One of the few truly strong and original jazz LPs on the Charlie Parker label – and one of the best early sides by Slide! Despite a hokey title and cover image, the record really has a lot going on – and shows Slide stretching out as an arranger from his days at Atlantic. Side one features the extended "Cloister" dance suite – a 4 part work composed and arranged by Slide, showing his more expansive approach to jazz, one that he'd realize more strongly in European settings of the 60s and 70s. Players include Willie Thomas, Hobart Dotson, Benjamin Jacobs-El, and George Coleman – and the piece comes off wonderfully, very hip, but still swinging and soulful. Side two features shorter numbers – all Gershwin, like "Summertime", "I Loves You Porgy", "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "Bess You Is My Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A very interesting early session for Elvin, and one that's filled with lots of warm lyrical moments – nicely laid down by Thad Jones, Frank Wess, Hank Jones, and Frank Foster. These four came together often during the late 50s on some sessions, but the addition of Elvin opens things up nicely, and creates a rhythm sound that's a bit freer than some of those old Savoy sessions or Prestige blowing sides. Titles include "Ray El", "Lady Luck", "Pretty Brown", "Shadowland", and "Buzz-at". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electric Ramsey Lewis – an overlooked gem from the Columbia Records years, filled with loads of great grooves, and some pretty mighty keyboards! Part of the record has Ramsey working with Larry Dunn of Kalimba Productions – getting plenty of the Earth Wind & Fire groove that made so much of his Columbia sessions sparkle – while the rest of the set has the great Bert DeCoteaux handling things, and giving Lewis just the right mix of sophistication and soul he was using with other Columbia acts at the time. The album's a perfect example of the way that Ramsey stepped way ahead of the pack during this time in his career – using keyboards and grooves together in ways that so many artists today are still trying to match – but never hit it this right! Titles include "Camino El Bueno", "Caring For You", "Intimacy", "That Ole Bach Music", "Skippin", "Tequila Mockingbird", and "Wandering Rose" – that cool cut by Neal Creque! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 60s soul jazz piano material from Les – recorded live at an "after hours" concert at the Esquire Theater in LA, with a relaxed open-ended groove that's a bit different than that on some of his studio albums from the time. The group is his classic trio with Paul Humphrey on drums – and the record includes some nice mellow soul tunes, like "Spanish Onions", "El Soulo", "Git Them Grits", and "Lavande". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of the best of the Kenton Presents series on Capitol – and one of the few albums to ever focus on the genius talents of saxophonist Boots Mussulli! We'd put Boots in the same camp as Charlie Mariano in the 50s – on one hand a clear modernist, with a crisp and fresh tone, and a keen ear for interesting arrangements – but on the other hand, a player with an incredible amount of soul, and a tone that's far more personal than academic! This quartet session features Boots playing in New York, with west coasters Shelly Manne on drums and Max Bennett on bass, as well as pianist Ray Santisi to round out the group. Titles include "El Morocco", "Mutt & Jeff", "Tico Tico", and "Rubber Boots". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sun Ra's best non-Saturn live sets of the 70s – a nice little record that shows the group mixing it up with equal parts avant garde and straight ahead jazz, all handled in that ever-growing large group style that made them a real force to be reckoned with in a concert setting! The album was recorded during the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival, and has a bit more focus and polish than some of the other Arkestra live material from the time – a mature, coherent sound that almost points the way towards some of their work to come in the 80s – when Ra and the group were finally reaching the wider audience they deserved. The set's a double-length one, and features players who include John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, Pat Patrick on baritone, Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet, Craig Harris on trombone, and James Jackson on Ancient Egyptian Infinity drum – which is always a treat. Ra plays solar organ and moog, as well as piano – and titles include "Of The Other Tomorrow", "On Sound Infinity Spheres", "El Is The Sound Of Joy", "Gods Of The Thunder Realm", "Gods Of A Thunder Realm", "The House Of Eternal Being", and "Lights On a Satellite". LP, Vinyl record album

They weren't kidding with the title of this one! That's ok for us, though, as Eps sounds great in this laidback mode. The only backing on the record is bongos by Alvin Stoller, and vibes by Frank Flynn – both of which only sneak in and out of the guitar lines a bit, augmenting Van Eps' playing where needed, but never really taking over too much. The spareness gives the guitar solos a nicely rhythmic quality – one that makes for a haunting session that's got a lot more to offer than you'd think! Titles include "Tango El Bongo", "Lost Canyon", "I Never Knew", "Yesterdays", and "Let's Do It". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal moment on the west coast scene of the 60s – a record that has the great Gerald Wilson pulling together some of the best elements that were going on at the time, and also pointing the way towards changes to come in the future! The set's not the first effort by Wilson on record, but it's maybe one of his most classic – and begins with superb selection of members for the ensemble – a lineup that includes Carmell Jones on trumpet, Lou Blackburn on trombone, Teddy Edwards and Harold Land on tenors, Joe Pass on guitar, and the great Jack Wilson on piano! But key to the set are the rhythms – with the wonderful bassist Jimmy Bond setting up a groove that seems to pull out the best from drummer Mel Lewis – as the pair help ground the larger group with a rock-solid groove that keeps things soulful throughout! Nearly every track's an original, and the album includes Wilson's killer track "Viva Tirado" – a tight jazzy stepper that was covered by many artists over the years, most famously El Chicano – with a Latin-tinged groove that really opens up a new sound in Los Angeles jazz! There's lots of other great cuts too – including "Moment of Truth", "Latino", "Josefina", and "Patterns". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from Gato Barbieri's legendary exploration of Latin American sounds for Impulse Records – a set that's heavy on Cuban influences, thanks to arrangements from the mighty Chico O'Farrill! The sound is sublime – a bit fuller than some of Gato's other albums in the run, but never with any slick or commercial styles – just more of a richness from O'Farrill's backings, matched perfectly by Barbieri's amazing tones on the tenor! There's a lot of Latin percussion in the backings – courtesy of Ray Mantill, Luis Mangual, and Ray Armando – and Eddie Martinez mixes in some sweet electric piano with his acoustic lines, deepening the soul of the record in a really 70s way. Titles include "Milonga Triste", "Lluvia Azul", "La Padrida", "Viva Emiliano Zapata", and "El Sublime" – the last of which is a good description of the record! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set from the great Gato Barbieri – one of the gems from his earlier years on record, and an album that's very much in the best spirit of his sides for Impulse in the early 70s! There' definitely some Latin currents in the rhythm – not as strongly stated as on his Latin America series for that other label, but still there in the conception – and Gato blows with that sharp, soulful, spiritual tone that we love so much from this period – so different than the later sound of his smoother records. Lonnie Liston Smith is on piano in the group – getting pretty outside at times, as on his work with Pharoah Sanders – and the combo also features lots of great percussion from Airto and Mtume, too. All tracks are nice and long, and very searching – and titles include "El Parana", "Antonico", "El Sertao", and "Maria Domingas". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set from the great Gato Barbieri – one of the gems from his earlier years on record, and an album that's very much in the best spirit of his sides for Impulse in the early 70s! There' definitely some Latin currents in the rhythm – not as strongly stated as on his Latin America series for that other label, but still there in the conception – and Gato blows with that sharp, soulful, spiritual tone that we love so much from this period – so different than the later sound of his smoother records. Lonnie Liston Smith is on piano in the group – getting pretty outside at times, as on his work with Pharoah Sanders – and the combo also features lots of great percussion from Airto and Mtume, too. All tracks are nice and long, and very searching – and titles include "El Parana", "Antonico", "El Sertao", and "Maria Domingas". LP, Vinyl record album

A wailer! This rare 1955 album is one of Donald Byrd's first records as a leader – recorded for the tiny Transition label in Boston, but with a hardbop groove that's right up there with his early work for Savoy and Blue Note. The record is practically a Jazz Messengers session – as it features Art Blakey on drums, Horace Silver on piano, Hank Mobley on tenor, and Doug Watkins on bass – and it's also got the unique aspect of a two-trumpet frontline, as the young Joe Gordon joins Donald on the instrument for the session. Tracks are long and open-ended – with incredibly well-crafted playing that really keeps the set fresh, despite the young age of Donald at the time. Titles include "El Sino", "Doug's Blues", "Hank's Tune", and "Hank's Other Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

Given that Chick Corea first got his start working in the New York Latin scene back in the 60s, the album's a bit of a return to his roots – even if the general theme here is Spanish, and not Afro-Cuban! The Corea Spanish Heart here is cast in some darker, more contemplative tones than more traditional Latin sides – but it borrows a wonderful array of modes from genres past – including bits of strings, percussion, and an overall more ambitious approach that sometimes shows up in Chick's piano work, or in the general construction of the tunes. The double-length set features a wide variety of Spanish-influenced numbers – played by Corea on acoustic piano and a variety of keyboards, with other players who include Don Alias, Jean Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, and Steve Gadd. Titles inclu de "Love Castle", "The Gardens", "Night Streets", "The Hilltop", "Armando's Rhumba", "Prelude To El Bozo", "Spanish Fantasy", and "My Spanish Heart". LP, Vinyl record album