Very hip work from the Boston modern scene of the mid 50s! The album's one of Serge Chaloff's few as a leader – and is much harder to find than his more widely-issued work for Capitol – an obscure date for the Storyville label, and one that originally only circulated as a 10" LP! The set's also unusual in that it features Serge at the head of a nonet – with strong players that include Charlie Mariano on alto, Herb Pomeroy on trumpet, and Dick Twardzik on piano – all working wonderfully with Chaloff in a groove that's sharply modern, but also plenty darn swinging! There's a strong dose of Boston soul in the mix here, thanks to contributions from the horn players – and the album's got a freshness that's a nice contrast to Serge's more familiar work at Capitol. Titles include originals like "Sherry", "Slam", "A Salute To Tiny", and "Ennie Meenie Minor Mode" – written by group members Mariano and Twardzik! Includes 5 alternate takes. CD

Very hip work from the Boston modern scene of the mid 50s! The album's one of Serge Chaloff's few as a leader – and is much harder to find than his more widely-issued work for Capitol – an obscure date for the Storyville label, and one that originally only circulated as a 10" LP! The set's also unusual in that it features Serge at the head of a nonet – with strong players that include Charlie Mariano on alto, Herb Pomeroy on trumpet, and Dick Twardzik on piano – all working wonderfully with Chaloff in a groove that's sharply modern, but also plenty darn swinging! There's a strong dose of Boston soul in the mix here, thanks to contributions from the horn players – and the album's got a freshness that's a nice contrast to Serge's more familiar work at Capitol. Titles include originals like "Sherry", "Slam", "A Salute To Tiny", and "Ennie Meenie Minor Mode" – written by group members Mariano and Twardzik! LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Kim Pensyl on trumpet, John Fedchock on trombone, Bob Shepard on saxophone, Joey Calderazzo on piano, Chuck Bergeron on bass, and Adam Nussbaum on drums. CD

A legendary album from the Texas scene of the 70s – exactly the kind of set that helps the city of Austin live up to its massive reputation for music! The group's got a wonderful blend of jazz, soul, and funk – a unique blend that reminds us of our favorite funky Fantasy Records sides from the Bay Area scene, but which is even more special here as a standout set from Austin. Like some of the best ensemble funk sets of the 70s, the groove's choppy one minute, jazzy the next – really drawing from the many spirits that inhabit the 8-piece lineup, in ways that really let everyone's talents sparkle. Drums are nice and tight, and the keyboard and saxophone work is wonderful too – and titles include "Ghetto Tool", "Groove Awhile", "Keep Your Eyes On The Merchandise", "Funk N Roll", "Frozen Tundra Lady", and "Radiator". (Soul, Jazz) CD

A classic acoustic set on ECM – a pairing of guitarists John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner, working here together in a beautifully spare sound! The album predates the bigger wave of work like this that would soon become cliched by the start of the 80s – and both players stretch out with sensitivity not always found on some of their other albums. Abercrombie plays mostly acoustic, but also some slight electric guitar – mostly in the background – and Towner plays 12-string and classical guitars, and a bit of piano as well. Titles include "Sargasso Sea", "Fable", "Avenue", "Elbow Room", "Parasol", "Romantic Descension", and "Staircase". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking set of work from the team of Jef Gilson and Hal Singer – a uniquely cross-cultural session recorded in the Paris scene of the 70s, and easily some of the best work ever from both musicians! Singer's probably best remembered on these shores for his older R&B tenor work of the 50s – but sometime during the 60s, he moved over to Paris, where he cut some mighty great music – including the legendary Paris Soul Food album, which predates this one by a few years. Gilson was always a great artist on the French scene – a modern pianist whose work of the 60s was always fresh and new, and a player who moved into more of a world jazz sensibility as the 70s approached. Together, both players work some real magic here – deep soul from Singers tenor, sharper tones from Gilson's piano – and a range of weird and wonderful notes from other players who include Bernard Lubat on vibes, Jacky Samson on bass, Frank Raholison on drums, and both Del Rabenja and Gerard Rakotoarivony on percussion – really helping the record live up to its "Africa" title! Samson's bass is especially amazing – roundly-toned, and incredibly soulful – as much so as his legendary work with Marco DiMarco, but pitched slightly differently here – and titles include "The High Life", "Liberation", "Mother Africa", "Chant Inca", and "Garvey's Strut". Plus, as an added bonus the CD also features 2 incredible earlier tracks by Gilson – material recorded with Lloyd Miller back in the 60s – playing "micro organ" and balaphon, with a sound that's almost even more haunting than the main album. Other players include "Pierre Caron on tenor and Alain Tabar-Nouval on alto – and titles include "Le Grand Bidou" and "Fable Of Gutenberg". CD

Peter Erskine's the leader of this trio date, but it's pianist John Taylor who really seems to set the tone for the record – moving effortlessly between melodic moments and more spare, sensitive passages – always with that dark edge that can make his music so great! Erskine swings when needed, punctuates things at other points – and bassist Palle Danielsson once again gives that warmly thoughtful approach that has made him one of the standout bassists for the ECM mode over the years. Titles include "The Ant & The Elk", "Windfall", "Prelude No 2", "Siri", "Fable", "Twelve", and "Namasti". CD

Features Craig Handy, Donald Harrison, Vincent Herring, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Idris Muhammad, and others! Tracks include "Bluesnik", "Dr. Jackle", "Ballad For A Doll", and "Blue Fable". CD

Charles Mingus on bass with Eric Dolphy on alto sax, clarinet & flute, Clifford Jordan on tenor sax & Danny Richmond on drums. CD

With Bob Cranshaw on bass and Albert Heath on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet trio session featuring Peter Washington on bass, Kenny Washington on drums, and George Cables on piano. Tracks include "In Walked Bud", "Just Friends", "Waltz For Debby", "Con Alma", and the Cables originals "Lullaby", "Helen's Song", and "Sweet Rita Suite". CD

The title's an apt one, because after frustrations experienced working for Columbia and other labels, Mingus is finally allowed the freedom here to present his own ideas in all their unfettered glory – working with a bracingly tight quartet that features Eric Dolphy on alto and bass clarinet and Ted Curson on trumpet! A number of the tracks here are familiar in their titles from other records, but the versions here stretch out far longer – moving past 10 minutes on 2 of the album's 4 tracks, and approaching that limit on others. But even more noticeable is the spareness of the sound – as the smaller group versions allow for a tremendous amount of solo space, really letting the focus fall on the two horn players, with the bass of Mingus and drums of Dannie Richmond shading in the space behind and beyond. Titles include "Folk Forms No. 1", "All the Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother", and the original uncensored version of "Faubus Fables". CD

Fantastic lost work from Charles Mingus, from a very under-recorded time in his life – the same period in which he gave the world the seminal album Let My Children Hear Music! The setting's a live one – and as on some of Mingus' superb 60s concert sessions, there's a force and fire here that really surpasses the group's energy in the studio – long tracks that are filled with brilliant solo work, and handled by a sextet that includes Bobby Jones on tenor, Charles McPherson on alto, Jon Faddis on trumpet, John Foster on piano, and Roy Brooks on drums – a group with just the kind of young, imaginative horn players that Mingus always used to create a special sort of fire. Titles include the 19 minute "The Man Who Never Sleeps", the 30 minute "Mind Readers Convention In Milano", a 25 minute version of "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress", and a 20 minute take on "Noddin Ya Head Blue" – plus a 35 minute jam on "Fables Of Faubus" and the shorter "Pops". CD

One of Charles Mingus' true classics – and an essential album in any jazz collection! This 1959 gem was recorded by Mingus at a key point in his career – when he was rising from the jazz underground into the ranks of America's elite jazzmen, penning some of the most challenging work of his career, and working with incredible younger players that interpreted his work with a great deal of fire! The tracks are a bit more tightly arranged than work on some of Mingus' previous work for labels like Atlantic and Bethlehem, but that also gives them a razor-sharp emotional edge that's carried off perfectly by players who include John Handy and Shafi Hadi on alto saxes, Booker Ervin on tenor, Willie Dennis and Jimmy Knepper on trombones, Horace Parlan on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums. The album is filled with key Mingus classics – like "Better Git It In Your Soul", "Boogie Stop Shuffle", "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", and "Fables of Faubus" – plus "Self Portrait In Three Colors", "Open Letter To Duke", and "Bird Call". LP, Vinyl record album

Charles Mingus at Carnegie Hall – but playing here with relaxed and intimate feel that's not what you might expect from the staid setting! The original album features two long tracks – both done in more of a jam session mode than any other Charles Mingus recordings we can think of. Both numbers are Ellington classics – "C Jam Blues" and "Perdido" – showcasing Mingus' late fascination with the Duke, but in a way that still preserves all of the modern inventions of his own earlier work. As on much of the best Mingus albums from the time, there's a real focus on the strengths of the soloists here – players who include Roland Kirk on tenor and stritch, Hamiet Bluiett on baritone, Jon Faddis on trumpet, John Handy on alto and tenor, Charles McPherson on alto, and Don Pullen on piano – all of whom really play with some sharp edges and bold notes! This great expanded version features more very long tracks – over 70 minutes of unreleased music, with versions of "Celia", "Big Alice", "Fables Of Faubus", and "Peggy's Blue Skylight" – as well as Mingus' introduction of the music. CD

A real musical discovery – not just for the fact that the CD represents a previously-unreleased concert by Charlies Mingus – but also because the sounds and styles here offer up a version of Mingus that's almost more adventurous than some of his other albums of the time! The sextet features some key work by Eric Dolphy on alto sax, flute, and bass clarinet – but all other players are wonderful too, and include Johnny Coles on trumpet, Clifford Jordan on tenor, Jaki Byard on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums – all coming together with a sense of power and presence that matches that of a group double their size! The long tracks on the set allow plenty of space for individual expression – some stretched-out solos that really push the limits of the music, sometimes going farther outside than we might expect – almost in the manner of some of Coltrane's important live dates of the same year. Titles include "ATFW You", "Fables Of Faubus", "Take The A Train", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress", "Meditations", "So Long Eric", "Jitterbug Waltz", and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling". CD

The Mingus Dynasty is a mighty great one – a lineup of players who both worked with Charles Mingus, and who were shaped by his genius – working together here in a septet format that recalls all the sharp, vibrant energy of Mingus in his classic years! Most tunes are originals by Charles – and the group features bold horn lines from Joe Farrell on tenor, Randy Brecker on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on drums – plus piano from Roland Hanna, drums from Billy Hart, and two different bassists – Aladar Pege and Mike Richmond – both working at once, to rival the power of Mingus on his own! Tracks are all longish – and titles include great versions of "Haitian Fight Song", "Ysabel's Table Dance", "Better Git Hit In Your Soul", "Fables Of Faubus", and "Consider Me Oh Lord". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost jazz gem from guitarist Chris Spedding – a musician whose work was such a key component of many other important albums from the time, but who hardly ever made a record like this! The album's much more jazz than the rock you might normally expect from Spedding – strongly linked to his sessions with players like Mike Westbrook, Ian Carr, or Frank Ricotti – with an all-instrumental approach that's spun out on some beautiful extended tracks! Chris plays both acoustic and electric guitar, but the album's really a full group effort – and features material by Roger Potter on bass, John Mitchell on acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, Paul Rutherford on trombone, and John Marshall on drums. There's a moody, understated vibe to the record – never jamming at all, and this very introspective side of Spedding that we really love. For some reason, although the set was recorded for the Harvest label in 1970, Spedding didn't want it issued at the time – and it initially was only released in Japan. Titles include "Plain Song", "Station Song", "Song Of The Deep", "The Forest Of Fables", and "New Song Of Experience". (Rock, Jazz) CD

A great lost album from Eddie! The record was one of his few cut for Columbia – recorded between his early years at Vee Jay and his hit years at Atlantic – and it's an excellent little batch of cuts, with a tight Chicago soulful grooving sound, and a strong approach that mixes hardbop and soul jazz in a very nice way. Some of the material is pop in origin – like "Goldfinger" and "People" – but even those tracks are done very nicely, with a nice groove and Eddie's biting sax firmly in place. Other titles include "East End Blues", "Rice Pudding", "That's Tough", and "Ineffable". LP, Vinyl record album

Two different concert recordings from the great Charles Mingus – recorded with the space of more than a decade between them, and showing the continual evolution of his genius! The first 2CDs bring together a sublime recording by German Radio in Bremen from 1964 – work that's from that important European tour that included the soon-to-be late Eric Dolphy on alto, flute, and bass clarinet – as part of a fiery sextet that also includes Johnny Coles on trumpet, Clifford Jordan on tenor, and Jaki Byard on piano. All players are fantastic – getting that push with Mingus that could often make soloists even more dynamic with the leader at the helm than on their own recordings – as you'll hear on the extended concert readings of "Hope So Eric", "Fables Of Faubus", "Parkeriania", and "Meditations On Integration" – plus a shorter solo by Byard. Mingus is at the helm of a different, but equally great group on the 1975 concert – with Jack Walrath on trumpet, George Adams on tenor, Don Pullen on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums (as on just about every Mingus recording!) The politics of the 64 performance are still in place, with a slight shift – and they're mixed with some of the late Mingus' love of Duke Ellington, who gets a tribute here in a few spots, but with some great touches by Charles. Most tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Remember Rockefeller At Attica", "Devil Blues", "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love", "Black Bat & Poles", "For Harry Carney", "Sue's Changes", and "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA". CD

A complete collection Charles Mingus' classic recordings for the Candid label – far and away some of the best recordings he ever made, and some of the few studio sessions that really let him stretch out and do his thing! Players here are a firey lineup of young modernists that includes Eric Dolphy, Ted Curson, Charles McPherson, Booker Ervin, Paul Bley, Roy Eldridge, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Knepper, Jo Jones and Dannie Richmond – all working here with Mingus on really long tracks that burst out with raw emotion, intense energy, and some really searing solo work! 17 tracks spread out over 4 LPs, with titles that include "Lock Em Up", "MDM", "Stormy Weather", "Folk Forms No 1", "Original Faubus Fables", "Bugs", "All The Things You Could Be If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother", "Mysterious Blues", "Melody From The Drums", "Vasserlean" and "Wrap Your troubles In Dreams" LP, Vinyl record album

Charles Mingus recorded many great concerts over the years – but this huge double-length collection may well be one of the most likely to earn the title of "great" – as the lineup is superb, and the music really captures Mingus at a time when he was setting a new fire in his sound! The time is the magical year of 1964 – and Mingus works here with a small group that features Eric Dolphy at a time right before he was to leave our planet all too soon – stretching out with the kind of incredible solos that Mingus allowed players in his group – showing some of the new spirituality that was coming into his sound at the time, emboldened by the leadership of the famous bassist. Dolphy blows flute, alto, and bass clarinet – alongside tremendous work from Clifford Jordan on tenor – springboarding here into the more spiritual currents of his albums to come – next to work from the great Jaki Byard on piano and Dannie Richmond on drums. All titles are very long, filled with majestic solos – and tracks include "Fables Of Faubus", "Parkerana", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk", "ATFW", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Meditations On Integration". CD

One of Charles Mingus' true classics – and an essential album in any jazz collection! This 1959 gem was recorded by Mingus at a key point in his career – when he was rising from the jazz underground into the ranks of America's elite jazzmen, penning some of the most challenging work of his career, and working with incredible younger players that interpreted his work with a great deal of fire! The tracks are a bit more tightly arranged than work on some of Mingus' previous work for labels like Atlantic and Bethlehem, but that also gives them a razor-sharp emotional edge that's carried off perfectly by players who include John Handy and Shafi Hadi on alto saxes, Booker Ervin on tenor, Willie Dennis and Jimmy Knepper on trombones, Horace Parlan on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums. The album is filled with key Mingus classics – like "Better Git It In Your Soul", "Boogie Stop Shuffle", "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", and "Fables of Faubus" – plus "Self Portrait In Three Colors", "Open Letter To Duke", and "Bird Call". CD features 3 rare bonus tracks – "GG Train", "Girl Of My Dreams", and "Pedal Point Blues" – and also features 4 tracks presented here in their full versions, not the edited ones that appeared on the original LP. CD

Fantastic lost work from Charles Mingus, from a very under-recorded time in his life – the same period in which he gave the world the seminal album Let My Children Hear Music! The setting's a live one – and as on some of Mingus' superb 60s concert sessions, there's a force and fire here that really surpasses the group's energy in the studio – long tracks that are filled with brilliant solo work, and handled by a sextet that includes Bobby Jones on tenor, Charles McPherson on alto, Jon Faddis on trumpet, John Foster on piano, and Roy Brooks on drums – a group with just the kind of young, imaginative horn players that Mingus always used to create a special sort of fire. Titles include the 19 minute "The Man Who Never Sleeps", the 30 minute "Mind Readers Convention In Milano", a 25 minute version of "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress", and a 20 minute take on "Noddin Ya Head Blue" – plus a 35 minute jam on "Fables Of Faubus" and the shorter "Pops". CD

Charles Mingus caught live is a totally different experience from Mingus in the studio – as this crack album from 1964 will testify! The album features a stripped-down quartet that includes Clifford Jordan on tenor, Jane Getz on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums – plus a guest appearance by altoist John Handy on one of the album's two tracks. Although you'll recognize the titles – "New Fables" and "Meditations (For A Pair Of Wire Cutters)" – as two of Mingus' more famous compositions, the versions here are extremely long (over 20 minutes), and show the less-composed side of Mingus' playing – one in which he allowed soloists to have much freer rein than usual, and really stretch out with their sound! Jordan and Handy take more than ample use of this space, and wail away mightily in some of their best recorded work from the time. Nice stuff, and one of the best mid-60's Mingus albums! LP, Vinyl record album

A solo piano album – tracks include "Hazy Eve", "Besame Mucho", "Two Different Worlds", "Tribute To The Ticklers", and the Charles Mingus Medley "Fables Of Faubus/Peggy's Blue Skylight". CD

Alto sax and all around jazz legend Lee Konitz playing with a great group of players – drummer Paul Motian, double bassist Charlie Haden and pianist Brad Helhdau – captured live at New York's fabled Birdland, in December of 2009! There's really no need to qualify assessments of Konitz's performance with a note about his age, he simply sounds terrific here on a set that's fairly easygoing in approach, but still quite dexterous! Includes fresh, unique takes on "Loverman", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Solar", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" and "Oleo". CD

The title's an apt one, because after frustrations experienced working for Columbia and other labels, Mingus is finally allowed the freedom here to present his own ideas in all their unfettered glory – working with a bracingly tight quartet that features Eric Dolphy on alto and bass clarinet and Ted Curson on trumpet! A number of the tracks here are familiar in their titles from other records, but the versions here stretch out far longer – moving past 10 minutes on 2 of the album's 4 tracks, and approaching that limit on others. But even more noticeable is the spareness of the sound – as the smaller group versions allow for a tremendous amount of solo space, really letting the focus fall on the two horn players, with the bass of Mingus and drums of Dannie Richmond shading in the space behind and beyond. Titles include "Folk Forms No. 1", "All the Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother", and the original uncensored version of "Faubus Fables". LP, Vinyl record album