One of Tadd Dameron's last true jazz sides – featuring the bop maestro composing, arranging, and conducting for a large group that includes Bill Evans, Johnny Griffin, Joe Wilder, Clark Terry, and Philly Joe Jones. There's a bit of Ellington in the album – with somber washes of mood and color, in a manner that was always one of Dameron's strongest suits – and the quality of the players, especially Evans, really adds a lot to the album. Titles include "On A Misty Night", "Just Plain Talkin", "You're A Joy", "Swift As The Wind", and "Dial B For Beauty". LP, Vinyl record album

A smokin' hard bop side from a sort of amalgamation of players who played in and out of the Jazz Messengers around this time, but Philly Joe's sittin' in the drummers seat, so though the rhythms cook hard, that not quite as bombastic as Bu's. We've always loved Benny Golson, and though his playing was at it's most sublime in the Jazztet, he got to stretch out just a bit more and played with just a touch more fire in other contexts, like this session. Barry Harris is on piano, with Jymie Merritt and Philly Joe rounding out the rhythm section and Curtis Fuller joins Golson in the front line for a spry quintet setting. Six tracks: "Strut time", "Jubilation", "Symptoms", "Are You Real?", "Cry A Blue Tear" and "This Night". CD

A live gem from the classic Dave Brubeck Quartet – and a great reminder that the group could almost be even more exciting in a concert setting than on their studio albums! The date is 1962, and the combo is in perfect form – sublime alto from Paul Desmond, and always-inventive rhythms from Joe Morello on drums and Eugene Wright on bass – fused perfectly with Dave's piano, but also very open and spontaneous here – with this extra sort of crackle that makes us know that although working at the level of perfection, these guys are still just mere mortals too! The set features a 12 minute take on "Brandenburg Gate" with a solo by Desmond that's simply stunning – and other cuts include "Since Love Had Its Way", "King For A Day", "Good Reviews", and "Cultural Exchange". LP, Vinyl record album

Wow! An incredible collection of seminal recordings from one of the most important figures in modern music! All of Miles' recordings from the Prestige label in one place, bound up in a well annotated box, and given a complete discography and lots of excellent photos. It's almost too much astounding jazz in one place! The list of sidemen and great LPs is almost too long to go over, but in addition to Miles' remarkable Cookin'/Relaxin'/Walkin'/Workin' sessions, there's all of the material issued as Bags' Groove, with the Modern Jazz Giants and loads more, and some of the stellar accompanists includes John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, Lee Konitz, Red Garland, Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, Milt Jackson, Paul Chambers, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, and Max Roach, just to name a few. There's far too many tracks to list here, but there's takes of "Blue Room", "Conception", "Compulsion", "Miles Ahead", "Blue Haze", "Airegin", "Bag's Groove", "The Man I Love", "Green Haze", "Dr Jackle", "The Theme", "Trane's Blues", "'Round About Midnight", "Half Nelson", "My Funny Valentine" and loads more! CD

A really obscure little session from tenorist Johnny Griffin – and one of his few dates from the time cut with an organist – in this case the up-and-coming LA player Paul Bryant! Bryant's probably best known for his cookers with Curtis Amy, and he hits a similar mode here – by bringing a strong R&B inflection to the album, and offering Griffin a setting that's a bit less hardbop than some of his other Riverside albums of the time! The rest of the group features Joe Pass on guitar, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Doug Sides on drums – and titles include "Cherry Float", "These Foolish Things", "63rd Street Theme", "Grab This", and "Offering Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Like Dave Brubeck's legendary Time Out set? Try this one – a great record that takes off from the concept of the first, but which goes in some very fresh new directions – using the same great group with Paul Desmond on alto, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums! Dave's still working out some nutty time signatures here – but apart from the science, the thing that really makes the record cook is Desmond's alto – icy, edgey, floating, and always a treat – almost even more amazing in the space of some of these offbeat numbers. Titles include "Maori Blues", "Far More Drums", "Bluetee", "Far More Blue", and "It's A Raggy Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album

A wailer! This rare 1955 album is one of Donald Byrd's first records as a leader – recorded for the tiny Transition label in Boston, but with a hardbop groove that's right up there with his early work for Savoy and Blue Note. The record is practically a Jazz Messengers session – as it features Art Blakey on drums, Horace Silver on piano, Hank Mobley on tenor, and Doug Watkins on bass – and it's also got the unique aspect of a two-trumpet frontline, as the young Joe Gordon joins Donald on the instrument for the session. Tracks are long and open-ended – with incredibly well-crafted playing that really keeps the set fresh, despite the young age of Donald at the time. Titles include "El Sino", "Doug's Blues", "Hank's Tune", and "Hank's Other Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful record that not only shows how great the basswork of Ingebrigt Haker Flaten can be – but also what a great collaborator he is in an improvised setting! We've loved other albums from Flaten, but somehow this one really feels like a cut above – bass lines that have these incredibly powerful moments, with just the force of a few low notes – mixed with instrumentation from a well-chosen quartet lineup of Joe Morris on guitar, Joe McPhee on tenor, and Nate Wooley on trumpet! The horns seem to take off to the skies at some points, really let loose – but other times really seem to feel the sonic setting provided by Ingebrigt, as they slowly move to add in their own textures. Morris is nicely restrained at some moments – and titles include "Pent", "Times", "Port", "Giants", "Knicks", "Rangers", and "As If". CD

Midnite is right – as the session's a moody, mellow late nite one – just spare trio material by Wynton, played in a group that features Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums! The titles are all nice and long – and really let Kelly stretch out on the keys – working in a mode that's lyrical and soulful – on a set of titles that include include Babs Gonzales' "Weird Lullaby", plus "Skatin", "Temperance", "On Stage", and "Pot Luck". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic window into the record bar scene in Japan – served up here in a beautiful publication that's filled with photos of all these cool little clubs that are stuffed full of records – dedicated to presenting quality jazz music on vinyl, over a top-notch sound system – all while also serving up great drinks and light food in an intimate setting! These aren't the kinds of clubs where DJs go nuts for dancers – and instead, the experience is very intimate, very relaxing, and very Japanese – a way of digging jazz in a public space that's beyond compare, and which is very unique to their scene. The rooms are often little temples to vinyl and jazz – filled with thousands of records in a beautiful space, as you'll see as you flip through the many full color images in the book. This second volume includes a great array of unique spots in Japan – clubs with names that include Blue Note Kanagawa, Billie's Bar, Clart, Jazz Bar Herbie, Jazz Time Kelly, Joe Pass, Lady Jane, Elvin, and dozens of others – all with these fantastic full color photographs, spread out over a total of 157 pages, with some text in Japanese and English. (Books, Jazz) Book

Given that Chet Baker's a singer himself, it's a bit surprising that he's working here with another vocalist – but that oddity aside, the album's a great little session that's got an intimate feel that's a bit different than Baker's own vocal work! Pace's voice is much fuller and richer than Chet's – with a range that would have been very much at home doing more dramatic pop material of the era, yet which also fits in very comfortably in this laidback small group session. Baker himself plays trumpet on the record, backing Johnny up – and other players include Herbie Mann on flute, Joe Berle on piano, Jimmie Burke on bass, and either Philly Joe Jones or Ed Thigpen on drums. Titles include "All Or Nothing At All", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Yesterdays", "Everything I've Got Belongs To You", "When The Sun Comes Out", and "This Is Always". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album – one of our favorite Blue Notes ever! Despite the fact that the album's a spare quartet session, the record is one of Wayne Shorter's richest – and features his gutsy young tenor soloing insanely with a rhythmically intense combo that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – a wonderfully free-thinking rhythm trio! Workman's bass is especially strong, and it underpins the cuts with a throbbing pulse that takes them past any simple hardbop conventions. Every cut's a winner – and this is one album we reach for time and time again over the years! Titles include "Adam's Apple", "El Gaucho", "Footprints", and "Teru". LP, Vinyl record album

Jim Hall on guitars, Derek DiCenzo on steel drum, Terry Clark on drums, Scott Colley on bass, Ryan Kisor on trumpet, Joe Lovano on soprano saxophone, Jim Pugh on trombone, Claudio Roditi on flugelhorn and Gil Goldstein conducting. CD

A stunning book – even more amazing than we were expecting, and we were really expecting a lot! This is a heavy, hardcover, full color volume that takes a deep dig into the world of British jazz during some crucial modern years – presented with oversized images throughout, in the manner of some hefty art book from Taschen or one of those other fancy publishers! Author Richard Morton Jack presents listings for hundreds of crucial albums – each with both front and back cover artwork reproduced in full, in a size that's about a square 9" for most of the records, on pages that are much larger, with text at the bottom on each record, and even inner label reproductions! If you love Brit jazz from this period as much as we do, you'll find plenty to love – as the book contains listings for crucial records by giants like Joe Harriott, Stan Tracey, Graham Collier, Mike Westbrook, John Stevens, Don Rendell, and dozens of others – not just familiar albums, but really rare ones we've never seen before – work on the Lansdowne series on Columbia, and other labels that include RCA, EMI, Argo, and CBS – plus smaller indies too. The book is as beautiful as having an original pressing of one of these gems in your hands – and given that most of the originals go for hundreds of dollars, if/when you can find them, the book is a hell of a deal. Hardcover, 372 pages, and in full color throughout. (Books, Jazz) Book

A split LP that offers some key tracks from the classic Dave Mackay & Vicky Hamilton album on Impulse from 1968, plus later piano trio recordings by Dave from 1982! Dave & Vicky are represented here by the first 4 tracks on the record – "Blues For Hari", "Here", Now", and "3 For 5" – and on these tunes, the pair are sort of like a hip version of Jackie & Roy – usually singing together on their tracks, with a mixed male/female vocal approach that sounds totally great – and which really fits the breezy mood of the tunes on the set! Dave himself plays Fender Rhodes and piano – along with an odd little combo that includes flute and tenor played by Ira Schulman, percussion by Francisco Aguabella, and guest sitar by by Ray Neapolitan. Other tracks on the album are all from 1982, and feature Dave in warmer trio context with Andy Simpkins on bass and Joey Baron on drums. Titles include "Hands", "The Andyman Suite", and "Triste". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest releases ever from the Okka Disk label – a legendary set that stands as a great testament to the global improvising scene that exploded in Chicago during the 90s! Back in the early years of FMP, nobody would have thought to use the name "Peter Brotzmann" and "Chicago" in the same context – but by the time of these recordings, the legendary reedman had been spending quite a bit of time in the Windy City – working strongly alongside that decade's fresh generation of improvisers, at a level that also helped Brotzmann discover new energy in his music too! The lineup here is great – both octet and tentet groups that operate in an improvising orchestra tradition – with players that include Ken Vandermark on tenor and bass clarinet, Mars Williams on tenor and alto, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Mats Gustafsson on baritone and fluteophone, Joe McPhee on pocket cornet and valve trombone, Fred Lonberg Holm on cello, Kent Kessler on bass, Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums and percussion, and Brotzmann himself on tenor, clarinet, and tarogato. The set features three different live recordings, and one long studio set recorded over two days – a fantastic collection of music. Titles include "Burning Spirit (For Kazuka Shiraishi)", "Other Brothers", "Old Bottles No Wine, "Aziz", "Foolish Infinity", "Immediate Music", "Makapoor", "Foolish Infinity", "Other Brothers" and "Divide By Zero". CD

A wonderful late 70s side featuring a cast of soul jazz heavies playing in a more straight context, with arrangements by Bill Lee. Richard Davis leads the group, with Eddie Henderson and Joe Henderson blowing up front, and Stanley Cowell and Billy Cobham joining him in the rhythm section, plus Dolly Hirota contributing vocals on "I StillLove You, Baby". The remainder of the set is made up of classic jazz numbers that may fall a bit short of "standard" status, but are great tunes nonetheless, like Miles' "Nardis", Donald Byrd's "Fancy Free" and Horace Silver's "Silver's Serenade". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic look at the righteous current of energy that swept through American music at the end of the 60s – that huge wave of knowledge and political inspiration that still stands as one of our favorite moments in jazz and soul! The Civil Rights generation had gotten some things accomplished, but not everything – and a new wave of action arose in various scenes of the underground – not just pushing the musical formats past anything that had happened before, but also doing so with a strong message of pride and empowerment! This collection surveys some of the best tracks of that moment – and also provides a great batch of historical notes to put the whole thing in context – done in collaboration with the book of the same name, but equally great as a soundtrack and document on its own. The package is overflowing with Dusty Groove classics – and titles include "Sweet Songs" by Sarah Webster Fabio, "Surtal Ihklas" by Doug Carn, "Vibes From The Tribe" by Phil Ranelin, "Desert Fairy Princess" by Horace Tapscott & The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, "Sounds From The Bush" by The Mandingo Griot Society with Don Cherry, "Is It Too Late" by Duke Edwards & The Young Ones, "Strong Men" by David McKnight, "Black Narcissus" by Joe Henderson, "Malcolm X" by Phil Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble, "Mother Of The Future" by Carlos Garnett, "Red Black & Green" by Roy Ayers, "African Rhythms" by Oneness Of Juju, and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

An interesting little album by Basie – most notable in that it features him playing a bit of organ, which is always a treat! Basie's not the greatest talent on the organ, but he is one of the first jazz players to use the instrument in a wider context, and hearing the album's a good way to check out the organ jazz scene and sound before Jimmy Smith got his hands atop the Hammond and shook the whole thing up! Players on the set include Freddie Green, Paul Quinichette, Buddy Rich, and Joe Newman – and titles include "Stan Shorthair", "Count's Organ Blues", "KC Organ Blues", "Royal Garden Blues", and "Basie Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest moments ever from bassist Miroslav Vitous – a very cool album recorded for the trippy Vortex label! The lineup here has Miroslav working with key help from the American underground – piano from Herbie Hancock, tenor from Joe Henderson, and drums from Jack DeJohnette – plus added guitar from John McLaughlin, who seems to have the same spacey sensibilities as Vitous! Henderson really opens up too – in that fluid style of his post-Blue Note work on Milestone – and obviously Herbie's a great one for a set like this too – hitting some of the spiritual modes of his Warner work. Some tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Infinite Search", "I Will Tell Him On You", "Mountain In the Cloudes", and "Epilogue". CD

A great early album by this famous 70s bassist – originally issued as the album Infinite Search on Embryo, but expanded here with the additional track "Cerecka". One of the greatest moments ever from bassist Miroslav Vitous – a very cool album recorded for the trippy Vortex label! The lineup here has Miroslav working with key help from the American underground – piano from Herbie Hancock, tenor from Joe Henderson, and drums from Jack DeJohnette – plus added guitar from John McLaughlin, who seems to have the same spacey sensibilities as Vitous! Henderson really opens up too – in that fluid style of his post-Blue Note work on Milestone – and obviously Herbie's a great one for a set like this too – hitting some of the spiritual modes of his Warner work. Some tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Infinite Search", "I Will Tell Him On You", "Mountain In the Cloudes", and "Epilogue". LP, Vinyl record album

The "shellac dust" in the title will let you know what sort of territory you're in here – Christmas songs that go way way back, to the glory days of the 78rpm single, served up in a host of jazz and vocal modes! The set features a fair bit of tracks from the prewar years, and although some of the song titles are familiar, the choice of cuts is unique – so that you'll hear a fair bit of unusual readings of Christmas classics – all of which makes for a package that really lives up to other Bear Family Holiday sets that we've been digging for years! CD version features 28 tracks in all – and titles include "Snow Ball" by Louis Armstrong, "Peace Sister Peace" by Monette Moore & The Ebonaires, "Jingle Bells" by Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke, "And The Angels Sing" by Count Basie with Helen Humes, "What Will Santa Claus Say" by Louis Prima, "Blow Blow Thou Winter Winds" by Bob Crosby with Marion Mann, "Let It Snow" by The Ramblers Orchestra, "Santa's Secret" by Johnny Guarnieri with Slam Stewart, "Ring Dem Bells" by Charlie Barnet, "Christmas Night In Harlem" by Paul Whiteman with Jack Teagarden, "There's Frost On The Moon" by Chick Webb with Ella Fitzgerald, "Bells Of Auld Lang Syne" by Joel Cowan & Thornel Swartz, and "Santa Claus Came In The Spring" by Putney Dandridge. (Holiday Music, Jazz) CD

The "shellac dust" in the title will let you know what sort of territory you're in here – Christmas songs that go way way back, to the glory days of the 78rpm single, served up in a host of jazz and vocal modes! The set features a fair bit of tracks from the prewar years, and although some of the song titles are familiar, the choice of cuts is unique – so that you'll hear a fair bit of unusual readings of Christmas classics – all of which makes for a package that really lives up to other Bear Family Holiday sets that we've been digging for years! LP version features 14 tracks in all – and titles include "Snow Ball" by Louis Armstrong, "Peace Sister Peace" by Monette Moore & The Ebonaires, "Jingle Bells" by Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke, "And The Angels Sing" by Count Basie with Helen Humes, "What Will Santa Claus Say" by Louis Prima, "Blow Blow Thou Winter Winds" by Bob Crosby with Marion Mann, "Let It Snow" by The Ramblers Orchestra, "Santa's Secret" by Johnny Guarnieri with Slam Stewart, "Ring Dem Bells" by Charlie Barnet, "Christmas Night In Harlem" by Paul Whiteman with Jack Teagarden, "There's Frost On The Moon" by Chick Webb with Ella Fitzgerald, "Bells Of Auld Lang Syne" by Joel Cowan & Thornel Swartz, and "Santa Claus Came In The Spring" by Putney Dandridge. (Holiday Music, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible debut as a leader for Chick Corea – quite different than his 70s work, and a set that's filled with heavy soul jazz and Latin influences! Chick's coming off of years of work in Latin bands, and in smaller soul jazz combos, and his writing here is a mix of the freer style that would later become too free, with the rootsier elements of his background. The players on the record include Woody Shaw on trumpet, Joe Farrell on tenor and flute, Steve Swallow on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and all tracks are long, with a sweeping, searching, soulful sound. Titles include a beautiful rendition of Chick's "Litha", which he also recorded with Stan Getz on Sweet Rain, plus two other nice originals – "Tones For Joan's Bones" and "Straight Up And Down". CD