A fantastic record – and a really mindblowing mix of spiritual jazz and electronics! The set is an amazing collaboration between trumpeter Don Cherry and pioneering electronic musician Jon Appleton – one of those rare meetings of the minds that goes far deeper than you'd expect! On the set, Cherry's trumpet, flute, and percussion is heavily processed by Appleton – often in ways that are organic enough to keep with Cherry's other experiments of the time, and with the "Human Music" title of the set – but sometimes with the more playful feel of Appleton's other music from the time. The mix of electronics and improvisation is amazing – years ahead of its time, and with a haunting sound that works perfectly against Cherry's style of restrained spiritualism. The LP's got 4 long tracks – "Boa", "Oba", "Abo", and "Bao" – all recorded live in the studio! CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Don" and "Jon". (Out Sound, Jazz) CD

A stunning little session – and every bit as wonderful as you'd expect from a lineup that includes Dollar Brand, Don Cherry, and Carlos Ward! The three players work together here in open, spiritual styles – with really long-flowing lines from Brand on piano, in a more modal style that's different from some of his other records – balanced out with bold trumpet lines from Cherry, and soaring alto sax from Ward – a player who doesn't always get the chance to step out this much! All three players vocalize a bit, but more in some sort of rootsy way that echoes the music – and the album's a really unique outing from all three players – and a set we'd rank with their best from the time. Titles include "Don's Song", "Cherry", "Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro", "Swazi", and "Jabulani Easter Joy". CD

Never-issued work from Don Cherry – and a really key piece of the puzzle in the career of this legendary trumpeter! The recordings were done for Swedish Radio, with great fidelity – more than just live tracks captured in a club, and instead some really thoughtful material that marks an early pairing of Cherry's talents with the Swedish scene that he would soon call home! Don plays cornet, and the music is maybe a bit inside compared to some of his later Swedish experiments – but still pretty amazing, and a great bridge from his work with Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins. Players include Mogens Bollerup on tenor, Atli Bjorn on piano, Benny Nielsen on bass, and Simon Koppel on drums – and titles include the Cherry originals "Priceless", "Nigeria", and "The Ambassador From Greenland" – plus a reading of "You Took Advantage Of Me". CD

Never-issued work from Don Cherry – and a really key piece of the puzzle in the career of this legendary trumpeter! The recordings were done for Swedish Radio, with great fidelity – more than just live tracks captured in a club, and instead some really thoughtful material that marks an early pairing of Cherry's talents with the Swedish scene that he would soon call home! Don plays cornet, and the music is maybe a bit inside compared to some of his later Swedish experiments – but still pretty amazing, and a great bridge from his work with Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins. Players include Mogens Bollerup on tenor, Atli Bjorn on piano, Benny Nielsen on bass, and Simon Koppel on drums – and titles include the Cherry originals "Priceless", "Nigeria", and "The Ambassador From Greenland" – plus a reading of "You Took Advantage Of Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably the best of Cherry's albums for Blue Note – and a real masterpiece of soulful avant playing! The group features Cherry on cornet, Gato Barbieri on tenor (and he's incredible, by the way!), Henry Grimes on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums. Grimes and Blackwell are more than just timekeepers – and deliver a lot of the melody of the session, yet still never lose their sense of swing. Barbieri's fragile raw tone proves to be a good one to work with Cherry, even if there are a few touches of Ornette in his playing. The album's divided up into 2 long suites – "Complete Communion" and "Elephantasy" – both of which are excellent. A real treat – with no sloppiness, lots of fresh ideas, and a good sense of both freedom and control! LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing music from the great Don Cherry – quite a statement, given how much fantastic sounds Cherry had already given us by this point in his career! In the years before this set, Don had worked in some very free, avant modes – and also explored a fair bit of global styles too – yet this set has this great electric vibe – one that mixes the freedom of Cherry's trumpet with spacey instrumentation and really great production – almost even funky at points! Players include Ricky Cherry on electric and acoustic piano, Charlie Haden on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Frank Lowe on tenor – and one cut has Bunchie Fox on electric bongos and Verna Gillis on voice. All tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Degi Degi", "Brown Rice", "Malkauns", and "Chenrezig". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album from the great Don Cherry – and maybe one of the earliest examples of the way that he mixed together avant jazz and a globe's worth of influences on the European scene! The album features three long tracks – all seemingly improvised – very heavy on percussion, with work from Karl Berger on vibes, marimba, piano, celeste, and other percussion – and Jacques Thollot on drums and timbales – while Cherry himself plays gong, alongside his more familiar cornet, plus piano and a bit of bamboo flute. There's a huge amount going on here – almost as if Cherry is trying to invent spiritual and loft jazz modes at the same time – with a warmth, cohesion, and sense of soul that's a different than his more famous Paris recordings for the BYG label a few years later. Titles include "Infant Happiness", "Symphony For Improviser", and "Elephantasy". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from Don Cherry – a previously unreleased live date from the 60s, but every bit as great as any of his better-known records from the decade! The sound here is really amazing – a hip blend of Cherry's trumpet with tenor from Gato Barbieri and vibes from Karl Berger – working here in a piano-less setting that has all three players snaking together beautifully as the tunes unfold – freed up a bit to explore some really bold new territory, yet always held together with the same sense of inherent rhythm you'd find on Cherry's Blue Note albums from the late 60s. Rhythm is by Bo Stief on bass and Aldo Romano on drums – both players who really help the tunes take on some great structures – especially during the group's extended take on "Orfeu Negro", a number taken in very similar ways to Archie Shepp's Fire Music version of "Girl From Ipanema"! Other numbers are great too – and include "Remembrance", "Spring Is Here", "Suite For Albert Ayler", and "Complete Communion", done in a 22 minute take. CD

Don Cherry really breaks out here on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. Titles on this second part include "Bamboo Night", "The Mysticism Of My Sound", "Psycho Drama", "Smiling Faces Going Places", "Teo Teo Can", and "Dollar Brand/Spontaneous Composing/Exert Man On The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare 70s work from Don Cherry, and one of the most perfect realizations of his organic music concept – a quartet session recorded for Italian broadcast, with long songs that have a very spun-out, meditative vibe! Cherry's on pocket trumpet, but is way more than a horn player – as his vocalizations and spirit really guide the whole proceedings – played by a quartet that features Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, Gian Piero Pramaggiore on guitar, and Moki on tanpura! As you can imagine from the mix of instruments, there's an earthy, organic vibe to the whole set – really special sounds that come together with a natural beauty that may well make the record one of Don's most spiritual performances of the 70s – and that's really saying a lot. Titles include "Koye", "Flute Song", "Dissolution", "Nana's Solo", "Om Shanti Om", Luna Turca", and "Chenrezig". CD

Rare 70s work from Don Cherry, and one of the most perfect realizations of his organic music concept – a quartet session recorded for Italian broadcast, with long songs that have a very spun-out, meditative vibe! Cherry's on pocket trumpet, but is way more than a horn player – as his vocalizations and spirit really guide the whole proceedings – played by a quartet that features Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, Gian Piero Pramaggiore on guitar, and Moki on tanpura! As you can imagine from the mix of instruments, there's an earthy, organic vibe to the whole set – really special sounds that come together with a natural beauty that may well make the record one of Don's most spiritual performances of the 70s – and that's really saying a lot. Titles include "Koye", "Flute Song", "Dissolution", "Nana's Solo", "Om Shanti Om", Luna Turca", and "Chenrezig". LP, Vinyl record album

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Four slices of genius from this important German jazz festival of the 60s – one of the leading showcases for the best in avant garde and experimental music! The sounds here are as stunning as the lineup – maybe even more so, as there's some nicely-unfamiliar, surprisingly collaborative passages going on – all of which really illuminate the studio music by these groundbreaking artists! The set begins with "Andalusian Proverb" – a beautiful showcase for the dynamic vocals of Jeanne Lee, as she sings with Gunter Hampel on vibes, Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, and Pierre Courbois on drums. "Cubis" features a sublime trio with Marion Brown on alto, Peter Kowald on bass, and John Stevens on drums – and that rhythm duo also supports "Jepa", which features Mangelsdorff on trombone and Evan Parker on soprano sax – and "Relationship", which also features Parker – as well as Don Cherry on trumpet and Buschi Niebergall on second bass. LP, Vinyl record album

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A beautiful live performance from the same trio that delivered the Third World Underground album for Trio Records in 1972 – a set done with a similar mix of earthy, global elements as that gem – delivered by Carlos Ward on alto and flute, Dollar Brand on piano and flute, and Don Cherry on flute, trumpet, and percussion! There's a style here that's almost an extension of the energy of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – especially in the way the musicians mix up instruments – combined with some of the more globally-sensitive elements of Don Cherry's work in Sweden, which clearly brings out qualities in Brand and Ward that are different than their already-great work together on other albums. Titles include "African Session", "Air", "Berimbau", "Waya Wa Egoli", "Cherry", and "Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro". CD

Four slices of genius from this important German jazz festival of the 60s – one of the leading showcases for the best in avant garde and experimental music! The sounds here are as stunning as the lineup – maybe even more so, as there's some nicely-unfamiliar, surprisingly collaborative passages going on – all of which really illuminate the studio music by these groundbreaking artists! The set begins with "Andalusian Proverb" – a beautiful showcase for the dynamic vocals of Jeanne Lee, as she sings with Gunter Hampel on vibes, Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, and Pierre Courbois on drums. "Cubis" features a sublime trio with Marion Brown on alto, Peter Kowald on bass, and John Stevens on drums – and that rhythm duo also supports "Jepa", which features Mangelsdorff on trombone and Evan Parker on soprano sax – and "Relationship", which also features Parker – as well as Don Cherry on trumpet and Buschi Niebergall on second bass. CD

A trio of classic CTI Records albums from tenorist Stanley Turrentine – with bonus tracks too! First up is Cherry – one of the best CTI albums from the early 70s – and one of Stanley Turrentine's funkiest records as well! The album's got a sharper edge than most other Turrentine albums of the time – a quality that goes beyond Stan's already soulful approach to the tenor, and which brings in some tight changes and more pronounced rhythms that really give the best cuts a great groove! The group's a sextet – with Bob James on electric piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include a monster version of Weldon Irvine's "Sister Sanctified" – a great funk tune that's probably best known as the sample for "My Philosophy" by BDP! Other tracks include "Speedball", "Cherry", and "The Revs". On Don't Mess With Mister T, Stanley Turrentine meets Bob James – on a record that's one of the 70s classics on CTI! Bob James handles the arrangements – with that laidback, mellowfunky approach to jazz that he helped pioneer at the time – lots of modal chords in the rhythms, and these wonderfully soulful solos by the great Stan himself! James plays keyboards on the set – and Harold Mabern adds some piano too – and the lineup also includes the mighty Eric Gale on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums. Titles include the great title cut – a remake of Marvin Gaye's "Don't Mess With Mister T", plus "Too Blue", "Two For T", and "I Could Never Repay Your Love". Sugar Man is a classic set from Stanley "Sugar Man" Turrentine – a nickname the reedman had at the time, given the success of his famous CTI Records version of "Sugar"! This set follows in that same great mode – jazzy, but a bit funky too – although couched with this gentle sense of soul that's perfect for that spacious style of soloing that Turrentine perfected over the years – a way of blowing openly, and without too much fuss – but managing to hit all the right notes along the way! There's a great glow to the whole record – an excellent easygoing sense of soul – and titles include an incredible reading of "Vera Cruz", done with Deodato on piano, and at a breakaway speed that's just great, and worth the price of the record alone! Other tracks feature piano by Harold Mabern or organ by Butch Cornell – and titles include "The Stretch", "Just As I Am", and "Pieces Of Dreams". Bonus tracks include "The More I See You", "Don't Mess With Mister T (alt)", "Mississippi City", and "Harlem Dawn". CD

Two important improvising trios come together head to head in the transatlantic brilliance of Okka Disk Records in the 90s – recorded in a very unusual way that lets you clearly hear all the contributions of the members of the group! In the left channel stands AALY – a searing lineup of Mats Gustafsson on alto and tenor, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass, and Kjell Nordeson on drums – and in the right channel stands DKV, with Ken Vandermark on tenor and bass clarinet, Kent Kessler on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums – a mighty meeting of musicians who are really at the top of their improvising game! Rather than come on head-to-head, it's amazing to hear the way that these well-matched trios open up to each other – especially the bassists and drummers, who are maybe less familiar in this setting than Vandermark and Gustafsson, who were an instantly amazing musical pair. The set begins with the original "Left To Right", then the group makes real magic over the course of 51 minutes, in a piece that offers variations on Albert Ayler's "Angels" and Don Cherry's "Awake Nu". CD

A pair of classic Albert Ayler albums from 1964 – back to back on a single CD! First up is Spirits – only the second album ever recorded by Albert Ayler, but a tremendous statement of music that clearly marks the tenorist as one of the most important jazz talents of the 60s! The set was recorded in New York, and only ever got initial exposure overseas – but has grown to become one of the best-remember Ayler albums over the years – thanks in part to a rock-solid lineup of equal visionaries in the group, a lineup that include Sunny Murray on drums, Norman Howard on trumpet, and both Henry Grimes and Earl Henderson on bass – playing together on the title track, which gives the whole thing a really tremendous power. Ayler's clearly the spotlight, though – shining his light with brilliance both in his phrasing of the tenor, and his sense of timing and inherent rhythm – which opens the door to whole new pathways in jazz. Titles include "Spirits", "Prophecy", "Holy Holy", and "Witches & Devils". Next is Ghosts – a seminal early moment from the legendary Albert Ayler – an important session recorded overseas in Copenhagen – where enthusiasm for Ayler's music caught fire more strongly than in the US! The group's got an edge that's maybe even sharper than some of Ayler's ESP material, but no less powerful – with Don Cherry on cornet, Gary Peacock on bass, and Sunny Murray on drums – working through tremendous readings of six Ayler classics that include "Ghosts", "Children", "Holy Spirit", "Vibrations" and "Mothers". A wonderful precursor to the ESP years – and equally great! CD

One of the first albums ever cut as a leader by reedman Gato Barbieri – and a very sharp-edged session that's quite different than his better-known work in the 70s! Barbieri's tenor here has an incredible tone – as deeply soulful as Pharoah Sanders or late John Coltrane, and blown with a great sense of freedom – really stretching out on the album's long tracks. Gato never lets himself get too unfocused, though – and the album's an illustration of a side of his talents that was perhaps only shown this well on his recordings with Don Cherry. Players include Calo Scott on cello, Sirone on bass, and Bobby Kapp on drums – and the album's got a vibe that easily matches other ESP sets from the time by Charles Tyler or Sonny Simmons. Titles include "In Search Of The Mystery", "Obsession No 2", "Michelle", and "Cinematheque". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool project from Karl Berger – a set that features two different groups, both hip – one with Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Tom Cora on cello, George Lewis on trombone, and Leroy Jenkins on violin – the other with Oliver Lake and Don Davis on alto and flute, Lee Konitz on alto, Tom Collins on tenor and soprano, Trilok Gurtu on tabla, and Peter Apfelbaum on drums and percussion! LP, Vinyl record album

A great run of work from legendary drummer Ed Blackwell – pulled together from his creative projects for the Black Saint/Soul Note label! The set features two albums from the Old & New Dreams group – Old & New Dreams and Tribute To Blackwell – both of them great! Like Blackwell, the other members of the group all were once associates of Ornette Coleman – an all-star combo that features work from Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Dewey Redman on tenor, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums! The sound is quite Ornette-inspired at times – with a definite late 70s harmelodic groove – but given the organic, acoustic nature of the lineup, the sound is almost more faithful to Coleman's vision than Ornette's records of the time. The album also features a compelling trio date – Transit – with Karl Berger on vibes, Dave Holland on bass, and Blackwell on drums. In Willisau features wonderfully soulful duets – with Dewey Redman on tenor next to Blackwell's drums – and the Walls/Bridges album features a trio with Redman, Blackwell, and Cameron Brown on bass. The set also features Morning Song – recorded under the leadership of David Murray – one of Murray's straighter sides from the early 80s, and exactly the kind of record to prove to the world that he could be a strong tenor traditionalist while still bringing an inventive sound to play! Murray's tone is deep and soulful, and often quite lyrical – set nicely in a quartet that features warm piano from John Hicks, bass from Reggie Workman, and drums from Ed Blackwell. The Workman/Blackwell component ensure that things still have an edge at times, even when swinging – and the tunes are a mix of Murray originals and a few standards. Last up is the album From Bad To Badder – played by The American Jazz Quintet – a group with Blackwell on drums, plus Alvin Batiste, Harold Battiste, Ellis Marsalis, and Richard Payne – as well as a guest appearance from New Orleans legend Earl Turbington! 7 albums, 8 CDs, and a heck of a lot of music! CD

The only album ever cut as a leader by tenor saxophonist Charles Brackeen during his early years – and a real standout in the catalog of the legendary Strata East label! The set's got an unusual history – in that it's part of the Dolphy Series, recorded before the label started by Clifford Jordan – as a way of giving a strong showcase to so many new ideas that were bursting in jazz during the late 60s! Here, Brackeen's tenor is set up with a trio of musicians most familiarly associated with Ornette Coleman – Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums – a unit that's completely on fire, and freer than before – yet each graced with such strong individuality, every aspect of the record is a complete delight. Brackeen is amazing (why the hell didn't he record more like this at the time?) – but the bass, trumpet, and drums are all very distinct too – the perfect power of free improvisation when it's done right. Titles include "Rhythm X", "Hour Glass", "CB Blues", and "Charles Concept". CD

The only album ever cut as a leader by tenor saxophonist Charles Brackeen during his early years – and a real standout in the catalog of the legendary Strata East label! The set's got an unusual history – in that it's part of the Dolphy Series, recorded before the label started by Clifford Jordan – as a way of giving a strong showcase to so many new ideas that were bursting in jazz during the late 60s! Here, Brackeen's tenor is set up with a trio of musicians most familiarly associated with Ornette Coleman – Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums – a unit that's completely on fire, and freer than before – yet each graced with such strong individuality, every aspect of the record is a complete delight. Brackeen is amazing (why the hell didn't he record more like this at the time?) – but the bass, trumpet, and drums are all very distinct too – the perfect power of free improvisation when it's done right. Titles include "Rhythm X", "Hour Glass", "CB Blues", and "Charles Concept". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer guitar and Hammond session with a really sublime sort of sound – a groove that's wonderfully free of cliche – and which has an open, spacious quality that few artists can match! Given the instrumentation, the album's steeped in tradition, but never tries to just rehash an older Prestige Records vibe – and instead guitarist Ed Cherry and organist Kyle Koehler find a way of soaring out in their own spirits – opening up strongly in a bass-less trio that only features the drums of Anwar Marshall to keep things snapping along. The pairing is perfect – on the level of Grant Green with Larry Young, or Pat Martino with Don Patterson – yet very much with its own spirit, too. Cherry's arrangements are great, too – providing very fresh takes on familiar tunes, alongside his own compositions. Titles include "Central Park West", "A New Blue", "Rachel's Step", "Ode To Angela", "Little Sunflower", "Little Girl Big Girl", and "Peace". CD

A stunning session by Ornette, and one that always seems to get overlooked in discussions of his albums for Atlantic! His quartet here features the amazing Scott LaFaro on bass, and a young Ed Blackwell on drums – both of whom give the tracks an amazing pulse that brings new energy out of Ornette and Don Cherry's solos – working in a modal groove that's as catchy as it is modern! All tracks are named after initials of titles of books by Sigmund Freud, including "T & T" (Totem & Taboo), "C&D"(Civilization and Discontent), "W.R.U.", and "R.P.D.D.". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that certainly lives up to the promise of its title – as it's filled with amazing instrumentation, groundbreaking compositions, and a sound in jazz that few ears could imagine at the time! The groove here is extremely modal – all instruments rolling along on the same rhythmic pulse, with drums, bass, trumpet, and alto sax incredibly intertwined! Ornette's really got an edge on his instrument – cutting even more deeply here than the clipped, punctuated cornet work of Don Cherry – and the rhythm team of Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins are simply amazing – not just keeping up with the energy of Ornette, but also really helping facilitate it as well! Titles include the haunting "Lonely Woman", plus "Peace", "Chronology", and "Focus on Sanity". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that certainly lives up to the promise of its title – as it's filled with amazing instrumentation, groundbreaking compositions, and a sound in jazz that few ears could imagine at the time! The groove here is extremely modal – all instruments rolling along on the same rhythmic pulse, with drums, bass, trumpet, and alto sax incredibly intertwined! Ornette's really got an edge on his instrument – cutting even more deeply here than the clipped, punctuated cornet work of Don Cherry – and the rhythm team of Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins are simply amazing – not just keeping up with the energy of Ornette, but also really helping facilitate it as well! Titles include the haunting "Lonely Woman", plus "Peace", "Chronology", and "Focus on Sanity". LP, Vinyl record album

A key album for any fan of classic Ornette Coleman – a 1971 Atlantic release that pulled together tracks from the late 50's and early 60's that didn't make it onto Ornette's earlier records for the label! Why these tracks weren't released at the time is a mystery to all, because the material is great, and ranks with some of his best stuff – and over the years, the value of the album has grown even more within the early Ornette oeuvre – as it contains key tracks that have come to define his edgiest moments of the early 60s . The LP includes "First Take", a 17 minute earlier version of the material the ended up on Free Jazz, plus additional quartet recordings with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell – on titles that include "Check Up", "Little Symphony", and the wonderful "Joy Of A Toy". LP, Vinyl record album

A special 1990 regrouping of Ornette's famous quartet – with Don Cherry on cornet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums! CD

Back in the 90s, the DKV trio were one of the strongest forces in the Chicago improvising scene – a great group that featured Ken Vandermark on reeds, Kent Kessler on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums – working together with a really boundless sense of energy! This set has the group making a great appearance at the Wels Music Festival in 1998 – stepping out in a way that's a bit different than some of their previous recordings. At the festival, the trio played their incredibly haunting version of Don Cherry's "Complete Communion", drawn out into an extended suite, with the addition of the group's "Memory Sketch", in homage to Cherry. That set is paired here with some material captured on the group's home turf in Chicago – featuring 3 long improvised tracks recorded at Fred Anderson's Velvet Lounge. The Chicago material comprises a second disc in this 2CD set, and it includes the titles "Blues For Tomorrow", "Open Door", and "Burning Sky". CD

Back in the 90s, the DKV trio were one of the strongest forces in the Chicago improvising scene – a great group that featured Ken Vandermark on reeds, Kent Kessler on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums – working together with a really boundless sense of energy! This set has the group making a great appearance at the Wels Music Festival in 1998 – stepping out in a way that's a bit different than some of their previous recordings. At the festival, the trio played their incredibly haunting version of Don Cherry's "Complete Communion", drawn out into an extended suite, with the addition of the group's "Memory Sketch", in homage to Cherry. That set is paired here with some material captured on the group's home turf in Chicago – featuring 3 long improvised tracks recorded at Fred Anderson's Velvet Lounge. The Chicago material comprises a second disc in this 2CD set, and it includes the titles "Blues For Tomorrow", "Open Door", and "Burning Sky". CD

Excellent work from the trio of Ken Vandermark, Hamid Drake, and Kent Kessler! The 2CD set features tracks from two different live shows – one recorded in Rochester, the other in Kalamazoo, both during the group's 2001 tour of the US. Vandermark is ever-brilliant – still growing mightily as a player, and in a perfect power trio format here, working with Kessler's strong bass lines, and Drake's assorted percussion techniques. Includes a huge amount of Don Cherry tunes – such as "Brown Rice", "Awake Nu", "The Thing", and "Elephantasy" – plus readings of Sonny Rollins' "East Broadway Rundown", Joe McPhee's "Goodbye Tom B", and Ayler's "Love Cry". CD

Maybe the fullest, most ambitious project so far from the Fire Orchestra of reedman Mats Gustafsson – one that continues his strong legacy in avant jazz, but also reflects his deep understanding of other styles too – as the record weaves together vocal passages, noise, electronics, and even some slight global currents too! The album starts in friendly territory – almost a sing-song sort of vibe, complete with vocals from Mariam Wallentin and Sofia Jernberg, who seem to echo some of Gustafsson's work with Neneh Cherry – but as the album-long set progresses, it moves through a rich array of other sonic territory – aided by work from Susana Santos Silva and Niklas Barno on trumpets, Mats Aleklint on trombone, Jonas Kullhammar on braithophone and slide sax, Per Texas Johansson on clarinets and bartione sax, Andreas Berthling on electronics, and Mats himself on bartione and slide sax – as well as a number of others we don't have space to list here! By the end of the five-part "Ritual" suite, things move back to earth a bit more, with a return to vocals too – and our hats are off to Gustafsson for doing such a great job of putting the whole thing together! LP, Vinyl record album

This might be the first time we've ever heard tenorist Ken Fower with a Hammond organ in the mix – and it makes for a great change that really opens up the colors in his horn! Ken's always had a strong sense of tone, and we love his acoustic records – but this time around, Brian Charette handles the Hammond with a very groovy vibe – one that takes Ken back into 60s soul jazz territory, yet without any copycat cliche modes at all – kind of a sweet blend of Fowser's strong sense of writing and rhythm, just given a nice kick by the organ, which also handles the basslines too. The rest of the group is great as well – with Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, Ed Cherry on guitar, and Willie Jones III on some nicely snapping drums. Titles include "No Filter", "On My Way", "Stand Clear Of The Closing Doors", "Samba For Joe Bim", "Knights Of The Round", "Fowser Time", and "Don't Let Life Pass You By". CD

One of the most beautiful albums that Charlie Haden ever recorded – and if he only ever appeared on one record in his life, we'd still love him tremendously for this one! The album has a feel that's very much in keeping with both the "liberation" and "orchestra" in the title – "liberation", in that the music is filled with inspiration from South American sources, and has a strongly political feel at times; and "orchestra" because the group here is somewhat large, and filled with a tremendous array of expressive players – including Gato Barbieri on tenor, Dewey Redman on alto and tenor, Don Cherry on cornet and flutes, Michael Mantler on trumpet, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Robert Northern on French horn, Paul Motian and Andrew Cyrille on percussion, Carla Bley on piano, and Perry Robinson on clarinet. Haden leads these disparate talents through a set of tremendously focused music – filled with as many ideas as it is with a sense of humanity and soul – all to brilliantly point the way forward for the new sound of Impulse Records in the years after Coltrane's death! Titles include the classic "Song For Che", plus Ornette's "War Orphans", Carla Bley's "The Interlude", and "Song Of The United Front", by Hans Eisler, and with words by Brecht! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of early sessions from Herbie Hancock – both very different than his Blue Note work of the 60s! The set features 11 tracks from material that Herbie recorded for the Warwick label earlier in the decade – material issued with a title makes it seem like the cuts are from Herbie's score to the film Blow Up – although we're guessing that they're not, although they've always been issued without much in the way of session details! That hardly matters, though – as Herbie is great on piano – younger and rawer, more soul jazz than modern – on titles that include "Smoochie", "Far Out", "Afro Boogie", "Rock Your Soul", "Jammin With Herbie", "Herbie's Blues", and "Night Walker". Next is a record that wasn't actually first issued under Herbie's name – a super-hip batch of spiritual jazz tracks by Albert Toodie Heath of the Heath Brothers – working here on a rare session as a leader, with a sound that's right up there with the Heath Brothers' early work for Strata East!! The lineup is incredible – as Heath is joined by players that include Don Cherry, Buster Williams, Mtume, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Heath, and Ed Blackwell – all coming together for a session that's nearly lost to the history books, but which is one of the strongest spiritual jazz sessions of the late 60s! Herbie plays all acoustic piano throughout, and the tracks are long, leaping, and loping – with stretched-out spiritual solos from Jimmy Heath and Don Cherry – and a proud and righteous sound that's extremely free-spirited without going too far out! Titles include "Baraka", "Maulana", "Dunia", and "Kamili". CD

One of the best CTI albums from the early 70s – and one of Stanley Turrentine's funkiest records as well! The album's got a sharper edge than most other Turrentine albums of the time – a quality that goes beyond Stan's already soulful approach to the tenor, and which brings in some tight changes and more pronounced rhythms that really give the best cuts a great groove! The group's a sextet – with Bob James on electric piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include a monster version of Weldon Irvine's "Sister Sanctified" – a great funk tune that's probably best known as the sample for "My Philosophy" by BDP! Other tracks include "Speedball", "Cherry", and "The Revs". CD