Hard swinging big band material from Sweden – featuring the big band of Harry Arnold arranged by Quincy Jones. Quincy had been spending a lot of time in Sweden during the mid 50s – bringing with him a host of great players that would soon become big names on the European scene. Biggest of these is Benny Bailey, who plays some good solos here with a mostly-Swedish group that includes Arne Domnerus, Bengt Hallberb, Ake Persson, and Bengt-Arne Wallin. The style of the work, and its trans-Atlantic jazz orientation, is a direct precursor of later work by the Clarke-Boland Big Band – of whom Bailey was a big part. Titles all swing nicely, and tracks include "Doodlin", "Room 608", "Quincy's Home Again", "Brief Encounter", and "Meet Benny Bailey". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful chapter in the career of Ray Charles – and a key album in helping raise his respect level a notch or two in the early 60s! We might argue with the mathematics in the title – or at least joke that Ray was using equations as titles years before Anthony Braxton – but you can't contest the fact that this one's a classic treat, and a legendary attempt to class up Ray's bluesy style for the masses. Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns handled the arrangements, and given that the record was issued by ABC a few years before they brought Ray into a country mode, it's interesting to think what might have happened had his career continued this way. There's only a small number of vocal tracks on the record, and most of the rest feature Ray at the organ, grooving away very nicely! Titles include "One Mint Julep", "Moanin", "I've Got News For You", "Mister C", and "Stompin Room Only". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set that brings together 2 rare albums from the 50s! Sonny Criss At The Crossroads is an obscure 1959 session recorded by Criss in Chicago, and it's one of the only jazz records ever on the Peacock label, which put out mostly gospel and blues. Criss is joined by Joe Scott on piano, and the Chicago rhythm section of Bob Cranshaw and Walter Perkins, both fresh from the MJT+3. Great tone, warm solos, and a nice vibe throughout. Tracks include "You Don't Know", "Butts Delight", "Softly", and "Sylvia". Kenny Dorham & The Jazz Prophets is a fantastic lost hard bop album, featuring Kenny Dorham leading a tight quintet that stars J.R. Monterose on Tenor. Monterose and Dorham are great, and really open up on the 5 tracks on the album – all of which are long enough to give the players plenty of room to blow. Probably one of the best jazz records ever recorded for ABC, and with the titles "The Prophet", "DX", "Tahitian Suite", and "Blues Elegante". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album – one of our favorite-ever records from Charles Mingus! The album was recorded in the same breath as his legendary works Tijuana Moods, The Clown, and Pithecanthropus Erectus – and it features the same sort of fire and emotion that made those classics so great. The group alone is amazing – with Horace Parlan on piano, Shafi Hadi on alto and tenor, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, and the amazing Clarence (aka Gene) Shaw on trumpet – all getting plenty of room to open up on the album's longer tracks! The work bristles with a sense of imagination and dark energy that Mingus hardly had in his music in later years – and each new tune brings a fresh sense of vision that never fails to astound us! In keeping with the "poetry" title, the album begins with an incredible 12 minute track "Scenes in the City" – which features a long spoken bit written by Langston Hughes about one man's love of jazz and the way that it affects his life in the city – all supported with excellent instrumentation from the group. Other titles are instrumental, and include "Nouroog", "New York Sketchbook", "Slippers", and "Duke's Choice". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably one of the greatest albums ever cut by Jimmy Witherspoon – recorded live at an early Monterey Jazz Festival, and done in a style that shows the strong link between jazz and blues in Jimmy's work! The group on the set includes Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, and Woody Herman – and the longish tracks on the set give them all more than enough room to solo alongside Jimmy's bluesy vocals. The album's also one of the first to be produced by a young David Axelrod – and shows a clear respect for both the singer and the musicians, in a combination that would come out even more strongly on Axe's later productions for Capitol. Titles include "No Rollin Blues", "Big Fine Girl", "Good Rockin Tonight", "Ain't Nobody's Business", and "When I Been Drinkin". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer early album by Art Blakey and his first incarnation of The Messengers – recorded before Horace Silver left the group, and a rare non-Blue Note outing done for Columbia Records! The ensemble here features Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor, and Doug Watkins on bass – alongside Silver's piano and Blakey's thundering work on drums – and the album is virtually a blueprint for the sound of hardbop in years to come – focused and intense, but still with plenty of room for individual solo expression! Tracks include a classic reading of "Nica's Dream", plus Horace Silver's great "Ecaroh", and Mobley's own "Infra-Rae" and "Hank's Symphony". LP, Vinyl record album

A real lost treasure – and an incredible session that offers a real meeting of minds that's far more than you'd expect from the simple cover and title! The set is a later one for Vee Jay, and it brings together half of the Jazz Messengers with a batch of west coast players – in a groove that wonderfully mixes together different traditions and rhythms in jazz – and which steps out with a sound that's far more than the sum of its parts! Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, and Curtis Fuller join a group headed by Buddy De Franco, and featuring Victor Feldman on piano and vibes, plus Victor Sproles on bass and Freddie Hill on trumpet. The sound of the group is quite unusual – and a lot lighter than you'd guess – giving Buddy plenty of room to solo in a breezy style that's grown tremendously since his 50s recordings – pushed along by some heavier soul from Art and the group. Titles include "Rain Dance", "Blues Bag", "Twelve Tone Blues", "Kush", and "Cousin Mary". LP, Vinyl record album

Although Irene Reid later went on to make some recordings that had her in a more rootsy setting, this nice set from the mid 60's features her deep soul voice amidst classy jazz-based arrangements by Oliver Nelson. The record's got the feel of one of Nancy Wilson's classics for Capitol, with a mix of standards and pop material like "When Did You Leave Heaven", "Save Your Love For Me", "Who Can I Turn To", and "They All Say I'm The Biggest Fool". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet jazzy work from War – a record that has them stretching things out a bit from before, and finding new ways to groove for the second half of the 70s! All the core elements are still firmly in place – that sublime blend of jazz, soul, funk, and Latin elements – but there's a slight shift in the presentation, with maybe just a touch more of the jazz promised in the title – which might have to do with the album's initial placement as a Blue Note Records title! The first half of the record features all new material, showcasing this slight shift in the group's sound – and a mode that's nicely free of any hits – and the second half of the set brings back some key jazzy tracks from earlier records, which fit perfectly into place. Titles include "War Is Coming", "I Got You", "LA Sunshine", "Platinum Jazz", "Slowly We Walk Together", "River Niger", "H2Overture", "City Country City", "Four Cornered Room", and "Deliver The Word". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little session – an oft-overlooked gem from Savoy's legendary hard bop years of the 50s – reissued many years later with an added bonus track! Altoist John Jenkins leads the session – which also features Donald Byrd – who gets co-billed as leader on this reissue, plus Curtis Fuller, Tommy Flanagan, Doug Watkins, and Art Taylor – and with a lineup like that, you can hardly miss! The set grooves like one of the best edgy Prestige blowing sessions from the time – long tracks, lots of room for solos, and a surprising coherency that really drives the whole thing. Features the 4 longish tracks from the original LP – "Orpheus", "Honeylike", "Rockaway", and "Star Eyes", plus a take of "Darn That Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

The Great Jazz Trio really stretch out here – taking each of the album's four songs at a mighty relaxed pace – which allows even more room than ever for the creative expression of Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums! The cover's got a slick look that might be more at home on a fusion record – but the set's all acoustic, and has this warm, personal vibe that's really tremendous – that special sound that the three legendary musicians brought to their great run of albums in this format! Titles include "Satin Doll", "My Funny Valentine", "Night In Tunisia", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual album from the west coast scene of the 60s – recorded under the name of the Lighthouse All Stars, but featuring arrangements and compositions by Bob Cooper – who was the real driving force behind the set. Conte Candoli's in the group on trumpet – and other players include Buddy Colette and Bud Shank on alto and flute, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Victor Feldman on vibes and percussion, Stan Levey on drums, and Cooper himself on tenor. The overall sound is relatively tightly constrained, in a "jazz suite" mode – but there's plenty of room for solo space on the set, and Cooper's writing is as fluid as his ability is strong to bring these players together as conductor. The set's got a really great feel that gets way past some of the more academic west coast work of its sort – with a lot more soul than you'd expect. Titles include "Rain Blues", "Genesis (pt II)", "Architectonics", "Directional Suite", and "The Worker". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer early album by Art Blakey and his first incarnation of The Messengers – recorded before Horace Silver left the group, and a rare non-Blue Note outing done for Columbia Records! The ensemble here features Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor, and Doug Watkins on bass – alongside Silver's piano and Blakey's thundering work on drums – and the album is virtually a blueprint for the sound of hardbop in years to come – focused and intense, but still with plenty of room for individual solo expression! Tracks include a classic reading of "Nica's Dream", plus Horace Silver's great "Ecaroh", and Mobley's own "Infra-Rae" and "Hank's Symphony". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer set of jazzy Hammond – recorded on the UK mod scene of the 60s! This jazzy British organist is paired with drummer Tony Crombie, and the two of them go at it in a real stormin' kind of way – very jazzy, with wonderful rhythmic changes! The groove is definitely jazz, but there's also touches of Brit beat group sounds in there, especially on some originals like "Clapham Junction" and "Cod and Chips Twice". Nice bit of organ jazz, and proof that the Americans weren't the only ones jazzin' it up on the keys in the 60s! LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from Airto – recorded after his 70s years on bigger labels, but a set that almost tops all of them in the end! There's a wonderful mix going on here – a blend of rootsy and electric, and Latin and Brazilian – the former clearly from the placement of the record on New York's Montuno label – an imprint that did plenty of great sessions filled with Latin jazz! The shift makes for a fresh one for Airto – still plenty of room to show off his famous percussion impulses, yet in a slightly different way – often grooving in a Latin fusion mode that's a nice maturation from the CTI years. The set's filled with all-star players – including Jorge Dalto on electric piano, Raul De Souza on trombone, Joe Farrell on flute, Alphonso Johnson on bass, and Oscar Castro Neves on keyboards, guitar, and cavaquinho – and the lovely Flora's also on board to sing a bit on the set. Titles include the extended jammer "Tombo", plus "Aqui Se Pede", "Jump", "The Return", "Sin Salida", and "Anatelio". LP, Vinyl record album

A standing room ovation in the A&M Studios – certainly the kind of reception we'd imagine Herb would get during these glory years of his career! The set's one of the most no-nonsense Tijuana Brass sessions of the 60s – a tightly crafted album that has a bit more jazz than usual sneaking in on some of the tunes, but still enough of that snapping, punchy rhythmic approach that makes Herb and the group so great! As usual, the fluidity here is the strongest point – as the A&M touch takes a sound that should be hokey, and flips it into something really really groovy through warm use of compression in the studio. Titles include "Blue Sunday", "Bean Bag", "Work Song", "Our Day Will Come", "Mexican Road Race", and "Freight Train Joe". LP, Vinyl record album

Like some of the other issues on Trip, this set brings together some great sides that sort of fell between the cracks in an artist's career. These nice rarer sides by Gene Ammons seem to be recorded by Jug during the early 60's, when he was jumping around his contractual agreements with a number of labels, and recording sessions for just about everybody. The first LP features Jug in the studio with Howard McGhee (the set was briefly issued under his name, on Argo) and a guitarist we're pretty certain is Jake Fisher (from other issues of this material), for a cool laidback soul jazz session that's probably one of Jug's most open-ended from the time. The tracks are all long, with a lot of room for solo space, and a round mellow tone. Titles include "Housewarmin", "Nothin' But Soul", "Jivin Around" and "Jug & McGhee". The second set's a hard-hitting blowing session, cut very much in the mode of Gene's late 50s sides for Prestige – and with a very accomplished group of soul jazzers that includes Nat Adderley, Frank Foster, Bennie Green, and Frank Wess. The groove has a nice raw late night sound – and tracks are pretty long and open-ended. Titles include "Litty Ditty", "Sermonette", "Juggin Around", and "Jim Dog". LP, Vinyl record album

Candido cut sooo many great Latin records over the years, spanning a wide range of styles, we have a hard time deciding which we love the best. We like to think this may be his best album from the early part of his career, specifically because it features the master conga player amidst a tight jazz lineup, who leave him plenty of room to solo and just plain get down doing his thing. Dick Hyman's on organ, Joe Puma's on guitar, and Ernie Royal's on trumpet, with George Duvivier and Charlie Persip in the rhythm section. 8 tracks in all, including "Afro Blue", "Caravan", "Softly But Blue", "Blue Lou", "Blue Prelude", "Bongo Baby", "Blue Dirge" and "Candido Cocktail". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the best album ever from this seminal British jazz rock combo – a record that really has the group stretching out in the expanded space of a concert setting! Colosseum were already one of the best groups to mix jazzy currents and heavy rock modes – but they really set a fire with this brilliant live album – which really gave the group plenty of room to show off their instrumental chops! Immediate Records star Chris Farlowe is on vocals – but the real charm of their sound comes from the tenor and soprano sax work of Dick Heckstall Smith, the Hammond and vibes of Dave Greenslade, and the heavy drums of Jon Hiseman – who really keeps things in the pockage, and provided more than a few funky passages on the album. Titles include "Lost Angeles", "Rope Ladder to The Moon", "Walking In The Park", and a version of Michael Gibbs' "Tanglewood 63". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible collaboration from John Coltrane and Milt Jackson – and one that gives Milt one of his sharpest records ever! The setting is relatively straight – tenor from Coltrane, vibes from Jackson – plus rhythm from Hank Jones on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. Yet there's also a sense of openness here that you'd hardly ever expect on other records by Jackson – especially his contemporaneous sides with the Modern Jazz Quartet – and Coltrane's tenor gets as much room to roam here as it did on Prestige – really cutting some beautifully soulful, open, and flowing lines throughout! Titles include "Bags & Trane", "Three Little Words", "Be-Bop", "Late Late Blues", and "The Night We Called It a Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful early session on Charles Mingus' Debut Records label – one that features singer Ada Moore – a thin-voiced, yet soulful songstress with an edgey sort of tone! The album's got lots of nice rough edges that take it away from the cliched vocal album of the time – including searingly modern solos from LaPorta, slightly muted guitar work from Farlow, and an overall recording style that's very "roomy" – with almost a loft-like feel to the set. Titles include "Something To Live For", "Strange Fascination", "Devil Is A Woman", and "Lass From The Low Country". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer set from a player who should have been huge – ultra-sweet guitarist Bobby Broom, a player we'd vote to become the next big heir to the sound of Wes Montgomery or George Benson! This debut set is a wicked mix of jazz and soul – recorded right at the best stretch of the early GRP label, with a similar blend and sense of depth as the label's initial albums by Don Blackman and Bernard Wright! The core groove focuses strongly on Broom's guitar, but there's also some great vocal numbers too – and it turns out that Bobby's a surprisingly good singer, too – with a nicely honest vocal approach that works great alongside his guitar. Arrangements are by Broom, Dave Grusin, and Marcus Miller – and titles include "No Bad Vibes", "Saturday Night", "Niqui", "Share My Love", "She's My Reason", and "Remember When". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set from this legendary Detroit festival – a mighty assemblage of roots and jazz performers that was put together by John Sinclair! The event was legendary at the time – and has lived on strongly via this great recording by Atlantic – one that really gets at the special fire of all the performers, and their very enthusiastic welcome by the audience too! Most of the material here is blues – but the set features a key track from Sun Ra & His Solar Myth Arkestra – a performance of "Live Is Splendid" from the Space Is The Place Suite. Other tracks include "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Dr John, "Road Runner" by Jr Walker, "Wang Dang Doodle" by Koko Taylor, "Gambler's Blues" by Otis Rush, "Ain't That Loving You" by Bobby Blue Bland, "Honey Bee" by Muddy Waters, "Form Kinetic" by CJQ, "Dust My Broom" by Johnny Shines, and "Goin Down" by Freddie King. LP, Vinyl record album

A key bit of jazz funk from trumpeter Tom Browne – still grooving strong here, with a sublime mix of modern soul, funky jazz, and some of the 80s groove touches that showed up on the best GRP titles from the time! The album's got a smooth compressed groove – kind of post-Donald Byrd, with Tom taking solos over the top of most tracks, and occasional vocals , wither from a backing group, or an assortment of different lead singers. Players on the set include Bernard Wright, Dave Grusin, Bobby Broom, and Marcus Miller – and tracks include "I Know", "Midnight Interlude", "Let's Dance", "Night Wind", "Making Plans", "Thighs Hihg", and "Magic". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic killer from trumpeter Tom Browne – a smoking set that still has all the jazz funk touches of his earlier records, yet which also picks up a bit of an electro vibe as well! The move here is a bit like that taken by some of Browne's labelmates on GRP at the time – particularly Bobby Broom and Bernard Wright – and offers up a great mix of jazzy roots and some of the newer sounds hitting the streets in the early 80s – a vibe that's maybe one of the first moments when older genres of music were beginning to show an influence from hip hop! Maurice Starr handles most of the production, and really makes things tight throughout – but Tom himself does a great job of keeping things interesting with the solos, augmenting the electric vibe with some rock-solid acoustic playing. Titles include "Rockin Radio", "Angeline", "Brighter Tomorrow", "Never My Love", "Mr Business", "Cruisin", and "Feel Like Makin Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as the set is definitely a turning point in the career of John Mayall, and the debut of brand new lineup that helped move his music past a the straighter sound of American blues! There's still plenty of blues at the core – and great vocals and harmonica from the leader – but the lineup also features no drums at all, which gives very open space to freeplay between the acoustic guitar of Jon Mark, the bass of Steve Thompson, and the wicked work of Johnny Almond on tenor, alto, and flute! The jazzy elements that Almond brings to the music are wonderful – and really open up the sound, and showcase a whole new side of Mayall's talents too – as the group here play live at the Fillmore East, on titles that include "The Laws Must Change", "California", "I'm Gonna Fight For You JB", "Room To Move", and "Saw Mill Gulch Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A crazy album of funky tracks from Lalo Schifrin – very different than most of his other jazz and bossa work! This set's got some very tripped out styles that mix together funky backings, jazzy riffing, and even some nice electronics – a sweet little groove that's even more wild and hip than even the best of Schifrin's soundtrack work from the 60s! Some tunes certainly show the deft talent for arranging woodwinds and rhythms that first caught the ears of so many listeners on famous soundtracks – but in the setting of this record, away from any directorial needs, Lalo's also free to explore some groovier music ideas – and he really lets loose tremendously as the set rolls on! The titles alone should tell you the feel of the record – with names like "Secret Code", "Dissolving", "Vaccinated Mushrooms", "Wheat Germ Landscapes", and "How To Open at Will The Most Beautiful Window". LP, Vinyl record album

Work from that rare "living room" tape that Tatum cut famously in the postwar years – with cuts that include "Tenderly", "You're Driving Me Crazy", "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams", "Night & Day", and "It's The Talk Of The Town". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool cooker from Maynard Ferguson – and a set that has all the upbeat tones you'd expect from the title, but lots of funky currents underneath! The set really sparkles right from the start – and has that sweet vibe that Maynard was really getting perfect on these late 70s records for Columbia – jazzy fusion that's tight, but never too uptight – with lots of room for sweet solos from the leader himself, plus Bill Hannon on moog, John Qdini on guitar, Eric Traub on tenor, and Mike Migliore on alto. Titles include a famous working of Earth Wind & Fier's "Fantasy" – plus "Battlestar Galactica", "MF Carnival", "Baker Street", "Birdland", "How Ya Doin Baby", and "Stella By Starlight". LP, Vinyl record album

Probably the rarest of all albums by the Last Poets – so rare that it often doesn't show up in lists of their work, and that it's never reissued with the frequency of their other early titles. Jalal is firmly in place by this point, and his hip rhyming poetry has brought a new level of musicality to the group that shows up best in the album's jazzier numbers and nice traces of funk. The politics are still as strong as ever – they're just tempered with a bit more concern for phrasing, and a tighter approach to overall delivery. Titles include "Uncle Sam's Lament", "In Search Of Knowledge", "The Courtroom", "African Slave", "Death Row", and "Tranquility". LP, Vinyl record album

If you ask us, this is Larry Heard's finest moment, combining the raw energy of early Chicago house with a jazzy sensibility, warm tones on the keyboards and a spare approach that gives all the elements room to breath. A modern classic! 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the rarest Kenny Burrell albums – and one of the most unusual, too! Unlike other records, on which Kenny just plays guitar – this set has the jazzman also doing a bit of singing, sweetly crooning alongside his instrument with a surprising amount of charm! Burrell's got the feel of some backroom singer in the bebop years – deep-toned and mellow, but still pretty swinging – and the album's a great illustration of this overlooked side of his talents. The group features Tommy Flanagan on piano, and Bobby Jaspar plays a bit of tenor sax at times – on titles that include "Hootchie Koo", "A Fine Romance", "The Blues Is Awful Mean", "The More I See You", "I'll Buy You A Star", "Afternoon In Paris", and "Weaver Of Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever appearance of brothers Thad Jones, Hank Jones, and Elvin Jones on the same recording date – working here with the addition of Eddie Jones on bass – not related to the family, but thrown in for good measure as an extra Jones! Despite that gimmicky nature of the set, the album's actually a great one – stripped-down and sometimes raw, with an energy that's different than the sweeter tones of Hank's own records, and which offers some especially great room for Thad to open up and do his thing. Titles are all Jones-penned – some by Thad, and some by Isham Jones as well – with tracks that include "Sput N Jeff", "Nice & Easy", "It HadTo Be You", "Three & One", and "Keeping Up With The Joneses". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of vocal tracks from Judy Roberts – a mix of original tunes and a few covers, all done with a warm fusiony style, and plenty of Brazilian touches! Judy's at the height of her powers here – partly jazzy, partly in a songstress mode that's inspired by the advances that female singers made during the 70s – stretching out in the new freedoms, but never forgetting the lyric, or a need to swing. Includes a great remake of Ivan Lins' "Common Ground", plus the tracks "Two & A Half", "Country Samba", "Save That Time", "Nights In Brazil", "I Can't Help It", and "Starlight Haunted Ballroom". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums as a leader cut by pianist Ralph Sharon – a player who's best known for his years supporting singer Tony Bennett, but who sounds really wonderful here in an instrumental setting too! Sharon's got a way of coming up both with a punch and a fluid sort of groove – that gentle swing that worked so well to ignite the jazzier side of Bennett's vocals – and which gets lots of room to open up with a voice of its own here! The rest of the trio nicely match Sharon's liveliness on the keys – with work from Jay Cave on bass and Christy Febbo on drums – and although most titles are standards, they're handled with a fresh approach that makes us wish we could hear more from Sharon in such a setting. Titles include "Steeple Chase", "Angel Eyes", "Bluz For Suz", "I'm Glad There Is You", and "Give Me The Simple Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Burrell plays with The Jazz Guitar Band, with Rodney Jones and Bobby Broom on guitar, plus Dave Jackson on bass and Kenny Washington on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare cut from this great French group – excellent in the original, and mighty nice in the rework! The main version is wonderful – funky and clubby, but with a very jazzy vibe – one that's echoed by the duo singing the lead lyrics in French, and by the keyboard solo that does some mighty nice things in the middle! The re-work on the flipside kicks up the groove a bit more, and stretches out some of the best elements – but still has plenty of room for those great vocals and keys! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Classic fusiony jazzy soulful vocals from Al, with the bright kind of LA groove that brought Al into millions of living rooms during the 70s. Tracks include "I'm Home", "Brite & Sunny Babe", "Fly", "I Do", "Thinkin' About It Too", and his groovy version of "She's Leaving Home". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the key classics from the Jimmy Smith years at Blue Note Records – a really groundbreaking time for the Hammond organ in jazz, as Jimmy helped take it from backrooms in bars to center stage of jazz with a record like this! The album's about as iconic as you can get for Jimmy at the label – from the fantastic cover image, to the well-crafted tunes – many of which are shorter than some of Smith's earlier jam session-styled work, and help forge a bridge between soul jazz and the emerging soul instrumental sound of the early 60s. The album features some excellent work from the obscure Percy France on tenor on most of the tracks – a player we only know from a handful of dates – next to other quartet members who include Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. Titles include "Sugar Hill", "I Got A Woman", "Motoring Along", "Gracie", and "Messin Around". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Flaming Ember – a combo with a sound rooted in rock, but filled with plenty of soul too – making they a key funky crossover act in the early 70s! These guys borrow the best of Motown soul and the best of the jazzier rock groups of the time – and often use lots of raw congas in with their percussion – which keeps things grooving with plenty of soulful inflections. There's some nice psych production at times – a bit like the best Norman Whitfield modes at the start of the 70s – and titles include "Flashbacks & Reruns", "The Empty Crowded Room", "Going In Circles", "Westbound #9", "Spinning Wheel", and "Shades Of Green". LP, Vinyl record album