Amazing sounds from the legendary Chris McGregor – a rare set of solo piano performances that shows a whole new side of his genius! The music here is still steeped in South African roots, yet has a style that's a bit more personal and intimate than some of Chris' better-known recordings with The Brotherhood Of Breath, or The Blue Notes – as McGregor here has to carry all the weight on his own – and does a tremendous job of spinning out these haunting melodies on piano – usually with a rhythmic pulse that's as compelling as the tune! The style's got echoes of previous Afro-inspired piano jazz from Randy Weston or Dollar Brand – but there's a deftness, and sense of feeling here that's completely McGregor's own – a really compelling quality that holds us rapt in ways that few other solo piano sets might do. This CD brings together lots more material than was on the original LP release – over 70s minutes of music, with tracks that include "Call", "Raincloud", "Umhome", "Mngqusho", "The Bride", "In His Good Time", "Ududu Nombambula", "Kwa Tebugo", and "Green Hymn". CD

A crackling date from Jackie McLean – a set that's got a more expansive feel than some of his earlier Blue Note work – filled with fire, far from the 50s – and really pointing the way towards his new directions to come! There's a hint of modernism in the mix, mostly on the tone from McLean's alto sax – but most numbers are forward-thinking, and played with a sense of perfection that's pure Blue Note all the way through – served up in original material penned by different members of the group – a killer lineup that includes a young Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, with Kenny Drew on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Pete LaRoca on drums. The whole set is wonderful – and titles include "Cool Green", "Torchin", "Bluesnik", "Drew's Blues", and "Blues Function". CD

A very apt title – as Jackie McLean sits in for a soulful session with the Great Jazz Trio of Hank Jones, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams – all "old bottles" at this point in their career, but working together beautifully to brew some very mellow "new wine"! The album's easily one of the best in the trio's run of the time – as Jackie's alto sax really helps flesh things out a bit more than usual – and moves the album past the trio sound of their other records. McLean gets plenty of space to do his thing on the longer tracks – and the piano of Jones, bass of Carter, and drums of Williams have a solid, soulful approach that's really wonderful. Titles include 2 McLean originals titled "Appointment In Ghana Again" and "Little Melonae Again", both remakes of older tunes – plus "Confirmation", "Bein Green", and "Round Midnight". CD

Tremendous solo work from the great Joe McPhee – recorded alone at home during 2020, as you might guess from the title – but a set that has Joe being wonderfully expressive, in the very personal way that you'd know if you've ever seen him live in performance! McPhee mostly blows tenor, but he also speaks at points – even quoting some lines from Black Panther – and brings in some field recordings, and even makes sounds on water and a pie tin too – all with this mandate to be as fully expressive as possible, even in a situation of isolation – a beautiful testament to the artistic fire that has kept McPhee going as one of the most important improvisers in jazz over the decades! Titles include "Cuernavaca 79", "Goodbye Porky Pig Hat", "Self Portrait In Three Colors – Red, Black, & Green", "Reflection On Ida Lupino", and "Do You Still Love Me". CD

A hell of a cooker from bassist Red Mitchell – a set that's got a sound that's way more mature and modern than you might guess from the image on the cover! Red's at the helm of a hip combo that also features sharp tenor from Zoot Sims and beautiful work on valve trombone from Bob Brookmeyer – working here at that cool compressed height of his 50s style we love so much. Conte Candoli's in the group on trumpet, giving things a surprising sort of bite – and rhythm is completed by Claude Williamson on piano and Stan Levey on drums – players who can be bold one minute, and carefully quiet the next. Titles include "Kelly Green", "Once In A While", "Bluesology", "Happy Minor", and "Long Ago & Far Away". CD

Bitches Brew is the club, not the sound of the music – a night spot in Yokohama where European reedman Liudas Mockunas improvised these performances in the company of a range of different Japanese players! The lineup shifts with each track, as do the horns handled by Mockunas – who blows tenor and soprano sax – plus a very cool "water prepared soprano sax" – in the company of Akira Sakata on clarinet and alto, Masayo Koketsu on alto, Eiichi Hayashi on alto, Yoshihide Otomo on guitar, and Kazutoki Umezu on bass clarinet, alto, and soprano! All tracks are nice and long, and filled with the sort of sharp reed interplay you'd know from both the music of Mockunas or Sakata – on titles that include "Brown Line", "Green Line", "Red Line", "Blue Line", and "Yellow Line". CD

A fantastic lost legacy in European free improvisation – the complete works of a group who were first known as Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe, then later as Fourmenonly – presented here in a beautiful 3CD set! First up is the album Trees – issued on a small label in 1968, but a set that matches the groundbreaking energy of the early work on FMP – played by a group that features Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Wilfreid Eichorn on tenor and soprano sax, Claus Buhler on bass, Rudi Thielmann on drums, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, Mellophon, piston, and percussion! The group have a melodic vibe at the core – often feeling out the initial space as a unit, then exploding with sound and color – and really making especially great work of the talents of Joos and Eichorn – players who work together with great power, driven on by the others. Titles include "Lonely Time", "Trees", "Schnee Verbrennt", "Change Of Beauty", and "The Devil Is Green Blue Yellow". CD also features a bonus unreleased improvisation too! Next is Position 2000 – a record of even longer improvisations, and one that shows the quintet really developing their sound – strongly aware of the farther reaches, but always beginning in some more colorful passages that almost have a melody, before exploding out with very vibrant energy! The lineup is the same as on the debut – with Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, mellophone, Indian flute, and percussion – and Wilfried Eichorn on tenor, soprano sax, bass clarinet, flute, and percussion – alongside Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Klaus Buhler on bass, and Rudi Thielmann on drums. Titles include "The Sun Is Coming Over", "Position 2000", and "Where Love Forever Shines". CD also features an unreleased improvisation. For the next album, bassist Buhler has departed the group – who are renamed Fourmenonly! Their first record is a brilliant set of free jazz from the German scene of the 70s – very different than other work of the time, in that there's maybe more of a future-thinking balance between sounds and silence, frenzy and fragility – all served up by a quartet that features Herbert Joos on trumpet and flugelhorn, Wilfried Eichhorn on tenor and soprano sax, Helmuth Zimmer on piano and percussion, and Rudi Theilmann on drums and percussion. Titles include "Viridiana/Ich Und Meine Bruder/Compulsion" and "Count Down/Excess". On the album Eight Science Fiction Stories, the Fourmenonly lineup is expanded by trombonist Wolfgang Czelusta – and perform some fantastic work billed as "science fiction stories", all composed by Herbert Joos. The sound is as revolutionary as on the group's earliest material, but also maybe more compact as well – nicely focused, with especially strong emphasis on the interplay between Czelusta on trombone, Wilifried Eichorn on bass clarinet, flute, and oboe, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, trumpet, and mellophone. The piano of Helmuth Zimmer is amazing – almost Cecil Taylor-like in intensity at times – and drummer Rudi Theilmann does a great job of moving from passages of full-on power to more spacious percussion. Titles include "Lucifer Is Marching On", "Dead Season", "The Beauty Without A Face", "Departure", "Plastic Happiness", and "Space Wall". CD

Naoki Nishi's not the biggest name from the glory days of the Japanese piano trio scene, but he's a great musician, and one with a lyrical quality that really links his style to that of important American greats from the time – maybe some of the warmth of Hank Jones, but mixed with some of the longer form ideas of Cedar Walton too! There's also a nice sense of space between his notes, but not in a Bill Evans way, as the through line is always clear – and given nice support here from Osamu Kawakami on bass and Michael Reznikoff on drums. Titles include the originals "A Little Song", "Monstar", "Dewdrops", and "Giant From The West" – plus versions of "Ugestu" and "On Green Dolphil Street". CD

Nobody's out to dinner here – or out to lunch – as the quintet revel in the tight intensity that we love from some of the recent all-star projects like this on the Posi-Tone label! The combination of instrumental elements here is wonderful – the sharp alto of Patrick Cornelius, colorful vibes of Behn Gillece, the deep-toned trombone of Ryan Keberle, careful basswork of Boriz Kozlov, and well-placed drums and percussion of Rudy Royston – all players that really have an understanding of each other, and work brilliantly as a group, even though any of the members could be a leader on their own! As with other projects like this, almost all the tunes are originals by group members – really fresh numbers that make the album a fresh delight throughout – titles that include "Episodes Of Grace", "We Create", "Precious Moments", "Hollow Men", "Green Machine", and "The Last Corner". CD

Wicked work by pianist Horace Parlan – and one of his most stunning Blue Note sessions ever! The album was first recorded in 1963, but then kept on the shelf for years – seeing only brief release as part of a Booker Ervin package in the late 70s, and finally coming out with the proper cover and lineup at some point in the 80s! Why Blue Note waited so long is a mystery, because the album's a gem throughout – almost more important, and more starkly modern than any of Parlan's other work for the label. Booker Ervin leads the frontline on tenor, alongside Johnny Coles on trumpet, Grant Green on guitar, and the rhythm section of Butch Warren and Billy Higgins. Parlan's choice of material is fantastic – with a number of Africanist tracks that feature unique rhythmic patterns that really push the soloists! Titles include "A Tune For Richard", "Dexi", "Home Is Africa", "Kucheza Blues", and "Back From The Gig". CD

A killer set of tracks by one of the best piano players that Blue Note ever recorded – and a great trio outing that sparkles with soulful intensity! Even in this more traditional format, Horace Parlan's still one of the most inventive players of his generation – working with a sense of bottom groove that makes even familiar tunes move nicely, and hitting an approach to his solo work that trades flowery touches for earthier tones that often dance around each other with a focused sound that's really unique! Dark and blue tones echo out wonderfully throughout the set, and Horace's piano is backed by the extremely thoughtful bass work of Sam Jones and drums of Al Harewood – on tunes that include "Up In Cynthia's Room", "C Jam Blues", "Bag's Groove", "On Green Dolphin Street", and "Lady Bird". CD

A wonderfully wicked meeting of the minds – and a legendary bit of soul jazz from organist Big John Patton! The core of the record features the usual Patton groove – with John on Hammond, Grant Green on guitar, and Otis Finch on drums – but added to that mix is Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, making a rare appearance on an organ jazz session, with some wonderful results! The combination of vibes and organ is especially haunting – jangling a groove with a really modal feel, and creating a sound that instantly made this one stand out from the pack! The whole thing's great, and tracks include "The Turnaround", "Let Em Roll", "Latona", and "One Step Ahead". CD

Oh Baby is right – as the album's one of the best Blue Note albums by Hammond legend Big John Patton – a perfect mix of funky organ and burning hardbop! The tracks hare are all originals penned for the album – mostly by Patton, but also by other group members – the kind of fresh grooves that made John's organ work for Blue Note really stand out from the rest of the 60s Hammond generation – very creative stuff, with occasional modern touches, and a rhythmic conception that's not only unusual, but which also really lets the soloists stretch out on their grooves! Players include Harold Vick on tenor, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ben Dixon on drums, and Grant Green on guitar – and the album's about as sharp as you can get for a Blue Note organ session. Titles include "Fat Judy", "Each Time", "One To Twelve", and "Night Flight". CD

One of the most obscure sessions by Duke Pearson, and one of his first for Blue Note too! The album features Duke hitting a laidback and lyrical groove – working in a trio with Gene Taylor on bass and Lex Humphries on drums – overall pretty much in a soul jazz mode, but with more of Pearson's wonderful touches on the keys to open things up. The album's a nice counterpoint to Duke's later work for the label – much more intimate than his bigger band sides, but still put together with the depth that he'd later show more famously with his fuller arrangements. Titles include "3 AM", "On Green Dolphin Street", "I Love You", and "The Golden Striker". CD

Some of the greatest British jazz of the 60s – two early albums by the groundbreaking Ian Carr/Don Rendell quintet! Shades Of Blue is the debut of a legendary British jazz group – one who not only gave that nation's scene a fresh voice in music, but who also really set the tone for many other acts to come! After a stretch when the London scene was doing a great job of matching American efforts in bop and swing, players like Don Rendell and Ian Carr found a way to really carve out some bold space of their own – here, by matching their own strong sense of writing and arranging, always filled with beautiful tone and color, with some of the more modern phrasing and styles that were just creeping up around town. The set's not nearly as experimental as the work of Joe Harriott, but has all the hallmarks of that generation's openness to new ways of expression – often given a surprisingly soulful swing, and captured perfectly as one of the early entries in the famous Lansdowne Series recordings. The rest of the group is equally great – and in addition to Rendell on tenor and soprano sax, and Carr on trumpet and flugelhorn – the combo includes Colin Purbrook on piano, Dave Green on bass, and Trevor Tompkin on drums. Titles include "Garrison 64", "Blue Mosque", "Just Blue", "Latin Blue", "Sailin", and "Big City Strut". Dusk Fire has a great group getting even better – as the legendary pairing of tenorist Don Rendell and trumpeter Ian Carr is joined by pianist Michael Garrick – who was really helping to shape the sound of British jazz at the time! The album's only the second from the Rendell/Carr Quintet, but it's already moving strongly forward – with this sense of composition and focus that's really amazing – served up in original tunes by all three creative forces in the lead – often with this great balance between soulful swing and modern ideas that makes the whole thing a dream all the way through! Don plays tenor, soprano sax, flute, and clarinet; Carr plays trumpet and flugelhorn; Garrick is on piano, Dave Green is on bass, and Trevor Tomkin is on drums – on titles that include "Prayer", "Dusk Fire", "Hot Rod", "Spooks", "Jubal", and "Tan Samfu". CD

A legendary group from the British modern jazz scene of the 60s – captured here in all their young brilliance, in a double-length live date recorded between the space of their first two albums! We've raved about the partnership of trumpeter Ian Carr and saxophonist Don Rendell many times before, so they likely need no introduction here – yet there's also something special in this live date too – as it's got the group still working very much with their own music and new ideas, but in a way that's got maybe a slightly more down to earth quality too, maybe from the setting of the club. The whole lineup is great – and pianist Michael Garrick is a key member on both his instrument, and his contributions of key songs to the date – working alongside Carr on trumpet and flugelhorn, Rendell on tenor, soprano, and flute – and Dave Green on bass and Trevor Tomkins on drums. The package features a huge amount of notes, really giving background on all aspects of the recording – on titles that include "Ursula", "Promises", "Blues By Five", "Jonah & The Whale", "The Sixth Seal", "Shades Of Blue", "Hot Rod", and "No Blues". CD

One of the few albums ever issued under the name of Emil Richards – an important percussionist on the LA scene, and one who played on countless jazz albums and other sessions over the years! This set has Richards working almost exclusively on vibes – as a rare outing for the mostly-rock Del-Fi label, done in a mode that seems to challenge the Latin jazz styles that Cal Tjader was developing at the time on Fantasy Records! And as a bit of a surprise, Emil's working with a similar group to Cal's – one that includes Francisco Aquabella on congas, Cuco Martinez on timbales, and Marcelino Valdez on other percussion instruments – alongside a core trio that features Richards' vibes with Al McKibbon's bass and Paul Moer's piano. The tunes are filled with lots of great modal moments – and titles include "Little Niles", "Green Dolphin Street", "Friday The 13th", "Oh Very Well", "Half & Half", and "Yazz Per Favore". CD

A great lost chapter in the career of Sonny Rollins – material recorded live at MOMA in 1965, but unissued until this brief package in the late 70s! The work is right up there with Rollins' best for RCA at the time, and almost feels a bit like his live Village Vanguard material from Blue Note – freewheeling, open, and with that continuously creative style that marks his solo talents at their best! The group's a quartet – with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and either Billy Higgins or Mickey Roker on drums – and tracks are longish, and have that arch mix of modern and traditional modes that we always appreciate in Rollins. Titles include "On Green Dolphin Street", "To A Wild Rose", "Three Little Words", and "There Will Never Be Another You". CD

A warmly wonderful trio set from the legendary Italian pianist Mario Rusca – a set that's got all the best elements of vintage European jazz sessions from the 70s, from the instrumentation right down to the production! Rusca's a lyrical master on the keys of the piano – swinging at all times, but also letting loose with flowing lines that are overflowing with color – given some nice support by Maxx Furian on drums and Riccardo Fioravanti on bass, both players who occasionally shape the rhythms with some contemporary inflections, while still letting Mario's magic flow out on the keyboard! Titles include "Love Should Never End", "Mr Rik", "Cool Green", "You Look Good To Me", "Sunny", "Killer Joe", "Wait For Me In The Sky", and "Strollin" CD

An unreleased set of solo performances from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – one that we'd rank right up there with his most adventurous work of the 70s! Smith comes across wonderfully on the record – full of soul and imagination, and easily as impressive on his solo instruments as scenemate Roscoe Mitchell could be in a similar setting – always moving around with thoughtful shifts in timing and purpose, in ways that always make the whole performance feel very organic, especially as Smith moves between other instruments that include flute, percussion, gongs, and steelophone. Titles include "Jupiter's Astro Waves", "Blue Green Gardens Of The Indigenous People", and "Pan Sonic Fire Rhythms/Red Chrysanthemums/Dark Purple Night On Crater Lake With A Clear View Of Saturn's Rings & Moons". CD

Michael Thomas really shines here as an altoist – blowing his instrument with this crisp, sometimes-spacious quality that's totally great – and which shows us that there's still plenty to be opened up in the instrument – especially when matched with all the great original material that Thomas brings to the session, which features almost all tunes penned by the leader himself! The rhythm trio also has a lot to do with the fresh expression that Michael gets from his horn – a lineup that features Manuel Valera on piano, Matt Brewer on bass, and Obed Calvaire on drums – very unified at most moments, with this way of building up sound in steps, which Thomas responds to wonderfully. Titles include "Mnemosyne", "Hokkeshu", "Information Paradox", "Shades Of Green", "Darkness & Light", and "The Other Side". CD

Quite possibly one of the most successful Japanese piano trio recordings of the 70s – a super-session performed by a group that includes Joe Sample on acoustic piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums! Given that Sample's best known during the era for his electric keys with the Crusaders (and on countless studio sessions), it's a real treat to hear him tickle the ivories in an acoustic way – and a genuine surprise to hear how strong his work is in such a format. Joe manages to swing the tunes with plenty of creative improvisation, but also keeps a strong focus on the groove too – making for an album that's got some of the rhythmic flourishes of the best work of the Oscar Peterson trio in later years, but with some of the added freedoms of the Japanese scene. Titles include "On Green Dolphin Street", "Round Midnight", "Funky Blues", "Manha Do Carnaval", "Yearnin", and "Satin Doll". CD

Never-issued work from pianist Keith Tippett – live studio recordings from 1970, and cuts that really capture Tippett at the height of his young brilliance! There's a vibe here that's often a bit different than some of his famous albums of the period – more modal in the rhythms overall, with long-spun cuts that sparkle with a beautifully spiritual sense of energy! The package features three tracks each from two different sessions in 1970 – both of which feature Elton Dean on saxes, Marc Charig on cornet, and Nick Evans on trombone – all sounding every bit as special and soulful as Tippett on the recordings. The first date also features Jeff Clyne on bass and Trevor Tomkins on drums – the second has Roy Babbington on bass and Bryan Spring on drums – and titles include "In A Vacant Mood", "Thoughts To Geoff", "How Long This Time", "Five After Dawn", and "Green & Orange Night Park". CD

Very cool work from vibist Cal Tjader – sounds that are different than some of the larger arrangements and concepts of his Verve Records albums of the mid 60s, and material that appears here for the first time ever! The set features a range of appearances that Tjader made on radio in Seattle – really well-recorded dates, done at the city's famous Penthouse nightclub – and featuring Cal's vibes in a stripped-down setting that's almost more of a throwback to his pre-Verve material for Fantasy records. There's excellent players throughout, especially on piano – as the keys are handled by Clare Fischer, Al Zulaica, and Lonnie Hewitt – all of whom did great work with Cal – working here in combos that feature plenty of percussion from Armando Peraza, and drums and timbales from Johnny Rae and Carl Burnett. The tunes are a nice mix of modes – some Latin, some bossa, lots straighter jazz – and titles include "Insight", "Davito", "Pantano", "Leyte", "Half & Half", "Bag's Groove", "Mambo Inn", "Morning", "Soul Burst", "Cuban Fantasy", "Love For Sale", "Reza", "On Green Dolphin Street", "O Morro Nao Tem Vez", "Fuji", and "Along Comes Mary". CD

One of Bobby Watson's more urgent-sounding albums from the 80s – a quartet session recorded with an Italian rhythm trio – in a style that mostly features Watson blowing in the lead – really holding the session together with the strength of his own imagination – that boundless sense of creativity he always had at this point in his career! The rest of the group features Piero Bassini on piano, Attilio Zanchi on bass, and Giampiero Prina on drums – and it's great to hear Watson really opening up in a very different way, and in a very different group – than some of his better-known American records of the time. Titles include "Round Trip", "Blue In Green", "Ceora", and "All The Things Of Jo Maka". CD

One of the few albums ever made as a leader by tenorist Don Wilkerson – a hell of a talent who was usually working in the background of the Ray Charles band, but got this chance to step out as a leader for Blue Note – in a session that's also one of the rarest on the label! Brother Don plays lean and mean, in a nice tight group that features Grant Green on guitar, Sonny Clark on piano, and Billy Higgins on drums – all of whom give Wilkerson a freer setting than he ever got working with Ray Charles – a groove that's right in the best soul jazz pocket of early 60s Blue Note! The groove has a freer edge than on some of Wilkerson's few other albums, with touches that almost reach a Latin sound at times – an influence most likely from Green's exotic work on guitar, and Higgins' wonderfully free rhythms. Titles include "Pigeon Peas", "Camp Meetin", "Jeanie Weanie", and "Dem Tamborines". CD

A funky gem from Hammond hero Reuben Wilson – one of the last great organ players to emerge from the 60s soul jazz scene – and a musician who seemed to have a great ear for funky currents right from the start! Part of the album's charm is the drums of Idris Muhammad (aka Leo Morris) – who brings a sound here that's similar to his famous late 60s work with Lou Donaldson – and the group also features a few nice Donaldson-styled touches from Grant Green on guitar, helping merge the groove here with some of his own great Blue Note dates from the time. The rest of the lineup features Lee Morgan on trumpet and George Coleman on tenor – a rare funky date for a player like Coleman – and titles include the funky cuts "Hot Rod" and "Love Bug", plus other groovers like "Back Out", "Stormy", and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me". CD

Plenty of life here – as pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto gets some wonderful rhythm accompaniment from Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – both of whom make the record flow like the best Cedar Walton trio sides from the time! Yamamoto's definitely got his own touch on the keys, though – a sometimes-sensitive style that's especially nice on the ballads, which he has a very contemplative way of handling. The album's one of Yamamoto's best from the decade – a real treat that seems to draw plenty from the work of Jones and Higgins – and titles include "Billysam Blues", "When I Fall In Love", "Green Dolphin Street", and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life". CD