An incredible revamping of some of the most important material recorded by Albert Ayler in the years before his too-soon death – a package that adds in over two hours of new music to the original three volume Fondation Maeght recordings – which were usually issued in low-budget packages without the care that this set receives! Ayler is fantastic here – very spiritual, and bridging the gap between his early material for ESP and his later work on Impulse – less of the experiments of the studio sets of those later years, and more of the searing longform improvisation that he could deliver at his best! The group features wonderful work from Mary Parks (Mary Maria) on soprano sax, plus Call Cobbs on piano, Steve Tintweiss on bass, and Allen Blairman on drums – and Parks delivers a sublime vocal on a version of "Music Is the Healing Voice Of The Universe". Ayler blows both tenor and soprano – and the set features a whopping 29 tracks, recorded on July 25 and 27 in 1970 – titles that include "Spirits Rejoice", "Thank God For Women", "Revelations", "Holy Family", "A Man Is Like A Tree", "Zion Hill", "Truth Is Marching In", "Love Cry", "Ghsots", "Speaking In Tongues", "Heart Love", "Island Harvest", "Masonic Inborn", and a few versions of "Revelations". CD

A real standout set in the later years of trumpet legend Chet Baker – in part because the record features some wonderful tenor work from the equally legendary Warne Marsh! Marsh at this point in his career has really developed a subtle edge – this slight current of darkness that wasn't there at the start, and which works well next to the moody qualities that Baker developed in his final years too. Equally wonderful is the piano of Hod O'Brien – a great and overlooked musician, and one who has this almost broken-down quality that really fits the emotive energy of the date. Other players include Eddie Gladden on drums and Cecil McBee on bass – the latter of whom is a bit of a surprise on such a session – on titles that include "Imagination", "We Know It's Love", "Well Spoken", "Blues For A reason", and "Looking Good Tonight". Features a great bonus track – an alternate of "Looking Good Tonight", on vinyl for the first time! LP, Vinyl record album

A really special album from French tenorist Barney Wilen – a set of tunes originally recorded to accompany a graphic novel about his troubled life – done at a time when Wilen had emerged from years of obscurity, and was opening up a whole new chapter in his music! The presentation here is a bit different than some of his other records of the time – as Wilen blows tenor on a set of tracks that follow the musical journey of his life – early standards, French new wave soundtrack themes, and even some of the global experiments he did while in Africa – before turning to some of the strong work that he did on his return. The group is wonderful – the great Alain Jean Marie on piano, Philippe Petit on guitar, Ricardo Sel Fra on bass, and Sangoma Everett on drums – and titles include "Besame Mucho", "Goodbye", "Triste Again", "Whisper Not", "Un Baiser Rouge", and "Les Jours Heureux". This great package features new mastering of the album, 28 page booklet of liner notes and photos, a bonus CD with a live 1989 performance with Jacky Terrasson on piano – and four bonus tracks added to the original album! CD

A really special album from French tenorist Barney Wilen – a set of tunes originally recorded to accompany a graphic novel about his troubled life – done at a time when Wilen had emerged from years of obscurity, and was opening up a whole new chapter in his music! The presentation here is a bit different than some of his other records of the time – as Wilen blows tenor on a set of tracks that follow the musical journey of his life – early standards, French new wave soundtrack themes, and even some of the global experiments he did while in Africa – before turning to some of the strong work that he did on his return. The group is wonderful – the great Alain Jean Marie on piano, Philippe Petit on guitar, Ricardo Sel Fra on bass, and Sangoma Everett on drums – and titles include "Besame Mucho", "Goodbye", "Triste Again", "Whisper Not", "Un Baiser Rouge", and "Les Jours Heureux". This great package features new mastering of the album, 28 page booklet of liner notes and photos, a bonus CD with a live 1989 performance with Jacky Terrasson on piano – and four bonus tracks added to the original album! CD

Chet Baker in the 80s was a really wonderful thing – hardly the sound of an aging musician stumbling towards the end of his life, as so many others tend to paint this time – and instead, a continually-creative individual who was really finding ways to get around his losses and make some tremendous new sounds in the process! One of the greatest things about Chet during these years was his sense of an unusual style of group – and that's definitely the case here as he works on both recordings with a drum-less trio – the great French pianist Michel Grailler on both sets, and either Dominique LeMerle or Riccardo Del Fra on bass – the latter of whom is a player who appeared on some of the best Baker recordings of the final decade. Tracks are nice and long, filled with unusual changes, and some wonderful phrasing from Baker – very different than the early days, but equally beautiful! Titles include "Arbor Way", "Walkin", "Lament", "Just Friends", "Stella By Starlight", "Easy Living", "But Not For Me", and "Funk In Deep Freeze". CD

A great return to form for the legendary Mel Rhyne – the Hammond player who rose out of the same Indianapolis scene with guitar genius Wes Montgomery, and got a chance to record a bit for Riverside when Wes was at the label – then disappeared from the national scene until this killer comeback album from the early 90s! Rhyne is still very much a giant of the jazz organ – and has a clear, sharp tone here that's wonderful – set up in a quartet with a very young Joshua Redman on tenor, plus Peter Bernstein on guitar, and Kenny Washington on drums – all in a groove that's a great continuation of Rhyne's work of the 60s! The album's a real Hammond standout from the time – and titles include "Shades Of Light", "Jeannine", "Bear's Tune", "Born To Be Blue", "Full House", and "Hattush's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A set of jazz standards, but tunes that are nicely remade in the hands of guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel – really given that warm, raspy sound that he gets while effortlessly spinning out chords on his instrument – grooving gently, and with a voice that's become one of the most distinct on jazz guitar in recent decades! The rest of the group features Michael Kanan on piano, Joe Martin on bass, and Tim Pleasant on drums – players who lay back very strongly on the ballads, yet swing when needed – on titles that include "Darn That Dream", "Epiphany", "Summertime", "Sippin At Bells", "When Sunny Gets Blue", and "Dewey Square". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever session as a leader from British saxophonist Stan Sulzman – and a really beautiful record that fits in well with its placement on the Mosaic label from Graham Collier! Sulzman's got some angular tones that fit the style of the time – particularly in the way his British scene was cross-pollinating between jazz and progressive modes – and the set is equally noteworthy for the presence of the great John Taylor, who plays keyboards and even a bit of AMS synthesizer – really bringing this sense of warmth and depth to the music that's really wonderful! The rest of the group features Tony Levin on drums and percussion and Ron Mathewson on bass – and titles include the long title suite "On Loan With Gratitude", plus "GRS" and "Anagram". Plus, this 2CD edition brings in lots more bonus material, recorded live by the same group – tracks that include versions of "Good News", "Adelphi", "When All Else Fails", "The Wizard Calico/Jonesy", "GRS", "Flying Scots", and "You Know What I Mean". CD