A quintet session led by drummer Billy Drummond – with a great lineup that features Steve Wilson on alto and soprano sax, Steve Nelson on vibes, Renee Rosnes on piano, and Ray Drummond on bass. Rosnes provides three of the compositions and other tracks include Ornette Coleman's "Happy House", Thelonious Monk's "Ruby, My Dear", and Bobby Hutcherson's "8/4 Beat". CD

Jazzy keyboards from the great Rob Franken – maybe one of the hippest cats on the Dutch scene of the 70s when it came to the Fender Rhodes! Rob's a master of the instrument here – playing it jazzily, but also with this open flow that's really wonderful – and which really makes the best use of the instrument's potential, and doesn't drown it in too much jamming, which could sometimes be the case with other European musicians who handled the instrument! Instead, Franken lets the space between the notes do as much as the notes themselves – which really keeps things soulful throughout – as he works with musicians who include Ferdinand Povel on flute and tenor, Jiggs Whigham on trombone, Joop Scholten on guitar, Jan Huydts on keyboards – plus the great team of John Lee and Gerry Brown on rhythm on one cut – a fantastic remake of their "Her Celestial Body", which they did on one of their 70s albums for Blue Note. Titles include "Por Hermeto", "How'd You Do It Stanley", "Images", "November", "Up The Street Round the Corner Down The Block", "Afro Blue", and "Colours". (Sound Library, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing package of rare work on Fender Rhodes – a 3CD set that brings together six full albums that were recorded in the 70s, but never saw the light of day until vinyl issued in recent years! Pianist Rob Franken is totally great – maybe one of the hippest cats on the Dutch scene of the 70s when it came to the Fender Rhodes! Rob's a master of the instrument here – playing it jazzily, but also with this open flow that's really wonderful – and which really makes the best use of the instrument's potential, and doesn't drown it in too much jamming, which could sometimes be the case with other European musicians who handled the instrument! Instead, Franken lets the space between the notes do as much as the notes themselves – which really keeps things soulful throughout – and although most of the cuts feature an augmented trio, sometimes with added percussion or keyboards – a few of the tracks feature Ferdinand Povel on flute and tenor, and Jiggs Whigham on trombone. But even without the horns, the keys are more than enough – as they step out and soar on a whopping 70 tracks in all – including a few bonus tracks too! (Sound Library, Jazz) CD

A really great moment in the career of the Finnish saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen – a player who'd been making huge waves on his local scene in the 70s, and finally got the chance to record this date in New York during the following decade! Eero is wonderful throughout – a masterful leader who really brings out a special spirit in the group – a stellar lineup of all-star American players, with Tom Harrell on trumpet, John Scofield on guitar, Jim McNeely on piano, Ron McClure on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! Even if you know work from these other players, the sound here is quite different – much more the boldness that we know from Koivistoinen's 70s material, given new expression by these musicians. All tunes are originals by Eero – and titles include "Second Thought", "Kindergarten", "Patana", and "Linewriting". Features bonus tracks – "Sunburst", "Artic Blues", "Algo Fresco", "Second Thought (alt)", and "Patana (alt)". LP, Vinyl record album

With Gary Bartz on sacophone. CD

You might know the music of keyboardist Tonu Naisso from his work in jazz, but here the approach is slightly different – still jazz-based, but with the more compact approach of vintage sound library work – as Tonu serves up a dozen great instrumentals, all with a range of excellent keyboard styles! The music's not canned, but performed by a live group – one that includes excellent saxes and flute from Markus Holkko, whose edges and inflections really open up the sound next to the electric work from the leader – given rhythms that are both cosmic and funky from Aleksi Heinola on drums and Temu Akerblom on bass. Titles include "Hello Sunshine", "Matsi Mari", "Dangerous Dance", "Cabrera Sundown", "Pacific Breeze", "Shapes & Colours", "Urban Life", and "Pocket Galaxy". LP, Vinyl record album

Native Colours is Ralph Moore on saxophones, Renee Rosnes on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

3 ECM treats from bassist Eberhard Weber – packaged in a single set! First up is Yellow Fields – a record with great soprano sax from Charlie Mariano, who also plays shenai and nagaswaram too – plus keyboards from Rainer Brunighaus and drums from Jon Christensen – on titles that include "Touch", "Left Lane", "Yellow Fields", and "Sand Glass". Next is Silent Feet – a set that features soprano and sax from Charlie Mariano, plus piano and keyboards from Rainer Brunighaus, and drums from John Marshall – on titles that include "Eyes That Can See In The Dark", "Seriously Deep", and "Silent Feet". Last up is Little Movements, from 1980 – a set that again has Weber working with great reeds from Charlie Mariano – alongside keyboards from Rainer Brunighaus and drums from John Marshall, who also plays percussion too. Titles include "Bali", "A Dark Spell", "The Last Stage Of A Long Journey", and "No Trees He Said". Mariano really gives the records a nice bite – a bit more than usual for ECM! CD

With Weber on bass, cello, and ocarina, Rainer Bruninghaus on piano and synthesizer, Peter Giger and Ralf Hubner on drums and percussion, and Ack Van Rooyen on flugelhorn. CD

The colors here are plenty darn funky – a rich array of amazing sounds from the archives of Golden Ring and Happy Records – two rare German sound library labels! The records may be rare, but they've got an instant appeal – especially if you're a fan of funky soundtrack work from the late 60s and early 70s – sounds and styles from folks like Lalo Schifrin or Quincy Jones, who both would be a good starting point in comparison to these grooves! There's a few key tracks here from Peter Thomas – one of our favorite German composers of the time – and other numbers are by funky drummer Klaus Weiss, plus some lesser-known cats who groove equally well. Titles include "Flash Point" and "Power Boost" by Peter Thomas, "Porto Allegre" and "Beach Bunny" by Juan Demonio, "Bubble & Squeak" by Elmar Steingarden, "Explorer" and "Space Drums" by Klaus Weiss, "Satin Eyes" by Mladen Franco, "Again Please" by Al Tacoma, "Get Across" by Ken Aldin, "Rock City" by Harry Winkler, "Blue Riff" by Peter Mellini, "Night Clipper" by Peter Look, and "Easy Action" by Peter Thomas. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Features a 1965 recording with English trumpeter Freddy Randall, plus 4 tracks from a 1954 date with the Pee Wee Russell sextet. CD

Johnny Griffin on tenor saxophone, Kenny Drew on piano, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert "Tootie" Heath on drums. CD

One of Gary Burton's more free-flowing albums of the 70s – a bit more fusion than some of his other work of the time, with key guitar contributions from Mick Goodrick and a young Pat Metheney! The album's still filled with plenty of Burton's great work on vibes, but the guitars also soar out strongly too – bringing in a sense of pulse that's matched by the basses of Steve Swallow and Eberhard Weber, and percussion by Bob Moses. The groove's still a bit softer-edged than traditional fusion sides of the time – thanks to a mellower ECM approach – but there's also a bit more dynamic energy on some of the tracks than you might be used to hearing from the label. Titles include "Silent Spring", "The Colours Of Chloe", "Intrude", "Unfinished Symphony", "Tunnel Of Love", and "Mevlevia". CD

One of Gary Burton's more free-flowing albums of the 70s – a bit more fusion than some of his other work of the time, with key guitar contributions from Mick Goodrick and a young Pat Metheney! The album's still filled with plenty of Burton's great work on vibes, but the guitars also soar out strongly too – bringing in a sense of pulse that's matched by the basses of Steve Swallow and Eberhard Weber, and percussion by Bob Moses. The groove's still a bit softer-edged than traditional fusion sides of the time – thanks to a mellower ECM approach – but there's also a bit more dynamic energy on some of the tracks than you might be used to hearing from the label. Titles include "Silent Spring", "The Colours Of Chloe", "Intrude", "Unfinished Symphony", "Tunnel Of Love", and "Mevlevia". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the coolest recordings ever made by the legendary Jo Jones – two albums that were initially presented almost as jazz instruction material, but which more than stand strongly on their own as solo drum session! Jones is already a well-known force in jazz – but hearing him like this, you'll be even more surprised at his talents – as the recordings not only feature Jo working through a huge amount of rhythms and changes, but also performing tributes to some of his favorite jazz drummers in the second half of the set! Many numbers feature spoken introductions by Jones, and the whole thing almost feels like some intimate session – but the strength of his performance is tremendous, and the lack of other instruments really let you hear that amazing way that Jo had of working all over the space of the drum kit. Titles include "Latin Rhythms", "Drum Solo No 1", "Basics Gadgets Effects", "Baby Dodds", "Making Changes", "Colours", "Chick Webb", "Baby Lovett", "Walter Johnson", "Sonny Greer", "Unnamed Drummer From St Louis", and "Rim Shots/Tom Tom". CD

One of the grooviest albums we've ever heard from West Indian trumpeter Shake Keane – a player who's known both for his modern jazz work of the early 60s and his poppier sides of later years – but who's stepping out here in a great blend of both! The format is misleadingly simple, as many of the tracks on the set are 60s covers – making you think that Shake's just going for an easy groove – but amidst the more familiar numbers are also some key originals that step out in an oddly rhythmic way, and which get some unusual inflections from a group that includes either Stan Tracey or Pat Smythe on piano, Bob Efford on tenor and oboe, Coleridge Goode on bass, and Bobby Orr on drums. Shake himself plays flugelhorn on a number of tracks, in a way that evokes some of Art Farmer's excellent Columbia work of the mid 60s – which is also in a similar mode – and although the feel is bright on some tracks, it also has an underlying depth that's extremely compelling – a mix of sweet and dark that we really like. Highlights include the piano-grooving "Fidel", which has some excellent offbeat work from Tracey; a lightly tripping take on Joe Harriott's "Morning Blue"; and the beautifully thematic "New Sunday". Other tracks include "As Tears Go By", "Colours", "Girl", and "Downtown". CD

Brilliant work from Austrian saxophonist Hans Koller – one of his most striking sessions of the 60s, and an incredibly rare one too! The material here was originally recorded for a sound library session, but is 60s modern jazz at its best – with Koller on tenor, working in a quartet that includes Fritz Pauer on piano. Most tunes have an angular, rhythmic sort of feel – dancing out in a groove that's often missing from some of Koller's other work – in a style that seems to really push him on his solos, getting the most out of his incredible tone and phrasing, without succumbing to any sort of overdone experimentalism. Titles include "Mingus Privat", "Hommage A Soulages", "Ruth", "Call Me Eric", "Ronnie & Anne", and "Don't Forget Oscar". CD

Fantastic work from bassist Gunter Lenz – a set with maybe a jokey title, but a heck of a lot of power underneath – one of those overlooked German jazz gems from a very special time in the scene! The players here are aware of the farther reaches of jazz, yet work together with more inside stile – yet always with a sensibility that there's a much broader frontier that informs their music! The lineup features Frank St Peter on alto and flute, Lesek Zadlo on tenor and soprano, Johannes Faber on trumpet, Bob Degen on piano, and the great Joe Nay on drums – and titles include "Speed Freak", "Children Of The Night", "The Bear Is Gone", and "Do Not Tear The Posters Down". CD

Incredible early work from one of Germany's greatest modernists – one of the key records that showed the world that German jazz was way more than just a rehashing of American modes in the postwar years! This rare 1963 recording features the quintet of trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – a groundbreaking unit that includes tenorist Heinz Sauer, altoist Gunter Kronberg, bassist Gunter Lenz, and drummer Ralf Hubner – a fantastic combo that comes together in a stark modernist groove that's right up there with the best work of Ornette Coleman or Joe Harriott from the time – very rhythmic, in ways that offset the freedom of the horn solos beautifully – letting the saxes and trombones soar, while the bass and drums lock into a tight groove. The no-piano, three-horn frontline is incredibly strong – bracing and powerful, but never in a way that's too cold or modern, thanks to an inherent sense of soul in allt he players. Titles include "Varie", "Ballade Fur Jessica Rose", "Club Trois", "Set Em Up", and "Tension". CD

Beautifully introspective work from reedman Emil Mangelsdorff – material that's very different than the sounds he was bringing to the German jazz scene in his youth, and which showcase the mature command he developed over his instruments during the passage of time! The record features material recorded almost a decade apart, but still with a nicely unified vibe – four later tracks that have Mangelsdorff soloing in these tracks that really demonstrate his growing sense of tone – balanced with earlier material that features some slightly different smaller groupings – three trio numbers with Jo Flinner on piano and Gerhard Bitter on bass, and four more with the great Attila Zoller on guitar. Mangelsdorff blows soprano, alto, and flute – and titles include "Phrygian Summer", "Corrina", "Joanne", "After The Snow", "Mezzanine Floor", "Stiner", "Ember", and "Songe Ma Belle". CD

A really great variation on the trio format in jazz – one that features the really unusual combination of the tenor of Heinz Sauer, piano of Peter Reiter, and vibes of Fritz Hartschuh – the last of whom is a really unique player who brings a heck of a lot to the session! Fritz has a sound on his instrument that's maybe a bit more metallic than most – less chromatic chords than more pointed notes, which are balanced by warmer piano lines from Reiter – then given all these wonderful edges through the inventive phrasing of Sauer on tenor – in a set that's maybe the best sort of showcase for the special, understated genius he could bring to his best recordings. Titles include "The Narrator", "Don't Explain", "Glasscodes", "Round Midnight", "Sui Me", and "Tide Edit". CD