dexter Wansel! The album goes way beyond any of Wansel's other work – and blends his warm soulful styles with some of the more keyboard-oriented funk that was coming out of the Herbie Hancock camp during the mid 70s – a vibe that's every bit as electric and spacey as you'd guess from the cover! Some cuts have a bit more of a soul focus, but others have loads of jazzy keyboards from Dexter – driven on by some great drums at points too. Titles include Wansel's legendary version of "Theme From the Planets" with the much sampled breakbeat at the beginning – plus the funky "Life On Mars", and the tracks "One Million Miles From The Ground", "You Can Be What You Wanna Be", "Prophet Named KG", "Rings Of Saturn", and "Stargazer". LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than an "encore" of the legendary Clarke Boland album Golden Eight – and instead a whole different set of recordings, done way back in 1961, but unissued until now! The album's a killer through and through – every bit the same sort of gem you'd get with the early Clarke Boland albums of the pre-MPS years – extremely tight large ensemble jazz, driven with plenty of soul in the rhythm section, and swinging with some incredible solos that further deepen the sound! Right from the start, the pair were totally on the money – and work here with a lineup that's filled with key European soloists, including Dusko Goykovich on trumpet, Derek Humble on alto sax, Karl Drewo on tenor, and Fats Sadi on percussion – not to mention the core crack rhythm trio of Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Titles include the great Boland originals "A Ball For Othello", "La Campimania", "You Dig It", "Pape Satan Aleppe", and "Free Wheel" – plus a great version of "Invitation". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous early work from trumpeter Hannibal Marvin Peterson – an artist you might know from his long-spun spiritual jazz work of the 70s – but who sounds nicely different here on a rare early set from the 60s! The record was done when Marvin was part of the ultra-hip jazz program at North Texas State University – which you may know from their own label and albums – and the vibe here is more soul and funk than Peterson of a few years later – served up with a very cool combo that features organ, bass, and drums chugging out a mighty sweet groove – while Marvin solos over the top on trumpet, alongside Mike Campbell on alto, Cleveland Gay on trombone, and Tim Peterson on saxes and flute. There's definitely a few deeper currents here, but mixed with soul-inspired material as well – which even sees a bit of vocals from Marvin too. Titles include "Our Groove", "I Can't Stand It", "Groove For Otis", "Five Foot Even", and "Conversation". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic early record by Sahib Shihab – a motherlode of modal jazz grooves, cut during the early days of the Clarke-Boland Big Band! The record features a core group of players from that ensemble – including Shihab on alto, baritone, and flute, plus Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, Ake Persson on trombone, Francy Boland on piano, Joe Harris on bongos, and Kenny Clarke on drums – all coming together here with a groove that's really groundbreaking – a style that's sweet and soulful, but rhythmically revolutionary too! The tracks are all long and grooving – with the kind of dancing jazz tone that you'd expect from the Saba/MPS label during the mid 60s – a big change from the Argo label that originally issued the record. But that's no surprise, either, as the session was actually recorded in Europe by Gigi Campi – the man behind the CBBB albums on MPS – with a feel that's quite similar to other Shihab classics, like Companionship or Seeds. The whole thing's great – one of Shihab's most wonderful records, and totally worth owning – and titles include "Lillemor", "Please Don't Leave Me", "Waltz For Seth", and "Herr Fixit". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark set from the Swedish scene of the early 60s – one that shows just how far that nation's jazzmen had grown during the postwar years! Trombonist Eje Thelin's always one of those talents worth checking out, but we especially like him in these early years – as he's overflowing with fresh new ideas, and really seems to set fire to all around him! At some level, some of the sounds here echo the styles of other American trombone innovators – like JJ Johnson and Curtis Fuller – both particularly good choices for reference here, as a few years earlier, Sweden might have produced a player who was much more in a Bob Brookmeyer or Herbie Harper camp. There's a nice edge to Thelin's playing – and he's definitely not afraid to get a bit dirty with his tone – and other players include Ulf Andersson on tenor, Joel Vandroogenbrock on piano, Roman Dylag on bass, and Run Carlsson on drums. Titles include the originals "Folk Song", "So Far", and "Fast" – plus "Lament" and "It Could Happen To You". LP, Vinyl record album