Rare concert work by Cannonball Adderley – recorded live in Europe in the early 60s, only ever issued there until a much later release in the US, but every bit as essential as any of the Adderley live combo albums from the early 60s – including their classics at the Lighthouse and in San Francisco! The group here is every bit as wonderful as the combos on those sets – a young Yusef Lateef on reeds, really hitting his stride in the mix of soulful and exotic grooves in the set – working with Nat Adderley on cornet, Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. The tunes are a good mix of modal numbers and more straightforward hardbop – and titles include "P Bouk", "Gemini", "Work Song", "Trouble In Mind", and "Dizzy's Business". CD

Rare concert work by Cannonball Adderley – recorded live in Europe in the early 60s, only ever issued there until a much later release in the US, but every bit as essential as any of the Adderley live combo albums from the early 60s – including their classics at the Lighthouse and in San Francisco! The group here is every bit as wonderful as the combos on those sets – a young Yusef Lateef on reeds, really hitting his stride in the mix of soulful and exotic grooves in the set – working with Nat Adderley on cornet, Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. The tunes are a good mix of modal numbers and more straightforward hardbop – and titles include "P Bouk", "Gemini", "Work Song", "Trouble In Mind", and "Dizzy's Business". LP, Vinyl record album

CTI Records meets that Brazilian fusion sound of the 70s – served up here on two classic albums! Fingers is one of Airto's greatest records ever – a really hard hitting batch of tracks that mix sharp-edged fusion lines with some earthier Brazilian percussion touches – all in a way that nicely steps off of Airto's first few American releases, and warms the groove up with a nice dose of California soul! Flora Purim joins in here on both vocals and percussion – and the rest of the group features Hugo Fattoruso on keyboards and harmonica, Jorgte Fattoruso on drums, and David Amaro on both electric and acoustic guitars – shifting nicely between both instruments in a way that further underscores the blended vibe of the record! Most of these tracks are Airto classics – like "Tombo in 7/4", "San Francisco River", "Romance Of Death", "Ringers", and "Wind Chant" – and the record has a very sweet CTI production style, but is still rough enough around the edges to keep things nice and real! Deodato In Concert is an excellent little live set from Deodato – hard to believe because the sound's just as tight and funky as his studio albums, and possibly even more interesting because he manages to pull it off equally well in a live setting! The record features percussion by Airto, guitar by John Tropea, and vocals by Flora Purim – and those are just the marquee names of a large and amazing grew of great musicians! All tracks are long and complicated, for very hynotic feel throughout. The funkiest number is "Tropea", which has a nice long 8 minute groove – and the set also features a cover of Steely Dan's "Do It Again", plus the tracks "Parana", "Branches", "Baubles, Bangles And Beads" and "Skyscraper". Amazing! (Brazil, Jazz) CD

A hipster vocal jazz classic – a full length Prestige album that brings together all of Mose Allison's vocal numbers from his initial run a the label! Mose started out as a pianist, but quickly won even greater attention with his down home, New Orleans-influenced way of singing – a mode that would be copped by many other singers in both rock and soul for years to come – but which still sounds best, here at the source! The recordings feature Mose on piano alongside his vocals – with only bass and drum accompaniment on all numbers – and titles include the mod classics "Parchman Farm" and "Seventh Son", plus "I've Got A Right To Cry", "Young Man's Blues", "Eyesight To The Blind", "If You Live", "One Room Country Shack", and "That's Alright". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Gene Ammons and Art Farmer working in an open-ended jam session style that brings their best live energy into play! These sets have a crackle that really goes beyond the earlier, shorter bop recordings – a really wonderful balance of open and tight playing from Jug's tenor and Art's on trumpet! Collects late 50s material from Gene Ammon All Stars, and jam sessions Happy Blues, Jammin' With Gene, and Funky. CD

A beautiful album of solo bass from Takumi Awaya – a set recorded live in the atelier of the Taro Okamoto Museum, and which has this wonderful way of mixing the spontaneity of the performance with the richness of the instrument in Awaya's hands! The set features a few remakes of jazz classics to set the tone – showing Takumi's sense of creative imagination in a very open space – then the record moves into some original material that's even more breathtaking – as it balances a command of the instrument with a really painterly sense of sound – almost always with an inherent sense of swing that definitely keeps things moving. Even the one free improvisation on the record has a surprising groove – and titles include "Round Midnight", "Breeze Suite", "Minor Chase", "Blues 4G", "Bohemia After Dark", and "Autumn Leaves". CD

An excellent live set by Roy Ayers – recorded back in 1988, but with a sound that's right up there with his classic work! Roy's working here in front of a very appreciative crowd at London's Ronnie Scott's night club – and there's clearly plenty of British rare groovers in the audience who really appreciate Roy's jazzy work on vibes, and the high quality of his backup group on the night. The set includes long live versions of classics like "The Spirit Of Doo Doo", "I Wanna Touch You Baby", "Fast Money", "Running Away", and "Don't Stop The Feeling" – as well as "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" and "Battle Of The Vibes". (Soul, Jazz) CD

One of the greatest Roy Brooks albums of all time – an a set that rivals the spiritual genius of his classics released on the Imo-Hotep label! The tracks here are long, live, and feature stunning performances from George Coleman on tenor, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Hugh Lawson on piano, and Cecil McBee on bass – a group who are really on fire throughout, as they take on tunes that include "Understanding", "The Free Slave", "Five For Max", and "Will Pan's Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant pairing of two musicians who never recorded together during their early days on record – but who more than made up for that lack with later classics like this! The cover's got the boldness of an FMP album from the 70s, and the music within follows that spirit – a bold live performance at Chicago's Empty Bottle, a frequent home to both musicians at the time – with Joe McPhee on trumpet, alto, and tenor – Peter Brotzmann on alto, tenor, clarinet, and tarogato – driven by tremendous work on bass from Kent Kessler and drums by Michael Zerang. The set features two long live improvisations – "Guts" and "Rising Spirits". CD

A brilliant pairing of two musicians who never recorded together during their early days on record – but who more than made up for that lack with later classics like this! The cover's got the boldness of an FMP album from the 70s, and the music within follows that spirit – a bold live performance at Chicago's Empty Bottle, a frequent home to both musicians at the time – with Joe McPhee on trumpet, alto, and tenor – Peter Brotzmann on alto, tenor, clarinet, and tarogato – driven by tremendous work on bass from Kent Kessler and drums by Michael Zerang. The set features two long live improvisations – "Guts" and "Rising Spirits". CD

Easily the crowning moment of genius for the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet – the moment when all things came together magically, and the group somehow elevated themselves to a whole new level in jazz! At the time of the set, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and the rest had already been making plenty of waves with their creative yet swinging approaches to modern jazz – heard on a number of successful albums for Fantasy and Columbia in the 50s. But with this record, they really knocked one out of the park – blending Desmond's cool alto, Brubeck's unusual piano phrasing, Joe Morello's melodic drum work, and Eugene Wright's pulsating bass into a waltzing, almost modal groove that crossed over to many camps at the time! The classics "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" were both hits on their own – but all titles are great, and include "Kathy's Waltz", "Strange Medow Lark", "Everybody's Jumpin", and "Pick Up Sticks". 2CD version features a set of previously unreleased Dave Brubeck material recorded at Newport in the early 60s – 8 rare bonus tracks on a separate CD – plus a DVD that features an interview with Dave on Time Out, historic Brubeck performance footage, a piano lesson, and a photo grallery too! CD

The last-ever live performance of the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond – recorded in 1967, but issued here for the first time ever! The group was the stuff of legend in the 50s and 60s – Dave's incredible approach to piano and time signatures, supported by amazing rhythm progressions from bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello – topped by some completely sublime work on alto sax by the mighty Paul Desmond! Throughout the 60s, the group really expanded their sound wonderfully – through a set of richly exploratory albums for Columbia Records, taking their core approach into a wide range of new styles and formats that really made for some beautiful music. Here, they deliver a stellar swan song – working in a live performance that brings back a few classics, and also shows some of the new territory they'd taken too – all recorded beautifully, at a level that makes the record a perfect pairing with their studio albums for Columbia – almost as if the label had been holding back a gem after all these years. Titles include "For Drummers Only", "La Paloma Azul", "Three To Get Ready", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "I'm In A Dancing Mood", "Set My People Free", "Take Five", and "You Go To My Head". CD

Great live material from the best years of this amazing ensemble that included some of the finest American and European players of the 60s! The band's at its best here – wailing away in a firey live setting, recorded with high quality by Europe 1 Radio in 1969. Players include Tony Coe, Johnny Griffin, Benny Bailey, Art Farmer, Sahib Shihab, and Derek Humble – plus the great rhythm team of Jimmy Woode, Francy Boland, and Kenny Clarke! Most of the tunes are classics of the band – and titles include "All Through The Night", "Now Hear My Meaning", "New Box", "Volcano", "Box 702", "Sax No End", "Sonor", "The Jamfs Are Coming", "Doing Time", and "Evanescence". CD

Some of the greatest Miles Davis material ever recorded – and not really ever officially issued as an album until this collection! The recordings are from the magical year of 1958, a time when Miles was working in the Kind Of Blue mode – on the album of the same name, one of his all-time standout classics. The work on this set is in a very similar spirit – recorded by a sextet that includes the rhythm section of Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, and a young Bill Evans, who brings a magically modal feel to the album that really gives it an edge. Added to that are the saxophones of John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, blowing together in two ends of the soul spectrum, really stretching the color palette from Miles' usual work. Miles himself seems very inspired by the company, and works with plenty of space to allow the saxophonists to stretch out in wonderful solos – and Evans himself is simply amazing, working wonderfully in the setting, making us wish he'd recorded more group dates like this one! The first 3 tracks on the set were briefly issued on the flipside of the Jazz Track album (an obscure Columbia LP that also included 10 songs from the soundtrack to Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud), and a few others on later live LPs – but this is the first time the material from that group has appeared together as a full album. Includes stellar versions of "Stella By Starlight", "Green Dolphin Street", "Fran Dance", "Little Melonae", and "Love For Sale". CD

Some of the greatest Miles Davis material ever recorded – and not really ever officially issued as an album until this collection! The recordings are from the magical year of 1958, a time when Miles was working in the Kind Of Blue mode – on the album of the same name, one of his all-time standout classics. The work on this set is in a very similar spirit – recorded by a sextet that includes the rhythm section of Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, and a young Bill Evans, who brings a magically modal feel to the album that really gives it an edge. Added to that are the saxophones of John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, blowing together in two ends of the soul spectrum, really stretching the color palette from Miles' usual work. Miles himself seems very inspired by the company, and works with plenty of space to allow the saxophonists to stretch out in wonderful solos – and Evans himself is simply amazing, working wonderfully in the setting, making us wish he'd recorded more group dates like this one! The first 3 tracks on the set were briefly issued on the flipside of the Jazz Track album (an obscure Columbia LP that also included 10 songs from the soundtrack to Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud), and a few others on later live LPs – but this is the first time the material from that group has appeared together as a full album. Includes stellar versions of "Stella By Starlight", "Green Dolphin Street", "Fran Dance", "My Funny Valentine", "Oleo", and "Love For Sale". CD

A beautiful overview of some of the most legendary material in the catalog of both Miles Davis and John Coltrane – quintet collaborations for Prestige Records from the late 50s, presented here with all master and alternate takes, plus a full bonus CD of unreleased material! The original tracks were issued on a groundbreaking run of albums that include the classics Cookin, Relaxin, Steamin, and Workin With The Miles Davis Quintet – all with Davis on trumpet, Coltrane on tenor, and rhythm from the trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. But in addition to the 32 tracks of studio material from the group – presented on the first 3 CDs in the set – the package also features 8 more live numbers, recorded for the Tonight Show in 1955, and live at the Blue Note in Philly in 1956 and at Cafe Bohemia in 1958! Original studio tunes include "Stablemates", "The Theme", "How Am I To Know", "Four", "Salt Peanuts", "Woody'n You", "Ahmad's Blues", "Well You Needn't", "Half Nelson", "Oleo", "Tune Up", and "Blues By Five". Unreleased live tunes include "Tune Up", "Walkin", "Max Is Making Wax", "Four", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "Two Bass Hit". Added bonuses include 5 solo transcriptions, a 40 page booklet, and original cover art by Miles! CD

Some of the most jazz-based work we've ever heard from keyboardist Mark De Clive-Lowe – continuing a progression that's been taking place over the past decade or so – to a point where the musician is turning out a record to rival the classics of some of the 70s giants who influenced his sound in the first place! Mark plays Fender Rhodes, piano, and other keyboards in the company of bassist Andrea Lombardini and drummer Tommaso Cappellato – on live tracks that are full of energy and life, driven with strong rhythms, and have lots of strong solos over the top. Titles include "Birds Of Prey", "Strolling Down Degnan", "Volta Ao Mundo", "Dreamweavers", "Kodama Shade", and "In Answer To Your Question". (New Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most jazz-based work we've ever heard from keyboardist Mark De Clive-Lowe – continuing a progression that's been taking place over the past decade or so – to a point where the musician is turning out a record to rival the classics of some of the 70s giants who influenced his sound in the first place! Mark plays Fender Rhodes, piano, and other keyboards in the company of bassist Andrea Lombardini and drummer Tommaso Cappellato – on live tracks that are full of energy and life, driven with strong rhythms, and have lots of strong solos over the top. Titles include "Birds Of Prey", "Strolling Down Degnan", "Volta Ao Mundo", "Dreamweavers", "Kodama Shade", and "In Answer To Your Question". Features Japanese-only bonus tracks – "Masina's World" and "Mizugaki". (New Grooves, Jazz) CD

The best Deodato album we've heard in years – a spare trio set that hearkens back to his best jazz funk years of the 70s! Deodato's working here in a live setting, but the sound is just as tight as some of his classics in the studio – totally sweet all the way through, with that lean, soulful approach to the keys that went onto inspire a whole generation. Other instrumentation is just bass and drums – and often, the keyboards seem to step out past them, working almost in their own space in sound. Titles include "Sabia", "Berimbau", "Whistle Bump", "Skyscrapers", "Dindi", "Whirlwinds", "Wave", "Super Strut", "Carly & Carole", "Also Sprach Zarathustra", and "San Juan Sunset". (Brazil, Jazz) CD

Stunning rare material from Kenny Dorham – a live date presented over the airwaves in 1963, recreated here with very nice sound! The group features Dorham at his most modern – those sharp lines and really creative constructions that you'd hear during his best years at Blue Note, on classics like Trompeta Toccata and Whistle Stop – the kind of forward-thinking, groundbreaking records that made Dorham one of the most individual trumpet players of his generation! And while Kenny's conception is key to the album, thanks also goes to the great lineup of players, too – a hip quintet that includes Joe Henderson on tenor, Ronnie Matthews on piano, Steve Davis on bass, and JC Moses on drums. Titles include "Dorian", "Summertime", "I Can't Get Started", "My Injun From Brazil", "Autumn Leaves", and "Dynamo" – plus a few spoken bits by MC Alan Grant. CD

A gem of a session from both players – and one of the long-lost sides on the short-lived Metrojazz label from MGM! Adams and Knepper head up a soulful group that features Wynton Kelly on piano (and a bit of organ!), Doug Watkins on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. The real charm, though, is from Adams' solos, which are in that perfect gutbuckety mode that he could hit when he wanted to – a deep, dark drink the best tone the bari could offer, never getting clumsy at all, thanks to some lively rhythm playing. It's another one of those amazing sets recorded on a single date in NYC! Titles include "Minor Catastrophe", "Riverside Drive", All Too Soon", "Beaubien, "Primrose Path", and "Adams In The Apple". CD

One of the greatest albums ever from Lorez Alexandria – an ultra-hip singer who recorded for Impulse and King, but who sounds especially wonderful on this rare date for Chess Records! The album's got a groove that definitely lives up to its title – a jazzy, bouncy sort of rhythm that's definitely "for swingers only", and which is a nice contrast to overdone torch or standard jazz vocal modes. Alexandria's singing is completely sublime – quite fluid, yet with a soulful depth that's really amazing – and her backing combo is equally hip – a group led by John Young on piano, and also featuring George Eskridge on guitar, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Phil Thomas on drums, and Ronald Wilson on flute and tenor – an obscure player whose reed work really makes the album sparkle! The song choices are great too – a mix of some under-recorded gems and a few blue-toned classics – all redone amazingly by Lorez with a sound that's quite unique. Titles include her classic Argo reading of "Baltimore Oriole", which begins with an amazing drum/bass passage that's worth the price of the album alone – and other tracks include "The End Of A Love Affair", "Baltimore Oriole", "All Or Nothing At All", "Mother Earth", "Love Look Away", and "Traveling Down A Lonely Road". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A stellar set from one of the most underrated reed players of all time – a brilliant bit of searching soul jazz, cut at a time when Curtis Amy was leaving behind his Texas roots for the new sounds of the Coltrane generation! The album's quite different than the organ and tenor dates that Amy had previously cut with Paul Bryant – and instead, is put together with a nascent spiritualism that's really wonderful – a sound that definitely lives up to the bold title and cover image, with lots of modal moments in the rhythms! The group features some equally under-acknowledged geniuses – including trumpeter Dupree Bolton, pianist Jack Wilson, and guitarist Ray Crawford – all coming together perfectly with Amy's work on tenor and soprano sax. The best tunes here are originals by the group members – including "Lonely Woman" (not by Ornette), "Katanga", "Native Land", and "Amyable". Plus, this CD reissue also includes some great bonus cuts that were not on the original album! CD

One of the hippest albums we've ever heard from saxophonist Teodross Avery – a set dedicated to the legacy of John Coltrane, and which definitely has the spirit of the master alive and well in Avery's solos! The tracks are all classics from the Coltrane songbook – performed by a quartet that's tight, sharp, and very much on the money – really leaping ahead strongly with Adam Schulman on piano, Jeff Chambers on bass, and Darrell Green on drums – but also maybe yielding more to the lead spirit of Avery's strengths on tenor and soprano than Coltrane's group might have done. Teodross is incredible throughout – opening up with even more spirit and soul than we might have expected – on titles that include "Afro Blue", "Pursuance", "Bakai", and "Blues Minor". CD also features the tracks "After The Rain" and "Africa". CD

A sweet 80s groover from the mighty Azymuth – a set that's early in their run of albums during the decade for Fantasy Records, and one that offers up a nice adaptation of the groove from their early Brazilian classics! Tracks are nice and lean, and acoustic percussion is blended with keyboard work at a level that really opens up the sound – and which makes Azymuth so different from so many other fusion outfits recording in the US during the time – as does the occasional use of wordless vocals, and that really special sense of rhythm that the group deliver so well! The set includes the classic ten minute "Last Summer In Rio" – a great Fender Rhodes number that was once a huge steppers cut in Chicago – plus the great tracks "The House I Lived In", "What Price Samba", and "May I Have This Dance". (Brazil, Jazz) CD

A sweet 80s groover from the mighty Azymuth – a set that's early in their run of albums during the decade for Fantasy Records, and one that offers up a nice adaptation of the groove from their early Brazilian classics! Tracks are nice and lean, and acoustic percussion is blended with keyboard work at a level that really opens up the sound – and which makes Azymuth so different from so many other fusion outfits recording in the US during the time – as does the occasional use of wordless vocals, and that really special sense of rhythm that the group deliver so well! The set includes the classic ten minute "Last Summer In Rio" – a great Fender Rhodes number that was once a huge steppers cut in Chicago – plus the great tracks "The House I Lived In", "What Price Samba", and "May I Have This Dance". (Brazil, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums of all time from the legendary saxophonist Ornette Coleman – an essential showcase for his early harmelodic concepts, but with a vibe that's maybe more pulsatingly rhythmic than on other albums from the time! Ornette plays his incredible plastic alto sax, which has a bracing sound that really gives the record a sense of urgency – and the rest of the quartet features Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – working here with a lively dancing sound on the kit, one that works perfectly for Ornette's jaunty compositions. The chopped-up modal groove is in full effect here – making the record a treasure trove of angular, highly rhythmic numbers that are easily some of Coleman's best-remembered tunes! Titles include the surprisingly modal classics "Ramblin" and "Una Muy Bonita" – performed in original early versions – plus "Free", "The Face Of The Bass", "Bird Food", and "Change Of The Century". CD

One of our favorite albums of all time from the legendary saxophonist Ornette Coleman – an essential showcase for his early harmelodic concepts, but with a vibe that's maybe more pulsatingly rhythmic than on other albums from the time! Ornette plays his incredible plastic alto sax, which has a bracing sound that really gives the record a sense of urgency – and the rest of the quartet features Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – working here with a lively dancing sound on the kit, one that works perfectly for Ornette's jaunty compositions. The chopped-up modal groove is in full effect here – making the record a treasure trove of angular, highly rhythmic numbers that are easily some of Coleman's best-remembered tunes! Titles include the surprisingly modal classics "Ramblin" and "Una Muy Bonita" – performed in original early versions – plus "Free", "The Face Of The Bass", "Bird Food", and "Change Of The Century". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the true soul jazz classics of the 90s! Although Andrew Cyrille is better known for some of his more "out" material, we totally dig this 1992 album – because it's got a sweeping spiritual feel, and a very soulful groove that recalls 70s work by players like Billy Harper or Marvin Hannibal Peterson! Tracks are long and very open-ended, but never go too far out – just progress along with a great sense of vision, courtesy of a group of players that includes Hannibal on trumpet, Oliver Lake on soprano and alto sax, Adegoke Steve Colson on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Cyrille on drums. The group is impeccably tight, and the whole thing sounds like a lost session from Strata East – with just the right mix of outside soloing and inside grooving – and titles include "Soul Brother", "The Prophet", "Shell", "Tap Dancer", "South Of The Border Serenade", and "Where's Nine". CD

One of the true soul jazz classics of the 90s! Although Andrew Cyrille is better known for some of his more "out" material, we totally dig this 1992 album – because it's got a sweeping spiritual feel, and a very soulful groove that recalls 70s work by players like Billy Harper or Marvin Hannibal Peterson! Tracks are long and very open-ended, but never go too far out – just progress along with a great sense of vision, courtesy of a group of players that includes Hannibal on trumpet, Oliver Lake on soprano and alto sax, Adegoke Steve Colson on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Cyrille on drums. The group is impeccably tight, and the whole thing sounds like a lost session from Strata East – with just the right mix of outside soloing and inside grooving – and titles include "Soul Brother", "The Prophet", "Shell", "Tap Dancer", "South Of The Border Serenade", and "Where's Nine". CD

Sweet KPM funk from the 70s – a set that features the legendary "Big City Suite" from David Gold, plus 20 other groovers from rare KPM sound library albums of the time! Gold's suite is really great – a hip mix of keyboards, wah wah guitar, and strings – all wrapped together warmly in a portrait of a city from a variety of angles, in a variety of moods. The work's almost an update of 50s city-symphony albums, but is put together here with a much hipper 70s soundtrack mode – lots of subtle elements that really keep things interesting! Other tracks offer up a mix of jazz, soundtrack, and sound library funk – hand-picked from KPM classics like Jazzrock, Synthesis, Sounds Of The Times, Trendsetters, and other legendary albums – really packed in here with a huge amount of cuts that are totally great! Titles include "Good Vibrations" and "Trial Of Strength" by Keith Mansfield, "Testing Time" by David Lindup, "Four O'Clock Earthquake" and "Smokey Joe's Dilemma" by John Cameron, "Watchful Eye" by James Clarke, "Sunshine Special" and "Get Ready Get Set Fly" by Alan Hawkshaw, "Open Roads" by Nick Ingman, "Go Getter" by John Cameron, "City Airscape" and "City Police" by David Gold, and "Lap Of Honour" by Clive Hicks. (Sound Library, Jazz) CD

A tribute to the music of Charlie Parker – but a set that sparkles more from the individual inspiration of the three alto giants in the lead – a great lineup that features Gary Bartz, Bobby Watson, and Vincent Herring! The tracks are long, with great lead passages that have all three horns soaring together, then individual solos from each player – and although the songs include a number of classics from the Charlie Parker songbook, the album also features original tunes by Herring and Watson, and another by Jackie McLean – maybe marking the whole thing as being very much in the spirit of its title – a look back at a century that's felt the influence of Bird, with all the alto sax changes that have taken place in the time since his passing. The rhythm trio is excellent too – David Kikoski on piano, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, and Carl Allen on drums – and titles include "Bird-Ish", "Klactoveedsedstene", "The Hymn", "Folklore", "Bird Lives", and "Yardbird Suite". CD

Two great female blues talents, recorded at a time when they were still alive and well in Chicago – Alberta Hunter on vocals, and Lovie Austin on piano! (Blues, Jazz) CD

A record that definitely lives up to its title – as alums from the Mingus band work together here in a set of fresh changes on classics from the master - titles that include "Celia", "Ysabel's Table Dance", "Caroline", and "Sue's Changes". Group includes Randy Brecker on trumpet, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, James Newton and Craig Handy on reeds, and Roland Hanna on piano. CD

Monk Monk Monk! A classic, with a lively quintet that includes Thad Jones, Sam Jones, Art Taylor, and the amazing Charlie Rouse, here just beginning a very fruitful association with Monk – and really adding a lot to the session with some incredible tenor work that's as angular and modern as needed for Monk's work, yet with a soulful edge that really brings a lot to the music. The album's got 5 long tracks – hence the title – and they're all Monk classics that include "I Mean You", "Ask Me Now", "Jackie-ing", and "Straight No Chaser". CD

Monk Monk Monk! A classic, with a lively quintet that includes Thad Jones, Sam Jones, Art Taylor, and the amazing Charlie Rouse, here just beginning a very fruitful association with Monk – and really adding a lot to the session with some incredible tenor work that's as angular and modern as needed for Monk's work, yet with a soulful edge that really brings a lot to the music. The album's got 5 long tracks – hence the title – and they're all Monk classics that include "I Mean You", "Ask Me Now", "Jackie-ing", and "Straight No Chaser". LP, Vinyl record album

5 albums from Lee Morgan – one of the coolest cats to ever handle a trumpet for Blue Note! First up is Delightfulee – really unique album from the great Lee Morgan – a set that features the trumpeter in two different settings, but in a way that really works well together! Most of the album has Lee blowing in a very cool quintet – with Joe Henderson on tenor, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a group who maybe bring out a slightly hipper vibe that really points the way to the rest of Morgan's direction in the late 60s, when he was really letting some more spiritual currents loose. The other two tracks on the record feature a hip larger band directed by Oliver Nelson – swinging hard in a really soulful style! Nelson's arrangements on these two tracks are great – quite progressive, with a soul jazz big band style that seems to point the way towards the 70s – and the band provides a raging backdrop that lets Lee's trumpet soar over the top in beautiful crystal clear solos. Titles include "Nite Flite", "Delightful Deggie", "Ca-Lee-So", and "Zambia". Also features a few bonus tracks. The Cooker is a very appropriate title for a very cooking little album – one of Lee Morgan's first efforts as a leader, cut back during his first years of late 50s fame! The style here is a bit less Morgan-esque than some of Lee's later 60s classics – but the record is rock-solid throughout, and proof that Morgan was every bit as great a leader in a hardbop session as Hank Mobley or some of the other emerging heavyweights at Blue Note! The strength of the group really helps keep the fire stoked on the set – and Bobby Timmons turns in some amazing piano work alongside a lineup that includes Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The Adams presence gives the record a bit of the feel of some of Pepper's sessions with Donald Byrd – but the sparkling, soaring sound of Morgan makes the record way more than just a copycat set. Titles include "New-Ma", "Night In Tunisia", "Lover Man", "Just One Of Those Things", and "Heavy Dipper". Lee Way is an undisputed masterpiece by Lee Morgan – and one of the first records in which he shed his straight bop sensibility, and began evolving into a soulful genius for the 60s! The album's got 4 long tracks that all build beautifully – really extended numbers that break the format of some of Lee's earlier work, and hint a bit at some of the more complicated touches he'd use on later sessions. All players are great – and include fellow Jazz Messengers Bobby Timmons on piano and Art Blakey on drums, plus Jackie McLean on alto and Paul Chambers on bass. Titles include the sublime "These Are Soulful Days" – a perfect model of soulful lyricism – plus "Midtown Blues", "Nakatini Suite", and "The Lion & The Wolff". Rumproller often gets too easily lumped next to The Sidewinder – because of an obvious title and cover similarity to that hit record – but like that one, the album's far more than jazz cliche – and shows Lee Morgan to be one of the greatest jazz musicians of the 60s. The set starts off with the title cut, "The Rumproller" – hard-wailing soul bop, in the manner of Lee's most popular work – but then it easily flows into more sensitive material that has a freer, lyrical feel – like the great original tune "Eclipso" and Wayne Shorter's "Edda" – both of which are superb. Lee is astounding, as always, on trumpet – and the rest of the group includes the great Ronnie Matthews on piano, plus Joe Henderson, Victor Sproles, and Billy Higgins. Search For The New Land is a brilliant album that proves that even at the height of his success, Lee Morgan was one of the freest thinkers on Blue Note – always coming up with fresh ideas that continued to grow his talents! The first cut on the album is keen poof of that fact – the title track "Search For The New Land" – a beautiful 16 minute exploration of modal jazz themes, with an unusual stop/start device as a means of ushering solos by different bandmates – including Wayne Shorter on tenor, Grant Green on guitar, and Herbie Hancock on piano! The approach is unlike anything that Morgan ever did before – and unlike most of other Blue Note as well – and it also benefits from great rhythmic help from Reggie Workman on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Other tunes are a bit more conventional, but still pretty special – like some of Morgan's inventive work on the Rajah albums – with titles that include "The Joker", "Melancholee", "Mr. Kenyatta" and "Morgan The Pirate". CD

One of the all-time classics of early 60s mainstream jazz – and a beautiful record that showcases writing and arranging talents of Oliver Nelson! Nelson had been bumping around a variety of sessions before this one – as a leader, sideman, and arranger – but it was with this album that his true talents really unfolded – sparkling with a depth of imagination and expression that marked him as one of the greatest artists in 60s American jazz! The group on the set is an all-star sextet – featuring Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, and Freddie Hubbard – a disparate group of players who manage to come together with Nelson and find a unique voice that's rarely been duplicated again! The album features 6 fantastic compositions by Nelson, including "Stolen Moments", "Hoe Down", and "Yearnin". A fantastic record – and one that you can't go wrong with! CD

One of the all-time classics of early 60's mainstream jazz – and a beautiful record that showcases writing and arranging talents of Oliver Nelson! Nelson had been bumping around a variety of sessions before this one – as a leader, sideman, and arranger – but it was with this album that his true talents really unfolded – sparkling with a depth of imagination and expression that marked him as one of the greatest artists in 60s American jazz! The group on the set is an all-star sextet – featuring Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, and Freddie Hubbard – a disparate group of players who manage to come together with Nelson and find a unique voice that's rarely been duplicated again! The album features 6 fantastic compositions by Nelson, including "Stolen Moments", "Hoe Down", and "Yearnin". A fantastic record – and one that you can't go wrong with! CD

One of the all-time classics of early 60s mainstream jazz – and a beautiful record that showcases writing and arranging talents of Oliver Nelson! Nelson had been bumping around a variety of sessions before this one – as a leader, sideman, and arranger – but it was with this album that his true talents really unfolded – sparkling with a depth of imagination and expression that marked him as one of the greatest artists in 60s American jazz! The group on the set is an all-star sextet – featuring Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, and Freddie Hubbard – a disparate group of players who manage to come together with Nelson and find a unique voice that's rarely been duplicated again! The album features 6 fantastic compositions by Nelson, including "Stolen Moments", "Hoe Down", and "Yearnin". A fantastic record – and one that you can't go wrong with! LP, Vinyl record album