Sweet trumpet work from one of Duke Ellington's best sidemen – done for Mercury in 1958 with some very tight arrangements by Anderson and Ernie Wilkins – all in a mode that show's a bit of Cat's Ellington association, but which also opens up in some other swinging modes – including a bit of Basie, and even some wider ranging styles. Cat's in the lead on trumpet, getting support from other players on the instrument – including Clark Terry, Ernie Royal, and Ray Copeland – plus Jimmy Cleveland and Frank Rehack on trombone, Earl Warren on alto sax, Jimmy Forrest and Ernie Wilkins on tenor, and Sahib Shihab on baritone. Titles include "Little Man", "Cat's In The Alley", "June Bug", "Adorable D", "Nina", "Birth Of The Blues", and "Blue Jean Beguine". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful later Blue Note album from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a set recorded after his famous association with Harold Land, but with a groove that's wonderfully soulful in a whole different way! Bobby plays marimbas instead of vibes this time around, and he's working with his own arrangements for a slightly larger group – one that has some sweet fusion overtones, and these wonderful mellow funk inflections – so that even the mellow cuts have this warmly glowing, ultra-soulful sound that's mighty nice – a bit like some of the work from Gene Harris around the same time. Other players include Jerry Peters on Fender Rhodes, who also helped out with the arrangements – plus Harvey Mason on drums and Ernie Watts on reeds – and a few tracks feature sweet backing vocals from The Waters. The highlight here is a nice moody extended version of "People Make The World Go Round", but all cuts are great, and titles include "Silver Rondo", "Manzanita", "NTU", and his dark cover of "Theme From MASH". CD

A beautiful later Blue Note album from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a set recorded after his famous association with Harold Land, but with a groove that's wonderfully soulful in a whole different way! Bobby plays marimbas instead of vibes this time around, and he's working with his own arrangements for a slightly larger group – one that has some sweet fusion overtones, and these wonderful mellow funk inflections – so that even the mellow cuts have this warmly glowing, ultra-soulful sound that's mighty nice – a bit like some of the work from Gene Harris around the same time. Other players include Jerry Peters on Fender Rhodes, who also helped out with the arrangements – plus Harvey Mason on drums and Ernie Watts on reeds – and a few tracks feature sweet backing vocals from The Waters. The highlight here is a nice moody extended version of "People Make The World Go Round", but all cuts are great, and titles include "Silver Rondo", "Manzanita", "NTU", and his dark cover of "Theme From MASH". CD

The landmark first album to feature the Jazz Crusaders playing live at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach – the start of a great run of albums that would go onto help redefine the sound of soul jazz in the 60s! Although the group was already plenty darn great on their studio sides, working at the Lighthouse seemed to allow them to open up even more – work in a slightly longer, more spacious setting than in the studio – with more room for creative solos and a sound that was often more deeply soulful overall! In fact, the Jazz Crusaders association with the club helped turn the sound of the Lighthouse away from the "cool" reputation it got from Lighthouse All-Stars albums of the 50s – and open the place up as the more righteous venue for jazz expression to come from players like Lee Morgan, Grant Green, and Elvin Jones on Blue Note! The lineup here is classic Crusaders – with plenty of searing tenor work from Wilton Felder, slidingly soulful trombone from Wayne Henderson, storming piano by Joe Sample, and tight tight rhythm from Victor Gaskin on bass and Stix Hooper on drums. Tracks include some great originals, like "Congolese Sermon", "Cathy's Dilemma", and "Scandalizing", plus a great version of Jackie McLean's "Appointment in Ghana". CD also features 2 long bonus tracks – "Boopie" and "Penny Blue". CD

2 LP set of haunting piano work by Jaki Byard, recorded in his early days on Prestige, and not too long after his association with Mingus. He's backed here by some great trio players, including Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, and Pete La Roca, and the set has a lot more going on than the usual piano jazz album. Tracks include "Cinco Y Quatro", "To My Wife", "Hi Fly", "Yamekraw", and "There Are Many Worlds". LP, Vinyl record album

Key moments in the career of Charles Mingus – all recorded during the crucial years of 1964 and 1965, and featuring the first-time release of a fair bit of live material too! The set represents the first full presentation of recordings that have appeared piecemeal on a handful of obscure releases – self-released records from Mingus himself – Town Hall, My Favorite Quintet, and Music Written For Monterey – all really expanded here with the full recordings of the tracks, and unreleased titles provided from the original tapes! Mingus was really on fire during these years – severed from most of his bigger label associations, and freely working on some of his most inventive ideas with various smaller groups of players – all fresh young talents who were key interpreters of Charles' ideas – including Johnny Coles and Lonnie Hillyer on trumpet, Jimmy Owens on trumpet and flugelhorn, Charles McPherson on alto sax, Clifford Jordan on tenor, Jaki Byard on piano, Eric Dolphy on alto, flute, and bass clarinet. The stalwart Dannie Richmond is on drums, and the sides represent some of Dolphy's last, and most important recordings on the planet – recordings done at Town Hall and in Amsterdam in April of 1964 – in addition to live material at Monterey in 1964 and 1965, in Minneapolis in May of 1965. Tracks are all quite long – some pushing the half-hour timing – and as with the best live Mingus, there's variations here that go way past any studio readings – really incredible solo flights that are still beautifully integrated with the ideas of the main group. Titles include "So Long Eric", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk", "Mingus Piano Solo", "Bird Preamble", "Themeless Blues", "Copa City Titty", "A Lonely Day In Selma", "Cocktails For Two", "Praying With Eric", "Parkeriana", "ATFW", "Meditations On A Pair Of Wire Cutters", and "Meditations On Integration". 7CDs, limited edition, and with a great book of notes too! CD