A great ECM trio date – tracks include "Open, To Love", "Touching", "Albert's Love Theme", "Cartoon", "Blood", and the title track "Nothing Ever Was, Anyway". CD

A great ECM trio date – tracks include "Open, To Love", "Touching", "Albert's Love Theme", "Cartoon", "Blood", and the title track "Nothing Ever Was, Anyway". CD

The question in the title is almost a moot point – because with the quality of a record like this, we hardly care if other bands come back at all! Duke's working here on a batch of older big band standards – as you might guess from the title – but the tracks all have a nice little flourish that's filled with plenty of those later Ellington touches – a seemingly effortless ability to place interesting horn bits and rhythmic twists into tunes that you thought you might already know. The set features new takes on classics associated with the bands of Esrkine Hawkins, Glen Gray, Woody Herman, Les Brown, and others – and titles include "Rhapsody In Blue", "Smoke Rings", "Artistry In Rhythm", "The Waltz You Saved For Me", "Woodchopper's Ball", and "Good Bye". LP, Vinyl record album

A spiritual masterpiece from Matthew Halsall – a record that still has the beautiful trumpet work we've loved from the start, but which also shows just how much Halsall has been expanding his talents in search of new meanings, and new modes of expression! Matthew handles a fair bit of instrumentation here himself – including Fender Rhodes, piano, kalimba, percussion, and effects – but there's also a shifting lineup of guests throughout, coloring things in really particular ways – with performances from Chip Wickham on soprano sax and flute, Matt Cliffe on alto and flute, Alice Roberts on harp, and Liviu Gheorge and Jasper Green on Fender Rhodes. The tunes have a sense of gentle majesty that's completely sublime, as they unfold in these very righteous currents – on titles that include "Mountains Trees & Seas", "Calder Shapes", "An Ever Changing View", "Tracing Nature", "Water Street", "Triangles In The Sky", and "Natural Movement". CD

A spiritual masterpiece from Matthew Halsall – a record that still has the beautiful trumpet work we've loved from the start, but which also shows just how much Halsall has been expanding his talents in search of new meanings, and new modes of expression! Matthew handles a fair bit of instrumentation here himself – including Fender Rhodes, piano, kalimba, percussion, and effects – but there's also a shifting lineup of guests throughout, coloring things in really particular ways – with performances from Chip Wickham on soprano sax and flute, Matt Cliffe on alto and flute, Alice Roberts on harp, and Liviu Gheorge and Jasper Green on Fender Rhodes. The tunes have a sense of gentle majesty that's completely sublime, as they unfold in these very righteous currents – on titles that include "Mountains Trees & Seas", "Calder Shapes", "An Ever Changing View", "Tracing Nature", "Water Street", "Triangles In The Sky", and "Natural Movement". LP, Vinyl record album

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A legendary concert – recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto, with a previously-unmatched quintet of superstar bop players: Charlie Parker on alto, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums. This reissue set also includes the Bud Powell trio sides which were issued separately as Jazz At Massey Hall Vol 2. The quintet runs down "Perdido", "Salt Peanuts", "All The Things You Are", "Wee", "Hot House" and "A Night In Tunisia" and the trio sides are "Embraceable You", "Sure Thing", "My Devotion", "Polka Dots & Moon Beams", "Cherokee", "Jubilee", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "My Heart Stood Still", "I Want To Be Happy" and "Lullaby Of Birdland". LP, Vinyl record album

Stanley blows it sweet, mellow, and soulfully – in this wonderful post-CTI session from the 70s! The set features some swirling larger arrangements from Gene Page – done with a bit of the CTI sound lurking in the mix, but also a more complicated groove that almost takes on soundtrack-like proportions at times – a warmly-flowing groove that's lush without being soppy, and which really sets Turrentine up nicely for some sophisticated, mature solos on tenor. Stan's got some great company on the record – including Patrice Rushen on keyboards, David T Walker on guitar, and Freddie Hubbard on trumpet – and although the set's laidback, it's a lot more soulful than you might think – almost like a hip mellow soul set from the time, but with tenor instead of vocals. Includes covers of the Earth Wind & Fire tunes "Reasons" and "That's The Way Of The World", plus the tracks "Touching You", "T's Dream", and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Lou Donaldson, Cannonball Adderley, Kenny Burrell, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, US3, John Patton, Grant Green, Jimmy Smith, Richard Elliot, and more – 20 tracks in all. CD

Not the first album from saxophonist Camilla George, but the set where it really feels like she's found her voice in music – weaving together her own strong solo on alto sax with the work of a top-shelf array of players from the London scene, while also nodding towards her roots in the Ibibio culture of southeast Nigeria! Camilla's got a soulful warmth on her horn that reminds us of Gary Bartz at some of his best moments – yet the presentation here is very much her own, and inflected with contributions from a wonderfully rich lineup that includes Daniel Casimir on bass, Sarah Tandy on piano, Rosie Turton on trombone, Sheila Maurice Grey on trumpet, Daru Jones on percussion, Shirley Tetteh on guitar, and Renato Paris on piano and Fender Rhodes – the latter of whom also provides a bit of vocals – as does Sanity, who makes a guest appearance on three tracks with Jones. Titles include "The Long Juju Slave Route Of Arochokwu", "Creation Nnyin Ido Ibibio", "Abasi Enyong", "Ukpong", "Journey Across The Sea", and "Creation Abasi & Atai". CD

Trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah has made some great music of his own, but over the years he was also a key player in the legendary Arkestra of Sun Ra – and this unique volume is maybe one of the first books ever to really get at what life was like as a member of that legendary ensemble! The book is incredible – very open and honest about many issues, not just music – and it's also huge, too – over 500 pages, originally written by Abdullah in the 90s, with help from poet Louis Reyes Rivera, and finally published after all these many years! The book is very narrative, and gets at some of the lifestyles and theories behind the Arkestra – which have never been recounted in such great detail, and with such a focus on the way their fame and music intersected with everyday life. The book also features a huge section of photos and images – over 50 pages in all – and the whole thing is a long-overdue, much-needed look at Sun Ra, his legacy, and the career of Ahmed Abdullah too! (Books, Jazz) Book

A landmark album – even if it was the only session that Cannonball Adderley ever cut for Blue Note! The album was recorded at a time when Adderley was working with Miles Davis – and as such, the session features a group that includes Miles, blowing trumpet in a cool tone that's a perfect offset to Cannonball's more soulful style on alto sax – also different than the sound of his brother Nat, who was Adderley's more frequent partner on records. The rest of the group includes Hank Jones on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – and like John Coltrane's Blue Train, the record's more of an "special session" than the usual Blue Note album, but the strength of the players make it one of the more memorable records of its day! Titles include "Somethin' Else", "One For Daddy-O", "Autumn Leaves", "Love For Sale", and a nice moody take on "Dancing In The Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album – even if it was the only session that Cannonball Adderley ever cut for Blue Note! The album was recorded at a time when Adderley was working with Miles Davis – and as such, the session features a group that includes Miles, blowing trumpet in a cool tone that's a perfect offset to Cannonball's more soulful style on alto sax – also different than the sound of his brother Nat, who was Adderley's more frequent partner on records. The rest of the group includes Hank Jones on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – and like John Coltrane's Blue Train, the record's more of an "special session" than the usual Blue Note album, but the strength of the players make it one of the more memorable records of its day! Titles include "Somethin' Else", "One For Daddy-O", "Autumn Leaves", "Love For Sale", and a nice moody take on "Dancing In The Dark". Includes bonus track "Alison's Uncle". CD

Maybe one of the warmest recordings we've ever heard from pianist Vijay Iyer – but that's maybe no surprise, as the session is graced with these sublime vocals from singer Arooj Aftab – and delivered in a style that's much more than standard jazz! Iyer plays Fender Rhodes and piano, and adds in a bit of electronics – while Shahzad Ismaily uses moog and a vintage Fender bass – all flowing effortlessly, while Aftab brings in these vocal moments that feel both ancient and yet have a sense of new global horizons too – recorded with just a touch of echo that might evoke vintage 4AD. Titles include "Sharabi", "Eyes Of The Endless", "Shadow Forces", "To Remain/To Return", and "Haseen Thi". (Global Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best albums ever by this legendary Chicago trio – a great example of the way that records on the Nessa label can really get to the heart of artists' intentions! The trio of Henry Threadgill on reeds, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on percussion have never sounded better – and have this intimate, soulful interplay that's sometimes missing from other efforts – that special kind of energy that makes the AACM so great when it's really clicking this well – as deeply spiritual as it is freely expressive! Threadgill plays alto, tenor, bass flute, and the compelling hubkaphone – and titles include "I'll Be Right Here Waiting", "No 2", "GvE", "Subtraction", and "Keep Right On Playing Thru The Mirror Over The Water". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Airto records ever – a really overlooked record cut for the mostly-Latin Montuno label in the 80s! The album's quite spare, and almost more in a Latin mode at times – given the harder percussion on the set, and the firey recording style given to the set by Montuno – but it also echoes some of the great spare styles that Airto used in his first American recordings, too – the sessions he cut for Cobblestone/Buddah right at the start of the 70s. Airto plays a range of percussion instruments, and Flora's on the set adding in some vocals – and the record also features great keyboards from Jorge Dalto, whose sound really ties thigns together nicely. Includes the classic "Samba De Flora", plus "Yahna Amina", "El Fiasco", "Dedos", "La Puerta", "Parana", and "Latin Woman". (Brazil, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of the greatest records that Brazilian percussionist Airto ever recorded – a stunning blend roots and jazzy currents, and a set that follows strongly off his work in the group Quarteto Novo! The set's got contributions from one of his key partners in that combo – reedman Hermeto Pascoal – and like Pascoal's material at this point, the whole thing is maybe one of the most perfect realizations of the musical vision that Airto was going for! There's none of the tighter, more polished sounds of his later fusion years – and this is the record that will show you just why his arrival on the American scene made such big waves at the time. Flora Purim also sings on the record – and titles include "Andei", "On Sonho", Papo Furado", and "O Galho da Rosiera". (Brazil, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

CTI Records meets that Brazilian fusion sound of the 70s – served up here on two classic albums! Fingers is one of Airto's greatest records ever – a really hard hitting batch of tracks that mix sharp-edged fusion lines with some earthier Brazilian percussion touches – all in a way that nicely steps off of Airto's first few American releases, and warms the groove up with a nice dose of California soul! Flora Purim joins in here on both vocals and percussion – and the rest of the group features Hugo Fattoruso on keyboards and harmonica, Jorgte Fattoruso on drums, and David Amaro on both electric and acoustic guitars – shifting nicely between both instruments in a way that further underscores the blended vibe of the record! Most of these tracks are Airto classics – like "Tombo in 7/4", "San Francisco River", "Romance Of Death", "Ringers", and "Wind Chant" – and the record has a very sweet CTI production style, but is still rough enough around the edges to keep things nice and real! Deodato In Concert is an excellent little live set from Deodato – hard to believe because the sound's just as tight and funky as his studio albums, and possibly even more interesting because he manages to pull it off equally well in a live setting! The record features percussion by Airto, guitar by John Tropea, and vocals by Flora Purim – and those are just the marquee names of a large and amazing grew of great musicians! All tracks are long and complicated, for very hynotic feel throughout. The funkiest number is "Tropea", which has a nice long 8 minute groove – and the set also features a cover of Steely Dan's "Do It Again", plus the tracks "Parana", "Branches", "Baubles, Bangles And Beads" and "Skyscraper". Amazing! (Brazil, Jazz) CD

The music here is as evocative as the title – almost a mix of contemporary Blue Note modes with older ECM styles – all served up as a perfect showcase for the ever-growing talents of trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire! We've really dug the last two records from Ambrose, and this one seems to push his voice even father than before – sometimes in smaller acoustic settings, sometimes with a bit of vocals, and sometimes a bit of strings – performed by a shifting lineup that includes guests Becca Stevens, Theo Bleckmann, and Cold Specks on vocals – plus a core group that includes Walter Smith on tenor and Sam Harris on piano. Titles include "Marie Christie", "Memo", "Ceasless Inexhaustible Child", "Rollcall For Those Absent", "Vartha", and "Our Basement". CD

A fantastic album from trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire – a set that really kicks his career up to the next level, and which is easily the most powerful record he's ever given us! The music finds Ambrose in many moods, all of them righteous – sometimes blowing hard and fierce in a small combo, sometimes issuing out more personal statements in a more stripped-down setting – working with players that include Harish Raghavan on bass, Justin Brown on drums, and Sam Harris on piano – plus vocalist Genevieve Artadi on one especially beautiful number that features Akinmusire on Fender Rhodes! We've loved the music of Ambrose for many years – and this is one of those faith-rewarding sets that always makes it so wonderful to follow the career of any key jazz musician – as we hope you'll also find on titles that include "Roy", "4623", "Moon", "Tide Of Hyacinth", "Cynical Sideliners", and "Mr Roscoe". CD

A hokey kind of cover, but a great little album – another easy winner from the team of Eric Alexander and Harold Mabern, easily one of the greatest pairs working together in jazz for the past decade or so! Alexander's got a tremendous tone on the tenor – finely-honed with the maturity of a later Dexter Gordon, but also open to fluid, free moments too – with a sense of joy and exploration that recall our favorite moments on mid 60s Blue Note or Prestige. Mabern is great too – warm on the keys, but never sloppy – a player more filled with soul these days than ever, and always a great accompanist to Alexander's shifting range of modes in a set like this. Drums are by Joe Farnsworth, another trustworthy regular partner to the pair – and Nat Reeves completes the quartet on bass. Titles include 3 excellent Alexander originals (always his best work on record) – "Typhoon 11", "Little Lucas", and "Open & Shut" – plus versions of "Where Is The Love", "Where Or When", "Ruby My Dear", and "It's All In The Game". CD

A definite new beginning for reedman Eric Alexander – a set that has him turning to alto sax, instead of his very familiar tenor – and also working with some larger string backings on most of the set – something we're not sure Alexander has ever done before! The vibe is great, and Eric brings a depth to the alto that really reflects his decades on the tenor – a style that's very different than a Charlie Parker or Sonny Stitt "with strings" section from years back – in part because the arrangements by Bill Dobbins have a very fresh feel too. There's a familiar combo at the core – David Hazeltine on piano, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums – and titles include "All My Tomorrows", "Too Late Now", "Blues For Diane", "Maybe September", "Anita", and "To Love & Be Loved". CD

This tenor giant gets better and better with each new album! Eric Alexander is one of our favorite new jazz artists of the past decade – still a relatively young player, but with a sound that's incredible, steeped in years of tradition, yet freely creative in his own unique way. His tenor solos on this set stand up to some of our favorite older work by players like Clifford Jordan or Sonny Rollins, and if anything, the backing may be some of the best he's ever received on record. Alexander's playing here with longtime friend and musical partner Harold Mabern – who's as sympathetic to Alexander's sound as he once was to that of Frank Strozier – and the other players in the group include trumpeter Nicholas Payton, John Webber, and Joe Farnsworth. Titles include "Andre's Turn", "After The Rain", "This Girl's In Love With You", "A House Is Not A Home", and "Summit Meeting". CD

One of the funkiest cuts ever from reedman Harold Alexander – served up here in the 45rpm single version, which is short, tight, and really concentrates on the funky drums at the core – although still also topped with plenty of fierce funky flute from the man himself! Speaking of funky drums, Pretty Purdie is on the flipside with "Heavy Soul Slinger" – a cut that definitely earns its name, as the funky drums mix with great conga, massive bass, and this warm organ line that really sends the whole thing home! (Funky 45's, Jazz) 7-inch, Vinyl record

Pure genius from pianist Monty Alexander – a collection that features some of his greatest recordings for MPS! Sometimes, there's a special sort of magic that happens between a player and a label – and that's definitely what happened with Alexander at MPS Records during the 70s – a whole new level of his playing that never came out with other labels – and which, despite countless other recordings in later years, may not have ever sounded this great again! There's a sense of freedom to the MPS recordings – a unique approach to rhythm that really works well with Monty's touch on the keys – and which makes the tunes, although often just trio or quartet number, supremely groovy from the ground up. Titles include "So What", "Theme From Shaft", "Montevideo", "Brown Skin Girl", "We've Only Just Begun", "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", "Here Comes The Sun", and "Theme From Love Story". CD

One of the greatest albums ever from Lorez Alexandria – an ultra-hip singer who recorded for Impulse and King, but who sounds especially wonderful on this rare date for Chess Records! The album's got a groove that definitely lives up to its title – a jazzy, bouncy sort of rhythm that's definitely "for swingers only", and which is a nice contrast to overdone torch or standard jazz vocal modes. Alexandria's singing is completely sublime – quite fluid, yet with a soulful depth that's really amazing – and her backing combo is equally hip – a group led by John Young on piano, and also featuring George Eskridge on guitar, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Phil Thomas on drums, and Ronald Wilson on flute and tenor – an obscure player whose reed work really makes the album sparkle! The song choices are great too – a mix of some under-recorded gems and a few blue-toned classics – all redone amazingly by Lorez with a sound that's quite unique. Titles include her classic Argo reading of "Baltimore Oriole", which begins with an amazing drum/bass passage that's worth the price of the album alone – and other tracks include "The End Of A Love Affair", "Baltimore Oriole", "All Or Nothing At All", "Mother Earth", "Love Look Away", and "Traveling Down A Lonely Road". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A great one from drummer Rashied Ali – issued here on his own Survival label! Ali's perhaps best remembered for his spare backing behind Coltrane's solo sax on the record Interstellar Space – and we're tempted to say that there's a similar vibe going on here – as the record just features Ali on drums and percussion, and the great Frank Lowe on tenor, plus Japanese flute and a bit of percussion too. The approach is nice and open, in a loft jazz mode – and Frank blows with a rough-hewn emotion that brings a lot to the session, and which provides a good grounding for Ali's sometimes loose work on drums! The original album features one long improvisation – "Duo Exchange" – but it's expanded here by more than a full album's worth of bonus material, really great recordings that appear here for the first time ever, pressed up beautifully. LP, Vinyl record album

Mose Allison is one of the coolest, grooviest singers ever to grace the face of jazz – a voice you'll recognize instantly, even if you don't know his name – and an artist who had a huge influence on the sound of the London scene in the 60s! Mose was mod before mod was a thing – and was able to mix his sharp jazz skills on piano with a gutbuckety style of singing that drew heavily from the sound of New Orleans – as did his sense of rhythm – but always with an approach that was more upbeat and jazzy overall, with a hip sophistication that few other artists could hope to touch! And while Mose recorded excellent sounds for decades, this collection focuses in on some of the most important work he ever cut – music done for Prestige, Columbia, and Atlantic Records from the late 50s through the early 70s – served up in the most amazing tribute to Allison we've ever seen. 24 tracks in all – with cuts that include "Foolkiller", "I'm Not Talking", "If You Only Knew", "The Seventh Son", "I'm Smashed", "Wild Man On The Loose", "Back On The Corner", "I Love The Life I Live", "Jus Like Livin", "If You Live", "V8 Ford Blues", "Parchman Farm", "Baby Please Don't Go", "Western Man", "Your Molecular Structure", "Hellow There Universe", and "Swingin Machine". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A stunning set of modal soul jazz from the LA underground of the 60s – the only album we've ever seen by pianist J Reginald Andrews – and an earthy set that's filled with great tracks! The overall approach is piano and percussion plus horn bits – with Andrews on the keys, playing in solidly soulful waves of sound, really setting the scene for the album's strong work on alto, baritone, and trumpet. There's some conga at the bottom, and a freewheeling approach that reminds us a lot of the mighty first album by the Harold Johnson Sextet – a group who were certainly contemporaries of Andrews on the LA scene. Nearly all tracks are originals – and groovers – and titles include "Everyman's Brother", "Ah Na Na", "Chant", "The Debonaire", "Mystique Beauty", and "Song For J". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most creative albums ever from UK composer Neil Ardley – and that's saying a lot, given the complexity of his other work! The set's got a wonderful blend of jazz arrangements and some freer passages – scored by Ardley with some of his most sensitive, most beautiful music ever – almost as if the whole thing's an extended soundtrack for a passage in time – or at least a sonic journey that's filled with some wonderful twists and turns! There's definitely some jazz/rock elements in the music, but the main focus is jazz – and Ardley has that same strong sense of large charts and forward-moving rhythms that you'd find in the best early work of Mike Westbrook, particularly his albums for Deram. Players are a very familiar, and very top-shelf batch of British musicians – including Barbara Thompson, Dick Heckstall-Smith, and Don Rendell on reeds; Harry Beckett and Henry Lowther on trumpets; Derek Wadsworth on trombone, Frank Rocotti on vibes, and Stan Tracey on both piano and celeste. Ardley plays prepared piano, and Ivor Cutler makes a great guest appearance on one track – reciting "The Dong With A Luminous Nose" – and Norma Winstone sings on "Will You Walk A Little Faster". The title track – "A Symphony Of Amaranths" – is dedicated to Duke Ellington and Gil Evans – with a feel that more than lives up to both! CD features the bonus track "National Anthem & Tango". CD