Early early work by Bob James – recorded years before his classic 70s sides on electric piano, and in a brightly modern mode that recalls the spirit of Steve Kuhn and Paul Bley at the time! The set's a trio session – produced by Quincy Jones, who'd heard the young James and rushed him into the studio. Bob's playing in a group that includes Ron Brooks on bass, and the great Bob Pozar on drums – who went onto do some of his own excellent avant work in later years. The tracks are relatively straight, but have some nice jagged edges at times – and light experimentation that makes the set way more than just a standard piano trio session! Titles include "My Love", "Moment's Notice", "Quest", "Trilogy", "Nardis", and "Birk's Works". LP, Vinyl record album

With Harry James, Nick Buono, Gino Bozzacco, Wiliam Hicks, and Robert Berrenson on trumpets; Tom Padveen and Chuck Anderson on trombones; Houghton Peterson on bass trombone; Quin Davis, Pat Longo, Mel Kunkle, Bob Lawson, and Norman Smith on saxophones; Tommy Todd on piano, Dave Stone on bass, and Les DeMerle on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early work from John Klemmer – one of the most under-rated talents of his generation, and a great player who frequently gets overlooked because of his later, smoother work. This album is Klemmer's first – recorded with a soulful Chicago tenor sound, touched with some of the freedoms of the late 60s Cadet Records scene. The approach is a bit like Eddie Harris at his best – with Klemmer rolling out soulful, stretched out notes over backing by a Harris-inspired rhythm section that includes Melvin Jackson on bass, Wilbur Cambell on drums, and Jodie Christian on piano. The groove is very solid, very in the pocket – and Klemmer blows in a tradition that includes Frank Strozier and Eric Alexander – 2 other players who've made a strong contribution to the Chicago scene. Titles include "My Blues", "Will N Jug", "Passion Food", "Stand In the Sun", and "Later With Them Woes". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most righteous albums ever from jazz vibes legend Johnny Lytle – a soaring, spacious set that's almost to Lytle's career what Gears was to Johnny Hammond's! Of course, Lytle's groove here is different – no Mizell production, and a mellower feel overall – but the unbridled space of 70s Milestone is definitely a key influence here – and Johnny stretches out here like never before! The players are all pretty hip – and include Daahoud Hadi (aka Butch Cornell) on electric piano and organ, Marvin Cabell on flute and tenor, Bob Cranshaw on bass, Betty Glamann on harp, and Jozell Carter on drums – all perfect mates here for Johnny's spiritual exploration of sound with his vibes – in ways that are almost more amazing than work from Bobby Hutcherson or Roy Ayers at the time! Titles include an amazing original called "Libra", plus "Tawhid", "Where Is The Love", "Family", and a version of "People Make the World Go Round". LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking Latin Jazz – and an essential 2LP set! The album brings together classic work for Norman Granz' Verve and Clef labels in the cubop mode – including Dizzy Gillespie's Manteca Suite, Machito's Afro-Cuban Suite, titles by Chico O'Farrill, and others recorded in 1949 and arranged by Rene Hernandez. Players include Machito, Charlie Parker, Diz, Mario Bauza, Eddie Bert, Flip Phillips, Chano Pozo, and Jos Mangual – and the quality of the work unifies the sessions wonderfully, even though they were recorded separately over a 5 year period. (Latin, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 70s funk from the great Herbie Mann – a tight small combo set done with plenty of electric touches! Side one, the "up side", features a core combo that's really great – Pat Rebillot on organ and electric piano, David Spinozza on guitar, Jerry Jemmott on bass, Reggie Ferguson on drums, and Ralph MacDonald on percussion – and the tunes themselves are a nice mix of covers that come off nicely in this instrumental mode. Side two is billed as the "down side", but is still pretty funky at points – arrangements are a bit fuller, but have a nice soundtrack kind of groove. Pat Rebillot's on keyboards again, and also did some of the arrangements. Titles include "Turtle Bay", "Do It Again", "Happier Than The Morning Sun", "Family Affair", "Reverend Lee", and "Never Ending Song Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Wynton Marsalis' second date for Columbia Records, and an album that already has him stretching out from the first! Unlike before, when Wynton was given a few older players to help establish his sound, the group here is all Marsalis' own – with brother Branford on tenor and soprano sax, Kenny Kirkland on piano, Jeff Watts on drums, and either Phil Bowler or Ray Drummond on bass. Tracks are a mix of originals, and well-chosen modern moments from years past – played with a mix of soulful colors and more angular sounds, almost in the manner of VSOP from a few years before. Titles include "Fuschia", "Knozz Moe King", "Later", "The Bell Ringer", "Think Of One", and "Melancholia". LP, Vinyl record album

Wild electric work from Les McCann – an album of free, open sounds that's quite a change from his styles of the 60s – and from most of his other work of the 70s too! Side one features an extended 26 minute track titled "The Lovers" – a slow-building number that has Les on sublime Fender Rhodes, as things build slowly with this really spiritual current that comes from the addition of Yusef Lateef on reeds, Cornell Dupree and David Spinozza on guitar, Corky Hale on harp, and both Bernard Purdie and Alphonse Mouzon on drums! The track is loose, but builds into some great funky moments – almost a keyboard version of electric Miles Davis at the time, but a lot more soulful. And side two continues the heavy keyboard vibe – with a killer remake of Les' classic "Beaux J Poo Poo" and a similar "Poo Pye McGoochie", both with the kind of choppy funky grooves Les laid down with Eddie Harris a few years prior! LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning set of punk jazz, and one that maybe hearkens back to key experiments of this nature from the 80s scene – particularly some of the more groundbreaking work on the New York downtown scene! Ava Mendoza plays electric guitar and Devi Hoff play electric bass – but the pair also work here with excellent tenor from James Brandon Lewis, whose presence really balances out the fuzzier electric energy in a great way – different lines, different sounds, and a balance that never has Lewis trying to match the guitars for ferocity, which is a real plus. The quartet also features great drums from Ches Smith – and titles include "The Stumble", "Interwhining", "Dyscalculia", "Babel 17", "New Ghosts", and "Ten Forward". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic – and one of Mingus' greatest albums ever! This one ranks right up with The Clown and Pithecantropus Erectus for sheer raw power and emotion – and Mingus' writing here is incredibly tight, giving soloists like Charlie Mariano, Jaki Byard, Richard Williams, and Jerome Richardson a real workout. The set's an extended suite of tracks with sort of a semi-ballet form. Don't let this fool you into thinking that the work's some sort of semi-classical snoozer, though – as Mingus uses the structure to hit some brilliant raw emotion, and the "dance" part of the piece gives the work a tight rhythmic form, pushing the soloists into raw urgent grooves, of a nature that never show up on Mingus' other work from the time. Titles include "Trio & Group Dancers", "Solo Dancer", "Group & Solo Dance", and "Duet Solo Dancers". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant live work from legendary Japanese saxophonist Akira Miyazawa – one of the first players on his scene in the 60s to forge something fresh and new – still going very strong here on this concert performance from the end of the 80s! The tracks are nice and lean – played by a quartet that features Harumi Takeuchi on piano, Shunsuke Takeuchi on bass, and Masahiko Kozu on drums – players who easily bow to the leadership of Miyazawa, and allow him plenty of room for these sharp-edged tenor solos throughout! Titles include long takes on "Baby Sea Horse", "Poor Butterfly", "On Green Dolphin Street", "If Ever I Would Leave You", "Billie's Bounce", and "I Can't Get Started". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rarest albums of Chicago jazz from the 50s – and one of the greatest, too! Although Walter Perkins' MJT+3 went onto cut a number of records on Vee Jay with a different lineup, this early session features an all-Chicago lineup that differs from the later one, which was augmented by later visitors from Memphis, like Frank Strozier and Harold Mabern. In their place are prime Chicago talents, like altoist Nicky Hill, trumpeter Paul Serrano, and the great AACM composer/pianist Richard Muhal Abrams (playing here without the Muhal in his name!) The album's a complete delight, and is filled with loads of original compositions by Abrams that mix hard bop lines with more exotic lyrical conceptions – a true meeting of all the sides of jazz bubbling under in Chicago during the 50s, and a delight to listen to over and over again through the years! Titles include "No Land's Man", "Little Brother", "Egypic", "End Of The Line", and "Temporarily Out Of Order". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare setting for Moody – a player who rarely cut sides with larger backing, but who sounds really wonderful here! The album's got Moody blowing mostly alto, and a bit of flute – over large backings by Torrie Zito that feature equal parts strings and woodwinds – conducted in a way that's got the same modern touches as the best Verve "with strings" work from the 50s, but which also shares some of the boozier, more mature touches that Zito brought to his work for vocalists in the 60s. There's a sad, languid feel to the record that's emotively redeemed by Moody's soulful and contemplative solo work – breaking out nicely on titles that include Zito originals "Somerset", "Another Day", "Dorothee", "A Song Of Love", and "Dorian Mood" – plus versions of "I Remember Clifford", "Love For Sale", and "All My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Lovely lovely work from Dudley Moore – known to most as a comedic actor, but also a heck of a jazz pianist, and head of his own groovy trio during the 60s! The tunes mix together soul jazz and bossa trio styles – all dancing together in Dud's incredibly light-touched style on the ivories – and the set's got some great original numbers – including the groover "Poova Nova", the slow stepper "Sooz Blues", and the cuts "Lysie Does It" and "Take Your Time". LP, Vinyl record album

60s jazz meets Japanese bamboo flute – all in a session with a great mix of groovy and exotic touches! The record's a unique meeting of jazz and folkloric elements – done in a style that's a bit like some of the late 60s sessions of this nature on MPS, but a fair bit groovier overall – as the tracks are shorter and more focused, and often have a nice sort of bounce at the bottom. Flute is by Minoru Muraoka, and arrangements are by Takashi Ikeda and Kozaburo Yamaki, conducting their New Dimension and New Emotion groups respectively. Bits of sitar bring in an even groovier sound to the record – and the flute itself has some oddly off-kilter notes that further trip out the tunes. Titles include "Soul Bamboo", "Take Five", "The Positive & The Negative", "Call Me", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose", and "Scarborough Fair". LP, Vinyl record album

You might know the music of keyboardist Tonu Naisso from his work in jazz, but here the approach is slightly different – still jazz-based, but with the more compact approach of vintage sound library work – as Tonu serves up a dozen great instrumentals, all with a range of excellent keyboard styles! The music's not canned, but performed by a live group – one that includes excellent saxes and flute from Markus Holkko, whose edges and inflections really open up the sound next to the electric work from the leader – given rhythms that are both cosmic and funky from Aleksi Heinola on drums and Temu Akerblom on bass. Titles include "Hello Sunshine", "Matsi Mari", "Dangerous Dance", "Cabrera Sundown", "Pacific Breeze", "Shapes & Colours", "Urban Life", and "Pocket Galaxy". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Oliver Nelson's hippest albums – a bold statement of righteous energy, and a fantastic summation of all the genius he'd created during the 60s as an arranger for other people's records! The record is almost at a Duke Ellington level – a complex yet soulful suite of tracks for the post-60s years – complete with some sound effects of rioting and urban strife at the beginning, and a mix of modern, modal, and compositional styles that bursts out with pride and power that we wouldn't have heard in Nelson's music a decade before! The soloists are great – and the album features wonderful read work from John Klemmer, Frank Strozier, and Nelson himself – on great original titles that include "Self Help Is Needed", "I Hope In Time A Change Will Come", "Requiem Afterthoughts", "Lamb Of God", and "Martin Was A Man A Real Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Keyboardist Soichi Noriki is at the top of his game here – combining warmer fusion modes from a few years before with some of the city pop styles on the Japanese scene of the early 80s – an approach that's topped with vocals from Yurie Kokubu on a few of the album's key cuts! Most of the set is instrumental, and has this soulful fusion glide that's great – Noriki on Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, and a host of other keyboards – getting support from guitarists Toru Tatsuki and Hirotsugu Nakai, each of whom play in a different channel of the mix – in a combo that also features Haruo Sakai on tenor, alto, and soprano sax! Yurie sings on "You Need Me" and "Do What You Do" – and other tracks include "Rag Box", "Go Over The Hill", "Black Duck", "Anyway", and "Cozy's Melody". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few Bud Powell sessions cut for RCA, but a brilliantly swinging date that has the pianist working at the height of his powers! There's an edge here that comes through right from the start – an off kilter vibe in both Bud's tone, and even in the way he's vocalizing joyously in the background at a few spots – not singing, but exclaiming – at a level that really helps you feel how much he owns the piano while he's performing! Dark pockets and sharp angles pervade – while still swinging right down the middle – balanced off perfectly with work from Art Taylor on drums and George Duvivier on bass. Tremendous all the way through – and different than Bud's work for Verve and Blue Note – in a really compelling way. Titles include "Another Dozen", "Like Someone In Love", "She", "Oblivion", "Swedish Pastry", and "Birdland Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the greatest work as a leader ever cut by tenorist Paul Quinichette – longtime Basie alum, and a key player who was the "Vice Pres" next to Lester Young's "Pres". The record is one of the best full-length albums by Quinichette from the early days, and combines material from a 10" LP and an earlier e.p. into a sparkling set of a dozen tracks that includes "Cross Fire", "The Hook", "Samie", "Shad Roe", "Prevue", "Sandstone", "Bot Bot", and "Paul's Bunion". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible material from Max's "plus 4" group that included Ray Draper, George Coleman, Booker Little, and Art Davis! The band at the time was forging a haunting mix of hardbop and lyrical modernism, and was driven by Max's progressive vision and rich talent for selecting just the right players for just the right moments. This Newport set by the group is far better than most of the other late 50s Newport snoozers, and it catches them playing some nicely open-ended versions of tracks like Kenny Dorham's "Villa", Booker Little's "Minor Mode", and Eddie Vinson's "Tune Up". Also features a nice extended version of "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fantastic Pharoah Sanders albums – and one that we'd rate head and shoulders above most of his other work! You rarely see this one, which is a shame, because it's not only a beautiful spiritual masterpiece, but it's also got a sound that's very unique, and a nice shift from the Impulse records too! Pharoah's playing with a small group that includes instrumentation you don't usually hear on his albums – like organ and guitar – but the addition of these instruments is used in a way that augments Pharoah's spiritual style, not suppresses it – in a lineup that includes guitar from Munoz, organ from Jiggs Chase, bass from Steve Neil, drums from Greg Bandy, and percussion from Lawrence Killian – all very unusual players, which furthers the unusual sound of the album! Pharoah vocalizes a bit on a version of "Love Will Find A Way" that has a warm spacey groove, and a nice conga base – and the other tracks on the LP are "Harvest Time" and "Memories Of Edith Johnson". This beautiful package also includes rare material added to the album – two long live takes of "Harvest Time", a tremendous track that features Khalid Moss on electric piano and Pharoah stretching out in Teresa Records soulful modes – plus great notes as well! LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's a stunning departure for reedman Tony Scott – a set that's completely different than his more straight ahead jazz on the American scene in the 50s! The set is an early step on a spiritual journey that Scott would continue overseas in years to come – an initial moment of opening up his familiar jazz clarinet to reed styles from other scenes – in this case a very Japanese-based one, as the trio here features work from Shinichi Yuize on koto and Hozan Yamamoto on shakuhachi – a very different group than Scott would have blown with in the previous decade! The album is less jazz-based than some of Tony's later projects – and also less jazz than some of Yamamoto's records to come – but there's definitely a sense of improvisation, and the whole thing is really a delight in getting to hear a musician open up whole new aspects of his instrument. Titles include "To Drift Like Clouds", "The Murmuring Sound Of The Mountain Stream", "Is All Not One", "Satori", "Sanzen", and "After The Snow The Fragrance". (Global Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's a stunning departure for reedman Tony Scott – a set that's completely different than his more straight ahead jazz on the American scene in the 50s! The set is an early step on a spiritual journey that Scott would continue overseas in years to come – an initial moment of opening up his familiar jazz clarinet to reed styles from other scenes – in this case a very Japanese-based one, as the trio here features work from Shinichi Yuize on koto and Hozan Yamamoto on shakuhachi – a very different group than Scott would have blown with in the previous decade! The album is less jazz-based than some of Tony's later projects – and also less jazz than some of Yamamoto's records to come – but there's definitely a sense of improvisation, and the whole thing is really a delight in getting to hear a musician open up whole new aspects of his instrument. Titles include "To Drift Like Clouds", "The Murmuring Sound Of The Mountain Stream", "Is All Not One", "Satori", "Sanzen", and "After The Snow The Fragrance". (Global Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Key early work from trumpeter Jack Sheldon – a set that captures his talents at their most basic and most stripped-down – very much in the spirit of the best LA jazz coming out on the Pacific Jazz label at the time! If the cover makes the set look a bit like a Chet Baker album, that's because there's a bit of the Baker approach here – one that's simple and focused, with a strongly melodic style that comes through beautifully on Sheldon's shimmering horn. But there's also a bit more of an edge, too – thanks to bold piano work from Walter Norris, and the addition of Zoot Sims on a number of tracks – and unlike Baker (or Sheldon on later records), there's no vocals here at all – just a strong instrumental groove. Titles include "Beach-Wise", "Groovus Mentus", "Dozo", "Jack Departs", and "Palermo Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jimmy's most classic albums for Blue Note – and a key example of why his solo skills on the organ surpassed most of his contemporaries! The record's got a stripped-down trio group of Jimmy, guitarist Quentin Warren, and drummer Donald Bailey – working through mostly familiar numbers, but taking them to places previously unheard of! The best example of this is the album's amazing version of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" – a classic groover that takes the old snoozer and pumps it up with a snapping rhythm, then features Jimmy really working the whole thing over with an incredible solo! A similar format's applied to numbers that include "Mack the Knife", "Night in Tunisia", "What's New", and "Makin Whoopee" – and the album soars with an easy groove that's every bit of Jimmy at his best! LP, Vinyl record album

A very nicely selected 2LP set of tracks from Stitt's oft-overlooked years at Argo/Chess! The tracks have him in great company that includes the pianists Barry Harris, John Young, and Ronnie Matthews – and if you know Stitt's style from the time, you know that his choice of piano player made a very important difference in the sound of his playing. Most of the cuts are easily blown quartet material – with a lot of creative imagination applied to tunes that would otherwise be top-snooze material in the hands of a lesser player. Titles include "Ko Ko", "It's Hipper Than That", "A Natural Fox", "Wee", "Reed & A Half", "Flame & Frost", and "A Minor Sax". LP, Vinyl record album

A cinematic blend of electronics and percussion – served up in a way that every bit as evocative as a vintage soundtrack, especially work from the 80s action years – yet handled with a sonic richness that often surpasses music from that generation too! The group's a duo – and features Latarnik on keyboards and piano, an artist you may know from other great titles on the Astigmatic label – working in collaboration here with drummer Cancer G, who also plays some keyboards as well – as the pair craft these tracks that open up with all sorts of subtle shifts in tone, color, action, and life. Titles include "Minus 10 Celsius", "Nadeszia Zima", "Zamrozenie", "Zamiec", "Roztopy", "Ostatnia Taka Zima", and "Lawina". (New Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Percussionist Masahiko Togashi leads a really cool group here – one in which nearly all the other players handle percussion as well, but with a quality that's also surprisingly open and laidback – not a drum-heavy spectacular, but a record that allows more subtle elements to resonate a bit with some of the great string elements of the session too! The album features Keiki Midorikawa on bass and cello, and Yoshio Ikeda on bass too – with Yoshisaburo Toyozumi playing more percussion with Togashi, and use of soprano sax from Mototeru Takagi weaving throughout the record to create these nicely sharp lines from time to time! Yet even Takagi plays percussion on the record – and the album begins with gentle, organic rumblings first, then finds a bolder path – on titles that include "Things That Will Come Again", "Life Story Of Wind", "And Then", "Reunion", and "Those Passing Things". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album from McCoy Tyner – a set that's steeped in the modal soulfulness of his years with John Coltrane, but also handled in a way that really has him breaking away from the pack a bit! Half the album's played with a trio that features Jimmy Garrison on bass – but the strongest cuts feature a sextet with John Gilmore on tenor (making a rare non-Sun Ra appearance), Frank Strozier on alto, Thad Jones on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – all working beautifully together in an early example of the soulful group groove that Tyner would hit even more strongly in the post-Coltrane years. Titles include "T N A Blues", "Three Flowers", "Contemporary Focus", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album from McCoy Tyner – a set that's steeped in the modal soulfulness of his years with John Coltrane, but also handled in a way that really has him breaking away from the pack a bit! Half the album's played with a trio that features Jimmy Garrison on bass – but the strongest cuts feature a sextet with John Gilmore on tenor (making a rare non-Sun Ra appearance), Frank Strozier on alto, Thad Jones on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – all working beautifully together in an early example of the soulful group groove that Tyner would hit even more strongly in the post-Coltrane years. Titles include "T N A Blues", "Three Flowers", "Contemporary Focus", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique album from the legendary percussionist Nana Vasconcelos – one that continues the groundbreaking tradition of his 70s work, but with a very special style here! Some of the tracks use overdubs, so that Nana is mixing berimbau, percussion, voice, and other percussion instruments with a sonic complexity that lives up to the best tradition of ECM at the time – still rootsy, but really showing the modernist elements that lie in his music as well! Egberto Gismonti adds in guest guitar on one long track, and there's a bit of strings on the record too – but most of the energy comes from Nana himself. Titles include "O Berimbau", "Vozes", "Ondas", and "Dado". (Brazil, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime album by one of our favorite talents in 60s jazz – pianist Jack Wilson, making his second Blue Note appearance here amidst a group of other more likely label players that include Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, and Billy Higgins on drums! Despite the presence of those superstars, though, the album's still very much Wilson's own – featuring 4 tracks penned and played in his modally soulful vision, plus a great version of one tune by Frank Strozier – a player we'd find to be a very good companion to Wilson's style! The group's also noteworthy in that it features some excellent work from trombonist Garnett Brown – a player with a deeply soulful approach that adds in new dimensions to the tunes, and offsets the lightly lyrical touch of Wilson on the keys. The whole set's great – and titles include "Do It", "On Children", "Easterly Winds", "Nirvana", and "Frank's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

Jimmy Witherspoon pays tributes to his roots in rhythm and blues – but he does so in a wonderful way, by bringing a more jazz-focused approach to the material here – thanks to some nice tenor work from Ben Webster! Back in the 60s, Witherspoon always sat easily on the fence between jazz and blues – but a few key recordings really bring out that aspect of his work – and this obscure session for Reprise is one of them! Spoon's singing in a laidback, small combo setting here – very similar to the style he'd use on live dates in California – and Webster gets in some wonderful moments on the record too, blown with the boozy, late nite style used on his own Reprise album at the time. Titles include "Key To The Highway", "Confessing The Blues", "Did You Ever", "Rain Is Such A Lonesome Sound", "Cherry Red", "Just A Dream", and "Please Mr Webster". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A great little 12 track LP that compiles some of Lester Young's small combo work for Savoy – featuring backing by players that include Count Basie, Freddie Green, Shadow Wilson, Cozy Cole, Roy Haynes, and Junior Mance. Titles include "June Bug", "Blue Lester", "Blues N Bells", "Basie English", "Jump Lester Jump", and "Ding Dong" – and the album comes with a great cover image! LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Jo Jones, Cozy Cole, Panama Francis, JC Heard, Oliver Jackson, Michael Silva, and Ed Thigpen. LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool assortment of contemporary groups from the Polish scene – served up here in a package that's different than some of the more avant Polish material that seems to get wider circulation – and delivered with a richness that's sure to have us looking for more work from each of the groups in the set! At some level, the material here echoes recent London jazz traditions – as the work often mixes in some electric elements with acoustic instrumentation – never overly mixed or processed, and balanced by some straighter jazz contributions on a few tracks as well – all of which makes for a very vivid palette of sounds, and a surprising amount of richness from these under-discovered acts. Titles include "We Know You" by Rejoin, "Scand" by Quietet, "Thinium" by Immortal Onion, "Pizza" by Klawo, "Triceradiplodocus" by Twoosty Mayonez, and "Koziolek" by Kosmos. LP, Vinyl record album

From the end of the 70s onward, the Italian Black Saint record label offered up some of the most high quality spiritual and avant jazz of the time – really taking over where American record companies had dropped the ball, and allowing a huge wave of new energy from both older musicians and a younger generation who might never have gotten the right level of exposure, had Black Saint (and related Soul Note imprint) stepped into the scene! This package offers up some of the coolest cuts from Black Saint – and has an especially strong focus on the work that the label did to carry forward older spiritual sounds, especially those first unlocked on Impulse Records – a legacy that really comes through strongly here. Titles include "Love On A Far Away Planet" and "Mayan Temples" by Sun Ra, "Song For Mozambique/Sea Of Faces" by Archie Shepp, "Guitar Vibes" by Karl Berger, "Tap Dancer" by Oliver Lake, "Ode To The Flower Maiden" by John Carter, "Mama Marimba" by Joseph Jarman and Donh Moye, "Sixth Sense" by Don Pullen, "Hattie Wall" by World Saxophone Quartet, "Laja" by Muhal Richard Abrams, and "Metamusician's Stomp" by Andrew Cyrille & Maono. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A soaring collection of rare jazz from the Tokyo scene – all music originally recorded by the Japanese branch of Columbia Records – the same imprint that put out some exclusive and very hip Japanese-only albums from Miles Davis, Roy Ayers, and Herbie Hancock! The musicians here are all Japanese, and play with a vibe that definitely lives up to the label's legacy with American artists – mixing spiritual jazz, funky styles, and other soulful modes in a really great way – with a sense of variety that not only makes the collection a stellar listen throughout, but also really opens up your ears to the wealth of excellent Japanese jazz recordings that were never issued in the US! Titles include "Trial Road" by Tomoki Takahashi, "A Muddy Muffin" by Masahiko Sato, "Toppu" by Shigeharu Mukai, "Scramble" by Hiromasa Suzuki, "Samba De Negrito" by Takashi Mizuhashi & Herbie Hancock, "Ogi Denju Shiki" by Toshiyuki Miyama & His New Herd, "The Ground For Peace" by Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media, "Chakkiri Bushi" by Nobuo Hara with Hozan Yamamoto, "Mickey's Samba" by Mikio Masuda, and "Jones Street" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A completely sublime collection of spiritual jazz numbers from the 70s – put together by the legendary Kev Beadle, one of the first cats to spin the music with Gilles Peterson on the UK scene! The package is a great mix of essentials from years back, plus some under-discovered nuggets from the American underground – all with a nice emphasis on the grooves and rhythms – in a way that you might have heard back at Dingwalls on a Sunday afternoon! The set's a great reminder that music can be progressive and groovy at the same time – and the whole thing's overflowing with righteous treasures. Vinyl version features some exclusive tracks not on the CD – "Safari" by Frank Walton, "Padali" by Chuck Flores, and "I See Chano Pozo" by Jayne Cortez & The Firespitters – plus "In Every Way" by Reverie, "Open Your Mind" by Southern Energy Ensemble, "Brotherhood" by Kamal Abdul Alim, and "Freedom Road" by The Pharoahs. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A deep dive into the work of a wonderful record label – the Strata imprint from Detroit at the start of the 70s – a company who served up some very spiritual sounds in the short time they were issuing records! Don't confuse Strata with Strata East – although the labels do have some similarity – as Strata also brought in a bit more electricity on some of its cuts, and some slight touches of funk as well – a very special brew in which the Detroit jazz underground of the time were mixing things up in so many different ways – really given a lot of freedom to explore styles that are still ahead of their time all these many years later! Key albums on Strata have been reissued in recent years, but the set also features some overlooked gems by more obscure artists too – titles that include "Maiden Voyage" by Ursula Walker, "Salsa (part 1)" by Fito Foster, "Time Is Wasting" by TJ, "Joy Road" by Lyman Woodard Organization, "All But Blind" by Mixed Bag, "Island Song" by Kenny Cox, "Face At My Window" by Sam Sanders, "People We Got To Do Better" by The Soulmates, "You're The One" by TJ, "Noh Word" by Contemporary Jazz Quintet, "Tune For LN" by Larry Nozero, "Where Is The Place" by Maulawi, "Saturday Night Special" by Lyman Woodard, and "Beyond The Dream" by Kenny Cox. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A swing session, but one from the late 50's that has more of an edge to it than you'd expect. The group includes Buster Bailey, J.C. Higgenbottom, Cozy Cole, and Coleman Hawkins, who is in excellent form. Titles include "Algiers Bounce", "I Cover the Waterfront", "I've Got The World On A String", and "Ride, Red, Ride". LP, Vinyl record album

A key later album from alto saxophonist Benny Carter – one that has him at the helm of a largeish group, but playing with a nicely focused sort of groove! In addition to Benny's alto, the record also features tenor sax from Charlie Rouse and Coleman Hawkins, plus one more alto from Phil Woods – supported by rhythm from John Collins on guitar, Dick Katz on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Jo Jones on drums. The tunes are traditional, but have some sharper-edged modern ideas on some of the solos – and there's a nicely echoey feel to the production, which further adds to the quality of the record. The album's a bit like a Swingville session for Prestige, but has a bit more going on – and titles include "Doozy", "Blue Star", "Midnight Sun Will Never Set", and "Crazy Rhythm". LP, Vinyl record album

Imagine gaining entry to a treasure trove of vintage keyboards and electronic music sources – then getting the chance to spend days improvising with them, and making new sounds of your own! That's exactly what happened to Jeremiah Chu, as he was set loose inside the Vintage Synthesizer Museum in Los Angeles – where he handled dozens of amazing instruments, improvising throughout, and capturing most of his experiments live on tape! The result is a record that's maybe a bit more warm and organic than the sorts of older analog electronic albums, especially the more academic type – as Chiu creates these really beautiful progressions of sounds that flower and glisten with a very human sensibility – not electronic music for robots, but instead an embrace of electronic possibilities for altering contemporary living! Titles include "Rococco Rondo", "For Voices", "Seawater Swell", "Rhythm Bell", "Static Stone Railway", "Transparent Spheres", and "Echo Arp Hold". LP, Vinyl record album

Personnel include Dwight Andrews on flute, piccolo, clarinet, and soprano sax; Leo Smith on trumpet, steelophone, and percussion; George Lewis on trombone, Shem Giubbory on violin, Eugene Friesen on cello, Rick Rozie on bass, David Samuels on vibraphone, JD Parran on clarinet, and Pheeron AkLaff on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Davis on piano, George Lewis on trombone, Abdul Wadud on cello, JD Parran on bass clarinet and flute, Rick Rozie on bass, and Pheeroan AkLaff on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Rarely are such "meeting of the minds" sessions worth any fuss at all – but in this case, the masterful talents of the players turn what should be a snoozy "common denominator" session into a modernist classic that still crackles with excitement after all these years! The real success factor here is Ellington, who was hitting a point in his career when he was really beginning to experiment again – as you'll hear in the beautifully angular piano lines that he lays next to Mingus' bass and Roach's lively drums. The set's nearly all originals, and titles include "Money Jungle", "Le Fleurs Africaines", and "Wig Wise". Very nice! LP, Vinyl record album

Not just jazz from the Northwest, as the set also features some California material too – brought together in this great double-length set of unissued material from this legendary jazz drummer! The set begins with Shelly Manne leading a quintet at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958 – playing both a more conceptual piece, and some looser jazz numbers – with work from Herb Geller on alto, Russ Freeman on piano, Stu Williamson on trumpet, and Monty Budwig on bass – a group who echo some of Shelly's work on Contemporary in the mid 50s – on the titles "Quartet – Suite In Four Movements", "Stop Look & Listen", and "The Vamp's Blues". The second half features material from that great 60s stretch when Manne was getting looser and really letting his groups open up – as on the classic Blackhawk recordings – especially great here as the combo features excellent flute and alto from the young Frank Strozier, next to Conte Candoli on trumpet, Hampton Hawes on piano, and Budwig on bass – all recorded live in Seattle in 1966. Ruth Price provides vocals on the two short tracks "Dearly Beloved" and "Surrey With The Fringe On Top" – but the long tracks are instrumentals, and the best – and include "Funny", "Secret Love", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

A mid 70s west coast bop side, from a few players who had faded a bit from their prime, but are still playing with a lot of energy and freshness. The treat for us is Frank Strozier on alto and flute, joined by Conte Condoli on trumpet up front, while Monty Budwig and Mike Wofford round out the rhythm section. 8 tracks in all, including "Perk Up", "I Married An Angel", "Seer", "Bleep" and "Bird Of Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album