One of the greatest solo albums ever issued by Latin jazz trumpeter Luis Gasca – a set that really expands on his debut for Atlantic Records, and which brings in a whole host of early 70s west coast Latin influences! The style here is very laidback and open – a bit like some of the Chicano funk coming out of the LA scene at the time, but a fair bit more jazz oriented overall – with long lean solos from both Gasca on trumpet and Joe Henderson on tenor sax, set up in a half-electric set of rhythms laid out on guitar, organ, keyboards, bass, and plenty of percussion! Other players here are all top-shelf too – and include Carlos Santana, George Cables, Stanley Clarke, Coke Escovedo, and Lenny White. The album features 4 long tracks – "Spanish Gypsy", "Street Dude", "La Raza", and "Little Mama". CD

God, we love this record – and we're not ashamed to admit it! Sure, it sold a gazillion copies – and sure, for some folks it showed the true demise of the Crusaders ensemble. But for us, it's a masterpiece of smooth fusion, and a landmark album of easy jazz that spawned countless imitators that could never hope to match Sample's simple and elegant use of funky riffing and lyrical chords – coming in with just the right dash of darkness when the record's in danger of sounding too light. Most of the rest of the Crusaders had a hand in the record, and the set's got the smooth west coast sound you'd expect from the title. Tracks include "Carmel", "Cannery Row", "Sunrise", and "More Beautiful Each Day". CD

Jimmy Smith on organ, Russell Malone on guitar, Reggie McBride on bass, and Harvey Mason on drums – plus guest vocals from Etta James and Dr. John, as well as guitar and vocals from BB King and Taj Mahal. CD

A very groovy set from guitar genius Gabor Szabo – one that features all those cool tones and elements he'd developed on his late 60s albums for Impulse and Skye Records, given a tighter LA groove here, with almost an A&M Records vibe! There's loads of great solos throughout, played in a combo that also features Lynn Blessing on vibes, Richard Thompson and Nick DeCaro on keyboards, and Sandra Crouch on percussion – all set to some backings handled by DeCaro, who really helps shape the sound of the set! The tunes are a really nice mix of material – and while this might not be Gabor's most way-out album, it's still full of lots of his great groovy guitar – on titles that include "Love Theme From Spartacus", "Country Illusion", "Sombrero Sam", "Lady With Child", "Pretty Girl Why", "Hum A Song", "Magical Connection", and "Fred & Betty". CD

Tight funky grooves from the jamband underground – one of the strongest albums of this type to come out in years! Stanton Moore's at the head of a small all-star combo that includes Skerik and Karl Denson on sax, Brian Seeger on guitar, and Chris Wood on bass – and Stanton's work on drums is excellent, dancing around the kit with a fantastic flourish, jamming the groove in just the right way to bring out the freest funkiest work in the two-sax frontline. The rhythms are a mix of Bay Area funk, New Orleans soul, and a bit of classic soul jazz – and the production of the set is excellent, nicely stripped down and spare, despite the major label status of the record, which often means a bit too much muddling around in the mix! Titles include "Let's Go", "Tang The Hump", "Launcho Diablo", "Prairie Sunset", "Things Fall Apart", and "Hunch". (Deep Funk, Jazz) CD

A reworked vision of Blue Note Records for the 90s – put together by Bob Belden, and featuring some excellent remakes of classics from the Blue Note songbook! Each tune has a slightly different flavor – and all work is played by the best artists of the then-revived label – a great way of showing the new talent Blue Note discovered, the old talent it helped bring back, and the rich legacy of sound they were still capable of sending forth! Titles include "Blue Train" by Greg Osby, "Evidence" by Ron Carter & TS Monk, "Maiden Voyage" by Dianne Reeves & Geri Allen, "Un Poco Loco" by Jacky Terrasson, "Tom Thumb" by John Scofield, "Una Mas" by Eliane Elias, "Song For My Father" by Rene Rosnes, "Recado Bossa Nova" by Gonzalo Rubalcaba, "Tanganyika Dance" by Kurt Elling, and "Alligator Boogaloo" by Junko Onishi & Freddie Hubbard. CD

A reworked vision of Blue Note Records for the 90s – put together by Bob Belden, and featuring some excellent remakes of classics from the Blue Note songbook! Each tune has a slightly different flavor – and all work is played by the best artists of the then-revived label – a great way of showing the new talent Blue Note discovered, the old talent it helped bring back, and the rich legacy of sound they were still capable of sending forth! Titles include "Blue Train" by Greg Osby, "Evidence" by Ron Carter & TS Monk, "Maiden Voyage" by Dianne Reeves & Geri Allen, "Un Poco Loco" by Jacky Terrasson, "Tom Thumb" by John Scofield, "Una Mas" by Eliane Elias, "Song For My Father" by Rene Rosnes, "Recado Bossa Nova" by Gonzalo Rubalcaba, "Tanganyika Dance" by Kurt Elling, and "Alligator Boogaloo" by Junko Onishi & Freddie Hubbard. CD

A great recent album on Blue Note, and one that's an incredibly loving hommage to the label's great history. The group features Greg Osby on alto, Mark Shim on tenor, Stefon Harris on vibes, and Jason Moran on piano – and the four of them play together in a tight, soulful style that brings back memories of some of Blue Note's best mid 60s recordings. It's no surprise that the group runs through some of the better known cuts from the label's earlier years – like "Theme From Blow Up", "No Room For Squares", "Tom Thumb", "Ping Pong", and "Song For My Father" – but the mix of vibes and horns also transforms the sound into something new and fresh, and keeps the album from being just a rehash of old stuff. Quite nice, and nice and long! CD

A seminal album from this genius tenorist – a classic session from the late 60s that has Wayne Shorter pushing into a searching, spiritual groove, but one that's still filled with all the taught electricity of his earlier recordings on Blue Note! Shorter's accompanied by youthful modernists like James Spaulding on alto, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – plus the mighty Curtis Fuller on trombone, whose instrument here proves to be the same key extra ingredient that it was on the best Art Blakey sextet sessions of the 60s – bringing some deeper currents to the album that are completely sublime! There's a tight, soulful feel here that's sublime – an Adams Apple sort of groove, but a bit fuller – and titles include the classic "Tom Thumb", plus "Playground", "Schizophrenia", "Kryptonite", "Miyako", and "Go". CD

One of the first albums from guitarist Kenny Burrell as a leader – a date that has him working with players from his hometown scene in Detroit – in case you couldn't guess from the title! Kenny's style here is a bit different than on the Blue Note dates of the time – almost a bit more personal, and leaner – which is a surprise, given the usual heavier feel of a Savoy session. Other players include Pepper Adams on baritone, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – and before you complain, we know that not all of these guys are from Detroit – but that's the way they titled the thing, so you'll have to write to the label! Adams is a bit down in the mix, so he never over-dominates Burrell's tone – but he still gets plenty of space to sparkle on his solos, working with those sharp edges that make his Savoy appearances so great. Titles include "Your Host", "Afternoon In Paris", "Apothegh", "Cottontail", and "Tom's Thumb". CD

A brilliant record by Sun Ra & The Arkestra – and an album that forever gave them a slogan to live by! The record's different than some of the other Arkestra work from the time – in that it's a bit tighter and more spiritual, more in keeping with the style of the Blue Thumb label, for which it was recorded – and soaring along on a wave of post-Coltrane spiritual jazz enthusiasm. Side one features the ultimate recording of "Space Is The Place" – an anthemic tune that blends chanting, modal rhythms, and some incredibly soulful solo work – making for one of the Arkestra's most perfectly realized tunes! That gem runs for over 20 minutes – and other shorter tracks on the album include "Discipline", "Images", "Sea Of Sound", and "Rocket Number Nine". CD

A seminal album from this genius tenorist – a classic session from the late 60s that has Wayne Shorter pushing into a searching, spiritual groove, but one that's still filled with all the taught electricity of his earlier recordings on Blue Note! Shorter's accompanied by youthful modernists like James Spaulding on alto, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – plus the mighty Curtis Fuller on trombone, whose instrument here proves to be the same key extra ingredient that it was on the best Art Blakey sextet sessions of the 60s – bringing some deeper currents to the album that are completely sublime! There's a tight, soulful feel here that's sublime – an Adams Apple sort of groove, but a bit fuller – and titles include the classic "Tom Thumb", plus "Playground", "Schizophrenia", "Kryptonite", "Miyako", and "Go". CD

A brilliant record by Sun Ra & The Arkestra – and an album that forever gave them a slogan to live by! The record's different than some of the other Arkestra work from the time – in that it's a bit tighter and more spiritual, more in keeping with the style of the Blue Thumb label, for which it was recorded – and soaring along on a wave of post-Coltrane spiritual jazz enthusiasm. Side one features the ultimate recording of "Space Is The Place" – an anthemic tune that blends chanting, modal rhythms, and some incredibly soulful solo work – making for one of the Arkestra's most perfectly realized tunes! That gem runs for over 20 minutes – and other shorter tracks on the album include "Discipline", "Images", "Sea Of Sound", and "Rocket Number Nine". CD

Titles include "Speak No Evil", "Tom Thumb", "Lost", "Adam's Apple", "Footprints", and "Infant Eyes". CD

A hard-to-find gem from funky pianist Bobby Timmons – a non-trio session recorded in the mid 60s for Prestige, and featuring some especially great work from Wayne Shorter on tenor! Shorter's appearance here is a real anomaly – especially since we can't recall another Prestige appearance from the time – but his presence really adds a lot to the record, bringing in some dark tones and sharp edges that are a perfect match for the growing complexity of Timmons' work on the keys of the piano! The sound's a bit soul jazz, but also has more of the modern edges you'd hear in Shorter's Blue Note sides – and the rest of the quartet features Ron Carter on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Titles include a great version of Shorter's "Tom Thumb", plus "Cut Me Loose Charlie", "Ein Bahn Strasse", "Tenaj", and "Damned If I Know". CD

A beautifully earthy performance – and a set that not only has the three members of the trio on their trademark instruments, but also picking up a wide range of other elements too! Joe Morris is perhaps the most striking here – as in addition to guitar, he also uses banjo, fiddle, bass, banjouke, pocket trumpet, and even a bit of whistles – a sonic sense of variety that's matched by Parker's use of shakuhachi, sintir, n'goni, and thumb piano – all instruments that he plays with the same deeply spiritual currents of his work on bass! Hamid Drake sticks mostly to percussion – a range of drums, cymbals, and gongs – but overall, his performance feels as open and organic as the others – far beyond both standard and free jazz, into a mode that almost works in some ethnographic currents as well. The whole record's as poetic as the title – and tracks include "Profound Branches", "The Sky Was Purple Blue", "Energy Of Patience", "The Rhythm Of Butterflies", "Endless Galaxies", and "Grass Beneath The Cracked Shells". CD

One of the first albums from guitarist Kenny Burrell as a leader – a date that has him working with players from his hometown scene in Detroit – in case you couldn't guess from the title! Kenny's style here is a bit different than on the Blue Note dates of the time – almost a bit more personal, and leaner – which is a surprise, given the usual heavier feel of a Savoy session. Other players include Pepper Adams on baritone, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – and before you complain, we know that not all of these guys are from Detroit – but that's the way they titled the thing, so you'll have to write to the label! Adams is a bit down in the mix, so he never over-dominates Burrell's tone – but he still gets plenty of space to sparkle on his solos, working with those sharp edges that make his Savoy appearances so great. Titles include "Your Host", "Afternoon In Paris", "Apothegh", "Cottontail", and "Tom's Thumb". CD