A warmly acoustic set from Ron Carter – an early 80s album for Elektra that continues the great run of work as a leader he first began in the 70s! The format here is quite laidback and unassuming – a piano-less group that has Ron's work on bass right out front in the mix – supported with drums from Tony Williams, who certainly shows off his freer roots, but with that "back to the inside" quality that made some of his work from the time so compelling. Saxophonist Bill Evans punctuates some of the tunes with a nice sense of sharpness, and Art Farmer's flugelhorn completes the quartet with a warmly searching sort of feel. Titles include "Rufus", "Echoes", "Doctor's Row", "Last Resort", and "Bottoms Up". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really dives deep with a rich mix of creative rhythms and inventive horn lines! The album still has Jack DeJohnette staying true to his more avant roots – working with tenor from David Murray, alto and soprano sax from John Purcell, baritone and tuba from Howard Johnson, and bass from Rufus Reid – a lineup that's a bit bigger than on other Special Edition albums, and which is used to fill in even more colors and deeper elements than before. Some of the tunes are wonderfully vivid in approach – and titles include "Festival", "Third World Anthem", "Zoot Suite", "Ahmad The Terrible", and "New Orleans Strut". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Ellington's greatest albums of the 60s – and a record tinged with Eastern themes and darkly angular modern arrangements. The group here features Ellington stalwarts Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Cootie Williams, Mercer Ellington, and Rufus Jones – and the players work together tightly to craft the suite of tracks based on Ellington's impressions of recent travels through the Mid and Far East during the 60s. Titles include "Tourist Point Of View", "Isfahan", "Depk", "Mount Harissa", "Amad", "Agra", and "Blue Pepper". LP, Vinyl record album

Late live recordings from the mighty Dexter Gordon – wonderful material recorded at the Keystone Korner in the late 70s, with an inventively-blown power to match Gordon's earlier live sets from the European scene! The format here is similar – with Dexter out front, laying down incredible lines on tenor sax – and getting support from George Cables on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Eddie Gladden on drums. But in a way, the music here is even stronger than before – as Gordon's got a sharper edge, focused solo approach, and is working with an agility that really leaves us breathless. The tracks are long, but have the energy of Gordon's shorter studio tracks for Columbia at the time – and although we're not always huge fans of the "soloist in unfettered live setting" style of recording, we've gotta admit that we really love these tracks! 7 numbers in all, including "Easy Living", "It's You Or No One", "Antabus", "Sophisticated Lady", "More Than You Know", "Tangerine", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". LP, Vinyl record album

An unexpected treasure – like so many of Art Farmer's later albums! The record is ostensibly a tribute to the music of Billy Strayhorn – which might make us expect some soporific Ellington cliches – but the session's really just a small group one, played by Art with a quintet that includes Clifford Jordan, James Williams, Rufus Reid, and Marvin Smitty Smith – all coming together in a fluidly soulful style that's really great. Farmer's work on flugelhorn seems even more inventive than ever – and titles include "Bloodcount", "Johnny Come Lately", "Isfahan", "Raincheck", and "Upper Manhattan Medical Group". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those cool little albums of bass-heavy jazz tracks, designed as instructional records, but actually nice spare jazz funk albums that are great for sample mining! This one's got Jamey Abersold playing piano with a trio that includes Rufus Reid and Mike Hyman, and it includes the cut "Mr. Super Hip", which is a nice lost jazz funk number with some rolling modal grooves. A few other tracks on the album have the same trio, but with Dan Haerle on piano, mostly with kind of generic names like "8 Modal Blues", "Slow Blues In F Concert", "Long-Meter Jazz/Rock", "Minor Blues In C" and other cuts like "Horizontal" and "Home Stretch". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Ron Carter's best from the 70s – a hip and subtle effort recorded for CTI, with a small group that includes Joe Henderson on tenor, Roland Hanna on piano, and Billy Cobham on drums! Henderson's tenor work dominates the album, and the long tracks really let him snake around mightily – blowing with that dark edge that we totally love, and taking the record in much different directions than some of Carter's other albums. Richard Tee also plays electric piano on the title "117 Special" – and other tunes include "A Feeling", "All Blues", "Rufus", and "Will You Still Be Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

Very hiply swinging work from Maynard Ferguson – not as Latin-based as you might think from the title, but great nonetheless! The record features an excellent group that includes Don Rader on trumpet, Lanny Morgan on alto, Rufus Jones on drums, and Don Menza on tenor – all tightly wrapped around Maynard's baton, grooving with a style that's at once impeccably unified, but also very able to make room for the well-blown solo. Titles include "Morgan's Organ", "Si Si MF", "What'll I Do", "Early Hours", "Morgan Point", and "Straight Out". A real groover! LP, Vinyl record album

Extremely soulful work from young tenor giant Ricky Ford – one of a number of really strong sides he cut for Muse early on in his career, and a set that continues the indie soul jazz vibe of the 70s nicely! The group's a no-nonsense ensemble that features Albert Dailey on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, Jimmy Cobb on drums, and Jack Walrath on trumpet – and all of the songs are Ford originals and titles include "This Our Love", "Christmas Cheer", "Hour Samba", "Saxaceous Serenade", "Portrait Of Love", "Orb", and "Arcadian Eclipse". LP, Vinyl record album

A warmly collaborative effort from Dexter Gordon – one of his most satisfying albums from the late 70s Columbia revival, thanks to the presence of a hip array of guest artists! The album was recorded both live and in the studio – but the feeling is relatively spontaneous throughout – with a freewheeling, bop-heavy energy that really brings the most out of these famous "encounters"! 2 tracks feature Johnny Griffin on tenor, going head to head with Dex in really classic mode on "Blues Up & Down" and "Cake". 2 more tracks – "Diggin It" and "It's Only A Paper Moon" – feature trumpet from Woody Shaw, trombone from Curtis Fuller, and some especially great vocals from Eddie Jefferson – stretching out here with an energy and focus that almost beats most of the albums under his own name from the 70s! One more track – "Ruby My Dear" – is taken as a long solo vehicle by Gordon, no guest star present, with rhythm by the core trio of George Cables on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Eddie Gladden on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Don Thompson on piano and bass, Terry Clarke on drums, and Rufus Reid on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from tenor player Ralph Moore – an under-discovered classic from the 80s that we enjoy listening to as much as most of our favorite albums from the 60s! Moore's a wonderful player in direct lineage with Hank Mobley – and the tracks on this set are warmly grooving, very soulful numbers that sparkle with a fresh creativity you wouldn't expect from the date. Other players include the great Kenny Washington on drums (who's a big part of the reason for the success of this album), plus Benny Green on piano, Rufus Reid on guitar, and Brian Lynch on trumpet. Titles include "Dunes", "Round Trip", "Lotus Blossom", and "Monique". LP, Vinyl record album

With Newman on trumpet, Wilder on trumpet and flugelhorn, Hank Jones on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Trio features Dan Haerle on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Jonathan Higgins on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Some solo numbers, but some great duets with Ricky Ford on tenor or Anthony Braxton on alto, and Rufus Reid on bass! Also features one unusual number – "Wende" – with Chris Connor on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully sensitive album from Donald Byrd – quite a change from his better-known jazz funk work of the 70s and early 80s – and part of a back-to-basics move he made in part of that latter decade! The album's very much in the best straight mode of the Landmark Records label scene of the time – Byrd blowing strong and soulfully in the company of a key combo that features Kenny Garrett on alto, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums – all players who really bring a lot of fire to the record, and almost push Byrd back to his pre-electric 60s years on Blue Note. Mike Daugherty plays synth on two tracks – using the instrument in gentle, string-like ways – but overall the record is proudly acoustic at most moments. Titles include "Harlem Blues", "Fly Little Byrd", "Voyage A Deux", "Sir Master Kool Guy", and "Blue Monk". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Duke's last albums – and a great one! The session is right up there with some of Ellington's best late "suites" – an extended work that features writing around exotic themes, played by stalwarts like Paul Gonsalves, Harold Ashby, Rufus Jones, Cootie Williams, and Harry Carney – all coming together with more energy and imagination than you'd expect after all these years! The writing is fantastic, and the moods change strongly with each tune – running through numbers like "Afrique", "Chinoiserie", "Didjeridoo", "Gong", "Tang", and "Hard Way" – all of which sound as great as their titles might imply! LP, Vinyl record album

With Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet and flugelhorn, Kennhy Barron on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Later genius from Dexter Gordon – an album recorded upon his return to the US in 1976, and done in a style that breaks the bounds of some of his sessions in Europe! Gordon seems to take new life in the recording – moving past the simple role of main soloist on familiar tunes, and stepping into a much more strongly group-minded leader – one who grooves easily with the piano of George Cables, bass of Rufus Reid, and drums of Eddie Gladden – in a session that's overflowing with soulful invention. Even older tunes take on a new spark of life in these arrangements – and Gordon's phrasing has this "bite" that comes through beautifully, even in the mellower moments. Titles include "Tanya", "I Told You So", "LTD", "Moment's Notice", and "As Time Goes By". LP, Vinyl record album

Damn great work from the amazing Eddie Harris – a record that's got a perfect blend of jazz and funk, but still holds onto more righteous elements too! Eddie's using his electric sax in a really great way – not as a gimmick at all, but as a way of linking both the soulful and progressive sides of the Chicago jazz scene – much like the way his old bassist Melvin Jackson did on the classic Funky Skull record! The group here is a small one, but features some really surprising work from players who include Muhal Richard Abrams on electric piano, Rufus Reid on electric and acoustic bass, Billy James on drums and Kalimba, Ronald Muldrow on guitar, and Henry Gibson on some mighty nice percussion. Eddie himself is a stunner – working not just on electric tenor, but also trumpet with a reed mouthpiece, and some weird way of vocalizing through a horn as well. The whole thing's got a vibe that matches the hippest, coolest electric jazz of the Cadet/Concept years – and titles include the great groover "Zambezi Dance", plus "Nightcap", "Tampion", "Instant Death", and "Superfluous". LP, Vinyl record album