A tremendous step forward for the young Muhal Richard Abrams – a set that still shows his early roots in the AACM, but which also blossoms with some of his more serious compositional efforts to come! There's a sensitivity here that really stands out – even among Abrams' contemporaries – a striving for a wider range of expression – some as bold as before, some much more deeply personal and intimate. The tracks feature a shifting array of players – working alongside Abrams piano, and building up the sound in a number of different ways. Players include Wallace McMillan on flute and sax, Edwin Daugherty on sax, Richard Brown on sax, Emanuel Cranshaw on vibes, Rufus Reid on bass, and Steve McCall and Wilbur Campbell on drums. Ella Jackson provides vocals on "How Are You?" – and other titles include "Ballad For New Souls", "Things To Come From Those Now Gone", "In Retrospect", "Ballad For Old Souls", "1 & 4 Plus 2 & 7", and "March Of The Transients". CD

Fantastic late work from Albert Ayler! The record is one of the last he ever recorded – and it's a no-nonsense live set, without any of the silly influences of some of his late Impulse sides. Most of the material features Ayler blowing long free solos, with a tightness and directness missing from mid 60s sessions. Cal Cobbs is on piano, Steve Tintweiss is on bass, Allen Blairman is on drums, and Mary Maria plays a bit of soprano sax. Tracks include "Truth Is Marching On", "Spiritual Reunion", and "Universal Message". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first big moments of Albert Ayler's work in the jazz mainstream – and a record that doesn't dim his greatness at all from the earlier sides recorded for ESP! The album's got a sharply angular sound that more than lives up to its vibrant cover image – a well-honed approach to improvisation, showcased by Ayler in a set of recordings done upon his return from work on the European scene. The material was recorded on two different dates – featuring two different groups: one with Alan Silva, Beaver Harris, and Joel Friedman; the other with Donald Ayler, Henry Grimes, and Michel Sampson. Titles are long, with the searing emotional sound that Ayler was peaking at during this time – and titles include "For John Coltrane", "Change Has Come", and "Truth is Marching On". CD

One of the first big moments of Albert Ayler's work in the jazz mainstream – and a record that doesn't dim his greatness at all from the earlier sides recorded for ESP! The album's got a sharply angular sound that more than lives up to its vibrant cover image – a well-honed approach to improvisation, showcased by Ayler in a set of recordings done upon his return from work on the European scene. The material was recorded on two different dates – featuring two different groups: one with Alan Silva, Beaver Harris, and Joel Friedman; the other with Donald Ayler, Henry Grimes, and Michel Sampson. Titles are long, with the searing emotional sound that Ayler was peaking at during this time – and titles include "For John Coltrane", "Change Has Come", and "Truth is Marching On". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic presentation of legendary live material from the team of Miles Davis and John Coltrane – taken from the last concert tour the pair ever did together, and presented here with beautifully stunning sound! The European dates in 1960 were all part of a larger Jazz At The Philharmonic tour – which meant that Norman Granz was on hand to do a great job of capturing the material, which is then given extra-special treatment here for the reissue! Some of these sides have been issued on dodgy overseas collections over the years, but this is the first time all this material has been presented together, and so well – a tremendous illustration of the long solo genius of both Davis and Coltrane, with support from Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. All tracks are very long – and the set features 8 tracks from the Paris concert on March 21, 5 tracks from the Copenhagen concert on March 24, and 9 from the Stockholm concert on March 22. There's also an interview with Coltrane, conducted during the tour – and titles include "Round Midnight", "On Green Dolphin Street", "All Of You", "So What", "Fran Dance", "Walkin", "All Blues", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "Oleo". CD

A nice collection of one of the jazz organ's greatest players, pulled from Smith's classic Blue Note sides. Sidemen include Lou Donaldson, Stanley Turrentine, Lee Morgan, Tina Brooks, Kenny Burrell, Thornell Schwartz, Quentin Warren, Art Blakey, and Donald Bailey. 8 tracks in all, including "All Day Long", "The Champ", "The Sermon", "Midnight Special", "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", "Can Heat", "Flamingo" ad "Prayer Meetin'". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first big moments of Albert Ayler's work in the jazz mainstream – and a record that doesn't dim his greatness at all from the earlier sides recorded for ESP! The album's got a sharply angular sound that more than lives up to its vibrant cover image – a well-honed approach to improvisation, showcased by Ayler in a set of recordings done upon his return from work on the European scene. The material was recorded on two different dates – featuring two different groups: one with Alan Silva, Beaver Harris, and Joel Friedman; the other with Donald Ayler, Henry Grimes, and Michel Sampson. Titles are long, with the searing emotional sound that Ayler was peaking at during this time – and titles include "For John Coltrane", "Change Has Come", and "Truth is Marching On". LP, Vinyl record album

Shorty Rogers is definitely way up there with this classic album for Atlantic Records – hitting heights that even go beyond his more famous sides for RCA! The groove here is sharp, but also has room for lots of individual flavors too – thanks to different groupings of west coast players who include Bud Shank on alto, Jimmy Giuffre on baritone and tenor, Lou Levy on piano, Shelly Manne on drums, Barney Kessel on guitar, and Pete Candoli, Conte Candoli, Harry Edison, and Don Fagerquist on trumpets! Shorty himself wrote nearly all the tracks on the set – at a point at which he was really hitting his stride as a composer, doing an incredible job of mixing modern ideas and swinging jazz – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Pixieland", "Solarization", "Baklava Bridge", "March Of The Martians", "Moten Swing", and "Wail Of Two Cities". LP, Vinyl record album