Features Geri Allen on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums and trumpet. CD

Genius – pure genius! Bobby Hutcherson's work for Blue Note is some of the most dramatic of any artist to ever record for the label. During his tenure there, he broke in doing some pivotal work in the "new thing" mode with players like Andrew Hill and Joe Henderson, next worked into a soulful groove that helped redefine the face of soul jazz, and then teamed up with Harold Land to form one of the most compelling groups to ever record for the label. This set of 11 tracks provides a good overview of these years – and titles include "Ummh", "Dave's Chant", "Little B's Poem", "Blues Mind Matter", "Ghetto Lights", "Til Then", "Patterns", "Roses Poses", and "Houston St Thursday Afternoon". CD

The sticks are up, and Bobby Hutcherson is at the top of his game – hitting a whole new groove here in this sublime session of modal numbers for Blue Note – a slightly warmer set than his more modern albums of the "new thing" years, and a great indication of the directions he'd take in the 70s! Bobby's vibes are set up wonderfully here in a quintet that includes Joe Henderson on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who bring key elements to the groove. Tyner's got an obvious ear for the modal rhythms that Hutcherson's heading for; Higgins' drum work is freely lyrical in all the best ways; and Henderson's horn sharpens the edges of the tunes a bit, bringing in some nice darker sounds. The kickoff track is an amazing modal reading of Ornette's "Una Muy Bonita", and the rest tracks are all Hutcherson originals, including "Summer Nights", "8/4 Beat", "Black Circle", "Verse", and "Blues Mind Matter". LP, Vinyl record album

The sticks are up, and Bobby Hutcherson is at the top of his game – hitting a whole new groove here in this sublime session of modal numbers for Blue Note – a slightly warmer set than his more modern albums of the "new thing" years, and a great indication of the directions he'd take in the 70s! Bobby's vibes are set up wonderfully here in a quintet that includes Joe Henderson on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who bring key elements to the groove. Tyner's got an obvious ear for the modal rhythms that Hutcherson's heading for; Higgins' drum work is freely lyrical in all the best ways; and Henderson's horn sharpens the edges of the tunes a bit, bringing in some nice darker sounds. The kickoff track is an amazing modal reading of Ornette's "Una Muy Bonita", and the rest are all Hutcherson originals, including "Summer Nights", "8/4 Beat", "Black Circle", "Verse", and "Blues Mind Matter". CD

The sticks are up, and Bobby Hutcherson is at the top of his game – hitting a whole new groove here in this sublime session of modal numbers for Blue Note – a slightly warmer set than his more modern albums of the "new thing" years, and a great indication of the directions he'd take in the 70s! Bobby's vibes are set up wonderfully here in a quintet that includes Joe Henderson on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who bring key elements to the groove. Tyner's got an obvious ear for the modal rhythms that Hutcherson's heading for; Higgins' drum work is freely lyrical in all the best ways; and Henderson's horn sharpens the edges of the tunes a bit, bringing in some nice darker sounds. The kickoff track is an amazing modal reading of Ornette's "Una Muy Bonita", and the rest tracks are all Hutcherson originals, including "Summer Nights", "8/4 Beat", "Black Circle", "Verse", and "Blues Mind Matter". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from "Just My Luck", "King For A Day", "High And Mighty", "Protocol", "Make Me", "The Nag", "Georgia On My Mind", "Blue Matter", "Wabash", "Loud Jazz", "Science And Religion", and "The Boss's Car". CD

Mindblowing sounds from Chicago flute player Nicole Mitchell – a set of work inspired by the science fiction writings of Octavia Butler – with a striking style to match! Although the music has some arch qualities that live up to the darkness of Butler's writings, the performance here is also still mostly acoustic – in the mode we're used to from Mitchell's Black Earth group – but with odd tones and weird bits of phrasing that keep have us checking the notes to figure out the different instruments! The approach is a bit like the early cosmic visions of Sun Ra – especially when Mitchell hits more spiritual and rhythmic moments – and the well-matched ensemble of players features Nicole on flute, David Boykin on tenor and bass clarinet, David Young on trumpet and srali thom, Renee Baker on violin, Tomeka Reid on cello, Josh Abrams on bass, Jeff Parker on guitar, and Avreeayl Ra on percussion. Mankwe Ndosi sings just a bit on the record – and titles include "Dripping Matter", "Web Of Hope", "Fields Of Possibility", "Resisting Entanglement", "The Inevitable", and "The Ooli Moves". CD

Mindblowing sounds from Chicago flute player Nicole Mitchell – a set of work inspired by the science fiction writings of Octavia Butler – with a striking style to match! Although the music has some arch qualities that live up to the darkness of Butler's writings, the performance here is also still mostly acoustic – in the mode we're used to from Mitchell's Black Earth group – but with odd tones and weird bits of phrasing that keep have us checking the notes to figure out the different instruments! The approach is a bit like the early cosmic visions of Sun Ra – especially when Mitchell hits more spiritual and rhythmic moments – and the well-matched ensemble of players features Nicole on flute, David Boykin on tenor and bass clarinet, David Young on trumpet and srali thom, Renee Baker on violin, Tomeka Reid on cello, Josh Abrams on bass, Jeff Parker on guitar, and Avreeayl Ra on percussion. Mankwe Ndosi sings just a bit on the record – and titles include "Dripping Matter", "Web Of Hope", "Fields Of Possibility", "Resisting Entanglement", "The Inevitable", and "The Ooli Moves". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great collection – five full albums from keyboard giant Patrice Rushen, plus bonus tracks too! First up is Patrice – her first album for Elektra, and a stunning blend of funky jazz and soul! The record really has Patrice stepping out from her earlier years at Prestige – working in some surprisingly great vocals next to tight lines on Fender Rhodes, synth, and clavinet, handled with a smooth and soulful quality that's wonderful all the way through – a blend of soul and jazz that few other players could do this well – no matter how many others tried to copy her style over the years! Rhythms are as hard and heavy as on the Prestige years, and the keyboards have a great sort of focus too – just the right mix of jazz to offset the vocals – which themselves are a wonderful discovery. The whole album's a gem – and tracks include the great funky classic "Hang It Up", plus "Changes (In Your Life)", "When I Found You", "Play", "Didn't You Know?", and "Music Of The Earth". Pizzazz is one of the records that not only helped break her out of the jazz funk ghetto, and right into the mainstream – but a set that also had a pretty profound influence on the progression of soul in the early 80s! Rushen sings as well as plays keyboards – and really pushes the use of jazzy elements that would take R&B to the next level – almost inventing the 80s groove sound in the process! The whole thing's a totally sweet mix of funk and soul, tightened up to get everything in the door at the same time – and titles include "Givin It Up Is Givin Up", "Call On Me", "Haven't You Heard", and "Let The Music Take Me". Posh is an all-out, all-access affair – a great way for anyone to get into the grooves of the mighty Patrice Rushen! Patrice is at the height of her powers here – equally magic on keyboards and vocals, and coming up with groove after groove in a sublime blend of 70s jazz funk and Minnie Riperton-esque soul! The whole album's a winner – real magic that never gets old, and the kind of LP that makes you understand why you'll find Patrice's records in just about any soul collection from the time! Tracks include "I Need Your Love", "Time Will Tell", "The Dream", "Never Gonna Give You Up", and "Don't Blame Me". Straight From The Heart is one of those albums that completely cemented her standing in the world of jazz, funk, and soul – and a wonderful summation of everything she'd done in the years before! The young Patrice was already a breakout keyboardist on the west coast scene of the mid 70s – turning out great work on her own, and adding her talents to plenty of others – but here, she emerges as a soaring soul star in her own right – a talent who's really worked her way up, with a quality level that's head and shoulders above most of her peers! Rushen produced the set with Charles Mims, and there's a righteous blend of jazz and soul that's at the level of Minnie Riperton, so that even the catchiest cuts come off with a sense of sophistication and warmth that's so different than so much other 80s soul and fusion. Titles include the classic "Forget Me Nots", plus "Number One", "I Was Tired Of Being Alone", "Where There Is Love", "Breakout", "If Only", and "Remind Me". The album Now is a masterpiece of 80s groove with lots of jazzy touches! The keyboard sound has evolved a bit here – compressed with more electronic percussion than on Patrice's earlier records, but still done with a degree of soul that sets it apart from work by most of her contemporaries – and the music has this warm flow that really sets Rushen apart from the rest – a sublime mix of soul, funk, and fusion that holds together perfectly throughout! Titles include "Gotta Find It", "Gone With The Night", "My Love's Not Going Anywhere", "High In Me", "To Each His Own", "Heartache Heartbreak", and "Feels So Real". 5CD set features bonus tracks from original 12" singles – and other remixes too! (Soul, Jazz) CD

Mindblowing duets between trombonist Steve Swell and pianist Matthew Shipp – both incredible players on their own, but musicians who really seem to unlock something special here together! The improvisations have a way of mixing boldness with personal expressions of humanity – at a level that gives us both some of the most striking sounds we've heard from Swell in recent years, alongside some surprisingly warm moments from Shipp on piano – even at points when he's playing relatively free! The whole thing is definitely one of those special records that perfectly illustrates the strengths of free improvisation, while also moving the format forward – and titles include "Dark Matter", "String Theory", "Space Hammer", "The Dumb Abyss", "Space Cube Jazz", "Ice & Water", and "Firmament". CD

An overlooked gem from a player who never fails to surprise us – recorded later in the years of drummer Art Taylor's life, but bristling with the same kind of energy we first came to love in his 50s recordings! The set's got a really unified feel – with Taylor masterfully leading the group on drums, working through an assortment of like-minded tunes with a Blakey-like sense of equal power for strongly soulful numbers, and gentle guidance for mellower and more introspective tunes. The group's got a tremendous two-horn frontline in the tenor of Willie Williams and alto of Abraham Burton, and the rest of the lineup includes Marc Cary on piano and Tyler Mitchell on bass. The album's got one very short "out" track entitled "It Doesn't Matter", alongside a number of longer soulful explorations that include "Mr AT", "Soul Eyes", "Bullet Train", "Ahmad's Blues", and "Gingerbread Boy". CD