One of the greatest Art Farmer recordings of the 70s – an especially sharp-edged performance, thanks to the presence of Clifford Jordan in the group! The album was recorded live at Boomer's nightclub in New York – and all tracks have a long-flowing, open ended quality – a bit like some of the work that Jordan was recording under his own name at the time, but touches with more of Farmer's warmth. The lineup includes a Jordan's familiar musical trio of Cedar Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all of whom sparkle nicely in this setting – and titles include "Will You Still Be Mine", "I Remember Clifford", "Barbados", and "Round Midnight". CD

One of the greatest Art Farmer recordings of the 70s – an especially sharp-edged performance, thanks to the presence of Clifford Jordan in the group! The album was recorded live at Boomer's nightclub in New York – and all tracks have a long-flowing, open ended quality – a bit like some of the work that Jordan was recording under his own name at the time, but touches with more of Farmer's warmth. The lineup includes a Jordan's familiar musical trio of Cedar Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all of whom sparkle nicely in this setting – and titles include "Fantasy In D", "Manha De Carnaval", "Blues For Amos", and "What's New". CD

Never-issued music from a really legendary group – titled in a way that's similar to their famous 60s record for Atlantic Records – but a batch of live material recorded in Sweden with an equally sublime sort of feel! Art Farmer works here on flugelhorn alongside guitarist Jim Hall – a brief but important pairing in 60s modern jazz – especially when combined with the talents of Steve Swallow on bass and Pete LaRoca on drums – four artists who make for a really revolutionary quartet, as they explore the space of sound, and the space between the notes, in ways that still sound as revolutionary now as they did when recorded back in 1964! Titles include "Theme For Jobim", "Sometime Ago", "Waltz Hot", "Birk's Works", "I Love You", and "Bilbao Song". CD

Gently graceful work from Art Farmer – and a wonderful example of the way he was expanding his talents in the 70s! The set's got a slow burning sensuality that seems to bring even more soul out of Farmer's work on flugelhorn than before – especially on the mellower cuts, which seem especially written as showcases for Art's masterful examples of understatement. But don't go thinking that the album's all ballads, because with a rhythm section that includes Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins, the tracks move along nicely, even when in a gentler mode. Titles include "The Summer Knows", "Ditty", "Manha Do Carnaval", and "When I Fall In Love". CD

A pretty sweet 70s set from Art Farmer – ostensibly a tribute to Duke Ellington, but really more of a gently soulful session in the mode of Art's best work of the decade! The group is the Cedar Walton trio with Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all matching Art's lyrical work beautifully, in a soulfully swinging way that transforms familiar Ellington numbers into new vehicles for creative expression. Farmer's at the height of his powers, and tracks include "Love You Madly", "Lush Life", "In A Sentimental Mood", and "The Star Crossed Lovers". CD

One of Art Farmer's pivotal mid 50s sides – recorded in the company of altoist Gigi Gryce, a great player and a budding young arranger who helped Farmer really formulate the best side of his sound! The tracks are lyrically modern – but still have a nice dose of soul in them – a wonderful blend that really sets the stage for the move that Art was making away from earlier trumpeters in jazz – into that hip territory that was neither too cool, nor too overblown – and which would almost be known as "Farmer-like" in years to come! The album features Gryce and Farmer in 2 different groups – one with Horace Silver on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – the other with Freddie Redd on piano, Addison Farmer on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Titles include "Social Call", "Capri", "Deltitnu", "Stupendous Lee", and "Blue Concept". CD

Sublime work from trumpeter Art Farmer – and a key document of the way that he continued to develop his sound in the 70s! Farmer's at the height of his powers here – working in a soulful quartet with Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins – just setting up these beautiful little solos that seem to float out effortlessly from his golden horn. The gentle emotion and light swing of the album give it the surprisingly emotional pull of a sad San Francisco afternoon – as the sun shines brightly, but a strange chill interrupts any easy dreaming that might take place. Includes sublime versions of "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life", "How Insensitive", "Firm Roots", and Benny Golson's "Yesterday's Thoughts". CD

Sublime late 90s work from the great Art Farmer – blowing here on flugelhorn with superb backing from the European Jazz Trio – a combo who are perfect at unlocking those lyrical lines that can make Farmer's best work so great! The trio features Marc Van Roon on piano, Frans Van Der Hoeven on bass, and Roy Dackus on drums – players with this easygoing groove that's warmed up nicely by the presence of Art's horn as he blows those concise, well-executed and compressed notes that make his solos a masterpiece of effective yet understated expression. Titles include "Sweet Sweep", "Plein Soleil", "Hello", "Che Voule Questa Musika Stasera", "In Your Own Sweet Way", and "Waltz". CD

Rare material from John Coltrane – tracks that were done for Bethlehem Records at a time when he was just rising up as a leader, and still contributed work as a sideman! The album features Trane playing tenor on only four of the album's eight tracks – making it kind of surprising that they used his name in the title – but the album is a lesser-known batch of large group recordings that offer an interesting early chapter in his career! The main force behind the album is arranger Harry Tubbs – possibly not a name that's as sexy as John Coltrane, hence the billing – but a worthy leader for the date, given the quality of the music. Many of the other players here are small combo heroes who can also shine brightly in bigger groups – such as Donald Byrd and Art Farmer on trumpets, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Al Cohn on baritone sax, Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, and Oscar Pettiford on bass – plus Rolf Kuhn, making an early American appearance on clarinet. Coltrane gets in some nice, but short moments on the date – but the bigger charm is the full ensemble work – on titles that include "She Didn't Say Yes", "Turtle Walk", "At Home With The Blues", "Seabreeze", and "Love & The Weather". CD

A trio of albums from one of our favorite trumpeters on the European scene! First up is Portrait – a set that stands as a tribute to trumpeter Dusko Goykovich's 70 years on this planet – and a record that features him in a variety of settings too! Other players include Ferdinand Povel on flute and tenor, Tony Lakatos on tenor, Steve Gut on trumpet, Isla Eckinger and Ray Drummond on basses, Abraham Burton on alto, and Kenny Barron and Tommy Flanagan on pianos – on titles that include "Recado Bossa Nova", "Balkan Blue", "Adriatica", "One For Klook", and "Inga". Next is Swinging Macedonia – a legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditional Macedonian rhythms into a jazz perspective – but with players like these, it swings in a way any Macedonian album never could – damn soulful, and with a great exotic vibe. Davis is especially great, and plays in a soaring modal vein that's similar to his work on his classic MPS sides, and on the records he cut in America in the early 70s. The album's a beautiful session that often get's overlooked because it blends it with the Enja catalog – but it's really more of a record that belongs in an MPS reissue series, and is a great lost groover that's waiting to be rediscovered by the Dusty Groove crowd. Titles include "Macedonia", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", "Jumbo Uganda", "Bem Basha", "Saga Se karame", and "The Nights Of Skopje". Brandenberg Concert features one of the greatest trumpeters on the European scene of the past few decades – heard here in a completely sublime setting! Dusko Goykovich has played in many styles and many ways, but hasn't ever done a date with full strings before – a long-overdue placement for his wonderful tone on trumpet – shimmering out front of a larger ensemble, in the manner of classic "with strings" dates by Dizzy Gillespie or Art Farmer! Altoist Peter King arranged the album – and titles are all originals by Dusko, some of which you might know from earlier records – reworked here beautifully for the new setting. King also solos on a handful of tracks too – a rich voice that provides a nice balance with Dusko's trumpet. Strings are never overdone, and the album's always got a nice swing from a core rhythm trio that features Renato Chicco on piano. Titles include "Good Old Days", "Handful O Soul", "Danca Comigo", "St Germain Des Pres", "Adriatica", "In My Dreams", and "I Miss You So". CD

A beautifully crafted quartet session from trumpeter Win Pongsakorn – an up-and-coming younger musician who we're sure to be hearing more from in years to come! Win's got an impeccable sound on his horns – which here also include flugelhorn, blown with the kind of cool, compressed energy that we might associate with Art Farmer at his best – but also with a bit more bite, which may well come from the strong group backing from David Hazeltine on piano and Fender Rhodes, Paolo Benedetti on bass, and Jason Brown on drums. We don't hear Hazeltine often on Fender Rhodes, and his work on the instrument is great here – on a set of tunes that includes a fair bit of originals by Pongsakorn, plus a few set to his arrangements too. Titles include "Caipirinha", "Time Has Changed", "Hummingbirds At Balata Garden", "Pensri", "Man In The Mirror", and "Imagination". CD

The complete work of pianist Sonny Clark as a leader for the Blue Note label – masterful material that really helped define the sound of the hardbop generation, and records that are still classics and still filled with fantastic energy after all these many years! In some way, Sonny Clark was the perfect figure to help Blue Note step into this generation – both a modernist and a soulful player, a strong group leader and an intimate soloist in a trio setting – clearly the lynchpin of the new energy during Blue Note's explosion in the LP generation – as you'll hear on classic albums that include Dial S For Sonny, Sonny's Crib, Sonny Clark Trio, Cool Struttin, Leapin & Lopin, Sonny Clark Quintets, Blues In The Night, My Conception, and the Art Of The Trio! Some of these albums were recorded in the late 50s, but only issued years later – and the package also includes all the bonus material that was added to later CD versions as well. Players include John Coltrane, Clifford Jordan, Charlie Rouse, and Hank Mobley on tenors – plus Art Farmer and Donald Byrd on trumpets, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Jackie McLean on alto, and Kenny Burrell on guitar – top-shelf Blue Note Groups on every record – and the set features 61 tracks in all, and the usual Mosaic booklet of notes! CD

Never-issued live work from one of our favorite groups ever headed by baritone modernist Gerry Mulligan – his wonderful quartet with Art Farmer on trumpet! The mix of Farmer and Mulligan is fantastic here – on long tunes that stretch out even more than their studio performances of the period – and, like those, given great piano-less accompaniment from the great team of Bill Crow on bass and Dave Bailey on drums! Farmer is wonderful throughout – young and a bit more raspy than later years, maybe in part because he's on trumpet instead of flugelhorn – and his pairing really brings out a more relaxed, almost soulful side of Gerry at times. On two tracks, Mulligan switches his horn for a piano – equally great on versions of "Spring Is Sprung" and "I Can't Get Started" – next to other long tracks that include "Blueport", "What Is There To Say", "Just In Time", and "News From Blueport". CD

A great Horace Silver album – and one of the rarest! The record features some top-line material that virtually defines Silver's post-Jazz Messengers sound – tracks that come out with a hard and heavy groove, yet which also have a lightness in the mix too – a sense of play and lyricism that's always made Silver's soul deeper than most of his contemporaries! The group on the set is top-shelf all the way through – with Art Farmer on trumpet and Hank Mobley on tenor – alongside a rhythm team that includes Teddy Kotick on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. Titles include "Metamorphosis", "Home Cookin", "No Smokin", and "Soulville". CD

A killer album by soul jazz pianist Ray Bryant! The title track, "Slow Freight", is an amazing 10 minute groover that moves at a very slow pace (just like a freight train), and which features some very cool ad-lib talking by Paul Serrano – a pretty groovy touch that really adds a lot to the track! Ray's piano is in the lead, with a sinister soulful groove – and he's backed by his patented two-trumpet rhythm sound, played here by Art Farmer and Snookie Young – blasting away with a tightly vamping approach that's really in the groove. The rest of the record's great too – and other tracks include "The Fox Stalker" and "Return Of The Prodigal Son". One of Ray's best ever! CD

A second great solo album from trumpeter Malcolm Strachan – much more jazz-based than his work in the Haggis Horns, and his backings for a number of other soul artists – delivered with a depth of feeling that would have been missed in a larger ensemble! Strachan's a great soloist throughout – whether working in a small combo mode with a soul jazz vibe, or soaring out over some mellower midtempo arrangements – ala Freddie Hubbard or Art Farmer in a similar mode – and although Strachan's background is in funk, his sense of soloing is pure jazz throughout! Titles include "Nossa Danca", "Elaine", "The Wanderer", "Soul Trip", "Cut To The Chase", and "The Last Goodbye". (Deep Funk, Jazz) CD

Not just cool jazz – despite what the title might say – and instead a whole host of soulful jazzy styles from the late 50s and early 60s – pulled forth from the kind of singles that once boomed from backroom jukeboxes in taverns on the south side of town! The collection is great – very much in the spirit of some of the Mod Jazz compilations on Ace, but maybe even a bit more farther-reaching too – and the tracks are a great mix of instrumental and vocal jazz numbers, put together with the same great ear as the soul collections on the Outta Sight label. Titles include "Like Young" by Ann Henry, "I Walk The Streets" by Lyn Avalon, "Scenes In The City (edit)" by Charles Mingus, "Comin Home Baby" by Dave Bailey, "Johnny With The Gentle Hands" by Cootie Williams & Wini Brown, "Baby Do You Ever Think Of Me" by Sonny Stitt, "Goodbye Old Girl" by Art Farmer, "Wayning Moments" by Wayne Shorter, and "Sack O Woe" by Ray Bryant. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD