A title and cover that beautifully illustrate the sharp-edged power of the Thelonious Monk quartet on Columbia – and a wonderful place to start if you're just digging Thelonious' music! The record is similar to the best of Monk's Columbia sides – in that it revisits older tunes and themes from previous years, but in a way that's often much better than the original recordings – thanks to some incredible energy between group members Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Ore on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums! Rouse's sharp horn is easily a real bnous here – as it dances beautifully with Monk's piano lines and creates a magical sense of juxtaposition and fluidity, but is still nicely earthy and soulful as well! Titles include "Criss Cross", "Think Of One", "Eronel", "Hackensack", "Rhythm-a-Ning", and "Crepuscule With Nellie". LP, Vinyl record album

A title and cover that beautifully illustrate the sharp-edged power of the Thelonious Monk quartet on Columbia – and a wonderful place to start if you're just digging Thelonious' music! The record is similar to the best of Monk's Columbia sides – in that it revisits older tunes and themes from previous years, but in a way that's often much better than the original recordings – thanks to some incredible energy between group members Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Ore on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums! Rouse's sharp horn is easily a real bnous here – as it dances beautifully with Monk's piano lines and creates a magical sense of juxtaposition and fluidity, but is still nicely earthy and soulful as well! Titles include "Criss Cross", "Think Of One", "Eronel", "Hackensack", "Rhythm-a-Ning", and "Crepuscule With Nellie". Includes a previously unreleased version of "Pannonica". CD

With Eric Alexander on tenor, John Swana on trumpet, Richard Wyands on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. CD

A rock-solid set from the late 70s European years of Chet Baker – a set that's done with a more conventional quartet, which is different than some of his looser, lighter lineups of the time! The vibe is a bit like old school Chet, but the tracks are still open and have that nicely exploratory sense of sound that made the last decade of Baker's life such a musical revelation – a time of renewed creativity, even when most of the American scene had written him off! The group features Phil Markowitz on piano, Scott Lee on bass, and Jeff Brillinger on drums. All tracks nice and long – with versions of "Broken Wing", "Beautiful Black Eyes", and "This Is Always". Features the first-time vinyl appearance of the tracks "I Remember You" and "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout set in the later years of trumpet legend Chet Baker – in part because the record features some wonderful tenor work from the equally legendary Warne Marsh! Marsh at this point in his career has really developed a subtle edge – this slight current of darkness that wasn't there at the start, and which works well next to the moody qualities that Baker developed in his final years too. Equally wonderful is the piano of Hod O'Brien – a great and overlooked musician, and one who has this almost broken-down quality that really fits the emotive energy of the date. Other players include Eddie Gladden on drums and Cecil McBee on bass – the latter of whom is a bit of a surprise on such a session – on titles that include "Imagination", "We Know It's Love", "Well Spoken", "Blues For A reason", and "Looking Good Tonight". Features a great bonus track – an alternate of "Looking Good Tonight", on vinyl for the first time! LP, Vinyl record album

Features Pete Christlieb and Warne Marsh on tenor sax – accompanied by Jim Hughart on bass, and Nick Ceroli on drums! CD

Two tenors, indeed – Clifford Jordan and Junior Cook – both sounding great in this date from mature later years! The rhythm section is sweet, too – with Kirk Lightsey on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Eddie Gladden on drums. CD

With Boris Kozlov on bass, Jeff Watts on drums, and Seamus Blake on tenor sax. CD

Mike LeDonne on piano, Dennis Irwin on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. CD

Righteous jazz from these two Detroit legends – Lightsey on piano and Belgrave on trumpet – with Jean Toussaint on tenor, Santi DeBriano on bass, and Eddie Gladden on drums. Titles include "Marcus' Mates", "Windmill", "Lower Bridge Level", and "Golden Legacy". CD

A great lineup – with tenor from Ralph Moore and piano from Kirk Lightsey! CD

With Warne Marsh on tenor, and Jimmy Halperin on second tenor on a few tracks – plus Barry Harris on piano, David Williams on bass, and Albert Heath on drums. Titles include "Back Home", "Heads Up", "Good Bait", and "Two Not One". LP, Vinyl record album

Steve Nelson on vibraphone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Tony Reedus on drums. CD

Features drummer Penn with John Swana on trumpet, Ron Blake on tenor, and Rodney Whitaker on bass! CD

Three tenorists with Hammond legend Mel Rhyne – Eric Alexander, Ralph Lalama, and Tad Shull! CD

A trio of tenors – Eric Alexander, Ralph Lalama, and Tad Shull – join Mevlin Rhyne's organ trio. Tracks include "Tell It Like It Is", "Minor Changes", "Lazy Bird", and "Eternal Triangle". CD

Tim Ries on tenor and soprano saxophone, Scott Wendholt on trumpet, Ben Monder on guitar, Scott Colley on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

Trumpeter Jim Rotondi's in a classic pose on the cover – an image that shows just how much he brings to his music at a visual level, even though his sound seems so effortless and clear from an audio perspective! The set's filled with the kind of well-executed work on trumpet and flugelhorn that always makes Rotondi's records so great – especially in the past decade or so – music that's full of feeling, but which never seems forced or overstated – qualities that also come through in the rest of the group too, a lineup that features Rick Margitza on tenor, Danny Grissett on piano, Joshua Ginsburg on bass, and Vladimir Kostandinovic on drums. Rotondi's been recording for the Criss Cross label for years – but the record also really shows a great evolution and development from those early sides too – especially on original material that includes "Pete's 32", "Voice", "Leemo", "Father John", "Happy Feet", and "Jim's Blues". CD

Tad Shull is on tenor – in a quartet that includes Mike LeDonne on piano, Dennis Irwin on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums! CD

Grant Stewart on tenor saxophone, Joe Cohn on guitar, Bill Charlap on piano, Paul Gill on bass, and Willie Jones III on drums. CD

John Swana on trumpet and flugelhorn, Eric Alexander and Grant Stewart on tenor saxophone, David Hazeltine on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. CD

Joe Magnarelli and John Swana on trumpet, Eric Alexander on tenor saxophone, Joel Weiskopf on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. CD