A rock-solid set from Donald Byrd and a great group of players – a record that's got the same sharp edges and dark undercurrents of late 60s classics like Black Jack, Mustang, and Slow Drag! As with those gems, this album's got Donald really experimenting a bit more – especially with the rhythms – which are put forth by a hip trio that features Chick Corea on piano, Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums! But almost even better is the frontline – with Sonny Red making one of his sublime appearances with Byrd, blowing alto with an edge that's amazing – and frequent partner Pepper Adams, adding plenty of baritone on the deep end. The whole thing's great – oddly unreleased until the start of the 80s – and titles include "Samba Yanta", "I Will Wait For You", "Blues Medium Rare", "The Creeper", "Chico-San", "Early Sunday Morning", and "Blues Well Done". CD

A really formative album – not just as part of the key second chapter of alto genius Lou Donaldson, but also as the start of a huge generation of jazz funk grooves to come! The key element here is drummer Idris Muhammad – working in the group of Donaldson, but under his birth name of Leo Morris – and still already graced with that fantastic sense of rhythm that has him stretching out the beats, and creating grooves that would push the 60s soul jazz generation into more electric funk modes in the decade to come! The record's a perfect bridge between the two generations – with long tracks that draw plenty from Idris' drums and Lou's alto – plus work from Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Lonnie Smith on organ, and the young George Benson on guitar – still hard and soulful, in that style he had been using in the 60s group of organist Jack McDuff. If you know the heavily sampled side of Lou Donaldson's work, you'll know the greatness you're getting here – on cuts that include "Dapper Dan", "Midnight Creeper", "Bag Of Jewels", and "Love Power". CD

Just tenor and drums, coming together beautifully – the former from Binker Golding, the latter from Moses Boyd – a contemporary London duo who step out here in a soulful, almost spiritual mode! The music is loose, and very exploratory – yet never too free to swing – and always has this sense of rhythmic cohesion that almost seems to come more from Golding's tenor than it does from the drums of Boyd – although both players seem to shift back and forth in terms of centering the performance. The recording quality is wonderful – with this stark, crisp feel that almost takes us back to 70s New York loft jazz performances of this nature – and titles include "The Creeper", "Retox", "ESU", "No Long Tinges", and "Black Ave Maria". CD

One of the greatest albums ever for Blue Note – and the only album recorded by tenor player Tina Brooks that was issued during his lifetime! The album's nearly perfect – and features Brooks' edgey tenor set in an all star group that includes Duke Jordan on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Brooks had blown on other Blue Note sessions before, but here, working as a leader, his sound is tremendous – vaguely to the left of center of some of his other tenor counterparts on the label, but with an equally impeccable approach to soul and rhythm. Titles include "Miss Hazel", "Good Old Soul", "Up Tight's Creek", and "Theme For Doris". CD features bonus tracks – alternates of "True Blue" and "Good Old Soul". CD

A fantastic meeting of the musical minds – coming together here in a set of live improvisations recorded at a record store in Greece! The setting's an unusual one, and the music is too – sounds that really move past the usual for all three players, but especially David Grubbs and Mats Gustafsson – both of whom seem very comfortable here in some of the sonic territory that we normally hear more from Rob Mazurek! Grubbs' guitar is quite different than on some of his own records – especially the solo acoustic moments – and Mats reminds us that he's not just a hell of a saxophonist, but also a master of many other ways to disturb the flow of air – delivering work here on flute, fluteophone, and live electronics – the last of which is matched with more electronics from Rob Mazurek, who also plays piccolo trumpet and wood flute too. Every song has a different shape and texture, which is a further testament to both the sensitivities of the musicians, and their sympathies with each other – and titles include "Not In A Hall Of Mirrors", "Creep Mission", "City Stones Sleep", and "Goats & Hollers". CD

No room for squares with grooves this great – a classic Hank Mobley session from the mid 60s, and one that really shows the growth in his style at the time! The work's still strongly in a hardbop style, but modal elements are definitely creeping into the mix – a bolder sense of rhythm that really transforms the music from before – and lets Mobley reach out in a whole different way with his solos! The album features material from two different sessions – each of which have Mobley's tenor coming into play with other inventive artists on Blue Note at the time. One date features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Andrew Hill on piano, John Ore on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – and the other features Donald Byrd on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Jones again on drums. Titles include "Up A Step", "Me N You", "Three Way Split", "Carolyn", and the classic "No Room For Squares". CD

One of two albums cut for Bethlehem by the Pat Moran Quartet – a groovy little combo that harmonized vocally while they were grooving on their instruments! The group's led by Pat on piano and lead vocals – and singer Bev Kelly is also with the group – and this album features additional backings by Nat Pierce, with players that include Anthony Ortega and Sam Most on reeds – fleshing the sound out nicely from some of the group's other work. The four part harmony mode is in the Hi-Los mode, but the twist is that it's half-male, half-female – making for a lighter sound. Tracks include "I'll Be Around", "Jordu", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", and "Mother Macree". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Some of the greatest British jazz of the 60s – two early albums by the groundbreaking Ian Carr/Don Rendell quintet! Shades Of Blue is the debut of a legendary British jazz group – one who not only gave that nation's scene a fresh voice in music, but who also really set the tone for many other acts to come! After a stretch when the London scene was doing a great job of matching American efforts in bop and swing, players like Don Rendell and Ian Carr found a way to really carve out some bold space of their own – here, by matching their own strong sense of writing and arranging, always filled with beautiful tone and color, with some of the more modern phrasing and styles that were just creeping up around town. The set's not nearly as experimental as the work of Joe Harriott, but has all the hallmarks of that generation's openness to new ways of expression – often given a surprisingly soulful swing, and captured perfectly as one of the early entries in the famous Lansdowne Series recordings. The rest of the group is equally great – and in addition to Rendell on tenor and soprano sax, and Carr on trumpet and flugelhorn – the combo includes Colin Purbrook on piano, Dave Green on bass, and Trevor Tompkin on drums. Titles include "Garrison 64", "Blue Mosque", "Just Blue", "Latin Blue", "Sailin", and "Big City Strut". Dusk Fire has a great group getting even better – as the legendary pairing of tenorist Don Rendell and trumpeter Ian Carr is joined by pianist Michael Garrick – who was really helping to shape the sound of British jazz at the time! The album's only the second from the Rendell/Carr Quintet, but it's already moving strongly forward – with this sense of composition and focus that's really amazing – served up in original tunes by all three creative forces in the lead – often with this great balance between soulful swing and modern ideas that makes the whole thing a dream all the way through! Don plays tenor, soprano sax, flute, and clarinet; Carr plays trumpet and flugelhorn; Garrick is on piano, Dave Green is on bass, and Trevor Tomkin is on drums – on titles that include "Prayer", "Dusk Fire", "Hot Rod", "Spooks", "Jubal", and "Tan Samfu". CD

An incredibly untapped world of cinematic jazz – pulled from an array of Spanish films of the late 50s and early 60s – most of which have soundtracks as dynamic as work coming from France or Italy at the time! A good portion of the tracks here are scored by Jose Sola – who seems to draw inspiration from some of the west coast jazz soundtracks of the 50s – work by Elmer Bernstein, Shorty Rogers, Leith Stevens, and others – blending standout soloists with fuller backings, but in a way that matches the stark energy of the images on the screen! The CD's an unusual one in that many of the tunes are quite long – upwards of 10 minutes, and very different than the shorter snippets of jazz you might get on other soundtrack efforts from the same generation – and some numbers keep in bits of the dialogue, presenting the music with sound that's more "cinematic" than straight studio recording. Solo instruments include a fair bit of trumpet and alto sax – and the package comes with a great booklet with notes in English and Spanish, plus images from the films. Titles include "Un Vaso De Whisky", "A Sangre Fria", "Altas Variedades", "Los Cuervos", "Regresa Un Desconocido", and "El Salario Del Crimen" by Jose Sola; plus "091 Policia Al Habla" by Augusto Alguero, "Juventud A La Intemperie" by Enrique Escobar, and "A Tiro Limpo" by Federico Martinez Tudo. (Soundtracks, Jazz) CD

One of the greatest European jazz guitarists – heard here in some of his grooviest work of the 60s – an amazing batch of material recorded for the art house films of director Hansjurgen Pohland! Zoller already had a modern tone by the time of these recordings – a sublime sound on the guitar that rivaled that of Billy Bauer with the Lee Konitz group of the 50s, but which was also freer, and open to rich new ideas too – especially from a rhythmic and tonal standpoint, which always keeps Zoller's work compelling! Attila's way more than just another jazzy player on the instrument – and film material like this really lets him stretch his imagination – and unlock a whole whose of tones and colors that are quite imagistic in nature. Most tracks are played by a small combo led by Zoller – often working in front of the screen as images passed by – scenes from films that include Katz Und Maus, Tamara, and The Bread Of Our Early Years. This set marks the first release of the material actually recorded for those films on record – and titles include "Family Bricks", "Pilenz", "Road Song", "Minesweeper", "Cold Fusion", "Adam's Apple", "Hedwig's Departure", "Mousetip Strut", and "Mahlke". CD

That's Miles Davis and Jeanne Moreau on the cover – and image is a perfect summation of what makes this period in film music so unique! The set brings together music from the French new wave of the late 50s and early 60s – a time when revolutionary directors were putting fresh new images on screen, and also turning to lots of new ideas for their music, too – using jazz musicians like Miles to create some of their soundtracks, and also moving past some of the more overblown orchestral styles that had dominated most of the world of film scores during the postwar years. Much of the work used by these directors was in a style that was closer to the people, and more fitting for the sorts of themes in the films – and this 3CD collection features a wonderful array of different modes from the period. Many films are included here with a few selections from their famous soundtracks – and the 3CD package includes work from Tires Sur Le Pianiste (Shoot The Piano Player) by Georges Delerue, A Bout De Souffle (Breathless) by Marial Solal, L'Eau A La Bouche by Serge Gainsbourg, A Double Tour by Paul Misraki, Les Liaisons Dangereuxes by Art Blakey with Barney Wilen, La Tete Contre Les Murs by Maurice Jarre, Le Bel Age by Georges Delerue, Les Bonnes Femmes by Paul Misraki, Jules Et Jim by Georges Delerue, Lola by Michel Legrand, Les 400 Coups (400 Blows) by Jean Constantin, Une Femme Est Une Femme by Michel Legrand, Zazi Dans Le Metro by Fiorenzo Carpi, Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud by Miles Davis, and Cleo De 5 A 7 by Michel Legrand. (Soundtracks, Jazz) CD

An excellent jazz soundtrack from Piero Piccioni – captured at a great early point in his film career, when he was still mixing in lots of elements from his work in jazz as well! The style here echoes some of the French jazz soundtracks of the new wave – and the tunes often sport breakout solos with plenty of fire – tenor, trumpet, and lots of piano – the latter of which has an especially great feel on some of the more mellow, moody tunes. Rhythms are great too – sometimes slow and loose, sometimes more vibrant and boppish – and together, the tunes work together to offer up a vibrant version of the movie that's almost as striking as the images on the screen! CD features a total of 26 tracks in all – over 70 minutes of music, including a number of unreleased tracks. (Soundtracks, Jazz) CD

One of the greatest moments ever from west coast bassman Henry Franklin – a set of soaring, spiritual power – and a key demonstration of his rich energy as a leader! Franklin heads a wicked lineup here – playing both Fender and acoustic bass amidst other players who include Bill Henderson on electric piano, Charles Owens on tenor and soprano sax, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, Kenny Climax on guitar, and Michael Carvin on drums – all coming together with a mix of spiritual vibes and soulful undercurrents, in ways that almost give the record a Strata East sort of vibe! The whole thing is certainly one of the most memorable sessions on the Black Jazz label – and titles include "Outbreak", "Little Miss Laurie", "Theme For Jojo", and "Plastic Creek Stomp". CD