Dex's famous return to New York in the mid 70s – recorded at the Village Vanguard in 1977, and featuring some of his best group-heavy playing of the decade! The quintet is fantastic – and includes Woody Shaw, Ronnie Matthews, Stafford James, and Louis Hayes. Features versions of Shaw's "Little Red's Fantasy" and "In Case You Haven't Heard", Matthews' "Let's Get Down", Jimmy Heath's "Gingerbread Boy", and Gordon's own "Fenja" and "Backstairs". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a bit misleading – as Chico really wasn't much of a hitmaker, at least as far as the charts go – but the album is a wonderful collection of his groundbreaking work for Impulse, killer tracks that are head and shoulders above any of his earlier work! At the time, Hamilton was really going out from his more composed style of earlier years – exploring modal and eastern rhythms with the help of strong players like Gabor Szabo, Charlie Mariano, Charles Lloyd, Jerome Richardson, and Larry Coryell – setting up incredible off-beat grooves that proved to be a perfect foil for edgey reed solos, and tightly woven guitar work. The set's got a heck of a lot of great work from those years – and titles include "For Mods Only", "That Boy With The Long Hair", "Helena", "Baby You Should Know", "Manila", "Lonesome Child", "El Moors", "Transfusion", and "Man From Two Worlds". LP, Vinyl record album

A very very cool live set from the great tenorist Tubby Hayes – one that has him working in an unusual quartet with Louis Stewart on guitar – a setting that makes a really nice change for Hayes! The track are all very long and open – three of the four are past the ten minute mark – and Stewart's guitar often provides this rhythmic comping while Tubby solos – creating blocks of chromatic sound that make for a wonderful counterpart to the sharper, soulful lines from Hayes as he creates with the sort of non-stop energy we love in his live performances. The rest of the group includes Kenny Baldock on bass and Spike Wells on drums – and titles include "The Syndicate", "Gingerbread Boy", "The Inner Splurge", and "The Gentle Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few American albums by Jutta Hipp – a key figure in the German jazz scene of the postwar years, recording here at the Hickory House in New York! The album's a trio date, but it's got more than enough modern energy to warrant inclusion in the Blue Note 1500 series of the 50s – thanks in part to Hipp's forceful, angular approach to the keys of the piano – and also to some great accompaniment from Peter Ind on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums! As usual, Thigpen takes things past any expectations you might have for the trio format – with a great lively touch on the drum kit that keeps the whole proceedings moving nicely. Tracks on this first volume include "These Foolish Things", "Mad About The Boy", "Take Me In Your Arms", "Billie's Bounce", and "Lady Bird". CD

The part 2 to Jamal's classic Pershing set – But Not For Me – featuring more material from the same date, one of the most successful live piano recordings of the time! Jamal is quite at home in the setting – grooving with his trio of Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – on a set of tracks that includes "Billy Boy", "Too Late Now", "All The Things You Are", "My Funny Valentine", and "I'll Remember April". CD

A lesser-known later album from JJ Johnson – but a surprisingly great one too, recorded with a sense of fire and inspiration that's no doubt driven by the mighty Al Grey! At the time of this set, Johnson was hardly recording much jazz at all – but Grey was still burning strong, and managed to hold onto the soulful modes of his 60s years. Johnson produced the record, and most likely handled the charts – and the record shows his strong work in the studio through the late 60s into the 70s, with a tightness that's different than some of the other Pablo albums of the era. Other players include Ray Brown on bass, Kenny Barron on acoustic and electric piano, Mickey Roker on drums, and Dave Carey on percussion – and titles include "Soft Winds", "Let Me See", "It's Only A Paper Moon", "Boy Meets Horn", "Doncha Hear Me Callin To Ya", and "Things Are Getting Better All The Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A great mid 50s recordings by one of the greatest pairings in popular jazz of the time – the twin-trombone lead work of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding, both players who'd come from differing backgrounds, but who created a wonderful new sound together! The interplay between the trombones on thesession is wonderful – a strongly pronounced mini-horn section – yet one that's fluid enough to work at a nice boppish pace, especially when paired with a rhythm section of Dick Katz and Al Harewood. Titles include "Thou Swell", "Gong Rock", "Out Of This World", "Lope City", "Mad About The Boy", "That's How I Feel About You", "Stolen Bass", and "It's All Right With Me". CD

A great mid 50s recordings by one of the greatest pairings in popular jazz of the time – the twin-trombone lead work of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding, both players who'd come from differing backgrounds, but who created a wonderful new sound together! The interplay between the trombones on thesession is wonderful – a strongly pronounced mini-horn section – yet one that's fluid enough to work at a nice boppish pace, especially when paired with a rhythm section of Dick Katz and Al Harewood. Titles include "Thou Swell", "Gong Rock", "Out Of This World", "Lope City", "Mad About The Boy", "That's How I Feel About You", "Stolen Bass", and "It's All Right With Me". CD

A great mid 50s recording by one of the greatest pairings in popular jazz of the time – the twin-trombone lead work of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding, both players who'd come from differing backgrounds, but who created a wonderful new sound together! The interplay between the trombones on thesession is wonderful – a strongly pronounced mini-horn section – yet one that's fluid enough to work at a nice boppish pace, especially when paired with a rhythm section of Dick Katz and Al Harewood. Titles include "Thou Swell", "Gong Rock", "Out Of This World", "Lope City", "Mad About The Boy", "That's How I Feel About You", "Stolen Bass", and "It's All Right With Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare 70s reunion for the Poll Winners trio of Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne – one that has them all looking a bit shaggy on the cover, but still plenty darn tight in the grooves of the record! There's a really nice change here from the earlier sound of the group – longer tracks than before, played with a bit more sense of freedom by all players involved – but still with that tight comraderie that made the trio so great in the first place. Manne's rhythms are showing some of the looser modes of his later years – and that space is filled nicely by Kessel's still firm guitar lines and Brown's increasingly warm bass. Titles include "Blue Boy", "Caravan", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "Two Cents", and "One Foot Off The Curb". LP, Vinyl record album

Different work than usual for Herbie – a series of sides recorded in Sweden in the late 50s, featuring Herbie on both flute and tenor! The feel here is at once more poised and more open than some of Herbie's US sides from the time – as the groups shift from track to track, and Herbie's movement between tenor and flute gives the album a nicely rough edge. Players include Ake Persson, Rolf Blomqvist, Arne Domnerus, and Beng Arne Wallin – and titles include "Cherry Point", "Serenata", "Hurry Burry", "Adam's Theme", "Ow", and "Nature Boy". 1969 pressing of an album originally titled Mann In The Morning. LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Scat Song", "Winin' Boy Blues", "Mr, Jelly Lord", "CC Rider", "Call Of The Freaks", "The Dirty Dozen", and "Benny Frenchy's Tune" – 23 titles total. CD

A pretty great little album – and very different than Gerry Mulligan's regular sides from the time! The session was originally produced as part of the sessions for the short-lived Jazztime label in the early 60s – and was produced by Dave Bailey with a soulful undercurrent that's quite similar to his own sessions from the period. Gerry's really shaking free of the "cool" cliches for the record – working with a deeply grooving rhythm section that includes Bailey on drums, Ben Tucker on bass, and Tommy Flanagan on piano – making a key return of piano to a Gerry Mulligan session! Alec Dorsey's also in the group on conga – adding a nice little extra kick to a few of the best tunes on the set – and Gerry himself is playing baritone with a style that's as fluid as on his freer-floating 50s recordings, but which also hits more of a rolling sort of tenor groove! Titles include "Get Out Of Town", "Blue Boy", "Capricious", "Here I'll Stay", and "Inside Impromptu". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set that brings together Fats Navarro's recordings for Savoy – late 40s sides that were always poorly packaged and annotated on record, which are compiled here wonderfully, with great notes, and a few unissued tracks! Players include Leo Parker, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, Ernie Henry, Tadd Dameron, Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey, and Charlie Rouse – and the set's got a huge amount of titles, including "Boppin A Riff", "Fat Boy", "Everything's Cool", "Webb City", "Fracture", "Calling Dr Jazz", "Red Pepper", "Spinal", "Fat Girl", "Ice Freezes Red", "A Bebop Carol", and "The Tadd Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

Strong work from the Peterson Trio's London House gig in Chicago in 1961 – material that offers some slightly longer than usual takes on the group's sound, especially on a few numbers that really let Oscar open up on the keys! The group here is the legendary combo with Ed Thigpen on drums and Ray Brown on bass – but on the album's long versions of "Sometimes I'm Happy", "In The Wee Small Hours" and "Chicago", it's Oscar's inventive work on the keys that really dominates the nearly 10 minute run of each track. Other shorter tunes include "Billy Boy", "Whisper Not", and "The Night We Called It A Day". Includes five bonus tracks. CD

Wonderful Rollins work from the bop years – served up cracklin' hot, in a group with Kenny Drew on piano and Max Roach on drums. The obscure vocalist Earl Coleman checks in on two numbers – "Two Different Worlds" and "My Ideal" – giving a nice glimpse of a time in the bop era when players were much more likely to let a vocalist sit in on a set. However, the instrumental tunes – "Ee-Ah", "B Quick", and "B Swift" – are still the best ones. Also included is "Sonny Boy". CD

Wonderful Rollins work from the bop years – served up cracklin' hot, in a group with Kenny Drew on piano and Max Roach on drums. The obscure vocalist Earl Coleman checks in on two numbers – "Two Different Worlds" and "My Ideal" – giving a nice glimpse of a time in the bop era when players were much more likely to let a vocalist sit in on a set. However, the instrumental tunes – "Ee-Ah", "B Quick", and "B Swift" – are still the best ones. Also included is "Sonny Boy". CD

An interesting set – kind of a parody of the Girl Meets Boy album that had been issued a year or two before on Columbia – done with vocals by Jimmy and Ada Moore, and recorded as a "story in jazz" about love, love found, and love lost. Jimmy and Ada sing both separately and together, Buck Clayton plays a few instrumental sides – and titles include "The Blues", "Cool Breeze Woman", "Ain't She Sweet", "If I Could Be With You", and "Pretty Little Baby". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from a player who never fails to surprise us – recorded later in the years of drummer Art Taylor's life, but bristling with the same kind of energy we first came to love in his 50s recordings! The set's got a really unified feel – with Taylor masterfully leading the group on drums, working through an assortment of like-minded tunes with a Blakey-like sense of equal power for strongly soulful numbers, and gentle guidance for mellower and more introspective tunes. The group's got a tremendous two-horn frontline in the tenor of Willie Williams and alto of Abraham Burton, and the rest of the lineup includes Marc Cary on piano and Tyler Mitchell on bass. The album's got one very short "out" track entitled "It Doesn't Matter", alongside a number of longer soulful explorations that include "Mr AT", "Soul Eyes", "Bullet Train", "Ahmad's Blues", and "Gingerbread Boy". CD

A treasure trove of barely-heard music from two of the most unique players on the European scene of the 70s – Fender Rhodes giant Rob Franken, and harmonica jazz maestro Toots Thielemans – two players who sound better here in the company of each other than they do on their own! Thielemans had been making music for many years before these sessions – but as the 70s hit, the electric piano really opened up new colors and tones in his instrument – heard most famously on his performances with Quincy Jones, and some of his soundtrack material – but actually even more amazing here alongside Franken – as the combination of chromatic harmonica and Fender Rhodes is completely sublime! The tracks were recorded as part of a series of sound library sessions that Rob organized – titled Functional Music – and the huge set features material from a number of different sessions done under that aegis. CD1 features 20 tracks under the heading of Nature Boy from 1981 and 1982 – with Franken on Rhodes, Toots on harmonica, Theo De Jong on bass, and Bruno Castellucci on drums. CD2 is titled Absorbed Love – and features six tracks from 1978 with Toots and Franken – and James Leary on bass, Eddie Marshall on drums, and tenor and flute on a few cuts from the great Ferdinand Povel – followed by fifteen more titles from 1974 with a different Thielemans/Franken lineup that features Joop Scholten on guitar, Wim Essed on bass, and Peter Ypma on drums. CD3 is titled Together, from 1973 – and mostly features Thielemans on guitar and harmonica, Franken on Fender Rhodes, Rob Langereis on bass, and Eric Ineke on drums. 59 tracks in all – and a detailed book of notes! CD

One of the straighter sessions ever recorded by vocalist Bobby Troup – an intimate quartet side, with backing by Howard Roberts on guitar, Bob Enevoldsen on bass, and Don Heath on drums. Bobby sings and plays piano – in that warm, laidback LA style that's made him one of our favorite male vocalists of the time – and he's less tongue-in-cheek here than on some of his other recordings, bringing a simple but honest presentation to material that includes "Have You Met Miss Jones", "It Still Suits Me", "Little Girl Blue", "You Are Too Beautiful", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", and "The Boy Next Door". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sarah Vaughan's first albums of Latin-tinged tracks – showing the roots of her interest in Brazilian music that would develop even more fully into the 70s. The record features a large group arranged and conducted by Frank Foster – with a host of jazz soloists, plus Latin percussion by the likes of Willie Bobo, Jose Mangual, and Willie Rodriguez. Titles include lively versions of "Jive Samba", "The Boy From Ipanema", "Mr Lucky", "Quiet Nights", and "Moment Of Truth". Tasty stuff – and very groovy! (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful return to form for saxophonist Bobby Watson – one of the best albums we've heard from him in years, and a massive regrouping of his legendary Horizon ensemble! Watson first assembled the group back in the 80s – as a vehicle for the tightly-crafted soul jazz he was writing at the time – a fresh sound that brought a new level of joy to jazz expression, and which created some of our favorite jazz records of the period. On this new recording, Watson's fronting a quintet that features Victor Lewis on drums, Terell Stafford on trumpet and flugelhorn, Edward Simon on piano, and Essiet Essiet on bass – all playing a brilliant array of well-chosen tracks that sing and dance with all the joy that jazz has to offer. Titles include "Dark Days", "Xangongo", "Lemoncello", "The Love We Had Yesterday", "Horizon Reassembled", and "Gingerbread Boy". CD

One of the best dates ever as a leader from trumpeter Joe Wilder – and one of the few to have a really relaxed, open sort of format! Joe's not tied up in gimmicks or larger groups here – and he really sparkles in the company of a quartet that features Hank Jones on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – players that really match Wilder's inherent sense of soul and lyricism, as he waxes some beautiful solos on the set. There's a nice sort of blueness in Joe's tone, but one that's never too forced or cliched – and titles include "Mad About The Boy", "Six Bit Blues", "Darn That Dream", "Prelude To A Kiss", and "My Heart Stood Still". CD

A heck of a collection – and one that really gets at the amazing array of free-thinking jazz that was brewing up on the European scene during the 70s! The set brings together over eight hours of music recorded during two years of this legendary festival – and each new disc has some great surprises along the way! There's some possibly more familiar material here – such as long improvisations that include a solo piano performance by Joachim Kuhn, two by a Mal Waldron trio with Jimmy Woode on bass and Allen Blairman on drums, one by a trio headed by pianist Yosuke Yamashita and with Akira Sakata on alto, two more by the duo of Peter Brotzmann on tenor and Han Bennink on drums, and a final two long improvisations by a great Archie Shepp gruop with Richard Greenlee on trombone, Dave Burell on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums! Yet that's only the tip of the iceberg – as there's a full CD of music by a group led by Hugo Heredia on saxes and flute – with Horace Parlan on piano, Dodo Goys on bass, Tullio D'Piscopo on drums, and Mandrake Ivanir Do Nascimento on percussion. And there's another CD that features an hour-long improvisation by a version of the Willem Breuker Kollektief with Leo Cuypers on piano, Maarten Van Norden on tenor, Boy Raaymakers on trumpet, and Bernhard Hunnekink and Willem Van Manen on trombones. There's also a very long track by a cool quartet headed by Polish alto giant Zbigniew Namyslowski – and one more by the French Machi Oul Big Band. There's also tracks by Riot, with Uli Beckerhoff on trumpet; Grumpff with Michael Schlaper on tenor and soprano, and Ekkehard Jost on baritone; Mumps with Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone and John Surman on tenor; and the Eddie Prevost Quartet with Geoff Hawkins on tenor and Gerry Gold on trumpet. And last but not least are two long trcks by the Czech group Celula Jazz Crew – with Laco Deczi on trumpet, Karel Ruzicka on electric piano, and Svatopluc Kosvanec on trombone. Phew – that's a lot of music, and the whole thing comes in a very cool 10" box set, complete with a booklet of notes, too! CD

Reissue of the rare Vik album by trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, originally recorded in 1956, with a number of different groups that include players like Al Cohn, Milt Hinton, Nick Travis, Hank Jones, and Gene Quill. The approach is typical to the RCA jazz releases of the 50s – lots of tight ensemble playing, and mostly short solos in a call & response manner. A few tracks are a bit longer than usual – which is nice – and these include "Nature Boy", "Open Country", and "Confusion Blues". CD

Includes the songs "Haven't Named It Yet", "Seven Come Eleven", "Honeysuckle Rose", "AC-DC Current", "Shivers", "All Star Strut", "Till Tom Special", "Gone With "What" Wind", "The Sheik of Araby", "Boy Meets Goy", "Good Enough to Keep (Air Mail Special)", "Charlie's Dream", "Wholly Cats", "Royal Garden Blues", and more. CD

A rare gem that's worth all the attention it's bound to get over the years – never-issued material from the legendary John Coltrane Quartet – an instrumental session recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio on the day before his famous record with singer Johnny Hartman – completely fantastic throughout! The material here shows the group really starting to stretch out – Impressions would be their next record to follow, and its spirit is certainly in place here – as Coltrane blows magnificently on tenor and soprano sax, alongside McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. There's a few tunes that the group would fix on later, but which sound very different in this context – and there's even a few excellent numbers that didn't even receive titles at the time of recording. Tracks include "Untitled Original 11383", "Untitled Original 11386", "Slow Blues", "One Up One Down", "Vilia", "Impressions", and a short version of "Nature Boy". 2LP version features 7 more alternate takes – some very different! LP, Vinyl record album

A 2 LP retrospective of some of the more spiritual exploratory sides 'Trane was cutting in the mid to late '60's for Impulse. A number of cuts feature the classic quartet with Jimmy Garrison, McCoy Tyner & Elvin Jones, but a few feature some of the later lineups with Pharoah Sanders, Reggie Worman & Alice Coltrane. Tracks arte "Dear Lord", "Chasin the Trane", "Up 'Gainst the Wall", "Crescent", "Nature Boy", "Welcome", "Cosmos", "Dedicated to You", "Expression" & "Living Space". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure lyrical genius from pianist Kenny Drew – working here in a superb trio that features Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and the great Alvin Queen on drums! There's a special quality to the recording that seems to make each element in the music resonate in fantastic ways – especially the bass of Niels', who at times almost feels like as much the star of the set as Kenny! Titles include "Greensleeves", "Angel Eyes", "Eco Trip", "Nature Boy", "Sunset", "Blues In Green", and "Song Of The Birds". CD

Includes the songs "For Heaven's Sake", "But Beautiful", "If You Could See Me Now", "A Time For Love", "Spring Is Here", "It Must Be Love", "Lover Man", "Only Child", "My Foolish Heart", "Melinda", and "Danny Boy". CD

An expanded version of Bill Evans' first album as a leader – and a well-titled set that went onto transform the sound of the piano in jazz! The core session isn't as lyrically free as some of Evans' later classics, but already has an undeniably fresh approach to the keys – one that's modern, yet never academic – fluid, but never flowery – pure genius of economy and understatement, while also at the same time opening bold new worlds in sound. The trio features drummer Paul Motian and bassist Teddy Kotick, and titles include the classics "Five" and "Waltz For Debby", the latter of which is performed solo by Evans – plus tracks that include "Displacement", "I Love You", "My Romance", "No Cover, No Minimum", and "Our Delight". Added to the original album is a full record of (then) previously unissued tunes – mostly solo piano numbers recorded in 1958 and 1962 – on titles that include "Easy To Love", "Some Other Time", "Danny Boy", and "In Your Own Sweet Way". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from a really wonderful trio – a group with a sense of space and scope that's completely sublime! We've always loved the piano work of Masabumi Kikuchi, but here he really has this special energy next to the basswork of Gary Peacock – a player who somehow always feels a bit different when he's in a Japanese setting than a more familiar one – a perfect match for the percussion of Masahiko Togashi, who is maybe the freest player on the record at times – and working with that very open, sensitive way he has of handling a drum kit! The recording quality is amazing – all the different elements both separate and together at once – and the whole thing is a real lost treasure from the time, superbly recorded and done with a very timeless quality. This 4CD set brings together everything recorded during these wonderful sessions – some quite long – and titles include "Song In D", "Carla", "Little Abi", "Rambling", "Straight No Chaser", "Moor", "Good Bye", "Peace", "Nature Boy", "Tennessee Waltz", "My Favorite Things", "Summertime", "Begin The Beguine", "Waltz Step", and "Bley's Triad". CD

Deep, soulful duets – just Charlie Haden on bass and Hank Jones on piano. Tracks include "Wade In The Water", "Steal Away", "It's Me, O Lord", "Danny Boy", "Go Down, Moses", and "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". CD

Ramsey and the classic trio with Eldee Young and Red Holt – grooving away on a pot luck batch of tunes that includes material from a wide wide variety of sources, all turned into soul jazz magic by the boys! Believe it or not, Ramsey takes tunes like "Andaluza", "Arrividerci Roma", "Loch Lomond", "Nature Boy", and "Sheandoah", and arranges them with a hiply swinging style that makes you forget what they ever sounded like in the first place. Throw in some originals – like "We Blue It Again", "Look A Here", and "Swamp Girl" – and you've got pretty nice batch of tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last John Patton albums for Blue Note, and one of the best! A young James "Blood" Ulmer's on guitar, and Marvin Cabell (who we only know from Patton LPs) is on tenor and flute. The sound is deep and soulful, and despite the "accent on the blues" of the title, the feel's more Blue Note soul than it actually is bluesy. Ulmer's guitar is great, with this raspy edge that gives a nice depth to the album – and titles include reat versions of Harold Mabern's "Rakin' & Scrapin" and Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance", plus some excellent originals by Cabell like "Captain Nasty" and "Village Lee". Plus, this CD reissue also features 4 other tracks, 3 of which are unreleased titles like "Sweet Pea", "2 J", and "Buddy Boy". CD

A great lost album by John Patton – recorded in 1970, but not ever issued until 1995! The record was most likely held back because it's one of the funky organist's most far-reaching – a stunning batch of modal tracks that moves way past the usual organ sound, and much more into Larry Young-ish territory. A young James Blood Ulmer is on guitar, and the great (and underrecorded) Marvin Cabell plays flute, soprano, and tenor sax. Really great stuff – and most likely material that will disappear again for another 25 years! Titles include "The Mandingo", "Bloodyun", "Memphis", "Steno", and a cover of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints". Includes the bonus tracks "Man From Tanganyika", "Cissy Strut", "Dragon Slayer", "Buddy Boy", "2J" & "Sweet Pea". CD

Features Art Pepper on alto, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – on titles that include "Surf Ride", "Make A List", "Nature Boy", "Straight Life", and "September Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy soul from Ike Quebec – one of Blue Note's greatest players of the 78 era in the 40s, stepping out here on one of his brilliant comeback sets from the early 60s! The set features Ike blowing in an all soul jazz mode – working with a quartet that includes some great work from organist Freddie Roach – swinging here in a great straight ahead mode, and really pushing Ike to lay out some of the best solos of his later Blue Note years. There's a few tracks on the set that step out in a tight modal jazz groove – organ vamping as Ike blows away – and titles include "Heavy Soul", "Que's Dilemma", "Acquitted", and a very spooky version of "Nature Boy". CD

Sweet funky jazz from Grover Washington – an early standout session from his classic years on Kudu Records, put together with hip arrangements from the mighty Bob James! The record's got the same spacious sense of grooving as James' first few for CTI – a style that's funky fusion, but a bit more laidback than most – not nearly as jamming, and with almost as much focus on lean rhythms as on key solos from the players in the group! Most tracks have a long, open sort of feel – and in addition to alto and tenor from Grover, other instrumentation includes organ from Richard Tee, guitar from Eric Gale, drums from Idris Muhammad, percussion from Airto, and electric piano from Bob James himself. Titles include versions of "Mercy Mercy Me", "Ain't No Sunshine/Theme From Man & Boy", "Until It's Time For You To Go", and "Inner City Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Jon Batiste is looking mighty righteous on the cover, and he's sounding mighty righteous within – imbued with a new spirit of consciousness from the events of 2020, which brings a whole new sort of focus to his music – and makes for an album that's every bit a soul set as it is a jazz record! Jon sings on every track, with this raspy power that pushes the rest of the music forward very strongly – igniting the proceedings with the kind of fire you'd hope for, given the album's dedication to "the dreamers, seers, griots, and truth tellers who refuse to let us fully descend into madness". Batiste can definitely add himself to that list – as can guests who include Zadie Smith, Hot 8 Brass Band, PJ Morton, and Trombone Shorty – on titles that include "Cry", "Boy Hood", "Movement 11", "Show Me The Way", "We Are", "Tell The Truth", "Sing", "Until", "Mavis", and "Whatchutalkinbout". CD

Benson plays his guitar and also sings on some of these tracks. He is joined by Phil Upchurch on rhythm guitar, Ronnie Foster on electric piano & mini-moog, Jorge Dalto on clavinet & acoustic piano, Stanley Banks on bass, Harvey Mason on drums and Ralph MacDonald. Claus Ogerman arranged and conducted the orchestra. Tracks include "Nature Boy", Foster's "The Wind & I", "The World Is A Ghetto", "Gonna Love You More", Donny Hathaway's "Valdez In The Country", and "Everything Must Change". CD

Includes the songs "Danny Boy", "Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered", "Two For The Road", "Paris", "Blue In Green", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "Time On My Hands", "My Funny Valentine", "Fix You", "Old Folks". CD

Includes the songs "Liza", "Love Walked In", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Romance In The Dark", "All My Life", "Where Are You?", "Jeepers Creepers", "You've Changed", "Dream Dancing", "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?", "Get Me To The Church On Time", "I'm Shooting High", "Trav'lin' Light", "Happy Talk", "Younger Than Springtime", "I'm Crazy 'bout My Baby (And My Baby's Crazy 'bout Me)", "My Shining Hour", "Indian Summer", "You're A Sweetheart", "Dickie's Dream/Love Me Or Leave Me", "Shoe Shine Boy", "Memories Of You", and "I Got Rhythm". CD

One of Donald Byrd's most fantastic records for Blue Note – and one of three gems that he recorded with the great Sonny Red on alto sax! Byrd and Red work magnificently together – and the two of them play with a tightness and funkiness that's missing from a lot of their other records as leaders – this really sharp edge that makes Sonny sound even better than ever, and a slight funkiness in Byrd's trumpet – which really seems to point the way towards his groove of the 70s! Hank Mobley joins the group on tenor, Walter Booker is on bass, McCoy Tyner's on piano, and Freddie Waits is on drums – and the groove is tight and funky, with a mix of hard bop soloing and funkier Blue Note rhythm playing. Red burns throughout, especially on his own "Mustang", and on the cut "Dixie Lee". Other tracks include "Fly Little Bird Fly", "On The Trail", and "I'm So Excited By You". Plus, this CD reissue also includes 2 non-LP bonus cuts – "Gingerbread Boy" and "I'm So Excited By You". CD

Sublime modern jazz from Teddy – right up there with the best mid 50s work of other groundbreakers like Charles Mingus or George Russell, to whom Charles acknowledges more than a bit of inspiration! Charles plays vibes like no one else – especially at this point in his career, when he's moving into offbeat chromatic ranges that wouldn't be duplicated for another decade, in the work of players like Bobby Hutcherson or Gary Burton. His players on this set include Art Farmer, JR Monterose, Gigi Gryce, and Mal Waldron – and the album includes the original tracks "Green Blues", "The Emperor", and "Vibrations", plus a great version of "Nature Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the mellower albums on the Nilva label – a session of guitar work from John Collins, a player we don't know that well, but who has a really beautiful sound on the set! The album's Collins' first (only?) album as a leader – and it features him soloing in a pretty spare setting on most numbers – working either with a trio that features Jimmy Woode on bass and Alvin Queen on drums, a duo with bassist John Heard, another trio with Heard and trumpeter Harry Edison, and even solo on one track – always with a tone that's great, and a sound that's clean, clear, and creative. One longer track – a version of "All The Things You Are" – features a quintet with Dolo Coker on piano, plus Edison, Woode, and Queen – and other titles include "Nature Boy", "Dearly Beloved", "I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic quartet of John Coltrane, certainly the classic quartet of the 60s jazz scene and perhaps the classic jazz quartet of all time, compiled in one box set with all of their studio recordings! John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones set so many benchmarks for jazz with their envelope pushing style, recording and performances that it's impossible to overstate their importance in the modern musical oeuvre. This set features all of the LPs Coltrane, Ballads, Impressions, Live At Birdland, Crescent, A Love Supreme, The John Coltrane Quartet Plays, Kulu Se Mama, Transition, Sunship, Infinity and First Meditations, plus a number of tracks issued on compilations. 66 tracks in all, spread out over 8 CDs, in a beautiful bookbound package with a metal slipcase and extensive liner notes. The titles are too numerous to list here, but the set includes "Big Nick", "Soul Eyes", "Miles' Mode", "Tunji", "After The rain", "Lonnie's Lament", "The Drum Thing", "Wise One", "Crescent", "A Love Supreme", "Nature Boy", "Brasilia", "Song Of Praise", "Dear Lord", "The Last Blues", "Living Space", "Dusk Dawn", "Dearly Beloved", "Attaining", "Ascent", "Amen", "Love", "Compassion", "Joy", "Consequences", and "Serenity". CD

Modal Coltrane at its finest – a record that almost returns the great one to the territory explored at the end of his years at Atlantic Records, but which still incorporates all of the new ideas learned afterwards! The album's actually one of the straightest that John Coltrane cut after 1964 – and it features 4 long, beautiful tracks that soar with rhythms from McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones – topped with searing, searching work on tenor and soprano sax from Coltrane! Titles include one of the greatest readings of "Chim Chim Cheree" we've ever heard – a version that remakes the tune almost as a part 2 of "My Favorite Things" – and other titles include "Song of Praise", the classic "Nature Boy" and "Brazilia". The CD features two bonus versions of "Nature Boy", one of them live, and the bonus track "Feelin' Good"! Great stuff, and an album that ranks up there with the best of his work! CD

A compelling exploration into the use of the music of Miles Davis in film – one that begins with a famous French soundtrack from the new wave generation, then moves onto vintage Miles tunes that were used in other movies over the years! The core of the record features Davis' score to the 1957 film Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud – one of our favorite-ever Miles Davis albums – and a stunning soundtrack that began a rich legacy of jazz scores in France! Miles recorded this material during late-night post-gig sessions with a great group that includes French players Barney Wilen, Rene Urtreger, and Pierre Michelot, plus American ex-patriot Kenny Clarke. Wilen's playing is fantastic, and it's great to hear him and Miles together on the score's spooky meandering passages. Alongside that body of work, the CD also features Davis songs that were used in a variety of films from the 70s onward – tracks that weren't written for the films, but which had strong use in movies that include Lenny, Kerouac, Tacones Lejanos, Ginger & Rosa, Talented Mr Ripley, and La Flor De Mi Secreto. These titles include "Saeta", "Blue Haze", "Tempus Fugit", "Well You Needn't", "It Never Entered My Mind", "Nature Boy", "Solea", and "Blue In Green". Also features a selection each by Lenny Bruce and Jack Kerouac! CD

Amazing live documents of Miles Davis and his incredible mid-to-late 60s quintet – Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – complete concert recordings from Antwerp, Copenhagen and Paris on 3CDs seeing release for the first time ever, plus a DVD featuring the only known video footage of this group from the period! CD 1 features material from 10/28/68 in Antwerp, CD 2 on 11/2/67 in Copenhagen and 11/6/67 in Paris, with the latter concert continued on CD 3. This is landmark stuff here – a surprisingly rare opportunity to hear first rate live recordings of legendary material from the ESP, Miles Smiles, Sorcerer and Nefertiti albums – as well as brilliant revisits of vital earlier material. Includes live takes on "Agitation", "Foot Prints", "No Blues", "Gingerbread Boy", "On Green Dolphin Street", "The Theme", "Footprints", "Masqualero", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "Walkin'" and more. The DVD starts with five numbers recorded on 11/7/67 in Karlzruhe, Germany: "Agitation", "Footprints", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "Gingerbread Boy" and "The Theme". It concludes with material in Stockholm on 10/31/67: "Agitation", "Footprints", "'Round Midnight", "Gingerbread Boy" and "The Theme". CD

Miles Smiles, but his grin is a wry one – given the angular energy of the set! The album's a landmark effort from the mid 60s quintet that includes Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams – all of whom work without fail to capture Davis' newly emerging approach to jazz – a style that's touched with some of the light lyricism of the late 50s, but which has much sharper edges overall – and really approaches some of the best "new thing" modes that were going down at labels like Blue Note or Impulse! Many tunes have a subtly spare quality, but nonetheless work with a tremendous amount of power – and titles include a classic version of "Freedom Jazz Dance", a haunting take on Shorter's "Footprints", and the titles "Orbits", "Circle", "Dolores", and "Gingerbread Boy". CD

Miles Smiles, but his grin is a wry one – given the angular energy of the set! The album's a landmark effort from the mid 60s quintet that includes Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams – all of whom work without fail to capture Davis' newly emerging approach to jazz – a style that's touched with some of the light lyricism of the late 50s, but which has much sharper edges overall – and really approaches some of the best "new thing" modes that were going down at labels like Blue Note or Impulse! Many tunes have a subtly spare quality, but nonetheless work with a tremendous amount of power – and titles include a classic version of "Freedom Jazz Dance", a haunting take on Shorter's "Footprints", and the titles "Orbits", "Circle", "Dolores", and "Gingerbread Boy". CD

2 lesser-known sides of Blossom Dearie – both recorded in Paris in the 50s! The first 8 tracks on the set are from a rare 10" session recorded in 1955 – one that features Blossom only at the piano, not singing, but swinging in a solid trio format. Tracks on that session include "The Boy Next Door", "Down In The Depths Of The 90th Floor", "April In Paris", and "Blue Moon". The other 4 tracks on the set are from a 45rpm ep by Blossom's famous vocal group, The Blue Stars. The ensemble featured vocalese performances by young singers that included Christine Legrand, Jeanine De Waleyne, and Fats Sadi – and was the virtual blueprint for later jazz vocal groups, like Les Double Six or The Swingle Singers. Titles from that group include "Toute Ma Joie", "Embrasse Moi Bien", and "Toute Ma Joie". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A fantastic document of a very cool group – one that we're not sure recorded any albums at the time, but who played on Dutch radio, with a lineup that featured some of the hippest cats on the scene at the time! The vibe is a bit like the work of Ruud Bos or Boy's Big Band – a very modern take on large ensemble material – full of life, color, and inventive phrasing – carried off by key soloists who include Ferdinand Povel on tenor, Frans Elsen on piano, Piet Noordijk on alto, Eddie Engels on trumpet, Frans Elsen on guitar, and Herman Schoonderwalt on alto and clarinet! The work is superbly recorded, and the set resonates strongly with the hippest large group material on Saba/MPS at the end of the 60s – very different than the sound of such a group just a few years before, with original material throughout, penned by members of the ensemble. Titles include "Last Moment", "Bluesy Joe", "Hobby Music", "Our Time", "Perka", "Bright Moment", "The Challenger", and "Twenty Four & More". CD

Don Elliott puts down his mellophone and starts to sing – and the results are a surprisingly strong set that's one of his standouts of the 50s! Don's got a limited range, but more than makes up for it with his sense of personality – a mode that's a bit like Jackie Paris or Matt Dennis at the time, with qualities that are quite far from mainstream male pop vocals of the period! Backing is by a core cool combo that includes Billy Byers on trombone and Hal McKusick on alto and flute – and the tunes have a sweet modern quality that's mighty fresh. Titles include "Ooh Baby It Scares Me", "I Hadn't Anyone Til You", "Every Time", "Let's Fall In Love", "Whatever Happened To You", and "Looking For A Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

Warmly wonderful live work from Bill Evans' mid 60s run for Verve – a record that was originally recorded in 1964, but sat in the can until the early 70s – then just quietly issued on the market with a bit less fanfare! That somewhat subtle history shouldn't mark the album, though – as it's a wonderful demonstration of Evans at his lyrical best – working perfectly in a trio with Chuck Israels on bass and Larry Bunker on drums – both players who really share Bill's sense of sound on the set. Titles include "Stella By Starlight", "What Kind Of Fool Am I?", "Round Midnight", "How Deep Is The Ocean", "Nardis", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "How My Heart Sings", and "The Boy Next Door". LP, Vinyl record album

Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass return to the studio just a few years after their initial meeting – once again to work in a stripped-down duet format that's completely sublime! The spare setting is one that Ella never got in the older days – and there's an intimacy here that almost makes it like we're hearing a new singer entirely – one who's not surging over bigger band arrangements, but laying back and singing in a mode that's almost more torchy than we could have ever expected. Pass' guitar is acoustic, and gentle – and titles include "All Too Soon", "One Note Samba", "Rain", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "That Old Feeling", "I've Got The World On A String", and "Nature Boy". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from a really wonderful trio – a group with a sense of space and scope that's completely sublime! We've always loved the piano work of Masabumi Kikuchi, but here he really has this special energy next to the basswork of Gary Peacock – a player who somehow always feels a bit different when he's in a Japanese setting than a more familiar one – a perfect match for the percussion of Masahiko Togashi, who is maybe the freest player on the record at times – and working with that very open, sensitive way he has of handling a drum kit! The recording quality is amazing – all the different elements both separate and together at once – and the whole thing is a real lost treasure from the time, superbly recorded and done with a very timeless quality. This 4CD set brings together everything recorded during these wonderful sessions – some quite long – and titles include "Song In D", "Carla", "Little Abi", "Rambling", "Straight No Chaser", "Moor", "Good Bye", "Peace", "Nature Boy", "Tennessee Waltz", "My Favorite Things", "Summertime", "Begin The Beguine", "Waltz Step", and "Bley's Triad". CD

If you've ever needed a definition of hardbop, this is it! The set's a crack quartet session for Blue Note, recorded in the mid 50s by a young Johnny Griffin – fresh in from Chicago, and playing with tons of fire and loads of imagination! Wynton Kelly's on piano and Max Roach is on drums – and the excitement never stops as the group rolls their way through the tightly-crafted tunes on the set. And don't mistake the session as just a head-blowing album with no creativity – because the whole thing's incredibly precise, and the real charm is the way in which the razor-sharp group manages to twist and turn so deftly – yet still always plays with creative imagination and thoughtful solos! Cuts include "Mil Dew", "Chicago Calling", "These Foolish Things", The Boy Next Door", "Lover Man" and "It's Alright With Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Earl Hines has a very cool trio here – a unique group that features Richard Davis on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – both younger modern players who provide a surprising match for his lead work on piano! Hines really seems to step up to the setting, and although his phrasing and tone echo his older years in jazz, there's also a fresh crackle to the record too – one that may also partly come from the way in which Earl was really being rediscovered and re-exposed at the time of the album's recording. Davis and Jones definitely never try to overdo things, but you can definitely feel their presence at work – particularly Jones, whose percussion on the record is a real delight. Titles include "Stanley Steamer", "Shoe Shine Boy", "Smoke Rings", "Save It Pretty Mama", and "Bernie's Tune". CD

One of the few American albums by Jutta Hipp – a key figure in the German jazz scene of the postwar years, recording here at the Hickory House in New York! The album's a trio date, but it's got more than enough modern energy to warrant inclusion in the Blue Note 1500 series of the 50s – thanks in part to Hipp's forceful, angular approach to the keys of the piano – and also to some great accompaniment from Peter Ind on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums! As usual, Thigpen takes things past any expectations you might have for the trio format – with a great lively touch on the drum kit that keeps the whole proceedings moving nicely. Tracks on this first volume include "These Foolish Things", "Mad About The Boy", "Take Me In Your Arms", "Billie's Bounce", and "Lady Bird". CD