Great work from vibist Gary Burton – two RCA albums back to back on a single CD! First up is Lofty Fake Anagram – a standout classic from Burton, and the kind of fresh-voiced and angularly modern session that showed why his sound on the vibes was one of the most revolutionary in jazz at the time! The session features a quartet with Larry Coryell on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, and Bob Moses on drums – all working in a style that's got touches of modal jazz, and fragments of the Walt Dickerson sound – yet which is also a bit looser, freer, and more spacious – all without going too far "out". Titles include "Lines", "I'm Your Pal", "Fleurette Africaine", "Feelings & Things", "June The 15th, 1967", and "Good Citizen Swallow". Next up is Genuine Tong Funeral – billed as "A Dark Opera Without Words", an extended piece written by Carla Bley, and performed by the Burton quartet with help from a larger group that includes Steve Lacy, Gato Barbieri, Michael Mantler, and Bley herself. As such, the album's probably the most ambitious one that Burton ever recorded during the 60s – never too far out, but with angular tones and strange time changes that mark the record as being quite different from his other sides for RCA. It also makes it one of his best, too – as the record has that wonderfully fresh sound that you get from early work by Bley, never too silly, and with a serious approach to composition that also never loses sight of its roots in jazz. Titles include "The New Funeral March", "Silent Spring", "Mother Of The Dead Man", "Death Rolls", and "The New National Anthem". CD

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 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, and sings vocals on "Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe", done here in a fantastically soulful version! Other tracks include "Holy Family", "Truth Is Marching", "Universal Message", "Spiritual Reunion", and "In Heart Only". CD

Blue in the main style of his early years at Riverside – working in an all-star group (the "Big 6" in the title), with players that include Johnny Griffin, Curtis Fuller, Wynton Kelly, Wilbur Ware, and Philly Joe Jones. Blue's leadership isn't that strong – but fortunately, the others (particularly Griffin, Ware, and Jones) gel together strongly with or without him, making the set crackle with the soulful energy of some of the best Jazzland/Riverside hardbop sides from the time. Tracks include "Sir John", "Blues March", "Big Six", and "Jamph". CD

A nice collection of hard bop sides cut by Blue Mitchell in the late 50s for Riverside, taken from the albums "Big Six", "Out Of The Blue", and "Blue Soul". All selections on here are recorded with an all-star personnel – including his Big Six band with Curtis Fuller, Johnny Griffin, Wynton Kelly, Wilbur Ware, and Philly Joe Jones; his quintet with Benny Golson, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey; and a later sextet with Jimmy Heath, and Sam Jones. Titles include "Brother 'Ball", "There Will Never Be Another You", "Blues On My Mind", "It Could Happen To You", "When The Saints Go Marching In", "Top Shelf", and "Blue Soul". CD includes bonus track "Park Avenue Petite". CD

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