A really great groove from guitarist Gabor Szabo – a set that has the musician working with legendary producer Wayne Henderson, in a mode that moves into soul while still keeping all the best jazz elements intact! Szabo plays acoustic guitar alongside electric from Marlon McClain, with both players wrapped up nicely by Fender Rhodes work from the great Bobby Lyle – whose keyboard lines really act as the glue for all the grooves, while Henderson works to give them all the right sort of punch from the bottom! The mix of talents here comes together perfectly – like some of the best work on the Fantasy label at the time, or maybe a bit like some of the Mizell productions – but in a different way. Titles include "The Biz", "Magic Mystic Faces", "Gloomy Day", "Desiring You", "Misty Malarky Ying Yang", "Alicia", "The Last Song", and "Estate". CD features two bonus tracks – "The Biz (edit)" and "Alicia (edit)". CD

One of the rarest Newport albums ever issued – a split LP that features a side apiece by two of the coolest talents of the late 50s! Side one features work by the Randy Weston trio – with Weston on piano, George Joyner on bass, and GT Hogan on drums – performing great Weston originals that include "Machine Blues", "Hi Fly", "Beef Blues Stew", and an excerpt from the great "Bantu Suite"! Even groovier is work from the quartet of vibist Lem Winchester – a combo that also includes piano from Ray Santisi, bass from John Neves, and drums from Jimmy Zitano. The set is one of the few times that Winchester recorded away from Prestige Records in his all-too-short career – and the cover even bills him as "Patrolman Lem Winchester", with a picture of him in a police hat – a reference to his day job. Winchester titles include "Now's The Time", "Take The A Train", and "Polka Dots & Moonbeams". LP, Vinyl record album

A real lost treasure from Art Farmer – a tremendous album that hardly ever shows up in the history books, and which, to our knowledge, appears here on CD for the first time ever – plus a bonus album of earlier Farmer work with the Mundell Lowe Septet! Many Faces is a rare 1964 jazz side for the mostly-pop Scepter label – featuring Farmer at the head of a small group working with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Charles McPherson on alto, and Steve Swallow or Ron Carter alternating on bass. The album was done under the direction of Tom McIntosh – the brilliant young composer who had a magical talent for blending together modern and lyrical modes while still keeping a strong degree of soul. McIntosh contributed a few tunes to the set, as did Dennis Sandole – the nearly-forgotten trumpeter from the Philly scene of the 50s. There's a dark beauty to this session that surpasses even many other Farmer sides from the time – and titles include "Hyacinth", "Ally", "Happy Feet", "Minuet In G", and "Saucer Eyes". 1958's Porgy & Bess finds Farmer playing trumpet for guitarist Mundell Lowe's Septet on a nice set of material from Gershwin – including lesser known numbers from the original play. Players include Tony Scott on clarinet and baritone, Ben Webster on tenor and either George Duvivier or Osie Johnson on the kit. Titles include "Summertime", "Bess, You Is My Woman", "I Love You Porgy", "Redhead Woman", "There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York", "It Ain't Necessarily So" and more. CD

Seminal work from the legendary Gil Melle – one of his early 10" sessions for Blue Note, prime 50s modern jazz from the original Melle cover right down to the music in the grooves! The session features 2 different groups, and has Melle's haunting tenor (not baritone) playing amidst other bop-era modernists like Eddie Bert, Tal Farlow, George Wallington, and Max Roach – coming together on tunes that are as magical as the titles might imply – "Mars", "Four Moons", "Sunset Concerto", "The Gears", "October", "Cyclotron", and "Venus". Monica Dell also sings some incredible wordless vocals on a few tunes! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from bassist Charlie Haden and his Quartet West – a lovely look back at the styles and chanteuses of the 50s & 60s noirish jazz – with some lush strings accompaniment and guest vocalists including Cassandra Wilson, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Ruth Cameron and Diana Krall! It's the kind of thing that could come of hokey without a genuine love if the material in the mix, and the Haden & co. pull it off wonderfully. The quartet players include Ernie Watts on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano and Rodney Green on drums. Includes "If I'm Lucky" with Melody Gardot, "Sophisticated Lady", "Today I Am A Man", "Ill Wind" with Norah Jones, "My Love And I" with Cassandra Wilson, "Theme From 'Markham'", "Angel Faces", "Goodbye" with Diana Krall, "Wahoo" and more. CD

Unissued live work from the great Shirley Horn – recorded in Las Vegas right before her big comeback recordings of the 90s – at a time when Shirley was hardly getting a chance to make an album! That lack of attention hardly matters to Horn, though – as she faces this performance with all of the class, charm, and undeniable soul of her bigger label material – both singing and playing piano with that unique sense of phrasing that made her a standout from the 60s onward – easily one of the coolest jazz talents of her generation – and an artist that we'd rank up there with Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, and a rare few others. The album's got a few especially nice long tracks – which have Shirley stretching out with great long solos on piano, too – in a trio that features Charles Ables on bass and Steve Williams on drums. Titles include "Meditation", "The Boy From Ipanema", "Hi Fly", "Just For A Thrill", "Blues For Big Scotia", "Lover Man", and "Isn't It Romantic". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

An ambitious larger group album from Yusef Lateef – and one that's carried off with all the genius of his smaller group sessions from the time! Yusef himself is working with a variety of reed instruments – including tenor sax, oboe, flute, and argol – amongst a larger horn section that also features Josea Taylor on bassoon, Tate Houston on baritone sax, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and Clark Terry and Richard Williams on trumpet. Rhythm is by the trio of Joe Zawinul piano, Ben Tucker bass, and Lex Humphries drums – and although the horn arrangements are complicated, they're always soulfully swinging – never too academic, and really done on a way that just expands the mixture of exoticism and hardbop expressed on other Lateef albums! Titles include "Iqbal", "Apathy", "Summer Song", "Revelation", and "The Centaur & The Phoenix". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Jungle Fantasy" and "Titora" – both taken from The Many Faces Of Yusef Lateef album, and done with added percussion and background voices! CD

The title says it all – as Yusef Lateef works here in that wonderful mixture of hardbop, soul jazz, and Eastern stylings that he brought to all of his best early sessions as a leader! Lateef himself is playing tenor, flute, and oboe – which he uses to craft these eerie snakecharmer lines that work perfectly with the modal grooves of the tracks – very unusual rhythms for the time, and a real precursor to some of the world jazz experiments to come from overseas. The rest of the group features pianist Barry Harris, drummer Lex Humphries, and bassist Ernie Farrow, who also plays a strange instrument called a rabat – which further adds to the charm of the record. Titles include "Plum Blossom", "Purple Flower", "Three Faces Of Balal", and "Chinq Miau". LP, Vinyl record album

Nothing too silent here, as the set's filled with the kind of soulful fusion grooves we'd expect from Hubert Laws in the 70s! The album's a real standout in his Columbia catalog – a perfectly balanced set that features plenty of great work from Hubert on flute, amidst arrangements that also have a bit of a groove on most numbers – never too smooth, nor too commercial – and very much in the spirit of Bobbi Humphrey's excellent late 70s sides for the label. As with those records, there's a bit of vocals here – sung in a lovely way by Debra and Eloise Laws – and there's also a bit of strings here, but used sparingly to match the sweetly stepping rhythms. Titles include "The Baron", "False Faces", "Love Gets Better", "It Happens Every Day", and "Say It With Silence". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably the best Mark Murphy album ever – a stunningly soulful, and slightly spiritual 70s session that features some of his hippest tunes ever – with backings from arranger Dave Matthews and a group that also includes The Brecker Brothers and Don Grolnick on keyboards! Titles include great vocal versions of "Naima", "Empty Faces", "Red Clay", "Maiden Voyage", and "Canteloupe Island". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Arguably the best Mark Murphy album ever – a stunningly soulful, and slightly spiritual 70s session that features some of his hippest tunes ever – and backings from a Dave Matthews-arranged group that also includes The Brecker Brothers and Don Grolnick on keyboards! Titles include great vocal versions of "Naima", "Empty Faces", "Red Clay", "Maiden Voyage", and "Canteloupe Island". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

An all-star group – featuring John SCOfield, Joe LOvano, Dave HOlland, and Al FOster, hence the unusual name of the ensemble – all grooving in an angular mode that recalls the current Blue Note sound at its freshest. Lovano's edgey tenor and soprano work really make the session hold together nicely, as he's got a tone here that almost reminds us of George Braith back in the days when he was recording for Blue Note himself – especially on some of his organ-based sessions. Scofield's guitar is in that cleaner, leaner sound he's using these days – which is a good match for Foster's spare work on rhythm. Titles include "Oh", "Right About Now", "Brandyn", "Faces", "Oh I See", "In Your Arms", and "Shorter Form". CD

An all-star group – featuring John SCOfield, Joe LOvano, Dave HOlland, and Al FOster, hence the unusual name of the ensemble – all grooving in an angular mode that recalls the current Blue Note sound at its freshest. Lovano's edgey tenor and soprano work really make the session hold together nicely, as he's got a tone here that almost reminds us of George Braith back in the days when he was recording for Blue Note himself – especially on some of his organ-based sessions. Scofield's guitar is in that cleaner, leaner sound he's using these days – which is a good match for Foster's spare work on rhythm. Titles include "Oh", "Right About Now", "Brandyn", "Faces", "Oh I See", "In Your Arms", and "Shorter Form". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare gem from Archie Shepp – really wonderful, and still pretty darn spiritual! The record features 2 long tracks – "Lybia" and "My Heart Cries Out To Africa" – each a side long, and each with a soulful fire missing from many of Shepp's other recordings from the time (save for a few gems, like Sea Of Faces). The group is a quintet, and features Charles Greenlee on trombone, Dave Burrell on piano, David Williams on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. Very nice stuff! LP, Vinyl record album

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 include "Total Vibration", "Sun Of The East", "Brilliant Action", "Terrestrial Beings", "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". CD

Important mid 60s work from Ornette – and one of the few recordings of this format to see larger release at the time! The set captures Ornette in a much freer style than heard on his Atlantic recordings from a few years before – paying alto, violin, and trumpet, in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", and "Dawn". CD

Important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", and "Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

Important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", and "Dawn". CD

A wonderful meeting between three classic French jazz musicians – the kind of set from their scene that we haven't heard done this well in years – and a record that really reminds us of the best moments of the French trio explosion that took place towards the end of the 90s! As with some of those records, there's this intimacy between the players that's wonderful – an ability to quietly suss out sonic opportunities one minute, then soar boldly together the next – all with a sense of color and motion that's very dynamic, but never in a way that seems gimmicky, forced, or just done to call attention to itself. The lineup features Herve Sellin on piano, Jean Paul Celea on bass, and Daniel Humair on drums – and titles include "The 3 Faces", "New Stories", "Contemporis", "Avant Propos", "What's The Point", and "Humelinea". CD