Notable sidemen include Pierre Michelot, Kenny Clarke, Barney Wilen, Jimmy Gourley, and Clark Terry. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Zoot Sims albums of the 60s – a very smoking live set, recorded in the UK with a hip British rhythm section! Zoot's blowing in front of the Stan Tracy trio – a group led by pianist Tracy, with a style that was every bit as swinging as it was modern and fresh. The style makes for a very different approach than some of Sims' American albums of the time – a bit more edgey, with tracks that cut into the groove in unusual ways. Ronnie Scott and Jimmy Deuchar join the group for one track – "Desperation" – and other titles include "Love For Sale", "Autumn Leaves", "Somebody Loves Me", and "Gone With The Wind". CD

One of the greatest Zoot Sims albums of the 60s – a very smoking live set, recorded in the UK with a hip British rhythm section! Zoot's blowing in front of the Stan Tracy trio – a group led by pianist Tracy, with a style that was every bit as swinging as it was modern and fresh. The style makes for a very different approach than some of Sims' American albums of the time – a bit more edgey, with tracks that cut into the groove in unusual ways. Ronnie Scott and Jimmy Deuchar join the group for one track – "Desperation" – and other titles include "Love For Sale", "Autumn Leaves", "Somebody Loves Me", and "Gone With The Wind". CD

Some of the greatest albums that Hammond organist Jimmy Smith issued at the start of the 60s – all records that completely cemented the role of the organ in jazz – and took the instrument out of the realm of back rooms and jukeboxes! That's not to say that the music here wouldn't play great on a jukebox, as some of the cuts here were issued by Blue Note as 45rpm singles, and went on to get a fair bit of organ play – but they're also mixed with longer cuts that really have Smith opening up on the Hammond – showing the world why his skills on the keys were so different than most that came before him! All the records here feature tight small combo backing – not the larger arrangements that Jimmy would later use at the Verve label – and the set features all albums in original artwork, in LP-styled sleeves – and includes the records Home Cookin, Crazy Baby, Midnight Special, Back At The Chicken Shack, and Softly As In A Summer Breeze! CD

One of the key classics from the Jimmy Smith years at Blue Note Records – a really groundbreaking time for the Hammond organ in jazz, as Jimmy helped take it from backrooms in bars to center stage of jazz with a record like this! The album's about as iconic as you can get for Jimmy at the label – from the fantastic cover image, to the well-crafted tunes – many of which are shorter than some of Smith's earlier jam session-styled work, and help forge a bridge between soul jazz and the emerging soul instrumental sound of the early 60s. The album features some excellent work from the obscure Percy France on tenor on most of the tracks – a player we only know from a handful of dates – next to other quartet members who include Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. Titles include "Sugar Hill", "I Got A Woman", "Motoring Along", "Gracie", and "Messin Around". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the key classics from the Jimmy Smith years at Blue Note Records – a really groundbreaking time for the Hammond organ in jazz, as Jimmy helped take it from backrooms in bars to center stage of jazz with a record like this! The album's about as iconic as you can get for Jimmy at the label – from the fantastic cover image, to the well-crafted tunes – many of which are shorter than some of Smith's earlier jam session-styled work, and help forge a bridge between soul jazz and the emerging soul instrumental sound of the early 60s. The album features some excellent work from the obscure Percy France on tenor on most of the tracks – a player we only know from a handful of dates – next to other quartet members who include Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. Titles include "Sugar Hill", "I Got A Woman", "Motoring Along", "Gracie", and "Messin Around". CD features 5 previously unissued bonus tracks! CD

One of the key classics from the Jimmy Smith years at Blue Note Records – a really groundbreaking time for the Hammond organ in jazz, as Jimmy helped take it from backrooms in bars to center stage of jazz with a record like this! The album's about as iconic as you can get for Jimmy at the label – from the fantastic cover image, to the well-crafted tunes – many of which are shorter than some of Smith's earlier jam session-styled work, and help forge a bridge between soul jazz and the emerging soul instrumental sound of the early 60s. The album features some excellent work from the obscure Percy France on tenor on most of the tracks – a player we only know from a handful of dates – next to other quartet members who include Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. Titles include "Sugar Hill", "I Got A Woman", "Motoring Along", "Gracie", and "Messin Around". LP, Vinyl record album

CD features 5 bonus tracks too – alternate takes of 2 tracks on the album, plus "Apostrophe", "Groanin", and "Since I Fell For You". CD

With Chris Gestrin on piano. CD

A driver it is – one of Buddy's best jazz records from the 60s, with a straight lineup that includes Seldon Powell on tenor and Mike Mainieri on vibes – both of whom give the set a cool feel that's somewhere in between Buddy's swinging work of the 50s, and his groovier late 60s sides. There's loads of nice little tracks on the record – many written by Ernie Wilkins, who also arranged the set – and titles include "Brainwashed", "Big Leg Mary", "Bloody Mary", and "Miss Bessie's Cookin". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice record from Ruiz and one that really combines jazz elements with a Latin sound. Ruiz composed and arranged the songs on the record and plays piano as well. His ensemble consists of such players as Lew Soloff on trumpet, Steve Turre on trombone & seashells, Sam Rivers on flute and tenor & soprano sax, Russell Blake on electric bass and Ignacio Berroa on drums, plus others. The tracks include "Home Cookin", "Puerto Rican Children", "Four West", "Something Grand", "Sunrise Over Madarao", and "One Step Ahead". LP, Vinyl record album

12 Blue Note classics including "Sister Sadie", "Peace", "Cookin At The Continental", "Opus De Funk", "Room 608", "Senor Blues", "The Preacher", "Cool Eyes", and "Doodlin". 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 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". LP, Vinyl record album

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 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 great small club date from Ben Webster – different than some of his European concerts of his final years, in that this one was done at a lounge in Rhode Island, and maybe has a bit more bite and focus overall! The tracks are short, and Webster gets superb rhythm accompaniment from the trio of Junior Mance on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums – who really come out swinging, and push Ben to take some of his boldest solos of the period – plenty of bite throughout, and a fire that you don't always hear on his other 60s recordings. Titles include "Cookin For T", "Sunday", "Pennies From Heaven", "How Long Has This Been Going On", and "Gone With The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

Shoutin is right – as the album's a wailer all the way through, one of the few jazz albums cut by Texas tenor giant Don Wilkerson – best known to crowds at the time for his work with the Ray Charles group, but really stepping out here in a different way for Blue Note! The album has Don blowing in a freely gutsy style – working with a crack soul jazz quartet that includes Grant Green on guitar, John Patton on organ, and Ben Dixon on drums – all key players that help Wilkerson get past any of the hoke of the Ray Charles sound, and into a groove that's made the record a standout Blue Note classic for years! Tracks are all longish, and titles include "Blues For J", "Cookin With Clarence", "Movin Out", "Happy John", and "Sweet Cakes". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from one of the most dynamic Japanese pianists of the 70s – a player who's straighter than some of his contemporaries, but also has a very soulful swing as well! Tsuyoshi Yamamoto really opens up in a live setting – and concert dates like this represent some of his best work ever – a really open, flowing format that has Yamamoto moving in territory that's a bit like Oscar Peterson at his live best – but which also allows for a bit more of the free play that Japanese trios of the time were hitting. The group features excellent work on bass from Akira Daiyoshi and drums from Shinji Mori – and titles include "Like Someone In Love", "Cookin The Blues", "Summertime", and "The Way You Look Tonight". CD

A massive overview of work from the Barcelona scene of the mid 20th century – most of it music we'd never heard before! The package was done in conjunction with the book of the same name – and it's divided up into 3 different sections – trad jazz from the 20s and 30s, mainstream jazz from the years after the Spanish Civil War, and modern jazz from the late 50s and early 60s! That last segment is our favorite here – as you might guess – and the CD features rare early material from pianist Tete Montoliu, often in groups with horn players, plus other tracks from saxophonist Mantequilla. Modern titles include "The High & The Mighty", "Bernie's Tune", "Delaunay's Dream", "Home Cookin", and "Laverne Walk" by Montoliu; and "Blue Note", "Vat 69", "Balada", "Whisky Jazz", and "La Tuna Club" by Mantequilla. Trad jazz CD features a total of 27 tracks by assorted groups – and "posguerra" CD features an additional 31, mostly from the 40s and early 50s. CD

A rare non-Blue Note date as a leader from bassist Paul Chambers – and one of his hardest cooking dates in the studio! The session breaks out a bit from some of Chambers' more concept-based work of the time – and has him opening up strongly with an all-star group that includes Cannonball Adderley on alto sax, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Wynton Kelly on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The setting's a bit loose, almost a blowing session – and Chambers holds it together perfectly, almost acting as more of a sideman on the session, and letting the bigger-name soloists get plenty of space to do their thing! One of the all-time Vee Jay jazz classics – with titles that include "Just Friends", "I Got Rhythm", "Ease It", "Awful Mean", and "Julie Ann". The CD's a 2CD set – and includes the original album; tracks that were recorded at the same time, but not issued on the album; and a full set of alternate takes! CD

Some of the most cooking work of the 70s from Dexter Gordon – and that's saying a lot, given all his overseas sessions and late-life work for Columbia Records! The format here is different than both of those, though – in that it's both a sharp hardbop set, with a real back-to-basics vibe – but also one that has much more of an overall group feel, instead of some of the longer-form solo vehicles that Gordon recorded for Steeplechase Records. There's definitely a blowing session vibe – tracks are long, and there's multiple soloists who each get extended time in the spotlight – but there's also a careful sense of structure, brought to the record no doubt by producer Don Schlitten – who'd handled classic dates in the past for Prestige. The group features both Gordon and Al Cohn on tenors, Blue Mitchell and Sam Noto on trumpets, Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – a hell of a lineup that really makes magic on "Lady Bird", "How Deep Is The Ocean", and "True Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most cooking work of the 70s from Dexter Gordon – and that's saying a lot, given all his overseas sessions and late-life work for Columbia Records! The format here is different than both of those, though – in that it's both a sharp hardbop set, with a real back-to-basics vibe – but also one that has much more of an overall group feel, instead of some of the longer-form solo vehicles that Gordon recorded for Steeplechase Records. There's definitely a blowing session vibe – tracks are long, and there's multiple soloists who each get extended time in the spotlight – but there's also a careful sense of structure, brought to the record no doubt by producer Don Schlitten – who'd handled classic dates in the past for Prestige. The group features both Gordon and Al Cohn on tenors, Blue Mitchell and Sam Noto on trumpets, Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – a hell of a lineup that really makes magic on "Lady Bird", "How Deep Is The Ocean", "True Blue", "On The Trail", "Allen's Alley", and "Silver Blue". CD

Some of the most cooking work of the 70s from Dexter Gordon – and that's saying a lot, given all his overseas sessions and late-life work for Columbia Records! The format here is different than both of those, though – in that it's both a sharp hardbop set, with a real back-to-basics vibe – but also one that has much more of an overall group feel, instead of some of the longer-form solo vehicles that Gordon recorded for Steeplechase Records. There's definitely a blowing session vibe – tracks are long, and there's multiple soloists who each get extended time in the spotlight – but there's also a careful sense of structure, brought to the record no doubt by producer Don Schlitten – who'd handled classic dates in the past for Prestige. The group features both Gordon and Al Cohn on tenors, Blue Mitchell and Sam Noto on trumpets, Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – a hell of a lineup that really makes magic on "On The Trail", "Allen's Alley", and "Silver Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

The music of Richard Rodgers – swung beautifully by tenorist George Coleman – blowing in that clear, strong, soulful style we love so much! The rhythm section is great – a cooking lineup that features Harold Mabern on piano, Jamil Nasser on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – the three of whom really help keep things right on the money throughout! George opens up with some beautifully-blown solos – and titles include "Bewitched", "Falling In Love With Love", "My Funny Valentine", "Thou Swell", and "I Could Write A Book". CD

Important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", and "Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

Important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", and "Dawn" – plus two alternate takes and the cut "Doughnuts". CD

Important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", and "Dawn". CD

Important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", and "Dawn" – and the CD features the previously unissued "Doughnuts", plus alternate takes of "Faces & Places" and "European Echoes". CD

Important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Snowflakes & Sunshine", "Morning Song", "The Riddle", and "Antiques". CD

Important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Snowflakes & Sunshine", "Morning Song", "The Riddle", and "Antiques" – and the CD features 3 bonus alternate takes! CD

A tremendous package of work from Ornette Coleman – five albums issued under his own name, and one collaboration with Jackie McLean too! First up are At The Golden Circle Vols 1 & 2 – important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Snowflakes & Sunshine", "Morning Song", "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", "Dawn", "The Riddle", and "Antiques". Next is Empty Foxhole – one of our favorite Ornette Coleman albums of the post-Atlantic 60s years – a set that still hangs onto some of the bold rhythmic conception of his previous records, but also points the way towards his freer jazz modes to come! The group's a trio – with really tremendous work from Charlie Haden on bass, able to match Coleman's energy with effortless ease, and really getting a lot of room to leave his mark on the music – plus the very young (10!) Denardo Coleman, who plays drums here with this stark, simple style that's not only completely unique, but which also leaves a lot of open room left for Haden and Ornette to really stretch out. Ornette plays his usual alto, plus trumpet and violin – and titles include "Good Old Days", "The Empty Foxhole", "Zig Zag", and "Freeway Express". Next is New York Is Now – a pretty bold statement from saxophonist Ornette Coleman, but one that definitely shows his shift in role – from a major force on the LA underground of the early 60s, to an artist who was helping pave the way for a huge wave of growth on the New York downtown scene in years to come! Ornette's at his most late 60s unbridled here – freer than before, and working with a lineup that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – still no piano at all – plus great work from Dewey Redman on tenor, who really burst into new prominence with this album. Ornette plays a bit of violin alongside alto sax – and tracks include "Toy Dance", "Round Trip", "Broad Way Blues", and "We Now Interrupt For A Commercial". Then comes Love Call – a really great late 60s session from Ornette Coleman – one that shows is increasing expansion in sounds and styles, and which also offers a bridge between avant jazz generations too! That bridge comes in the presence of Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – a surprising Coltrane rhythm duo, working here with Ornette's mindblowing work on alto sax, and tenor from a young Dewey Redman – already a crucially intense player here next to Coleman, as both are set free in a group without any piano – that Ornette melding of rhythm and melody, but with a very different vibe than the Atlantic years! Coleman blows trumpet on one tune – and titles include "Love Call", "Airborne", "Check Out Time", and "Open To The Public". The set also includes the album New & Old Gospel – one of Jackie McLean's last "new thing" albums for Blue Note – and a very unique record that features Ornette Coleman on trumpet! The sound here is stark and hard – slight hints of the soulfulness that the "gospel" in the title might imply, mixed with the angular exploratory sound that McLean had been forging at Blue Note during the mid 60s – a wonderful balance that really gives the record a lot of bite! The album's easily one of the most "out" that McLean ever recorded, and the group also includes Lamont Johnson on piano, Scott Holt on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all pushing themselves in the company of the avant jazz giants. Tracks include the extended "Lifeline" suite, which takes up all of side one – plus "Old Gospel" and "Strange As It Seems". LP, Vinyl record album

John Coltrane's classic – and only – recording as a leader for Blue Note! The album's no throwaway date, though – as it stands strongly with both Coltrane's other label work of the time, and with the best of the late 50s Blue Note scene – a time when the label was really cooking at full strength! The groove here is a bit harder, heavier, and hardbop-inflected than some of Trane's late 50s sides with Red Garland – thanks to a lineup that features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's a crisp modern edge to the record that really holds up beautifully – even after years of play – and titles include "Blue Train, "Locomotion", "Moment's Notice", and "Lazy Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

John Coltrane's classic – and only – recording as a leader for Blue Note! The album's no throwaway date, though – as it stands strongly with both Coltrane's other label work of the time, and with the best of the late 50s Blue Note scene – a time when the label was really cooking at full strength! The groove here is a bit harder, heavier, and hardbop-inflected than some of Trane's late 50s sides with Red Garland – thanks to a lineup that features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's a crisp modern edge to the record that really holds up beautifully – even after years of play – and titles include "Blue Train, "Locomotion", "Moment's Notice", and "Lazy Bird". This beautiful 2LP version features heavy cover and vinyl – and a full bonus album of material that includes "Lazy Bird (alt take 1)", "Lazy Bird (alt take 2)", "Blue Train (false start)", "Blue Train (alt take 7)", "Moment's Notice (alt take 4)", "Blue Train (alt take 8)", and "Moment's Notice (incomplete alt take 5a)". LP, Vinyl record album

John Coltrane's classic – and only – recording as a leader for Blue Note! The album's no throwaway date, though – as it stands strongly with both Coltrane's other label work of the time, and with the best of the late 50s Blue Note scene – a time when the label was really cooking at full strength! The groove here is a bit harder, heavier, and hardbop-inflected than some of Trane's late 50s sides with Red Garland – thanks to a lineup that features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's a crisp modern edge to the record that really holds up beautifully – even after years of play – and titles include "Blue Train, "Locomotion", "Moment's Notice", and "Lazy Bird". This beautiful 2LP version features heavy cover and vinyl – and a full bonus album of material that includes "Lazy Bird (alt take 1)", "Lazy Bird (alt take 2)", "Blue Train (false start)", "Blue Train (alt take 7)", "Moment's Notice (alt take 4)", "Blue Train (alt take 8)", and "Moment's Notice (incomplete alt take 5a)". LP, Vinyl record album

John Coltrane's classic – and only – recording as a leader for Blue Note! The album's no throwaway date, though – as it stands strongly with both Coltrane's other label work of the time, and with the best of the late 50s Blue Note scene – a time when the label was really cooking at full strength! The groove here is a bit harder, heavier, and hardbop-inflected than some of Trane's late 50s sides with Red Garland – thanks to a lineup that features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's a crisp modern edge to the record that really holds up beautifully – even after years of play – and titles include "Blue Train, "Locomotion", "Moment's Notice", and "Lazy Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

John Coltrane's classic – and only – recording as a leader for Blue Note! The album's no throwaway date, though – as it stands strongly with both Coltrane's other label work of the time, and with the best of the late 50s Blue Note scene – a time when the label was really cooking at full strength! The groove here is a bit harder, heavier, and hardbop-inflected than some of Trane's late 50s sides with Red Garland – thanks to a lineup that features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's a crisp modern edge to the record that really holds up beautifully – even after years of play – and titles include "Blue Train, "Locomotion", "Moment's Notice", and "Lazy Bird". CD

John Coltrane's classic – and only – recording as a leader for Blue Note! The album's no throwaway date, though – as it stands strongly with both Coltrane's other label work of the time, and with the best of the late 50s Blue Note scene – a time when the label was really cooking at full strength! The groove here is a bit harder, heavier, and hardbop-inflected than some of Trane's late 50s sides with Red Garland – thanks to a lineup that features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's a crisp modern edge to the record that really holds up beautifully – even after years of play – and titles include "Blue Train, "Locomotion", "Moment's Notice", and "Lazy Bird". This edition includes alternate takes of "Blue Train" and "Lazy Bird"! CD

John Coltrane's classic – and only – recording as a leader for Blue Note! The album's no throwaway date, though – as it stands strongly with both Coltrane's other label work of the time, and with the best of the late 50s Blue Note scene – a time when the label was really cooking at full strength! The groove here is a bit harder, heavier, and hardbop-inflected than some of Trane's late 50s sides with Red Garland – thanks to a lineup that features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's a crisp modern edge to the record that really holds up beautifully – even after years of play – and titles include "Blue Train, "Locomotion", "Moment's Notice", and "Lazy Bird". CD

A cooking little 10" session from the great west coast tenorist Bob Cooper – a great blend of modern and warmer west coast styles – served up with plenty of great work on tenor! Players here include Bud Shank on reeds, Howard Roberts on guitar, Shelly Manne on drums, and Claude Williamson on piano – working with Bob on 2 different sessions, both of them great. Tracks have that tightly arranged Cooper style, but also break out with some really great solos – especially from Bob and Bud – and titles include "Lisbon Lady", "Solo Plight", "The Way You Look Tonight", "She Didn't Say Yes", and "Excursion". LP, Vinyl record album