Fantastic work from avant saxophonist Hans Koller – rare material that stands with the best Free Sound albums he released for MPS in the 70s! By this point in his career, Koller was really exploding with talent – a sax player who first begun in the postwar years with modes that were more California modern, but expanded and changed throughout the 60s – to the point where Hans was one of the most open-minded, freely-creative musicians on the central European scene! If you've only heard Koller's straighter tenor, you'll really be blown away here – as Hans blows both that horn and soprano sax, in a freewheeling group that also features Wolfgang Dauner on piano, Zbigniew Siefert on alto and violin, Adelhard Rodinger on bass, and Janusz Stefanski on drums. And while the music definitely lives up to the Free Sound name of the group, it's also not entirely free jazz – as there's a sense of structure and larger modern ideals that hearkens back to some of Koller's earlier music, even while the soloists are taking off. Titles include the 40 minute workout on "Nome", the 11 minute "Ulla M Kompanie 22/8", and the surprisingly spiritual "Kunstkopfindianer/Adea". CD

Seminal work from Steve Lacy – a set that was recorded in the early 60s, but not issued until the mid 70s – when it quickly became one of THE key records for understanding Lacy's sound and style! The set's based on the work of Thelonious Monk – and like Lacy's early Prestige album, Reflections, it features these wonderful angular extrapolations on Monk's modern ideals – really taken to the next level, and in a way that's even more far-reaching than Lacy's previous recordings of Monk. The group here is a key part of the album's strength – with Lacy on soprano sax, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Henry Grimes on bass, and Dennis Charles on drums – and titles include "Bye Ya", "Monk's Mood", "Brilliant Corners", and "Skippy". CD

The only session as a leader from trumpeter Cal Massey – a big influence on soulful modernism in the 60s, but an artist who showed up more in the liner notes for records than he did in the studio! The record's a really unique one – and a set that crackles with the best sort of intensity of the Candid jazz label at the time. Massey's vision here is one that's extremely progressive – open in a hardbop sort of way, but often touched with more of the modernism that was showing up in the darker corners of the Blue Note scene. His trumpet work here has a mix of sweetness and sharp edges that reminds us a lot of Johnny Coles at his best – but almost even more important is his writing and overall conception – as the tunes here are a fantastic mix of high concept ideals that never fail to groove – of a sort that would show up later in the 60s on records by Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, and others. The group here is a sextet – with Massey on trumpet, Julius Watkins on French Horn, Hugh Brodie on tenor, Patti Brown on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and GT Hogan on drums – and titles include "These Are Soulful Days", which was recorded by Lee Morgan, and "Bakai", which was recorded by Coltrane – and the tracks "Blues To Coltrane", "What's Wrong", and "Father & Son". CD

Previously-unreleased live material from the glory days of the Thelonious Monk Quartet – captured right in the middle of that group's famous run on Columbia Records, with fidelity as strong as if the label itself were producing the session! We could say volumes about this group – and we probably already have on these pages – and we're always amazed at the way the richness of the tenor of Charlie Rouse balances out the angular ideals of Monk on the piano – at a level that may well make Rouse one of Monk's greatest musical partners, ever! The rest of the group is equally wonderful – John Ore is a superb bassist, and Frankie Dunlop somehow manages to grab all the rhythm in Monk and Charlie's playing, and make them swing even more. All tracks here are long, and filled with strong solos throughout – on versions of "Nutty", "Monk's Dream", "Body & Soul", "Bye Ya", and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". CD

Previously-unreleased live material from the glory days of the Thelonious Monk Quartet – captured right in the middle of that group's famous run on Columbia Records, with fidelity as strong as if the label itself were producing the session! We could say volumes about this group – and we probably already have on these pages – and we're always amazed at the way the richness of the tenor of Charlie Rouse balances out the angular ideals of Monk on the piano – at a level that may well make Rouse one of Monk's greatest musical partners, ever! The rest of the group is equally wonderful – John Ore is a superb bassist, and Frankie Dunlop somehow manages to grab all the rhythm in Monk and Charlie's playing, and make them swing even more. All tracks here are long, and filled with strong solos throughout – on versions of "Nutty", "Monk's Dream", "Body & Soul", "Bye Ya", and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost live recording from the legendary Thelonious Monk Quartet of the 60s – done at a time when the group wasn't recording at all, as a small benefit at a high school in California! Yet despite that setting, the vibe here is as relaxed, open, and human as if the combo were playing at an overseas club – very personal presentation of the best ideals inherent in Monk's piano, Charlie Rouse's tenor, Larry Gales' bass, and the drums of Ben Riley! Monk had been having some health issues during the year, but they don't show up at all in his performance – save for maybe a sense of brooding darkness at times, although that was always a quality that might appear in his performance. The music is every bit as essential as the London recordings that would emerge a few years later – and titles include "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Ruby My Dear", "Don't Blame Me", "Epistrophy", and "I Love You Sweetheart Of All My Dreams". CD

A lost live recording from the legendary Thelonious Monk Quartet of the 60s – done at a time when the group wasn't recording at all, as a small benefit at a high school in California! Yet despite that setting, the vibe here is as relaxed, open, and human as if the combo were playing at an overseas club – very personal presentation of the best ideals inherent in Monk's piano, Charlie Rouse's tenor, Larry Gales' bass, and the drums of Ben Riley! Monk had been having some health issues during the year, but they don't show up at all in his performance – save for maybe a sense of brooding darkness at times, although that was always a quality that might appear in his performance. The music is every bit as essential as the London recordings that would emerge a few years later – and titles include "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Ruby My Dear", "Don't Blame Me", "Epistrophy", and "I Love You Sweetheart Of All My Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue tribute to the legendary Moondog – one of the true visionaries of American music in the 20th Century! Moondog got his starts as a blind musician working the streets of New York at the end of the 40s, but he did so (as you'll note on the cover photo) with a range of unusual instruments of his own invention, and in a minimal, rhythmic style that linked together primitivism with higher musical ideals. Moondog's often been called "the father of minimalism" – and while his experiments of the 50s prefaced the work of Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and others, his work was also much more personal, and had an earthy intensity that's still tremendously powerful even decades later! This collection is one of the first to dip into the earliest of Moondog's recordings – his recordings for the Mars, SRC, Brunswick, and Moondog labels – which are presented here alongside selected tracks from his albums for Epic and Prestige, also of similar vintage. Nearly all the tracks here offer a very primitive blend of percussion that's sometimes mixed with unusual woodwind or stringed instruments – nearly all of Moondog's own invention – and the package also features some great notes on his long career, plus some photos that are as gripping as the music itself! Titles include "Down Is Up", "Big Cat", "Bumbo", "Rimshot", "Rabbit Hop", "Instrumental Round", "Be A Hobo", "Dog Trot", "Oasis", "2 W 46th Street", and "Why Spend The Dark Night With You". (Out Sound, Jazz) CD

One of the hardest to find of the early Lee Morgan albums on Blue Note – and a very lyrical batch of hardbop tracks, played with a slightly exotic flair! Morgan's group on the date features melodic modernists Benny Golson on tenor and Gigi Gryce on alto sax – both of whom push Morgan past his youthful bop approach into more sensitive areas – especially Golson, who wrote and arranged the tunes on the date with a sublime mix of hardbop and deeper musical ideals! Rhythm is from the trio of Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums – and titles include a great reading of Golson's "I Remember Clifford", plus four other originals by Benny – "Hasaan's Dream", "Domingo", "Mesabi Chant", and "Tip Toeing". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hardest to find of the early Lee Morgan albums on Blue Note – and a very lyrical batch of hardbop tracks, played with a slightly exotic flair! Morgan's group on the date features melodic modernists Benny Golson on tenor and Gigi Gryce on alto sax – both of whom push Morgan past his youthful bop approach into more sensitive areas – especially Golson, who wrote and arranged the tunes on the date with a sublime mix of hardbop and deeper musical ideals! Rhythm is from the trio of Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums – and titles include a great reading of Golson's "I Remember Clifford", plus four other originals by Benny – "Hasaan's Dream", "Domingo", "Mesabi Chant", and "Tip Toeing". CD

One of the hardest to find of the early Lee Morgan albums on Blue Note – and a very lyrical batch of hardbop tracks, played with a slightly exotic flair! Morgan's group on the date features melodic modernists Benny Golson on tenor and Gigi Gryce on alto sax – both of whom push Morgan past his youthful bop approach into more sensitive areas – especially Golson, who wrote and arranged the tunes on the date with a sublime mix of hardbop and deeper musical ideals! Rhythm is from the trio of Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums – and titles include a great reading of Golson's "I Remember Clifford", plus four other originals by Benny – "Hasaan's Dream", "Domingo", "Mesabi Chant", and "Tip Toeing". CD

One of the hardest to find of the early Lee Morgan albums on Blue Note – and a very lyrical batch of hardbop tracks, played with a slightly exotic flair! Morgan's group on the date features melodic modernists Benny Golson on tenor and Gigi Gryce on alto sax – both of whom push Morgan past his youthful bop approach into more sensitive areas – especially Golson, who wrote and arranged the tunes on the date with a sublime mix of hardbop and deeper musical ideals! Rhythm is from the trio of Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums – and titles include a great reading of Golson's "I Remember Clifford", plus four other originals by Benny – "Hasaan's Dream", "Domingo", "Mesabi Chant", and "Tip Toeing". CD features a bonus alternate take. CD

A record with a very careful approach to sound – very slow-building work on soprano sax from Evan Parker, matched with equally thoughtful electronics from Matthew Wright – both players coming together in one of the most subtle executions of this mode we've ever heard! And that quality is only heightened by the fact that the group's a quartet – Peter Evans on trumpet and piccolo trumpet, and Mark Naussef on percussion – players who share the sensitivity of the dual leaders, as they build things up over long improvisations that really showcase that thoughtful sonic sensitivity that's always made Parker such a distinct reedman on the European scene. The whole thing is definitely a free jazz expression of electro/acoustic ideals first forged in the middle of the 20th Century – and titles include "At Altitude", "Drawing Breath", and "Engaged In Seeking". CD

Chris Potter's a player who always brings a slightly different feel to the table with each new record – and this one is no exception! At first glance, the outing's a simple quartet date – but as is typical with Potter, the set's actually quite complicated underneath – laid out in ever-changing rhythms, and framed with some very sharp corners – all in ways that are a wonderful update of modern ideals from a few decades back! There's definitely echoes of Monk and Lacy in the music here, but also a certain Potter-esque voice too – a way of hanging together the sounds with a completely fresh approach that's often simultaneously melodic and rhythmic. Potter plays tenor, soprano, bass clarinet, and piano – and other players include Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, Scott Colley on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums – plus Joe Lovano on guest tenor on a few tracks. Titles include "Shiva", "Vertigo", "Long Walk Short Pier", "This Will Be", "Almost Home", "Modeen's Mood", and "Wake Up". CD

An amazing record – bold, proud, and soulful – a set that we'd easily rank with any classic early 60s session on Blue Note – and for good reason too! This rare date is the debut as a leader for trumpeter Gene Shaw – also known as Clarence Shaw in an earlier history of work with Charles Mingus – and it's an incredible blend of hardbop grooving with sharper-edged modern jazz ideals – an incredible blend that comes off beautifully on every track in the set! Shaw's probably best known for his late 50s work on the Charles Mingus albums Tijuana Moods, East Coasting, and Modern Jazz Symposium Of Music & Poetry – but after a famous fight with Mingus, Clarence "hid out" in Chicago and worked under the name of Gene – but soon made big waves on his own with tremendous work like this. (In the liner notes to the 1963 release of Tijuana Moods, in which Mingus says that he loved Shaw, but can't get in touch with him anymore!) Every aspect of the record is superb – from the writing, to the rhythm section, to the incredibly well blown solos from trumpeter Shaw and tenorist Sherman Morrison – who himself is another vastly-overlooked talent in jazz. The rest of the group features James Taylor on piano, Sidney Robinson on bass, and Bernard Martin on drums – a totally crackling rhythm section who give most tunes a snapping sort of groove! Most tracks are originals, and titles include "Autum Walk", "Six Bits", "The Thing", "It's A Long Way", "AD's Blues", "Marj", and "Our Tune". CD

Less of a standard Duke Ellington tribute than you might expect – as trumpeter Clark Terry works here in some wonderfully loose formation – on tunes that are more of an extrapolation of Ellington ideals than simple copycat versions! The lineup features some especially great piano from Jack Wilson and guitar from Joe Pass – both players who work with a relatively airy tone here, which suits Terry's muted horn well. Other players include Ray Brown on bass and Frank Severino on drums – and titles include "Echoes Of Harlem", "Passion Flower", "Sophisticated Lady", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", and "Come Sunday". CD

Less of a standard Duke Ellington tribute than you might expect – as trumpeter Clark Terry works here in some wonderfully loose formation – on tunes that are more of an extrapolation of Ellington ideals than simple copycat versions! The lineup features some especially great piano from Jack Wilson and guitar from Joe Pass – both players who work with a relatively airy tone here, which suits Terry's muted horn well. Other players include Ray Brown on bass and Frank Severino on drums – and titles include "Echoes Of Harlem", "Passion Flower", "Sophisticated Lady", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", and "Come Sunday". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing early work from Lennie Tristano – and proof that he'd developed all of his modernist ideals firmly in the years before his birth of the cool fame. The tracks are from obscure sources, and most likely appeared on 78 rpm records – and the dates given range from 1946 to 1949. Players include all the likely suspects – like Billy Bauer, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, and others – and although the recording quality isn't always excellent, the conception is, and the CD is perhaps one of the best on the market to give a clear picture of Tristano's true genius! There's a total of 26 cuts in all – including "Disgression", "Out On A Limb", "Interlude", "Blues", "Atonement", "Supersonic", and "On A Planet". CD

A major label set, but one that stays very true to the new ideals that James Blood Ulmer was trying to bring to jazz guitar at the time – a really revolutionary style that moves beyond simple genre conventions, and embraces a whole world of new ideas that would inspire others in the decade to come! Ulmer plays with a real frenzy at points – deep currents that reflect the bluesy touches of his early work in jazz organ combos, but given a skittish energy that reflects his association with the downtown crowd – and which was very fitting for his record with Rough Trade! The core group here features James, bassist Amin Ali, and drummer G Calvin Weston – and some tracks feature work from David Murray on tenor, Oliver Lake on alto, and Olu Dara on trumpet. Titles include "Timeless", "Pleasure Control", "Night Lover", "Happy Time", "Rush Hour", "Stand Up To Yourself", and "High Time". LP, Vinyl record album

The earliest album ever to be issued under the Globe Unity label – a very early project headed up by the mighty pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach – and a record that's noteworthy for the first album to feature the work of Peter Brotzmann and Peter Kowald! Right from the start, the vibe is completely in line with the highest ideals of the improvising orchestra – Schlippenbach directing the group and playing piano – in a large lineup that also features Brotzmann on alto, Manfred Schoof on cornet, Gerd Dudek on tenor, Willem Breuker on baritone, Gunter Hampel on bass clarinet, Karl Berger on vibes, and Peter Kowald and Buschi Niebergall on basses, one in each channel! And alongside these free jazz heavyweights, the album also sports the amazing rhythm duo of future prog rock giants Jaki Liebezeit and Mani Neumeier – both working here at a level that matches the free improvisations of the others – on two side-long tracks, titled "Globe Unity" and "Sun". CD

The earliest album ever to be issued under the Globe Unity label – a very early project headed up by the mighty pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach – and a record that's noteworthy for the first album to feature the work of Peter Brotzmann and Peter Kowald! Right from the start, the vibe is completely in line with the highest ideals of the improvising orchestra – Schlippenbach directing the group and playing piano – in a large lineup that also features Brotzmann on alto, Manfred Schoof on cornet, Gerd Dudek on tenor, Willem Breuker on baritone, Gunter Hampel on bass clarinet, Karl Berger on vibes, and Peter Kowald and Buschi Niebergall on basses, one in each channel! And alongside these free jazz heavyweights, the album also sports the amazing rhythm duo of future prog rock giants Jaki Liebezeit and Mani Neumeier – both working here at a level that matches the free improvisations of the others – on two side-long tracks, titled "Globe Unity" and "Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first true moments of brilliance from pianist Randy Weston – an early effort for a larger group – of the sort that allowed him to work out even more complicated patterns and rhythms in his music! The jagged Weston approach to a piano line is very firmly in place, even at this early point in his career – and Randy's deeper modern ideals are carried off perfectly by the album's sextet lineup – which features Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass, Cecil Payne on baritone, and Ray Copeland on trumpet. Some of the tracks are in trio formation, but still quite striking themselves – and the set features a few great early Weston compositions – like "Loose Wig", "Theme For Teddy", and "J&K Blues" – plus nice takes on "In A Spanish Town", "Well You Needn't", and "How High The Moon". CD

Righteous jazz, but with a bit of a funky twist too – a great selection of classics from the years when 60s soul jazz was reaching out with a new sense of pride and power, and finding a way embrace all of the musical changes that were coming its way! The music here is often by artists who might have been playing straighter standards, or bluesy organ numbers a few years before – but who here are set fire by the changes of the 60s – both at a musical level, and a political one – the latter in ways that resonate strongly even in the instrumental passages on the set! The title is a reference to a famous quote by Eldridge Cleaver, used often by The Black Panthers – and the set begins with Joe Henderson's number of the same name, "If You're Not Part Of The Solution You're Part Of The Problem" – and follows with "Let's Make Peace & Stop The War" by Funk Inc, "Bitches Brew" by Eddie Jefferson, "HNIC" by Harold Vick, "Tawhid" by Johnny Lytle, "John Coltrane" by Clifford Jordan, "Celestial Bodies" by Catalyst, "Warriors Of Peace" by Azar Lawrence, "Africans Unite" by Gary Bartz NTU Troop, and "Black Feeling" by Johnny Hammond Smith. All tracks are nice and long – and the set has a great mix of spiritual ideals with a few funky currents. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD