Smooth later work from Lonnie Smith – but still pretty darn great, with a feel that's in the late 70s Kudu/CTI mode! Arrangements are bigger than ever before – with large backings arranged by Lonnie, and some vocals that have a really wonderful, warm, Stevie Wonder-esque quality to them. The best tracks groove along at a nice midtempo pace, with strong work on keyboards by Lonnie, and a warm, dreamy, soulful quality that's quite different from his Blue Note work, but equally pleasing in another sort of way. Titles include "What's Done Is Done", "I Need Your Love", "Sweet Honey Wine", "My Latin Sky", and "Journey To Within". CD

Smooth later work from Lonnie Smith – but still pretty darn great, with a feel that's in the late 70s Kudu/CTI mode! Arrangements are bigger than ever before – with large backings arranged by Lonnie, and some vocals that have a really wonderful, warm, Stevie Wonder-esque quality to them. The best tracks groove along at a nice midtempo pace, with strong work on keyboards by Lonnie, and a warm, dreamy, soulful quality that's quite different from his Blue Note work, but equally pleasing in another sort of way. Titles include "What's Done Is Done", "I Need Your Love", "Sweet Honey Wine", "My Latin Sky", and "Journey To Within". CD

Lonnie Smith revisits some of the key songs of his early years – but does them here in the company of a cool octet – so that the results often come out sounding a heck of a lot different than the originals! Lonnie was a hell of a player right at the start, but in recent years he's developed a depth that we never would have expected – a sense of tone and color, phrasing and phasing, that really pushes him into a whole new level. The work of the larger group here illustrates that quality wonderfully – as the added trumpet, alto, flute, and tenor help give the music a sophisticated edge while still never losing the groove that's always made Smith so great. The Hammond lines are completely sublime – and the set features long versions of "Aw Shucks", "Move Your Hand", "In The Beginning", "Turning Point"," Mama Wailer/Hola Muneca", "Keep Talkin", "Slouchin", "Track Nine", and "Psychedelic Pi". CD

Lonnie Smith's a long way from his Blue Note years here – but the sound is still plenty darn great, thanks to some fuller arrangements from the great Brad Baker – of B Baker Chocolate Company fame! The whole thing's quite electric – with Lonnie on Fender Rhodes and other keyboards on most tracks, and rhythms that bring in bits of strings amidst the smaller jazz combo vamping – a blend that's smoothly soulful, but still more than funky enough to please our ears. Lonnie even sings a bit on the record, too – in this slightly-spacey quality that has echoes of Stevie Wonder – but the main focus overall is on his keyboards, which step out nicely over the backings. Titles include "Keep On Lovin", "What I Want", "No Tears Tomorrow", "Sizzle Stick", "Lean Meat", and "Filet O Sole". CD

A lost jazz-funk gem – originally recorded at Club Mozambique in Detroit in 1970, but not issued by Blue Note until the mid 90s! The set's right up there with Lonnie's classic Move Your Hand live set – as the tracks are long, free, and very funky, performed by a hip group that includes Joe Dukes on drums, Dave Hubbard on tenor, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and George Benson on guitar. Lonnie's organ is harder than you'll ever hear it in later years – and tracks include "Scream", "Expressions", "I Can't Stand It", "Peace Of Mind", "Love Bowl", and "Play It Back". CD

Funky funky funky! Lonnie plays live with a tight group that includes tenor, guitar, and some very heavy drumming – really wailing at a level that was surprising for funky organists of the time, and which really set the pace for a whole new generation! The players are more obscure than on the usual Blue Note sides – save for Ronnie Cuber, who played baritone with Mongo Santamaria, and is one of the most underrated 60s funky players. Recorded live at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, and with a deep raw funky sound that must have blown the roof off the club! Titles include "Move Your Hand", "Layin' In the Cut", "Charlie Brown", and "Sunshine Superman". One of his best ever! Plus, this CD reissue also includes a bonus cut – "Dancin' In An Easy Groove" – which does exactly that, for about 12 minutes long! CD

Funky funky funky! Lonnie plays live with a tight group that includes tenor, guitar, and some very heavy drumming – really wailing at a level that was surprising for funky organists of the time, and which really set the pace for a whole new generation! The players are more obscure than on the usual Blue Note sides – save for Ronnie Cuber, who played baritone with Mongo Santamaria, and is one of the most underrated 60s funky players. Recorded live at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, and with a deep raw funky sound that must have blown the roof off the club! Titles include "Move Your Hand", "Layin' In the Cut", "Charlie Brown", and "Sunshine Superman". One of his best ever! CD

Burning work from Lonnie Smith – one of the few players from the 60s Hammond generation who can still grab our ears as strongly as ever! Over the past few decades, Smith's developed a sound that's even freer than before – but still equally groovy – a gliding, open approach to organ jazz that's almost brought in some pages from the Larry Young book, but still comes off with all the swing and soul that Lonnie brought to his best early sides on Blue Note! This session's a brilliant trio date – just Smith's Hammond, the guitar of Jonathan Kreisberg, and drums of Jamire Williams – a wonderful combo who soar beautifully together – hitting modes that remind us of Larry Young/Grant Green collaborations at some points, and Don Patterson/Pat Martino grooves at others. Smith's got a great ear for bottom tones here – and even at quieter points, manages to get our speakers bumping on the shelves – a true testament to the richness of sound you'll hear on cuts that include "Sweet & Lovely", "Spiral", "Beehive", "Sukiyaki", "Frame For The Blues", and "Mellow Mood". CD

A seminal album from Hammond giant Lonnie Smith – a bold statement that really gives the organist his own identity after some killer work in the combos of Lou Donaldson and George Benson! Lonnie's one of the key flag-fliers of the new style of funky organ jazz – a mode different from the earlier styles of Jimmy Smith or Jimmy McGriff – leaner, cleaner, and often tied heavily to the drums – which, in this case, are handled by Marion Booker Jr, but in a way that recalls some of the Idris Muhammad greatness on other Blue Note albums of the time. The mighty Pucho (of Latin Soul Brothers fame) plays added timbales, and there's also two more conga players – ensuring a tight, yet complex sort of groove – and the frontline features Lee Morgan on trumpet, David Newman on tenor and flute, and Melvin Sparks on guitar. Tracks are long, with complicated rhythms – and soulful yet sophisticated solos to match – and titles include the seminal "Son Of Ice Bag", a great cover of "Think", and the tracks "Slouchin", "Call Of The Wild", and "Three Blind Mice". CD

Sweet and lowdown funky grooves from legendary organist Lonnie Smith (that's DOCTOR Lonnie Smith, thank you!) – played in a style that's surprisingly fresh, and without the cliches of some of Smith's other albums of the past decade. The group on the set is wonderfully laidback – never trying to be overly funky, or to play to the current generation with easy tricks or gimmicks. And Lonnie's perfectly in the cut on most of the tracks – hitting the organ in a mode that recalls classic Prestige Records sessions of the 70s, but occasionally breaking out with styles from some of his freer Groove Merchant years. The group is spare – with just drums, lead guitar, and added rhythm guitar behind Smith's keys – making for plenty of space to jam on cuts that include "The Whip", "Back Track", "Evil Turn", "One Cylinder", "Silver Serenade", and "Your Mama's Got A Complex". CD

A stone killer from organist Lonnie Smith – one of his completely cooking early albums for Blue Note, and a hard-burner all the way through! Smith's working here with a really great group that includes Idris Muhammad on drums and Melvin Sparks on guitar – both of whom give the album a really heavy bottom, and almost make the set feel like one of those classic Prestige jammers from the same time. But added to them is a great horn section of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Julian Preister on trombone, and Bennie Maupin on tenor – all of whom give the record a slightly hipper, more modern feel – in keeping with the Blue Note groove of the time. Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include the originals "Turning Point" and "Slow High" – plus versions of "See Saw", "People Sure Act Funny", and "Eleanor Rigby". CD

A stone killer from organist Lonnie Smith – one of his completely cooking early albums for Blue Note, and a hard-burner all the way through! Smith's working here with a really great group that includes Idris Muhammad on drums and Melvin Sparks on guitar – both of whom give the album a really heavy bottom, and almost make the set feel like one of those classic Prestige jammers from the same time. But added to them is a great horn section of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Julian Preister on trombone, and Bennie Maupin on tenor – all of whom give the record a slightly hipper, more modern feel – in keeping with the Blue Note groove of the time. Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include the originals "Turning Point" and "Slow High" – plus versions of "See Saw", "People Sure Act Funny", and "Eleanor Rigby". CD

A stone killer from organist Lonnie Smith – one of his completely cooking early albums for Blue Note, and a hard-burner all the way through! Smith's working here with a really great group that includes Idris Muhammad on drums and Melvin Sparks on guitar – both of whom give the album a really heavy bottom, and almost make the set feel like one of those classic Prestige jammers from the same time. But added to them is a great horn section of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Julian Preister on trombone, and Bennie Maupin on tenor – all of whom give the record a slightly hipper, more modern feel – in keeping with the Blue Note groove of the time. Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include the originals "Turning Point" and "Slow High" – plus versions of "See Saw", "People Sure Act Funny", and "Eleanor Rigby". CD

With John Abercrombie on guitar and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums. Tracks include "Voodoo Chile", "Gypsy Eyes", "Up From The Skies", and "Purple Haze–Star Spangled Banner". CD

With John Abercrombie on guitar and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums. Tracks include "Voodoo Chile", "Gypsy Eyes", "Up From The Skies", and "Purple Haze–Star Spangled Banner". CD

Spiritual keyboard giant Lonnie Liston Smith joins the duo of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad – and the result is maybe one of the deepest records in this wonderful series! As you can imagine, Lonnie is on keyboards, and delivers some wonderful solos throughout – very much in the spirit of his classic Flying Dutchman albums of the 70s – at a level that even seems to bring out some deeper vibes from Younge and Muhammad as well! Vocalist Loren Oden joins the group on four tracks, recalling the great vocal style used on Lonnie's classic records, in this beautiful mix of jazz and soul that really shapes the tunes – in a set that that includes "A New Spring", "Love Brings Happiness", "Cosmic Changes", "Dawn", "Gratitude", "What May Come", and "Love Can Be". (Deep Funk, Jazz) CD

Spiritual keyboard giant Lonnie Liston Smith joins the duo of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad – and the result is maybe one of the deepest records in this wonderful series! As you can imagine, Lonnie is on keyboards, and delivers some wonderful solos throughout – very much in the spirit of his classic Flying Dutchman albums of the 70s – at a level that even seems to bring out some deeper vibes from Younge and Muhammad as well! Vocalist Loren Oden joins the group on four tracks, recalling the great vocal style used on Lonnie's classic records, in this beautiful mix of jazz and soul that really shapes the tunes – in a set that that includes "A New Spring", "Love Brings Happiness", "Cosmic Changes", "Dawn", "Gratitude", "What May Come", and "Love Can Be". (Deep Funk, Jazz) CD

A really formative album – not just as part of the key second chapter of alto genius Lou Donaldson, but also as the start of a huge generation of jazz funk grooves to come! The key element here is drummer Idris Muhammad – working in the group of Donaldson, but under his birth name of Leo Morris – and still already graced with that fantastic sense of rhythm that has him stretching out the beats, and creating grooves that would push the 60s soul jazz generation into more electric funk modes in the decade to come! The record's a perfect bridge between the two generations – with long tracks that draw plenty from Idris' drums and Lou's alto – plus work from Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Lonnie Smith on organ, and the young George Benson on guitar – still hard and soulful, in that style he had been using in the 60s group of organist Jack McDuff. If you know the heavily sampled side of Lou Donaldson's work, you'll know the greatness you're getting here – on cuts that include "Dapper Dan", "Midnight Creeper", "Bag Of Jewels", and "Love Power". CD

A massive little record, and a real turning point for alto genius Lou Donaldson – as he uses the set to move from the tight bop of earlier years into a whole new spectrum of funky grooves! Key to this project is drummer Idris Muhammad – who's on the kit, already kicking it up in the way that would make him a jazz funk legend as the 70s began – but so young here, he's working under his original name of Leo Morris! The rest of the group is equally great – with the up-and-coming Lonnie Smith on Hammond and Jimmy Ponder on guitar – plus tight trumpet from Blue Mitchell, who's really hitting his most soulful sound of the 60s. Titles include Donaldson's fantastic funky reworking of "Ode To Billie Joe" – a very famous sample cut over the years – plus the soulful groovers "The Humpback", "Peepin", "The Kid", and a nice take on "The Shadow Of Your Smile". CD

50 early Ellington recordings for the famous Okeh label! Songs feature Jabbo Smith and Cootie Williams on trumpet, Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton on trombone, Johnny Hodges on clarinet and alto sax, Barney Bigard on clarinet and tenor sax, Fred Guy on banjo, Lonnie Johnson on guitar, and Sonny Greer on drums. CD

Features Dave Holland on acoustic bass, Greg Osby on alto saxophone, Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums, Lonnie Plaxico on electric bass, Kevin Eubanks on guitar, Kenny Werner and Renee Rosnes on keyboards, and Mino Cinelu on percussion. CD

A later set from tenor legend Red Holloway – but one that really revives the style of his 60s soul jazz classics on Prestige Records! Red gets plenty of old school company on the set – a group that features Frank Wess on additional tenor, Lonnie Smith on Hammond, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Paul Humphrey on drums – all cookers we love from years back, doing a pretty great job of keeping things groovy here. Titles include "Avalon", "3 Steps Up Clark", "Water Jug", "Struttin With Julie", "Good To Go", "Million Dollar Secret", and "Still Groovin". CD

One of the most spiritual sessions we've ever heard from Noah Howard – a real gem from his 70s years on the European scene – and a record that takes all his previous avant explorations and gives them even more focus than before! The group's got a great way of building up a cosmic sense of energy before it takes off – real magic that comes from the Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano of Michael Smith, the bass of Bob Reid, and drums of Noel McGhee – the last of whom is a player who really drives the action along when needed – setting the spark that burns to a fire in Howard's bold alto solos. Noah also plays a bit of bells and tambourine – and Smith has a great way of resonating his acoustic keys in these wide waves of sound – very introspective, like some of Lonnie Liston Smith's early work with Pharoah Sanders. Titles include "Paris Dreams", "Lecke", and "Mardi Gras". CD

A stone classic from Roland Kirk – and a record that beautifully balances his modern ideas and playful energy – as you might guess from the title! While posing as the "whistleman", Roland's also pushing the boundaries of jazz a few steps forward too – not just in modern terms, but in spiritual ones too – showing that there's a way of letting loose that doesn't always have to be cold or artsy, but personal and soulful too. There's still echoes of the hardbop of the Mercury years, and plenty of inventive reed work from Kirk – on tenor, alto sax, manzello, stritch, and even nose flute too. The album was recorded live with a very hip cast that includes Lonnie Smith and Jaki Byard on piano, Charles Crosby on drums, and Major Holley on bass – and tracks include "Roots", "Here Comes The Whistleman", "Step Right Up", and "Aluminum Baby". CD

A stone classic from Roland Kirk – and a record that beautifully balances his modern ideas and playful energy – as you might guess from the title! While posing as the "whistleman", Roland's also pushing the boundaries of jazz a few steps forward too – not just in modern terms, but in spiritual ones too – showing that there's a way of letting loose that doesn't always have to be cold or artsy, but personal and soulful too. There's still echoes of the hardbop of the Mercury years, and plenty of inventive reed work from Kirk – on tenor, alto sax, manzello, stritch, and even nose flute too. The album was recorded live with a very hip cast that includes Lonnie Smith and Jaki Byard on piano, Charles Crosby on drums, and Major Holley on bass – and tracks include "Roots", "Here Comes The Whistleman", "Step Right Up", and "Aluminum Baby". CD

Fantastic stuff! This essential CD brings together two of Roland Kirk's best albums from the mid 60's (and two of his hardest to find on vinyl!) Rip, Rig, & Panic is mindblowing work from Roland Kirk – a record that really pushes the boundaries of his music even farther than some of his earlier, and excellent, albums for the Mercury label! Kirk's really stretching out here – finding a space in jazz that's uniquely his own – modern, yet playful – creative, yet never overindulgent – and perfectly balanced to find a whole new sound of soul for the 60s! Things never get too far outside, but Kirk's reedlines are always breaking out into fresh territory – incredible tenor parts, and also some amazing work on manzello and stritch too, both lesser-known reed instruments that Roland employs to incredible ends. Other group members fit his vibe perfectly – Jaki Byard on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – each stepping quickly to catch the energy of each new twist and turn in Kirk's music. Titles include the sublime "From Bechet Byas & Fats" – plus "No Tonic Pres", "Rip Rig & Panic", "Mystical Dream", "Black Diamond", and "Slippery Hippery Flippery". Beautiful Edith is a bit mellower, but no less wonderful, and the record features some great early piano work by Lonnie Liston Smith. Titles include "Blue Rol", "No Tonic Press", "Rip, Rig, & Panic", "Slipper, Hippery, Flippery", "Stompin' Grounds", and "Mystical Dreams". CD

A richly complex set from David Murray – and a record that offers up a much wider range of moods than some of his other sessions from the time! Some numbers have an angular, almost aggressive groove – one that comes from the presence of group members James Blood Ulmer on guitar and Lonnie Plaxico on bass – but other moments are a bit more introspective, and show the more soulful side of Murray's blowing – a great balance that makes the record a perfect illustration of his growing players at the time. Other group members include Don Pullen on piano and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums – and Murray plays both tenor and bass clarinet. All tracks are long, and titles include "Death", "David Mingus", "All The Things You Are", and "Tension". CD

With Peter Washington, Sammy Figueroa, Eddie Gladden, Greg Bandy, Roger Humphries, Victor Jones, Winard Harper, Bill Saxton, John Patton, Lonnie Smith, Lawrence Killian, Benny Green, Mark Soskin, Geary Moore, Houston Person & James Anderson. CD

Joshua Redman continues the wonderful groove he first began on his Elastic album – a well-named sound that's filled with lots of modal rhythms and a very soulful spirit! The style's a bit like that growing, more open-ended style of organ jazz at the end of the 60s – especially the sort that was showing up on some of John Patton's later albums, or the looser recordings of Groove Holmes and Lonnie Smith. Redman's working here on a variety of saxes, alongside great organ and keyboards from Sam Yahel, and exceptional work on drums from Brian Blade and Jeff Ballard. The album features guest work by Stefon Harris, Jeff Parker, Nicholas Payton, ?uestlove, and Meshell Ndegocello – and titles include "Soundcheck", "Sweet Nasty", "Just A Moment", "Shut Your Mouth", "The Crunge", "Riverwide", "Greasy G", "Lonely Woman", "Swunk", and "Put It In Your Pocket". CD

A wonderful reunion of Pharoah Sanders and vocalist Leon Thomas – and a set that captures a lot of the same energy as the pair's previous record – Karma! Thomas' vocals are in wonderful form for the set – stretching out soulfully on the extended classic "Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah" – a title that has much of the same grace and power as "The Creator Has A Master Plan. The rest of the players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Richard Davis and Cecil McBee on basses, and Idris Muhammad and Roy Haynes on drums – and unusually enough, each of the double bassists and drummers gets their own channel of sound to work with! The other long track on the album is the extended "Sun In Aquarius" – which is a bit more outside, but still pretty great! CD

Quite possibly the best-remembered album from Pharoah Sanders' legendary run at Impulse Records – a set that crossed over big, and sold to countless folks who might not have bought a jazz album this hip otherwise! The record was Sanders' first in the wake of Coltrane's passing – and it's a beautiful extended suite of tracks that flows with a sense of grace, power, and majesty that's simply breathtaking – a new level of expression in spiritual jazz – and virtually the blueprint for an entire generation to come! The album features the classic track "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – spanning a tremendous amount of space and time – and featuring Leon Thomas' classic vocals on the lyrics! Thomas also returns on the cut "Colors", which is a bit more outside, and quite free overall – and other players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, James Spaulding on flute, Julius Watkins on French horn, Ron Carter and Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Waits and Billy Hart on drums. CD

Quite possibly the best-remembered album from Pharoah Sanders' legendary run at Impulse Records – a set that crossed over big, and sold to countless folks who might not have bought a jazz album this hip otherwise! The record was Sanders' first in the wake of Coltrane's passing – and it's a beautiful extended suite of tracks that flows with a sense of grace, power, and majesty that's simply breathtaking – a new level of expression in spiritual jazz – and virtually the blueprint for an entire generation to come! The album features the classic track "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – spanning a tremendous amount of space and time – and featuring Leon Thomas' classic vocals on the lyrics! Thomas also returns on the cut "Colors", which is a bit more outside, and quite free overall – and other players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, James Spaulding on flute, Julius Watkins on French horn, Ron Carter and Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Waits and Billy Hart on drums. CD

Pharoah Sanders is working here with some excellent horn players in the frontline – Woody Shaw on trumpet and Gary Bartz on alto sax – both of whom really bring a lot of power to the record! As with some of Sanders' other Impulse albums of the period, the record only features two long songs – both of them great, and both of them balanced between more modal moments, and freer flights of jazz expression. Bartz and Shaw are obviously well suited for both of these sides of the spectrum – as are the other players, who include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Clifford Jarvis on drums. Nathaniel Bettis and Anthony Wiles play additional percussion – as do some of the other members of the group from time to time. Both tracks build with a stretched-out, organic quality – and titles include "Summun Bukmun Umyun" and "Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord". CD

Pharoah Sanders is working here with some excellent horn players in the frontline – Woody Shaw on trumpet and Gary Bartz on alto sax – both of whom really bring a lot of power to the record! As with some of Sanders' other Impulse albums of the period, the record only features two long songs – both of them great, and both of them balanced between more modal moments, and freer flights of jazz expression. Bartz and Shaw are obviously well suited for both of these sides of the spectrum – as are the other players, who include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Clifford Jarvis on drums. Nathaniel Bettis and Anthony Wiles play additional percussion – as do some of the other members of the group from time to time. Both tracks build with a stretched-out, organic quality – and titles include "Summun Bukmun Umyun" and "Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord". CD

Two Pharoah Sanders classics – back to back on a single CD! Tauhid is one of the first moments of genius from a young Pharoah Sanders – a set that builds on the energy of John Coltrane's Love Supreme generation – but takes it in a much more expansive direction! The album's got a sense of majesty that's years ahead of its time – righteous, positive, spiritual jazz that flows out with a timeless power, and a quality that almost out-Coltrane's Coltrane! All tracks are long, expressive, and freely flowing – building with a very organic sense of energy – totally free from any gimmicks or cliche. Players include Dave Burrell on piano, Henry Grimes on bass, and Sonny Sharrock on guitar – and Pharoah plays alto, tenor, and piccolo – and even vocalizes a bit. The album begins with the amazing "Upper & Lower Egypt" – which is a perfect illustration of the two sides of Pharoah's genius – free/out & spiritual/modal – and other titles include "Japan", and "Capricorn Rising". Jewels Of Thought is a wonderful reunion of Pharoah Sanders and vocalist Leon Thomas – and a set that captures a lot of the same energy as the pair's previous record – Karma! Thomas' vocals are in wonderful form for the set – stretching out soulfully on the extended classic "Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah" – a title that has much of the same grace and power as "The Creator Has A Master Plan. The rest of the players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Richard Davis and Cecil McBee on basses, and Idris Muhammad and Roy Haynes on drums – and unusually enough, each of the double bassists and drummers gets their own channel of sound to work with! The other long track on the album is the extended "Sun In Aquarius" – which is a bit more outside, but still pretty great! CD

Classic spiritual soul jazz from Pharoah – recorded with an all star lineup that includes Lonnie Liston Smith, Cecil McBee, Roy Haynes, and Michael White. The album's got a strong influence from the members on the set – particularly Lonnie Liston Smith, who seems to bring in a very nicely soulful approach to a few of the numbers, and Michael White, whose spiritual consciousness is still a bit rough-hewn and personal at this point. The record oddly shifts mood from track to track – going from the mellow soul of "Astral Traveling", into the loud free jazz of "Red Black & Green", to the modal grooving of "Thembi", and into the spiritual joy of "Love" and "Bailophone Dance" – all of which makes for a really wonderful album, one of Pharoah's strongest statements of the time! CD

A classic bit of avant garde work from the west coast scene of the late 60s – one of a small number of important "out" records from that part of the country at the time, standing in bold contrast to work from the more-vocal New York scene! The set was put together by Huey "Sonny" Simmons – and has a loosely collective feel that's almost spiritual, but which has a lot more edges than the usual soul jazz session of its type. Simmons is clearly inspired by the free work of the ESP crowd, but he also takes that sound in a whole new direction – working with a group that includes his frequent collaborator, trumpeter Barbara Donald, plus Cecil McBee, Lonnie Liston Smith, Clifford Jarvis, and Richard Davis. All titles are long, and tracks include "New Newk", "E=MC2", "Healing Rays", "Burning Spirits", and "Things & Beings". CD

A soaring session of spiritual jazz piano – and one of the only albums as a leader cut by Donald Smith – best known to most folks as the brother of Lonnie Liston Smith, and a member of the Cosmic Echoes! The sound here is much more hard-edged than you might guess – starting somewhere in the McCoy Tyner realm of post-Coltrane piano lines, but also taking off at times with a fury that reminds us of Cecil Taylor – extremely deft and inventive, and spurred on by some great rhythm work from the team of Cecil McBee on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums! A few moments get a bit more introspective, balancing things out nicely – and McBee's bass is a wonderful addition to the set, as he plays with the power and soulfulness he brought to the best Strata East sessions of the early 70s. Titles include "Mystic Man", "Stillness", "To Yaisa & Wanda With Luv", and "The Magnetic A". CD

A never-issued album by funky guitar legend Melvin Sparks – recorded right after his final record for the Westbound label, and appearing here for the first time ever! Sparks first rose to fame via funky work with Lonnie Smith and Lou Donaldson in the late 60s, the cut some killer albums of his own and with organist Leon Spencer in the 60s – before disappearing a bit until a great revival in more recent years! This set represents Sparks right before he dropped off the map – a session that's done with a sweet jazz funk vibe that shows the way that labels like Westbound were picking up some of the style of the successful CTI/Kudu imprint – mixing some larger charts with the leader's solo strengths – allowing maybe some more soulful influences in the rhythms, while still going for a jazz funk approach overall. The set's much more instrumental than Sparks' last record for Westbound, which had more vocals – and although a few tracks have an upbeat clubby style, most of the music is more in a midtempo mode. Titles include "Love Tones", "I'm Funky Now", "I'm Gonna Funk You Up", "You're Gonna Make It", "The Truth Hurts", "Make It Good", and "Disco Booty". CD

Reedman John Stubblefield made some of his best records as a leader for Enja – and this is definitely one of them! The set has Stubblefield coming across with maturity and focus that you might not have found a few years before – that kind of ebullient, soulful style that some of his best contemporaries were hitting in the late 80s – new modes of expression that were maybe less righteous than previous years, but a lot more powerful in their positive energy and subtle sense of care! John plays both tenor and soprano sax with this easygoing, soulful vibe – and the group also includes Hamiet Bluiett on baritone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Charnett Moffett on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums – a well-matched lineup, as all players are at similar points in their musical conceptions. Stubblefield plays a bit of keyboards on one last track, but even that comes across well – with almost a Lonnie Liston Smith vibe – and titles include "Remembrance", "For Those Who Didn't Know", "Montauk", "The Wanderer", and "Going Home". CD

Wonderful work from Leon Thomas – easily one of his greatest albums ever, and a set that was recorded at the same time he was working with Pharoah Sanders! Thomas really rose to fame on Sanders' classic "The Creator Has A Master Plan" – and this set really takes off from that moment – letting Leon spin out some spiritual vibes of his own, and step into a few fresh new styles as well! The album's plenty righteous right from the start – partly because the lineup includes James Spaulding on alto and flute, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and the enigmatic "Little Rock" on tenor – who is actually Pharoah Sanders – but also because Leon serves up a shorter take on "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – done in a great style! The album also features a classic vocal take on Horace Silver's "Song for My Father", with lyrics that we totally love – plus the frenetic "Malcolm's Gone" – and the tracks "One", "Echoes", "Let The Rain Fall On Me", and "Damn Nam". CD features three bonus tracks – a live recording of "Um Um Um" and "Damn Nam" – plus a take on "Night In Tunisia". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Wonderful work from Leon Thomas – easily one of his greatest albums ever, and a set that was recorded at the same time he was working with Pharoah Sanders! Thomas really rose to fame on Sanders' classic "The Creator Has A Master Plan" – and this set really takes off from that moment – letting Leon spin out some spiritual vibes of his own, and step into a few fresh new styles as well! The album's plenty righteous right from the start – partly because the lineup includes James Spaulding on alto and flute, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and the enigmatic "Little Rock" on tenor – who is actually Pharoah Sanders – but also because Leon serves up a shorter take on "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – done in a great style! The album also features a classic vocal take on Horace Silver's "Song for My Father", with lyrics that we totally love – plus the frenetic "Malcolm's Gone" – and the tracks "One", "Echoes", "Let The Rain Fall On Me", and "Damn Nam". CD include 3 versions of "Take The 'A' Train", 2 takes of "Walkin'", 2 takes of "Willow Weep For Me", and 2 takes of "If It Didn't Hurt So Much". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A very different entry in this always-great series – one that doesn't focus on a specific artist, or just the instrumentation of the two leaders – but instead has this great range of artists coming together in a very jazz-based style! Things here are even more organic and flowing than on some of the other volumes – as there's a very cool array of players that shift nicely from track to track, while still giving the record a unified vibe – work from Jeff Parker on guitar, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Tony Allen on drums, Henry Franklin on bass, Phil Ranelin on trombone, Wendell Harrison on bass clarinet, Jaman Laws on tenor, Phillip Wack on alto, and Scott Mayo on flute – all players who work with Younge and Muhammad to create soulful and funky elements that bring us back to the spirit of the Black Jazz label in the 70s Even if you've heard other titles in the series, this one still really advances the concept even further – and with more live, spontaneous energy in the studio – on titles that include "Running With The Tribe", "Phoenix", "Come As You Are", "Ebun", "El Cambio Es Necesario", "The Avenues", and "The Griot". (Deep Funk, Jazz) CD

A great collection of grooves – as some of Blue Note's best soul jazz artists of the 60s and 70s take on a host of funky tunes and soul music classics. The vibe is great throughout – and most cuts are instrumentals, based around tunes that you might know, but redone here with that great Blue Note funkosity that made the label so wonderful! Titles include "Think" by Lonnie Smith, "As" by Gene Harris, "Pillow Talk" by Lou Donaldson, "Ain't That Peculiar" by Big John Patton, "If You Really Love Me" by Grant Green, "Feel Like Makin Love" by Marlena Shaw, "Me & Mrs Jones" by Ronnie Foster, "Soul Limbo" by Candido, "I'll Be There" by Hank Mobley, "Mr Big Stuff" by Reuben Wilson, "People Make The World Go Round" by Bobby Hutcherson, "Can't Hide Love" by Carmen McRae, and "Just My Imagination" by Donald Byrd. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Music from Blue Mitchell, Stanley Turrentine, Big John Patton, Richard Elliot, Hank Mobley, Lonnie Smith, Earl Klugh, Grant Green, Stanly Jordan & more. CD

The reach of Miles Davis is plenty wide – as right from the start, the trumpeter was associating himself with some of the hippest young talent on the scene! Yet the apex of those associations may have come in the late 60s and early 70s, when the newly-electric Miles was experimenting in all sorts of new rhythms and instrumental combinations – and inviting a whole host of soon-to-be-legends to help him with his projects! This set is a great overview of some of those key contemporaries – and the way that they took new directions of their own, when away from Miles – some very much in the spirit of the Bitches Brew generation, others opening up in whole new frontiers of soul and spirit. The set features some really well-chosen tracks – a key who's who to this generation – and titles include "Sweet Pea" by Wayne Shorter, "In A Silent Way" by Joe Zawinul, "Common Mama" by Keith Jarrett, "Song Of The Wind (alt)" by Chick Corea, "In Search Of Truth" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "Arjen's Bag" by John McLaughlin, "Politician Man" by Betty Davis, "Uhuru Sasa" by Gary Bartz, "You'll Know When You Get There" by Herbie Hancock, and "Directions (16 December 1970 – first set)" by Miles Davis himself. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Heavy Hammond from a time when the use of the organ in jazz was really changing up from the 60s – music that often had more of a funky current in the rhythms than some of the more soul and gospel-influenced styles of the decade before! All the work here was recorded for the Groove Merchant label – most by older heavyweights who'd recorded for Blue Note and Prestige, but were given a chance to hip things up a bit more for the 70s – as you'll hear in the great style of these tunes! Sonny Lester produced most of the music – and titles include "Cisco Kid" and "Superfly" by Reuben Wilson, "Afrodesia" and "Funk Reaction" by Lonnie Smith, "Groove Grease" and "Tailgunner" by Jimmy McGriff, "Good Vibrations" and "Out Of Nowhere" by Richard Groove Holmes, "Never Can Say Goodbye" by Reuben Wilson, "Preacher's Tune" by Richard Groove Holmes, and "Let's Stay Together" by Jimmy McGriff. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Features work by Charles Earland, Don Patterson, Larry Young, Jack McDuff, Johnny Hammond Smith, Groove Holmes, Lonnie Smith, and others! CD

Spiritual soul and spoken word with instrumental inflections – a perfect illustration of the righteous sound of the Flying Dutchman label at the start of the 70s! The imprint was famously home to Gil Scott Heron, Lonnie Liston Smith, Leon Thomas, and other hip cats at the time – but also recorded a fair bit of work that was even more progressive and political – including key records from forces helping to carry the legacy of Civil Rights well into the 70s! This package offers up a perfect blend of those modes – great jazz tracks that carry the legacy of John Coltrane forth even further, and political records that were often more powerful than anything in the press at the time. Titles include "Sais" by Lonnie Liston Smith", "Nevertite" by The Esoteric Circle, "The Creator Has A Master Plan" by Louis Armstrong and Leon Thomas, "Lament For John Coltrane" by Bob Thiele Emergency, "Friends & Neighbors" by Ornette Coleman, "Sit Down" by Carl B Stokes with Oliver Nelson, "Echoes" by Leon Thomas, "The Giant Is Awakened"b y Horace Tapscot, "Gonna Get Some Right Now" by Chico Hamilton", and "We're Threatening The Oppressors" by Angela Davis. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Now out of print, and a heck of a great little set of rare and unissued tracks from the glory days of the Blue Note funk scene! For most of the 80s and early 90s, Blue Note US used to bad mouth the stuff from this period – but by the mid 90s, demand for the funky stuff from collectors and DJs led Blue Note to dig back in the vaults, and come up with this tasty batch of goodies! Titles include "It's Your Thing" by Grant Green, "Brother Soul (alternate)" by Lou Donaldson, "You Want Me To Stop Loving You" by Stanley Turrentine, "Dancin In An Easy Groove" by Lonnie Smith, "Village Lee (alternate)" by John Patton, "The Scorpion (alternate)" by Lou Donaldson, and "Hold On, I'm Comin" by Reuben Wilson. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Killer guitar work from a legendary label – tracks that were all recorded for the Groove Merchant imprint in the 70s – a company that really valued the sound that a hip guitarist could bring to the funky side of jazz! Some of the tracks here feature a Hammond player in the lead, but also showcase a great guitar solo in the middle – while others are by guitarists as leaders, including some players who maybe sounded their best when recording for Groove Merchant! Titles include "Misty", "We've Only Just Begun", "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky", and "Love Will Never Die" by O'Donel Levy – plus "Happy Fingers" and "Groovy lady" by George Freeman, "A Clue" by Jimmy Ponder, "When The Night Is Right" and "Favors" by Lonnie Smith, "Soul Sermon" by Joe Thomas, "Blues Train To Georgia" by Jimmy McGriff, and "Soft Winds" by Buddy Rich. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

The Soul Party here is a soul jazz one – pulled from Blue Note albums of the late 60s and early 70s, most of them surprisingly funky! The set's got some very tight little numbers that are heavy on the Hammond and electric guitar – that great sound that started to show up on the Blue Note label as the 60s drew to a close. Titles include "Never Can Say Goodbye" by Grant Green, "Soul Limbo" by Candido, "Hold On I'm Coming" by Reuben Wilson, "Shake" by Stanley Turrentine, "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky" by Lou Donaldson, "Think" by Lonnie Smith, and "Ain't That Peculiar" by John Patton. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD