Badass organ funk from the mighty Leon Spencer – a set that's got a bit of a fuller feel than some of his previous albums for Prestige – but a groove that's also equally great! The style here is somewhere between blacksploitation funk and some of the grooves from the CTI/Kudu camp – with a bit more horns than before on some of the titles, arranged tightly to provide a great foil for Leon's leaner lines on Hammond! Arrangements are by Ed Bogas on the fuller tracks, and players on the album include Hubert Laws on flute, Frank Wess on baritone, Victor Paz and Virgil Jones on trumpet, Joe Beck on guitar, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Grady Tate on drums. One track features Leon working in a smaller trio format – and titles include "Superstition", "Give Me Your Love", "The Price A Po Man's Got To Pay", "Where I'm Coming From", and "Trouble Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't be put off by the late date of the session, because this is an excellent album from McCoy Tyner – and one with a very spiritual groove that's clearly inherited from Coltrane! The album's based around longer compositions arranged by Tyner, and orchestrated by the great William S Fischer – with lead solos by Hubert Laws on flutes and McCoy on piano, over soaring searching backings that push onward with the same kind of soulful sound as some of Tyner's earlier Blue Note albums. Fischer, as always, manages to balance complexity with straight-ahead grooving – and the clean sound of the album is a surprise throughout! Titles include "Salvadore De Samba", "Beyond The Sun", "Fly With The Wind", and "Rolem". LP, Vinyl record album

Soaring brilliance from McCoy Tyner – one of his first large group outings, and an effort undertaken with key help from William Fischer! There's a sense of soaring freedom here that's very much like Tyner's smaller group albums of the time – but Fischer tunes it with a broader sense of color and tone, really bringing the most out of players that include Hubert Laws, Sonny Fortune, Junie Booth, Alphonse Mouzon, Cecil Bridgewater, Virgil Jones, and Dick Griffin. Tyner's forceful piano is very much in the lead on most tunes, but the album's much more of a group effort than before – and the horn and string contributions on the longer tracks are really tremendous. Titles include "Little Brother", "The Divine Love", "Some Day", "Song Of The New World", and a version of "Afro Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

McCoy Tyner on piano, Stanley Clarke on bass, Bennie Maupin on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Jack DeJohnette on drums, Hubert Laws on flute and alto flute, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes and marimba, Bill Summers on congas and percussion, and Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and flugelhorn. CD

With Abraham Laboriel on bass, Paul Jackson Jr on guitar, Hubert Laws on flute, Carlos Vega on drums, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, and George Duke on synthesizer. CD

A cool cooker from Frank Wess – one of his great early 60s albums for Prestige, most of which sparkle even more strongly than his 50s dates for Savoy! By this point in his career, Wess had a firm attachment to the flute, and he was also one of the more soulful soloists of the early 60s. Work on albums like this that clearly set the stage for Hubert Laws and Bobby Humphrey in years to come – especially in the way that Frank snakes his instrument around some really lean, mean rhythms. The group here's a bit bigger than usual – with Oliver Nelson handling the arrangements and also playing tenor (Wess blows a bit of tenor too) – and other players who include Albert Aarons on trumpet, George Barrow on baritone sax, and Tommy Flanagan on piano. Tracks are longish, with a great rolling soul jazz groove – and titles include "Blues For Butterball", "Summer Frost", "Gin's Beguine", and "Shufflin". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from Randy Weston – and a unique electric session from the 70s! The feel is very different here than the angular modernism of Randy's roots – a warmer, more flowing sound – as you'd expect from the CTI label, and from Randy's use of electric piano as well as acoustic. The group is largeish, with key players who include Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, and Grover Washington Jr – and although there's a larger horn section on the record, they mostly hang back and let the main soloists do their thing. Don Sebesky arranged, and the tracks are still originals with an African-inspired approach to rhythms – but more warmly soulful overall, as is the CTI way! Titles include "Night In Medina", "Marrakesh Blues", and "Ifrane". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Eddie Daniels, Peter Erskine, Hubert Laws, David Sanborn, Tom Scott, Bill Watrous, and Phil Woods! Tracks include "The Song Is You", "All Or Nothing At All", "You Make Me Feel So Young", "In The Still Of The Night", and "I've Got The World On A String". CD

A well-titled little set – as the collection is as cool as the sound of CTI Records back in the 70s! The unique package features an LP-sized cover – just like one of the CTI gatefold albums from back in the day – which contains 4 different CDs, each with a slightly different take on the sound of the legendary label! CD 1 is titled Straight Up – and features amazing 70s jazz from Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, George Benson, Randy Weston, Freddie Hubbard, and others. CD 2 is titled Deep Grooves/Big Hits – and features some killer numbers by Esther Phillips, Johnny Hammond, Freddie Hubbard, Deodato, Joe Farrell, and Hank Crawford. Next is CD 3, The Brazilian Connection – a beautiful demonstration of Creed Taylor's love of sounds from Rio and beyond – filled with great work from Airto, Paul Desmond, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, and Deodato. Last up is Cool & Classic – the 4th CD, with CTI-remade work by older players such as Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Kenny Burrell, and Jim Hall – all a perfect fit for the label's new sound of the 70s! The package also features an LP-sized booklet – filled with notes and rare images! (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

A great little collection of tunes on the CTI, Kudu, and Salvation labels – all owned by Creed Taylor during the height of his powers during the mid 70. There's a range of soulful and funky tunes on the album – and titles include "First Light" by Freddie Hubbard, "Supership" by George Benson, "Chicago Theme" by Hubert Laws, "Such A Night" by Esther Philips, "Mister Magic" by Grover Washington, "I Told Jesus" by Stanley Turrentine, and "Feel Like Making Love" by Bob James, LP, Vinyl record album