A beautiful album that definitely lives up to its title – and delivers some of the wonderfully impressionistic piano work that Kenny Drew was recording in the 80s – music that's very different than both his early American albums in the 50s, and some of the key accompaniment he'd provide on European dates with tenor players in the 70s! Here, Kenny's very open and fluid, sometimes almost painterly in his approach to sound – yet still able to swing, too, thanks to accompaniment from Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Alvin Queen on drums. The set features a killer version of "Last Tango In Paris" – plus "Cafe Flore", "Evening In The Park", "My Ship", "Morning Mist", and "Rouge Blues". CD

One of the most meditative albums we've ever heard from this legendary Chicago AACM group – very spiritual, and a record that shows lots of the energy that percussionist Kahil El'Zabar would soon bring to his work with the ritual trio! The group features fantastic work on woodwinds from both Light Henry Huff and Ed Wilkerson – the former playing soprano sax, the latter on tenor – mixing gently in sublime tones over Kahil's work on drums and percussion, which includes some beautiful kalimba too! In the best AACM tradition, all players handle other instruments too – Huff some harp and percussion, Wilkerson piano and additional woodwinds – improvising in these soulful styles over the cours of the album-length track "Impressions", which is divided up into seven different passages. CD

Sweet sound library funk from Joy Unlimited – an early 70s German combo heard here on their rarest record ever! As with the group's commercial releases, there's a wicked blend of funky jazz and hard-riffing instrumentation – and unlike other records, this one's got an even leaner, meaner groove – all instrumental, and with a great focus on key elements of the sound – funky flute here, sweet keyboards there, and lots of tightly-played guitar lines – which really help give the music a nice edge! The set's got a sound that's a lot like some of the best MPS funk of the time – no surprise, given that it comes from the same scene – and instrumentation includes Fender Rhodes, flute, guitar, saxes, marimba, trumpet, and lots of sweet drums. Titles include "Jamara", "Soul Gravy", "Homunkulus", "Breeding Ground", "Jigsaw Man", "Blue Box", "Parabolica", "Spectrum", "Herbie", and "Laguna Seca". (Sound Library, Jazz) CD

Tremendous work from the legendary Prince Lasha – a rare UK-only date from 1966 – and one that has the reedman working away from more familiar contemporaries like Sonny Simmons and Eric Dolphy! The approach on this session is very unique – as Lasha includes harp with the instrumentation, played by David Snell in a style that's right up there with Dorothy Ashby's best jazz work. Pianist Stan Tracey is also on board – playing beautiful notes that have a sharp modern edge, while still falling on the inside of the spectrum – and Lasha himself is especially great – blowing plastic alto sax and wooden flute, both of which have a slightly offbeat sound – but one that's surprisingly warm, which makes the album one of his most sensitive and soulful sessions ever! The tunes are a mix of standards and originals – and there's a wonderful sense of balance here – sounds that are sometimes more inside than other records from Lasha, but which have a really Dolphy-like sense of expression – right at home amidst a wider history of jazz, yet also reaching for new ideas at the same time. Pure genius throughout, and a record that was never made available to audiences in the US. Titles include "Nuttin Out Jones", "Impressions Of Eric Dolphy", "Out Of Nowhere", "Just Friends", "Body & Soul", and "Everything Happens To Me". CD

Beautifully-recorded material by the great Wes Montgomery – some fairly open-ended tracks recorded for French radio in the 60s – with guest work from tenorist Johnny Griffin on a number of tunes! The core group here is great enough on its own – as Wes' guitar is backed by superb piano from Harold Mabern – who's really opening his flow at this time in his career, and makes for some really imaginative collaboration here with Montgomery – and the rest of the combo features tight rhythm from Arthur Harper on bass and Jimmy Lovelace on drums. The addition of Griffin is a nice surprise – especially as Montgomery wasn't often playing with tenor in a small group setting by this point – and titles include "Twisted Blues", "Blue N Boogie/West Coast Blues", "Full House", "To wane", "Jingles", "Impressions", "Four On Six", and "Round Midnight". CD

Additional material and unreleased from one of the greatest 60s recordings from the Wynton Kelly Trio – thanks to some wonderful guest work from guitarist Wes Montgomery! Montgomery's working here in a gusty, rootsy style that recalls his best soul jazz sides from the earlier years – and which have a feel that's quite different than his later, more largely-arranged work for Verve. The Kelly Trio is in perfect form – with Wynton's heavy left hand leading the group on the piano, and superb rhythm backing from the team of Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. This massive set marks the first official release of all these tracks that were recorded at the time, but not on the original Verve album Smokin At The Half Note – with work from Larry Ridley on bass on a number of tracks, and titles that include very long versions of "The Song Is You", "Star Eyes", "Four On Six", and "Cherokee" – plus takes on "Cariba", "Blues", "Laura", "Impressions", "Mi Cosa", "No Blues", and "All The Things You Are". CD

An overlooked gem from the German scene of the 80s – at a time when the prog and free jazz experiments of the previous decade had calmed down a bit, yet German musicians were still coming up with lots of new and amazing ideas! Here, there's definitely a bit of inspiration from Brazilian music, but mixed with some of the new generation of vocals from jazz singers like Karin Krog or Monica Zetterlund – handled by singer Beate Kynast on the record, in a way that's light years away from more traditional jazz vocals! There's a fluid, soaring sensibility to the music – modal mixed with post-bossa rhythms, on instrumentation that includes trumpet from Robert Schulte Hemming, alto and flute from Wolfgang Puschnig, keyboards and piano from Martin Kubert, drums from Peter Wirth, and bass from Rudi Engel. Instrumentation has a warm blend of acoustic and electric elements – very much like some of the best Nabel releases, or the sort of work later compiled in the Glucklich series – on titles that include "Rush Hour", "Impressions Of Autumn", "Bluze", "Number Four", Lament", and "Scarcely Had We Left The House". CD

A lost slice of work from the mighty John Coltrane – and a set that features the equally great Eric Dolphy up on stage with Trane at the Village Gate! These never-issued recordings are every bit as wonderful as the Village Vanguard material recorded during the same year – with the group moving with boundless energy, maybe even at a level that they wouldn't show on studio recordings for a few years later – bold piano from McCoy Tyner, superb bass from Reggie Workman, and unbridled drums from Elvin Jones – all given further inspiration by the presence of Dolphy, who blows bass clarinet and flute on the record! Trane is already really taking off with the soprano sax, which gets plenty of beautiful solo space here – on tunes that include a rare live take on "Africa", plus an early reading of "Impressions", and "My Favorite Things", "When Lights Are Low", and "Greensleeves" – the latter of which is done in a sublime modal style. CD

A searing live performance from Hammond legend Shirley Scott – much more on fire and longspun than her work in the 60s on Prestige Records – and an amazing showcase for the bold tenor talents of the great George Coleman! Coleman's always one of those players who seems to hit an extra something special when blowing live – and that's definitely the case here, as the richness of his tone and dexterity of his imagination – qualities that also really seem to inspire Scott on the organ as well! Unlike earlier dates, Shirley's handling all the basswork herself on the pedals of the Hammond – which only seems to open up and solidify her sense of rhythm – and the trio features excellent work on drums from Bobby Durham, whose loose touch is perfect. Titles include "Blues By Five", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Like Someone In Love", "Impressions", "Witchcraft", and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" – and Ernie Andrews guests on vocals on a few tracks too, including "Girl Talk" and "Don't Mess Around With Jim". CD

Wonderful live work from the John Coltrane Quartet – tracks recorded in Paris during a famous 1962 European tour – and material that we're not sure we've seen anywhere else! The group here is, of course, that masterful lineup of Coltrane on tenor and soprano saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – really stretching out on long tracks that are full of modal energy, emphasized very strongly by Tyner and Garrison – and which have these beautiful solos from John that are very exploratory in both tone and phrasing, but which still hang more on the inside edge of the spectrum than his live work from a few years later. The set features a spoken introduction from Norman Granz – then moves into a 22 minute take on "Impressions", a 23 minute version of "My Favorite Things", and a 15 minute reading of "Mr PC" – plus a shorter, soulful ballad reading of "Everytime We Say Goodbye". CD

One of the warmest, most beautiful albums we've ever heard from pianist Burton Greene – a set that's got a nicely unique vibe in comparison to some of his other albums of the time – maybe a bit more of a swing at times, and a nice current of soul as well! One of the strongest elements of the record is the work on reeds from Fred Leeflang – a player we don't know at all, but who plays soprano, alto, and tenor with a nice rasp in his tone, and a good sense of angles – but at a level that's never too far out, and often matched well with the rhythms from Raoul Van Der Weide on bass and Clarence Becton on drums. Greene is a perfect bridge between everything – with a majestic command of the keys and often a strong modal sensibility – on titles that include "Round Robbin", "Portuguese Impressions", "Cokertme", "63rd & Cottage Grove", and "When You're In Front Get Off My Back". CD

One of the most soulful records we've heard in years from the late pianist Harold Mabern – and that's saying a hell of a lot, as Harold gave us plenty of soulful sets during his many years on the planet! The record is as fantastic as you might guess from the title – as Mabern takes on tunes made famous by John Coltrane, but delivers the goods in this soaring style that's very much his own – and maybe most specifically, at a level that recalls the vibe he first hit in the 60s when playing with Lee Morgan, and then took to even newer heights on some of his fantastic 70s material – particularly recordings with reedman Frank Strozier! Here, the reeds are handled by Eric Alexander on tenor and Vincent Herring on alto – a hell of a pair – and the group also features really strong work from Steve Davis on trombone, who's really at the top of his game throughout. The rest of the group feature the familiar team of John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – both also really rising to the occasion – and although we'll not be hearing much from Mabern in years to come, this set is a hell of a farewell. Titles include "Impressions", "Blue Train", "Naima", "Straight Street", "My Favorite Things", and "Dahomey Dance". CD

Rare early work by Johnny Pate – the great jazz bassist who later went onto great fame as an arranger at ABC in the 60s, where he handled all of the classic work by the Impressions – then did some great funky soundtrack material in the 70s! The style here is very different – as Johnny plays bass in a trio setting that resonates with some of the modes of the Ahmad Jamal Trio of the time – a drum-less lineup that features Wilbur Wynne on guitar, and the great Floyd Morris on piano – another Chicago talent who'd go onto a huge role in soul and funk to come. Floyd's got a headier style that's very much his own – and the group serve up some strong Pate originals – including "All The Time", "Carmen's Chaser", and "Yvonne" – plus nice takes on "Slaughter On 10th Avenue", "Dancing On The Ceiling", and "Falling In Love With Love". CD