Features Anders Aarum on piano, Ole Morton Vagan on bass and Andreas Bye on drums. CD

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

Eric Jacobson on trumpet, Pamela York on piano, and Clay Schaub on bass. CD

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

American trio work from piansit Toshiko Akiyoshi – recorded in LA with two different groups – one with Bob Dauherty on bass and Jimmy Smith on drums, the other with Andrew Simpkins on bass and Peter Donald on drums! Toshiko produced the set herself, and the choice of bassists is especially nice – on tunes that include Oscar Pettiford's "Swinging Till The Girls Come Home", Miles Davis' "Solar", and versions of "Two Bass Hit", "Israel", "In Your Own Sweet Way", and "Tempus Fugit". CD

American trio work from pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi – recorded with two different groups – one with Bob Dauherty on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums, the other with John Heard on bass and Peter Donald on drums! Toshiko produced the set herself, and the choice of bassists is especially nice – on tunes that include "Lush Life", "Chelsea Bridge", "Lotus Blossom", "Take The A Train", and "Intimacy Of The Blues". CD

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

Featuring Howard Alden on guitar, Michael Moore on bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. CD

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Beautifully free alto work from Byron Allen – a player who really shines brightly on this rare session for ESP Records – one of the few ever cut under his own name! Allen's got a style that's right up there with the 60s best from Ornette Coleman or Marion Brown – able to move with a fluidity that's breathless, even amidst rhythms that are very loose and open – as the trio here works in a style that almost echoes some of the harmelodic modes of Coleman, but which eventually pushes farther towards the freedoms of other artists on ESP! The set has some wonderful bass from Maceo Gilchrist, whose round, rolling tones really make the album sparkle – as do the punctuated drums of Ted Robinson. Titles include "Today's Blues Tomorrow", "Time Is Past", "Three Steps In The Right Direction", and "Decision For The Cole-Man". CD

Beautiful work from pianist Geri Allen – a set that features the musician both with her trio, and with a larger nonet that was put together as part of her winning the 1996 Jazzpar prize – as well as a set that features some great late work from trumpeter Johnny Coles! The first half of the record features the trio – a wonderfully warm group that includes Palle Danielsson on bass and Lenny White on drums – really stretching out on the titles "Feed The Fire" and "A Beautiful Friendship". Then, Johnny Coles joins the trio – and gets a great solo space on a version of "Old Folks" – before the larger group comes in, still with Coles up front in the lead on flugelhorn. Those large group titles include "Smooth Attitudes", "Some Aspects Of Water", and "Skin". CD

Collects 45 songs from Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, and Pete Johnson. CD

Rare later work from pianist Chris Anderson – an under-recorded modernist who first made a name for himself on the Chicago scene of the 60s, but who's emerging here as a warmer, gentler soul on the keys! The set's got the feel of some of the other DIW piano trio sessions from the time – recorded in an intimate style by producer Mickey Bass – himself a jazzman, with a good ear and sensitivity to the group. Billy Higgins is on drums and Ray Drummond is on bass – and Anderson's work on the keys is beautifully captured with a subtle genius that must be heard to be fully understood. Titles include "The End Of A Beautiful Friendship", "Star Eyes", "Blues One", "Blue Bossa", and "Summer Of 42". CD

A great set from AACM legend – tenorist Fred Anderson – cut in the very familiar home territory of his Velvet Lounge in Chicago! Anderson had been tending bar and leading jam sessions at the tavern since his return from Europe in the early 80s – but ended up purchasing the venue towards the end of the next decade – and quickly turned it into one of the real hotspots for the rising Chicago avant garde! This classic live set features Anderson caught in his home turf, in the company of bassist Peter Kowald and drummer Hamid Drake – prime example of the kind of local/international crossover sets that were really shaking the Chicago scene in the 90s. The set features 3 long tracks – "Straight, But Not Straight", "To Those Who Know", and "Multidimensional Reality". CD

Tenorist Fred Anderson made some fantastic albums for the Okka Disk label during the later years of his life – and this wonderful set has the legend making tremendous new fire with the label's excellent DKV Trio! Given that the group already features Ken Vandermark on saxes, the pairing of Anderson and Ken is a heck of a match – driven on strongly here by the bassist Kent Kessler, who's at the height of his powers during these years – and drummer Hamid Drake, whose range is maybe even more bold here than usual. Titles include "Planet E", "Lady's In Love", "Aaron's Tune", "Black Woman", "Our Theme", and "Dark Day". CD

Tenorist Fred Anderson made some fantastic albums for the Okka Disk label during the later years of his life – and this wonderful set has the legend making tremendous new fire with the label's excellent DKV Trio! Given that the group already features Ken Vandermark on saxes, the pairing of Anderson and Ken is a heck of a match – driven on strongly here by the bassist Kent Kessler, who's at the height of his powers during these years – and drummer Hamid Drake, whose range is maybe even more bold here than usual. Titles include "Planet E", "Lady's In Love", "Aaron's Tune", "Black Woman", "Our Theme", and "Dark Day". CD

An amazing little soundtrack – written in mid 60s Peru by jazz pianist Jaime Delgado Aparicio, but easily on a par with some of the best American or Italian scores from the time! The music's got a really wonderful feel throughout – jazz at the core, but with touches of spy soundtrack scoring and some of the lighter, more comedic modes of the Italian scene. Delgado uses a core combo with heavy piano, percussion, and some great trumpet and tenor – almost with the tightness of the Basso-Valdambrini group – but he also expands the sound with bits of strings and some fuller orchestrations, used to shade in some amazing colors that roll, dip, and turn with the beautiful grooves penned for the set. The whole thing's tremendous, with equally great production that creates some odd twists and turns that further keep things interesting as the album rolls on. Titles include "Elm Embajador Y Yo", "Sexy Surf", "Llegando A La Capital", "Isometria", "Todo El Mundo Me Persigue", "Lucha En El Mar", and "La Arana". Added to the soundtrack is Jamie's 1964 album – Jaime Delgado Aparicio Y Su Trio – a crackling bit of piano jazz from the Peruvian scene of the 60s – and a record that's somewhere between the best of Horace Silver on Blue Note, and some of the Brazilian bossa trios of the time! There's a strong sense of rhythm throughout – round, rolling basslines punctuated by great work on the drum kit – all topped by beautifully lyrical lines from Delgado Aparicio on piano – filled with color, light, and life throughout – and soloing with a depth that's rare for such a young player! Titles include a great version of Horace Silver's "Sayonara Blues", plus "The Climate", "Autumn Leaves", "Walkin", and "Blue Daniel". CD

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Lynne Arriale on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and Steve Davis on drums. CD

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