A great late live date from Art Pepper – as well-recorded and as strongly played as his best work of the time on Galaxy or Contemporary Records – and done with a similar group as well! The album's no cheapy concert for the overseas crowd – as Art's working here with George Cables on piano, David Williams on bass, and Carl Burnett on drums – all grooving tremendously on these long-flowing tracks that show the best late Pepper modes firmly at work. Echoes of Coltrane come through his horn, as does a bit of Latin as well – but there's also a soaring, soulful quality to most of the tunes that really stands out – thanks in part to Cables, whose piano is always well-placed throughout! Pepper has a wonderfully sharp tone on most numbers – and titles include "Landscape", "Red Car", "Goodbye", "Straight Life", "Road Waltz", "For Freddie", and "Body & Soul". CD

Ernie Watts on tenor saxophone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. CD

Ernie Watts on saxophone, Arturo Sandoval on trumpet, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Charles Fambrough on acoustic bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. CD

One of our favorite Kenny Burrell albums – and a record with a much deeper feel than lots of his other work! Kenny cut this album with John Coltrane in 1958 – and the session's a real standout in both of their careers at the time – Kenny's, for being a well-crafted, highly-focused effort – and Coltrane's, for being a unique outing with a guitar, but one that's done with the same deep-spirited sound of his best work for Prestige. The group's a quintet, with Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb in the rhythm section – and titles include "Big Paul", "Lyresto", "Why Was I Born?", "I Never Knew", and "Freight Trane". CD

Late live work from Art Pepper – and a set that has him blowing a bit of clarinet, in addition to his usual alto sax! The session was recorded in performance in Tokyo, but it's got the close-up feel of some of Art's studio sets from the time – beautifully blown, with an open quality in the way the tunes unfold, yet a tightness on the solos that's undeniable! The rhythm section features George Cables on piano, Tony Dumas on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and Pepper plays clarinet on the tune "Sometime", and alto on "True Blues", "Landscape", "Avalon", and "Straight Life". Recorded over two nights of July '79 and consists of two sets each night. CD

A haunting tribute to the late John Coltrane – not just a "friend" of McCoy Tyner, but a key musical partner back in the 60s! The album's a solo piano effort – extremely intimate, but still played with that long-flowing majesty we always love in McCoy – and two of the tunes are famous Coltrane compositions – "Naima" and "The Promise" – and another is a spiritual reading of "My Favorite Things", done in a completely different mode than Trane's version. Other titles are Tyner originals – "Folks" and "The Discovery". CD

Bluesy quartet material by Lockjaw, with his combo that featured Shirley Scott on organ and Arthur Edgehill on drums. The tracks are standards, but Davis plays them with a nice deep soulful sound, reaching deeply into his tenor, wrenching out hard-edged notes that drip with a deep rich emotion. Titles include "I'll Never Be The Same", "Old Devil Moon", "Too Close For Comfort", "Tangerine", and "But Not For Me". CD

Sadao Watanabe on alto sax and flute, Gerald Clayton on piano, Ben Williams on bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums. CD

Includes the songs "Front Runner", "Isn't She Lovely", "St Thomas", "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", "I Mean You", "Just Friends", "Primrose Path", "The Moon Of Manakoora", and "The Real You". CD

Tiger Okoshi on trumpet and flugelhorn, Kenny Barron on piano, Hank Roberts on cello, Jay Anderson on bass, and Mino Cinelu on percussion. CD

On The Line has a style that's a bit keyboard-heavy – in a way that seems to borrow from some of the 80s soundtrack work of the time, and which is clearly a nod to the success of the Lyle Mays/Pat Metheny sound that was breaking big on ECM. The move is a nice one for Lee on the best cuts – those that underplay the cheesier aspects of the style – and other players on the album are a batch of likely suspects that include Harvey Mason, Dave Grusin, Ernie Watts, and Steve Forman. Titles include "The Rit Variations", "Dolphin Dreams", "California Roll", "On The Line", "Tush", and "Heavenly Bodies". CD

An excellent LP that brings together a dozen tracks from some of Chris Connor's lesser-known recordings for the Bethlehem label – originally released as eps and early 10" LPs. Backing on the set is by The Ellis Larkins Trio, The Vinnie Burke Quartet, The Ralph Sharon combo, and Sy Oliver's orchestra – and the set features tracks that include "All About Ronnie", "In Other Words", "A Good Man Is A Seldom Thing", "I Hear Music", "Out Of This World", and "Lush Life". Chris herself is singing in that moody, icy style that we love so much – sounding especially nice on the sparer tunes, which seem to wallow in lost love and distant longing. (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Dave Carpenter on acoustic bass, Lanny Morgan on alto saxophone and flute, Bill Perkins on on alto and soprano saxophone and flute, Bob Efford on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet, Kenny Shroyer on bass trombone, Bob Leatherbarrow on drums, Doug MacDonald on guitar, Rich Eames on piano, Pete Christlieb on tenor saxophone and flute, Ray Herrmann on tenor and soprano saxophone, Andy Martin and Jack Redmond on trombone, Bob Summers), Carl Saunders, Frank Szabo and Ron Stout on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Bob Enevoldsen on valve trombone. CD

With Randy Roos on guitar. CD

Includes the songs "Catalina Island", "Rudy's Dream", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Lullaby Of Takeda", "Essence", "Lettin's Go", "Keep Hope Alive", "Baked Potato Man", "Innocence Of Spring", "Our Story", and "Peranzzetta". CD

Features Kenny Barron on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, plus guest vocals by Carmen Lundy! CD