An important early album from saxophonist Koichi Matsukaze – maybe not one of the biggest names in Japanese jazz during the 70s, but certainly one of that scene's most striking players! The approach here is quite spiritual – long, open tracks that pulsate strongly – thanks to work on Fender Rhodes and piano from Toshiyuki Daitoku, bass from Tamio Kawabata, and drums from Ryojiro Furusawa – all players that hew to the rhythm as strongly as Coltrane's rhythm section might have in the 70s – and who really let their leader soar to the skies, with magnificent solos on flute, alto, and tenor sax! The music is quite exploratory, but never too far outside – that perfect balance from the post-Coltrane generation – and titles include "Images In Alone", "Don't Worry About Tenor Saxophone", "Earth Mother", and "Zekatsuma Selbst". LP, Vinyl record album

With Bob Maize on bass and Jake Hanna on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Wally Fawkes on clarinet, Butch Thompson on piano and clarinet, and guest Catherine Lord on violin. LP, Vinyl record album

The tenor of Sonny Rollins, heard in a very unusual setting – a freewheeling live date from Finland, with wonderful Fender Rhodes work from Heikki Sarmanto! The tracks are all very long, and the use of Fender Rhodes next to Sonny's sharp tenor makes for a wonderful contrast – as Heikki rings out with some really great solos of his own! There's a spirit here that's a bit like the Sonny Rollins In Japan album, recorded around the same time – although the long Rhodes solos are an especially nice touch – set up with rhythms from Pekka Sarmanto on bass and Esko Rosnell on drums. The set includes a 24 minute take on "Night & Day" – plus 17 minute versions of "St Thomas" and "My One & Only Love – both great! LP, Vinyl record album

A really important early album from this groundbreaking pianist – a set that initially got plenty of exposure at the time, thanks to its placement on the Infinite Zero label – even though Matthew Shipp's piano work was very far from the mainstream! The trio here is tremendous – and the work of William Parker on bass is especially wonderful, as is the subtle drum handling of Whit Dickey – as the group perform lne long suite of tracks that flow together in haunting patterns of criss crossing lines that describe seem to really bring a sense of spirituality back to the world of improvising music in the early 90s! LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant early album from pianist Aki Takase – already at the top of her game with an amazing command of the keyboard – a reach and sense of imagination that almost opens into the freewheeling territory of Cecil Taylor, but one that's also got a lot of room for gentler, more sensitive moments – which makes the balance of expression on the album a real delight! The tracks are all quite long, and there's some equally wonderful work on bass from Nobuyoshi Ino – a player whose thoughtful qualities really open up the piano, and also provide some soulful grounding for the record next to the drums of Takeo Moriyama. Tracks include "Mountain Forest", "Minerva's Owl", "Monologue", and "Song For Hope". LP, Vinyl record album

Bossa piano, harmony vocals, and a sound that's unlike anyone else – heard here in some really classic sides by Brazil's legendary Tamba Trio! The group had a way of approaching a groove that was (and is) truly revolutionary – a sound that not only carried some of the freshest, most modern elements of 60s bossa – but which also encouraged a newly spacious approach overall, thanks to the mighty arranging talents of pianist Luiz Eca! This set features some of the group's greatest sides – and is a perfect introduction to their work – with titles that include "Mas Que Nada", "Reza", "Tamba", "Barquinho", "O Samba Da Minha Terra", "Influencia Do Jazz", and "Se Eu Pudesse Voltar". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

With Teru Sakamoto on piano, Takao Neichi on bass, and Takeshi Watanabe on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Trio Mocoto first rose to fame as the funky band behind Jorge Ben on his early 70s classics – the combo that gave him such a soulful sound – and here on their own, they sound pretty darn great – with a style that follows the same evolution as Jorge's own sound at the time! The core elements are still a mix of funk, samba, and soul – but there's also a slightly warmer sound to the production – one that really ties the whole thing together, and maybe gives the group even more force than before! Riffing guitars snap alongside the lively percussion – and the trio trade voices in a mighty nice way – sometimes with a bit of backup from other singers too. Titles include "Nao Adianta", "Toda Tarde", "Rosa", "Onde Anda Voce", "O Meu Violao", and "Xuxu Melao". LP, Vinyl record album

Slammin Hammond from Trio Valore – a really old school combo with a sweet mix of mod and funky rhythms! The group features heavy drums from Steve White – with a groove that stretches back to his many years on the hip side of the UK scene – and remaining trio members include Damon Minchella on guitar and Seamus Beaghen on Hammond – both players who more than keep up with White's hard-hitting approach, and really make the set cook up strongly throughout! A number of cuts are covers, but there's also some great originals too – and the whole thing has the feel of a hip 60s set in a small Soho club – but filtered through a generation that also understands funk as well. Titles include "Rehab", "Hola Muneca", "Fuoco", "Hip Hug Her", "Anxious Mo Fo", "All About My Girl", "Return Of The Iron Monkey", "Dam Square", and "Miracolo". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Colin Vallon on piano, Patrice Moret on double bass, and Julian Sartorius on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A great solo set from Kentonite Claude Williamson. The west coast piano player takes on a number of standards, some in solo format, some with a trio including Max Bennett and Stan Levey. Nice fifties jazzy line drawing on the cover. Titles include "Spring Is Here", "Get Happy", "Yesterdays", "Like Someone In Love", and "My Heart Stood Still". LP, Vinyl record album

A mix of folk and country, presented in soundtrack form – with tracks from Sheb Wooley, The Gateway Trio, Cathie Taylor, Chris Crosby, and Joe & Eddie. LP, Vinyl record album

Two great tracks from a legendary 70s Japanese vocal album – back to back on a limited 45! "Speak Low" is the old jazz standard, but given a great modal swing by the trio of pianist Yuji Ohno – an artist you'll know for his own groovy material – changing up the groove in ways that go back and forth nicely, matched by Ann Young's soulful vocals! "On Green Dolphin Street" gets a great reading too – with electric piano that brings a nicely different vibe to the tune, and some great skipping drums that match the fluid quality of Ann's vocals! There's a nice solo from Yuji in the middle too. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Incredible work from Chicago pianist King Fleming – a lost talent that had a key influence on more famous players in the scene, but who rarely got his due because he hardly left the Windy City! The set's got a really incredible feel – partly in the gentle groove of Ahmad Jamal, but also with one ear towards the more righteous rhythms that were coming into piano jazz during the 60s. A key element of the strength of the set is work in the trio by bassist Malachi Favors – working here years before his time with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – and the set's also graced by some wonderful originals that show Fleming to be a heck of a great writer as well as musician! Titles include "Time Out", "Stand By", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Song Of Paradise", "Between The Toes", and "Lonely One". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a wonderful one – given the warmth and great spirit of this legendary trio – a near-perfect assemblage of the talents of Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums! Both Carter and Williams help Hank to hit the hipper side of his talents for the 70s – and together, they work as one – with a well-rounded, well-crafted style that's a great testament to the group's strong appeal at the time. Titles include "Freedom Jazz Dance", "A Child Is Born", "Mr PC", "All Blues", and "Doom". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant moment as a leader from saxophonist Maurice Malik King – a member of the St Louis underground in the 70s, but one who never saw the same sort of fame as contemporaries who left the city for New York and beyond – yet who continued to create some incredible music far away from the limelight! The early 80s set is a great example of the way the more sophisticated, sensitive moments of the loft jazz world of the 70s were taken to farther local scenes in the US, and allowed players to continue the journey with their own very personal levels of expression – something that's definitely the case here as King crafts these beautiful long lines on alto alongside the bass of Zimbabwe Nkenya and percussion of Qaiyim Shabazz. There's a very special sound to the whole thing – a mode that's every bit as unique as the Ritual Trio up in Chicago, yet every different too – as you'll hear on cuts that include "In Between Space", "Music To Me", "In Search Of Spirits Passed & Present", and "When Force Meet". LP, Vinyl record album

A very apt title – as Jackie McLean sits in for a soulful session with the Great Jazz Trio of Hank Jones, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams – all "old bottles" at this point in their career, but working together beautifully to brew some very mellow "new wine"! The album's easily one of the best in the trio's run of the time – as Jackie's alto sax really helps flesh things out a bit more than usual – and moves the album past the trio sound of their other records. McLean gets plenty of space to do his thing on the longer tracks – and the piano of Jones, bass of Carter, and drums of Williams have a solid, soulful approach that's really wonderful. Titles include 2 McLean originals titled "Appointment In Ghana Again" and "Little Melonae Again", both remakes of older tunes – plus "Confirmation", "Bein Green", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

With Frank Morgan on alto, McCoy Tyner on piano, Avery Shrpe on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A lost set of modernist piano jazz from the British scene of the late 60s – very much in the mode of the best American work of the time by pianists like Steve Kuhn or Don Friedman! Taylor's got an incredible touch on the keys – a post-Bill Evans mode that uses space as much a sound, and which paints in broad colors and tones that seem to glisten in their own unique place in the musical spectrum. The sound is free, but never too "out" – and the trio performs a number of strong originals like "Just A Blues", "Two Autumns", "Guru", and "Abena" – plus completely transformed versions of "Stella By Starlight" and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A later album by the Zimbo boys, but which still has the Trio playing in their classic bossa style, and in a tribute to Jobim that's got them doing some of his best compositions, like "Wave", "Garota de Ipanema", "So Danco Samba", "Felicidade", and "Chega De Saudade". The sound is still acoustic – although the production's sweetened things up a bit – and the band hasn't lost any of their bossa flair over the years! LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual album from the great Toshiko Akiyoshi – and a set that features her young daughter Monday Michiru playing flute on the record! Monday's part of a flute quartet, who play here alongside Toshiko on piano, Bob Bowman on bass, and Joey Baron on drums – on original tunes "Chic Lady", "Blue Dream", "Last Minute Blues", and "Falling Petal". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing spiritual jazz treasure – the only album ever issued by this obscure avant trio from the Cleveland scene – a group that includes a young Abdul Wadud on bass and cello! The style is nicely loose and open, but also very different than the sound of the AACM at the time – almost more with the slowly building style that would dominate in the loft jazz years, even though these guys were years ahead of that moment. In addition to Wadud – then known as Ron DeVaughn – the group also features Joseph Phillips/Yusuf Mumin on alto, and Hasan Adbur Shahid on percussion. Both players are amazing – Shahid can go from full intensity to spacious sonic territory at a level that matches Sunny Murray – and Mumin's alto can cry plaintively some moments, and come on with the ferocity of a tenor the next. Wadud is wonderful, too – balancing plucked and bowed moments with the quality that we love on later recordings – already very well-formed here, at a time when he was attending Oberlin College. The album's one that really lives up to the promise of its cover and group name – and titles include "Birth Life & Death", "In Light Of Blackness", "Final Expression", "Opening Prayer", and "Al Nisa". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure genius from Ray Bryant – the kind of a record that few other players could ever hope to cut, and a fantastic demonstration of Ray's extremely soulful approach to the trio format! Bryant's working here with Bill Lee on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – in a triple-burning setting that has all players contributing equally to the groove – and often working strongly to create a great sense of counterpoint in the rhythms. Roker's drums are magically playful throughout – snapping and skipping along the top of the snare in a way that only furthers the rhythmic agenda of Bryant's piano. And Lee's bass has a laidback and mellow delight – one that rings out alongside the keys of the piano, and fleshes them out with some additional depth and color. The title track is a brilliant reading of "Con Alma", and the set also features Bryant's famous tune "Cubano Chant" – as well as the titles "Autumn Leaves", "Milestones", "Ill Wind", and "C Jam Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone groover from the great Ray Bryant – one of his brilliant albums for Cadet from the 60s! Ray's soul jazz trio (with Freddie Waits on drums) is augmented by the 2-horn trumpet section he used on some of his other Cadet recordings from the time – trumpet from Snookie Young and flugelhorn from Clark Terry, both of whom really help the album open up from the usual standard soul jazz trio side! The sound is really unique, and the "bottom" of the brass gives his piano a nice deep sound that you wouldn't necessarily expect from the arrangement – almost a bit of a bounce at the bottom, always helping the groove. The record includes a number of nice originals, like "Little Soul Sister", "All Things Are Possible", "Erewhon", and "Monkey Business" – plus versions of "Gotta Travel On" and "Bag's Groove". LP, Vinyl record album

Ella Fitzgerald swings it nicely with the Tommy Flanagan Trio – a small group on the date for backup, but one who give this Montreux performance almost as much bounce as Ella's 70s live dates with a bigger ensemble! Tommy seems to have a bit more punch in his piano than usual, and Fitzgerald really makes great use of that quality – hanging her groove on his bold lines nicely, with support from Keter Betts on bass and Bobby Durham on drums. Titles include "Day By Day", "Billie's Bounce", "Too Close For Comfort", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "One Note Samba", and "Ordinary Fool". LP, Vinyl record album

The second part of a great Japanese-only session recorded in 1980 – one that features a later edition of the Great Jazz Trio – with Eddie Gomez on bass and Al Foster on drums, next to piano by usual group member Hank Jones! The set's got a hipper feel than usual for the group – partly because Jones plays Fender Rhodes on part of the record, and partly because Gomez's work on bass gives the proceedings a warm and soulful sound – that deep-flowing groove we first came to love in Eddie's work with Bill Evans and Jeremy Steig. Foster's drums are great too – and have a sense of sharpness that changes the Great Jazz Trio sound nicely. Titles include "Peedlun", "Light Listened", "Duplex", "Just Before Dawn", and "Sublime". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest 60s recordings from the Wyton Kelly Trio – thanks to some wonderful guest work from guitarist Wes Montgomery! Montgomery's working here in a gusty, rootsy style that recalls his best soul jazz sides from the earlier years – and which have a feel that's quite different than his later, more largely-arranged work for Verve. The Kelly Trio is in perfect form – with Wynton's heavy left hand leading the group on the piano, and superb rhythm backing from the team of Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Tracks are longish, with some nice solos – and include the 13 minute original "No Blues", plus "If You Could See Me Now", "Unit 7", "Four On Six" and "What's New". LP, Vinyl record album

A great combo, in a really great setting – the trio of organist Delvon Lamarr, captured in a sweet live radio performance! The tunes are long and open – very much in the group's killer blend of soul jazz and deep funk – with plenty of room for Delvon to soar out on the keys of the Hammond, and remind us again what a massive younger talent he is on the instrument! If you like the group's funky 45s, you'll find yourself really loving this live set – and the whole thing's only got us eager to keep on following the great growth of this group. Titles include a sweet remake of the Curtis Mayfield tune "Move On Up" – plus "Concussion", "I Don't Want To Play That", "Tacoma Block Party", "South Leo St Stomp", and "Memphis". LP, Vinyl record album

From their inception in late 1956, Ramsey Lewis and his famous Young/Holt-era trio were destined for great jazz fame. This 1958 session on Mercury (then based in the group's native Chicago) catches the trio right at the beginning – when they were taking tunes that were pretty well known, and turning them into tight, jaunty, often comically-tinged soul jazz numbers that were very popular with the folks at the downtown clubs. As proof of that, the album features Lewis-arranged versions of many familiar favorites – including "Dark Eyes", "Come Back To Sorrento", "Greensleeves", and "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". Also includes a few originals – like "We Blue It" and "Soul Mist". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous little record that has Oscar Peterson really pushing the fuller, stronger sound he started with his trio of Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen – a set that features additional backings by Ernie Wilkins behind the core sound of the piano combo! The mode here is in that "all soul" style of Peterson's huge-selling Verve albums from the time – but the addition of a larger group makes for a mode that's even fresher – because Oscar rarely used any larger backings, so the record's a real standout! Hearing the strength of the tracks, we're a bit surprised that Peterson never made more albums like this – because there seems to be added inspiration from Wilkins' presence, giving Oscar even more focus and drive on his solos. A rare outing, but a great one – with titles that include "Blues For Big Scotia", "Tricotism", "Manteca", "I'm Old Fashioned", "West Coast Blues", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the usual album you might expect from a group with a trio in the name – as there's no piano in the mix, and instead the album features some sparkling trumpet from the great Allan Botschinsky – heard here at the height of his youthful, modern powers! The combo's led by drummer Bjarne Rostvold, whose touch on the kit is superb – snapping and swinging at most moments, but often in really subtle ways – with a level of dexterity that we get to hear more strongly here than on some of Bjarne's sessions as a sideman. Also great is bassist Nils Henning Orsted Pedersen – no stranger to most, but already really captivating here at a young age – and as melodic as he is rhythmic, which really fills out the sound. Titles include "Greensleeves", "Tricotism", "S'Posin", "Ease It", "Squeeze Me", and "Perhaps". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Vladimir Shafranov has a great rhythm duo here – bassist George Mraz and drummer Al Foster – a pair who keep things soulful and crackling throughout, which really seems to set fire to Shafranov's keys! The album's a really well-recorded piano date, in the same sort of mode that we loved from the Sawano label years back – and although it was recorded in 1990, originally to little fanfare, it's gone on to become a modern jazz piano trio classic over the years. Titles include "Bluesnost", "White Nights", "Giant Steps", "I Remember Clifford", "Sad To Say", "Lester Left Town", "One By One", "Vova Nova", and "Tin Tin Deo". LP, Vinyl record album

Definitely something tasty from the Super Jazz Trio – a rare Japanese-only effort that has the combo joined by the mighty Art Farmer! Art plays flugelhorn on the date, and fits in wonderfully alongside the piano of Tommy Flanagan, bass of Reggie Workman, and drums of Joe Chambers – a group who often have slight edge to their playing, which seems to bring out the same in Farmer as well. Most numbers are standards, but taken in a nicely loose way – and there's a relaxed feeling to the session that's a nice change from some of the too-tight sessions of this type from the time. Titles include "Here's That Rainy Day", "Au Privave", "Blame It On My Youth", "My Heart Skips A Beat", and "Stablemates". LP, Vinyl record album

Pepper Adams is easily one of the hippest players you'll ever hear on the baritone sax – an artist who changed in great ways over the decades, and always seemed to deliver something special when he got a chance to record as a leader! That's definitely the case here – as Adams stretches out on these really long tracks – blowing his horn with the kind of longform imagination that you might hear on a tenor performance of this nature by Dexter Gordon or Johnny Griffin – on a rare Canadian live date with backing from the trio of pianist Tommy Banks! Banks is a great player – with a nice raw edge that really brings a lot out of Adams – and titles are all very long, with versions of "Patrice", "Oleo", "Civilization & Its Discontents", and "Three & One". LP, Vinyl record album

Toshiko Akiyoshi plays with two different sets of musicians on this trio side. Side 1 features Bob Daugherty on bass and Jimmy Smith on drums, while side 2 has Andrew Simpkins on bass and Peter Donald on drums. The set's largely standards, with 7 numbers in all, including "Swinging Till The Girls Come Home", "Solar", "Two Bass Hit", "In Your Own Sweet Way", and "Tempus Fugit". LP, Vinyl record album

A set of improvised music, but one that's very different than some of the more familiar free jazz you might expect – as the Avant Trio have a way of moving between rhythmic and melodic moments with effortless ease – sometimes getting a bit spiritual, with currents that move between South African jazz roots of the 70s, and some more contemporary expressions on the Gondwana label! The group features Oki Kim on tenor, Sungbae Kim on bass, and Francesca Han on piano – and all players have an ability to move together as one on some numbers, then space out with much more freewheeling improvisation on others – creating a blend of moods and moments that's completely seductive throughout, and which really makes for an album that never stops surprising the ear at each new step. Titles include "Shaman Dance", "Abdul Him", "Solar Buddha", "Controversy", "Tembo Steps", "Dadam", "East Suns", and "The Loudest Silence". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Chet Baker on trumpet and a bit of vocals – working with the great pianist Ake Johansson, and his trio with Kjell Jansson on bass and Goran Levin on drums. Titles include a great version of JJ Johnson's "Lament", plus "You Can't Go Home Again", "Ellen David", and Sam Rivers' "Beatrice". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically hard bossa nova jam led by the legendary Milton Banana – a man not only known as Joao Gilberto's favorite drummer, but also as one of the architects of bossa nova drumming and percussion! The album is full of non-stop drums and piano grooves, and it's a mostly uptempo treat all the way through. Milton B tipples his way across the tops of the drums in an amazingly light fashion, yet still manages to kick on the rhythm all the way through. The hard piano sound and Milton B's beats and rhythms made this album a legend – and really cleared the way for so many great bossa albums to come. Amazing! 12 tracks including "Aruanda", "Ora Bolas", "Encanto Triste", and "Improviso", "A Resposta", "A Resposta". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime bossa jazz from one of the greatest combos on the Brazilian scene of the 60s – the crackling trio led by drummer Milton Banana, a really tremendous player no matter what the setting! The album bristles with energy from the very first note – virtually a blueprint for the sound of bossa piano in the 60s, with some great acoustic work here from Walter Wanderley on piano, and basslines that have a quick-spirited sense of timing to match Milton's drums. Tracks are all short and very tight, with a great sense of jazz – leaping along the grooves with titles that include "Samblues", "Noa Noa", "Primavera", "Samba De Verao", "Primitivo", and "Sambou, Sambou". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Brazilian diva Elizeth Cardoso lays down a number of tracks recorded either with the Zimbo Trio, or with Jacob Do Bandolim. The Zimbo tracks have a nice bossa feel, and the titles include "Cidade Vazia", "Abertura", "E Louxo So", "Tem Do", and "Derradeira Primavera". The cuts with Jacob Do Bandolim are a little more samba oriented, but have a nice groove. Those cuts include "Barracao", "Jamais", and "Mulata Assanhada". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, classiest pianists on the New York scene – heard here on an early album for RCA! LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning lost set from Don Cherry – a live performance that marks his bold shift to global-inspired sounds in the 70s – served up here with a pair of musicians who are perfect for the project! The music is based on themes in Turkish music, and Cherry's trumpet interacts in all these amazing ways with the bass of Johnny Dyani and drums of Okay Temiz – both players who are very bold here, as is Cherry – without some of the looser, more laidback qualities of later projects of this nature – almost as if Don is bringing forward some of his bolder free jazz elements from the end of the 60s, while still dipping his foot into the world of global inspirations! The lean sound of the group is amazing – and Cherry also plays piano as well – on two long tracks that include "Okay's Tune" and "Dollar's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic trio material from pianist Sonny Clark – a talent who left our planet all too soon, but who managed to record quite a number of really great albums for Blue Note in the second half of the 50s! Clark's talents were always great in a group with horns, but he's equally wonderful on a trio date like this – and gets a chance to show off both his strong sense of rhythm, and some more lyrical modes that really make the album sparkle – playing here in a perfect lineup with Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The set's easily one of the best straight trio sessions ever cut for Blue Note – tracks are longish, with a very hardbop groove – and titles include "Be Bop", "Two Bass Hit", "Tadd's Delight", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic trio material from pianist Sonny Clark – a talent who left our planet all too soon, but who managed to record quite a number of really great albums for Blue Note in the second half of the 50s! Clark's talents were always great in a group with horns, but he's equally wonderful on a trio date like this – and gets a chance to show off both his strong sense of rhythm, and some more lyrical modes that really make the album sparkle – playing here in a perfect lineup with Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The set's easily one of the best straight trio sessions ever cut for Blue Note – tracks are longish, with a very hardbop groove – and titles include "Be Bop", "Two Bass Hit", "Tadd's Delight", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio treasure from the incredible Sonny Clark – a rare non-Blue Note date from the late 50s, and a wonderful illustration of his powers on the piano! The setting is spare, but the sound is never sleepy – as Sonny's working here with Max Roach on drums and George Duvivier on bass – both of whom make for very lively compatriots in the trio – and help Sonny hit some fiercely flowing lines on piano! And apart from Sonny's great playing, the album's also a great showcase for his writing skills too, as nearly never tune's an original – with titles that include "Nica", "Sonia", "My Conception", "Minor Meeting", and "Blues Mambo". Also features a version of "Sonny's Crib" – mis-labeled here as "Sonny's Crip"! LP, Vinyl record album

A great record by this very overlooked singer – a real hip cat on the early 60s New York scene – very jazzy, and very groovy! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the tracks "Man I Love", "Body & Soul", "It's Only A Paper Moon", "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Easy Listenin Blues", "It Is Beter To Be By Yourself", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Embraceable You". 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A great collection of bop sides from 40s LA – tracks that ostensibly feature Cole on piano, jamming with Lester Young on tenor and Red Callender on bass! Oddly, no other players are listed in the notes – even though there's clearly a drummer and trumpeter on the session – so it's a bit hard to date the material, or figure out the actual source of the work. But we can say that Young's tone alone is more than worth the price of admission – beautifully firm and strong – blown in a way that rivals his best early performances for Verve, but perhaps even with a bit more grit and soul. Titles include "SM Blues", "Jammin With Lester", "Can't Get Started", "Body & Soul", and "Indiana". LP, Vinyl record album

Early recordings by the King Cole Trio, with Nat King Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Johnny Miller on bass, and also with a later line-up of Irving Ashby on guitar, Joe Comfort on bass, and Jack Costanzo on bongos. LP, Vinyl record album

Early work by Alice Coltrane – somewhat under the shadow of her late husband, as you'd guess from the use of his name on the front cover – but really stepping out here with a voice of her own! The Monastic Trio of the set features Alice on harp and piano – alongside bass from Jimmy Garrison and drums by either Ben Riley or Rashied Ali – both really fluid players who open up nicely in this way that's never to far out, at least in the way that John Coltrane was using rhythms at the time – but which allow Alice to really take the lead as a bold musical visionary of her own! Perhaps most exciting, Pharoah Sanders sits in on one of the album's longest tracks – blowing tenor with a force that's enough to bring back The Great One – but the real charm of the set is Alice's piano work, bubbling out here with a sensitivity that we never would have expected from the harder-edge sessions cut with Coltrane – that new level of spirituality she instantly brought to her own solo sessions. Titles include "Ohnedaruth", "Lovely Sky Boat", and "Atomic Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from Bill Evans – one of his rare non-trio sides of the 60s – and a stunning batch of tunes with backings from the mighty Claus Ogerman! Most of the tunes here are of classical origin, but they're recast by Evans and Ogerman with almost a soundtrack sensitivity – Bill's piano up front, moving spaciously at very much its own pace – none of the too-virtuoso styles of other 60s jazz-meets-classical players. And Ogerman's backings are also great too – hardly ever strong, and more just light shading amidst the notes of Bill's piano – beautifully sliding in to bring a nice level of warm to the tunes. Titles include a sublime reading of "Pavane", plus the tracks "Granadas", "Time Remembered", "Blue Interlude", "Elegy", and "My Bells". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic Verve Records material from Bill Evans – a set that follows the no-nonsense trio style of his Riverside material, but which definitely shows the evolving Evans style of the 60s! The group here is a nicely mellow one – bassist Chuck Israels, whose sound is tremendous – and drummer Larry Bunker – a player you might know from percussion work on other albums, which seems to give him a very sensitive touch on the drum kit here! Both players have a dancing quality that goes far beyond strict rhythmic timekeeping – and this approach opens up Evans' solos in to a freer mode than on some of his early 60s sets. The result is a wonderful album that really transforms the tunes – as you'll hear on the set of tracks that include "Round Midnight", "Israel", "Elsa", and "How My Heart Sings". LP, Vinyl record album

With Teddy Wilson on piano, Lionel Hampton on vibraphone, and Gene Krupa on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An interesting early album from Chico Hamilton – one that has him working in a trio format, quite different than the chamber modern work of his more famous quintet! The style is not dissimilar, though – as the trio lineup is drums, bass, and guitar – with both of the stringed instruments handling most of the melody, in a free floating style that's got the same "modern yet swinging" approach of some of Jimmy Giuffre's best late 50s recordings. Guitar is either by Jim Hall or Howard Roberts, bass is by George Duvivier, and drums are by Chico, natch! Titles include "Nuttye", "Porch Light", "Broadway", "Lollypop", "Uganda", "Skinned Strings", and "Street Of Drums". LP, Vinyl record album

Very early work from Chico Hamilton – recorded in a piano trio mode that predates his more famous chamber quintet – working with pianist Freddie Gambrell and bassist Ben Tucker on a set of tunes that are mostly standards, and a few bluesy piano explorations. Titles include "Ex Ray's Friends", "Reservation Blues", "These Foolish Things", "You're The Cream In My Coffee", "Five Minutes More", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Very early work from Chico Hamilton – recorded in a piano trio mode that predates his more famous chamber quintet – working with pianist Freddie Gambrell and bassist Ben Tucker on a set of tunes that are mostly standards, and a few bluesy piano explorations. Titles include "Ex Ray's Friends", "Reservation Blues", "These Foolish Things", "You're The Cream In My Coffee", "Five Minutes More", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Magical early work from Ahmad Jamal – a scintillating blend of piano, percussion, and bass – with a sound that was incredibly fresh at the time, and which still sounds pretty much so to our ears! The album crackles with imagination and rhythm – really hitting on all burners without burning itself out – and showing that even in these early days, Jamal's approach was one that could be as striking as it was mellow. Bass is by the incredible Israel Crosby, and drums are by Vernell Fournier – and tracks include "Taboo", "The Girl Next Door", "Should I", "Secret Love", and "Squatty Roo". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy swinging material from Krupa – working here in a loud and frenetic trio format, with Teddy Napoleon on piano and Charlie Ventura on tenor. Gene's working all the bass himself on the drums, and the album's got that pyrotechnic feel of the best JATP sets. Titles include "Dark Eyes", "Idaho", "Body & Soul", and "The Man I Love". LP, Vinyl record album

With John Klemmer on tenor, Bob Magnusson on bass, and Carl Burnett on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Great work by a great singer – the far under-recorded Irene Kral, a lovely lady who really bridges a number of different camps in the vocal jazz world! At one level, Irene's got the coolness of a Christy or Connor, but at another, she's got a more open, swinging, and soulful style – one that comes off with none of the hoke of Anita O'Day, and which is a perfect balance between class, cool, and easy going honesty. The trio of Junior Mance provides the backings, and titles include "Better Than Anything", "The Meaning Of The Blues", "Passing By", "No More", "Nobody Else But Me", "This Is Always", and "It's A Wonderful World". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A killer live set from Ramsey Lewis and his classic early 60s trio – a record that's not nearly as well known as The In Crowd, but every bit as great! Drummer Red Holt and bassist Eldee Young really get in some great elements here – working with Ramsey's piano in a groove that's far more than the standard trio mode of the time – and much more in a triangulated exchange of energy that's filled with life and joy throughout! Side one begins with a 12 minute "West Side Story Medley" – one that starts slow, but really builds with excitement as the tune rolls on – and other tunes include a version of "My Babe", with some funky cello work by Eldee Young; a soul-stepping take on "Something You Got"; Ramsey's original "The Caves"; and versions of "People", "Fly Me To The Moon", and "The Shelter Of Your Arms". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those 90s albums that really made people sit up and take notice of saxophonist Joe Lovano – a musician who'd been appearing on records since the 70s, but who finally got the due he deserved when Blue Note let him open up like this! The album's got a relatively loose, open vibe – almost free, but still swinging at most points – as Joe blows tenor, soprano, and straight alto sax in a trio with the great bassist Dave Holland, the the legendary Elvin Jones on drums! In some way, the record's an extension of that vibe that Jones had in the early 70s – when he's really let a strong reed player take the lead, while also egging him on with his boundless energy – interplay that definitely happens here, on titles that include "New York Fascination", "Eternal Joy", "Villa Paradiso", "Days Of Yore", "4 On The Floor", and "Studio Rivbea". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual pairing for a record release – and Tristano tunes include "Supersonic", "Air Pocket", "On A Planet", and "Celestia". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album