A stunningly soulful setting for the magnificent voice of Kurt Elling – set up here in a lean trio with Nate Smith on drums and Fender Rhodes, and Charlie Hunter on guitar – or rather, his own unique "hybrid guitar" variation of the instrument! Elling just seems to get better and better in his mature years – using that trademark rasp in his vocals in ways that are even more expressive and soulful, especially in this setting – where the Superblue presentation and production treat him in very different ways than some of his straighter jazz records – letting Kurt really knock it out of the park on a set of surprisingly great covers that include "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Sticking To My Guns", "Baby Hold On", "Bounce", "Boogie Down", and "Wrap It Up". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Sylvie Courvoisier on piano, Wadada Leo Smith and Nate Wooley on trumpet, Drew Gress on bass, Kenny Wollesen on drums and vibes, and Christian Fennesz on guitar and electronics! CD

A really powerful project from the LA underground – served up by a group led by Jesse Sharps, who you may remember from classic albums on the Nimbus label – and done at a level that unites the sound of his generation with some of the best currents of more contemporary years! The lineup here is filled with righteous, spiritual giants – the great Dwight Trible on vocals, Phil Ranelin on trombone, Theo Saunders on piano, Robwerto Miranda on bass, Derf Recklaw on congas and percussion – alongside Mercedes Smith on alto, Amos Delone on baritone , and Maia on flute! There's a strong mix of message and music going on here – also delivered with a bit of poetry from Kamau Daaood – and although the set was recorded before the events of 2020, it's got a deep sense of power that really gets at the needs of America in the years after George Floyd. The set begins with a stunningly dark take on "Strange Fruit", then moves into Daaood's equally powerful "Healing Suite" – and soars next on the long "Freedom's Sweet" by Horace Tapscott, before closing with "Mother", a composition by the great Nate Morgan. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic trio set from pianist Takeshi Obayashi – a player you might know from work with Jose James and Takuya Kuroda, but one who really steps out here strongly in a trio setting! Part of the record's strength is the rhythm help – as Ben Williams plays bass and Nate Smith plays drums – both musicians who have a round, chunky sort of groove that works perfectly with Obayashi's piano as he spins out strongly soulful tunes that offer up a vision of jazz piano trio energy in the post-Robert Glasper world! All players contribute equally to the sound – and Williams is especially great – on titles that include "Konbini Confessions", "Black Label", "The Big News", "Ngroove", "Beyond Affinity", and "Bop Boom". CD

A sweet little double-length set from British jazz rock genius Neil Ardley – one that has him working off the vibe explored on the Greek Variations album, but hitting a sound that's a fair bit funkier overall! As with other efforts, Ardley draws here on some really top-shelf talents for his ideas – soloists who include Ian Carr on trumpet, Ken Shaw on guitar, and Tony Coe, Barbara Thompson, and Brian Smith on saxes! The tracks are all quite longish, and unfold in a really organic way – building over an immediate rhythm at some points, or letting the soloists set the main vibe at others. There's nothing overly-obtuse about the record at all, and Ardley never lets anyone dominate too much – making the album a strong group effort with a really unified vision – but one with plenty of space for the feeling of the individual players. Titles include "Rainbow One", "Rainbow Two", "Rainbow Three", and so on. LP, Vinyl record album

A great Japanese issue of this early material from trumpet genius Chet Baker – mostly featuring his quartet with Russ Freeman on piano, Carson Smith on bass, and Larry Bunker on drums! The set features titles that include "Batter Up", "Pavane For A Dead Princess", "Maid In Mexico", "Russ Job", and "No Ties" – and a few alternate takes. LP, Vinyl record album

George Benson's first LP for Columbia – a hard, heavy, soul jazz slammer that bears no resemblance to his overproduced work of the 70s! The album's a real cooker – recorded hot on the heels of Benson's classic work on Prestige with the Jack McDuff group, and sounding a lot like McDuff's hard wailing organ jazz of the same time. George is working with a group that features a young Lonnie Smith on organ, plus Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber on sax, and Charlie Persip on drums – all tightly coming together, and jamming hard on the album's short cooking tracks. Tracks include "Clockwise", "Jaguar", "Hello Birdie", and "Bullfight". Plus, the CD adds five bonus tracks, including "Sideman", "Minor Chant", and the previously unreleased "J.H. Bossa Nova" and "Clockwise (Alternate Take)". CD

Amazing work from Marion Brown – two albums we'd never be without! Geechee Recollections is quite possibly our favorite record ever from reedman Brown – and very different than both his seminal 60s recordings, and his European sides from later years! There's a really earthy feel to this record – one that really lives up to the title, and which comes from the use of lots of percussion, played by just about every group member, ala AACM – but handled in a style that's warmly spiritual, and very organic too – right in line with the best Impulse Records vibe of the time, yet completely its own thing too! Brown plays alto and soprano sax, and is working with players who include Leo Smith on trumpet, William Malone on mbira and autoharp, James Jefferson on bass, and Steve McCall, Jumma Santos, Bill Hasson, and A Kobena Adzenyah on percussion – in addition to percussion plays by other group members too. Two tracks are spare, beautiful solos – almost a Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre vibe – and titles include "Buttermilk Bottom", "Once Upon A Time", "Tokalokaloka", and "Karintha". Sweet Earth Flying has an unusually introspective quality, and features Muhal Richard Abrams playing piano, Fender Rhodes, and Ring Modulated Hammon Organ, plus Paul Bley playing some of the same on a few tracks. The two-keyboard sound is very cool, and the record's dominated by it in a way that we find really surprising, given the fierceness of Brown's sax playing on earlier sessions. Each side of the album features a long suite – side one has "Sweet Earth Flying" and side two has "Eleven Light City" – and each have the tracks drifting in and out, with piano lines swirling about in a soulful spiritual way, as Brown's alto and soprano snake through the elegant arrangements. Really fantastic stuff – and a record that's unlike any we've heard from him! CD

The Texas tenor legend soars again – in three great albums from his later years! Funky Butt is strong later work by tenor sax legend Arnett Cobb – in a quartet session cut in New York in January of 1980 – sounding fresh and revitalized one of his final studio dates! Funky Butt actually isn't a left turn into a funk sound Cobb, but it is a pretty darn great showcase for his rich, full sounding and playful tenor approach – not too out of character from his work in the late 50s on Prestige. He's backed by a great group that includes Ray Drummond on bass, Derek Smith on piano and Ronnie Bedford on drums. It's got a few fairly stomping numbers, particularly the opener "Jumpin' At The Woodside" and their energetic take on "I Got Rhythm" – and the whole set is terrific – with the bluesy Cobb-composed title track, plus "September In The Rain", "Isfahan", "Georgia On My Mind" and "Satin Doll". Wild Man From Texas is a great overseas set from tenor giant Arnett Cobb – a set done after a bit of a late 60s comeback on Prestige Records, and one that takes him back into even grittier territory overall! The great Milt Buckner is on the set on organ and a bit of vibes – and the record also features work from Eddie Chamblee on tenor, Buster Cooper on trombone, Wallace Davenport on trumpet, and Earl Warren on alto – players of a generation who really resonate well with Arnett's lead! Titles include "Where Or When", "Ghost Of A Chance", "Smooth Sailing", "Dutch Kitchen Bounce", and "Flying Home No 2". Again is a set that has the tenor of Arnett Cobb reunited with the Hammond of Milt Buckner – but in an unusual quartet that also features Clarence Gatemouth Brown on guitar! Brown's presence definitely brings out some bluesier currents at times, and the tunes also get plenty of that raw, raspy tenor treatment that Cobb can do so well – on tunes that include "Cobb's Boogie", "Deep Purple", "Cobb's Blues", "Light Like That", and "Willow Weep For Me". CD

Nat King Cole as a leader and a sideman – incredible material from 1936-1946 – featuring the King Cole Trio, side work with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, Dexter Gordon, The Keynoters and The Lester Young Trio! There's a number of great tunes here with Nat singing, but also a whole bunch of recordings that shine a light on his impeccable work as a group piano player of the finest caliber, working as Nat King Cole and under some funny pseudonyms while he was recording hits for Capitol! Packaged stunningly, even by Hip-O Select Standards – essentially housing the CDs in a hardcover book of 31-pages with an essay by David Ritz, 7 3/8" square package with detailed session notes, and beautifully reproduced art work from original 78s and 10-inch LPs! Disc one features 17 tracks by the King Cole Trio with Nat singing and at the piano, with Oscar Moore on guitar and and Wesley Prince on bass: "Sweet Lorraine", "This Side Up", "Babs", "Scotchin' With The Soda", "Slow Down", "Hit That Jive, Jack" and more. Disc one also includes 5 tracks with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, with Nat on piano, Eddie Cole on bass, Kenneth Roane on trumpet, Tommy Thompson on saxes and Jimmy Adams on drums:" Honey Hush" (with Eddie on vocals) plus an alternate take, "Thunder", "Stompin' At The Panama" and "(Bedtime) Sleep, Baby Sleep". Last up on disc one, four tracks by the Keynoters with Willie Smith on alto, Nat as Lord Calvert on piano, Red Callender on bass and Jackie Mills on drums: "The Way You Look Tonight", "My Old Flame" and more. Disc 2 is comprised of Jazz At The Philharmonic: Los Angeles, July 1944, with collective personal including Nat as Shorty Nadine on piano and singing on "Sweet Lorraine", Shorty Sherlock on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Illinois Jacquet and Jack McVea on tenor, Red Callender on bass, Lee Young on drums, and Carolyn Richards singing on "The Man I Love". Other titles include "Blues", "Tea For Two", "Rosetta", "Bugle Call Rag", "Oh, Lady, Be Good!" and more. Disc 3 starts with 1943/44 material by Dexter Gordon's group featuring Nat on piano, Sweets Edison on trumpet, Gordon on tenor, Red Callender or Johnny Miller on bass and Clifford Owens on drums: "I've Found A New Baby", "I Blowed And Gone" and more. That's followed by Lester Young Trio material of similar vintage with Nat as Aye Guy on piano, Young on Tenor and Buddy Rich on drums: "I Cover The Water Front", "The Man I Love", "Peg Of My Heart" and more. Last, but not least, Keynoters alternate takes including "The You You Look Tonight", "Airiness A La Nat" and "I can't Believe That You're In Love With Me". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

We never tire of the saxophone work of Sonny Criss – and this mid 70s gem is a perfect example of his brilliance! Sonny's sound on alto here is completely his own – raspily, soulful style that's really unique – and which draws strongly from Criss' rich life experience, including his years away from music (he'd been retired for most of the 70s before the time of this album.) The group's laidback and open – with Dolo Coker on piano, Ray Crawford on guitar, Larry Gales on bass, and Jimmy Smith on drums – a group that's all well with Criss on his journey – but also lets him sparkle brightly in the lead. Titles include the extended track "Isle Of Celia", plus "This Is For Benny", "Blues In My Heart", and "Crisscraft". CD features 2 bonus tracks – an alternate of "Blues In My Heart", and "All The Things You Are". CD

Gil plays Jimi? Sounds like a gimmick, but it comes off pretty darn great – and it helps you forgive him for trying to convince the kids that he's not as old as his grey hair might make you think! As always with Evans, the key to the album is a beautiful balance between the strength of the players and vision of the arrangements – a hip mix of musicians who include Billy Harper on tenor and flute, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, and both Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie on guitars! Arrangements are great too – handled by Tom Malone, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson – all of whom make the album way more than just an instrumental reading of Jimi Hendrix tunes – and instead a great platform for improvisation that uses tunes that include "Up From The Skies", "Foxy Lady", "Gypsy Eyes", "Voodoo Chile", "Angel", "Crosstown Traffic", and "Castles Made of Sand". Plus, the CD features 4 bonus alternate tracks – not on the original album! CD

Essential early work by Stan – a 3 CD collection of his early 50s recordings for the Roost label, either under his own name and group, or with guitarist Johnny Smith. The Smith sides only make up a very small portion of the package – as most of the work are by Getz's quartet or quintet, the groundbreaking assemblage that featured Jimmy Raney on guitar, whose icy clear tone was a perfect counterpart for Getz's sweet breathy work on the tenor. The quality of the material is really great – and the package does a great job of presenting the work freshly, without an overload of alternate takes or tunes you don't want to hear. There's a total of 59 tracks in all – and titles include "Potter's Luck", "Tenderly", "Budo", "Signal", "Fools Rush In", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Yvette", "Melody Express", "Split Kick", "Hershey Bar", and "Penny". CD

A key album in the career of Richard Groove Holmes – his first session ever for Prestige Records, and the one that yielded the monster crossover hit version of "Misty"! The sound here is much leaner and cleaner than Groove in his Pacific Jazz years – a tight trio approach that brings plenty focus on Holmes' soaring style on the Hammond – that way of holding a note that made his organ work instantly recognizable in the 60s, in a groove that really set the tone for plenty of spacious keyboard work to come from others who would cop his style! Players include Gene Edwards on guitar and Jimmie Smith on drums – but Groove's organ dominates the records, and clearly sets the tone for the rhythm with his amazing sense of space and timing! Titles include a 6 minute version of Groove's "Misty", plus "Groove's Groove", "Song For My Father", and "Soul Message". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the normal trio set you might expect – because on half the tracks, Hank Jones plays Fender Rhodes – which makes for a very different sound than usual! The record nicely alternates between Jones on acoustic and electric – and Hank manages to give some of the Rhodes tracks this surprising level of lyricism, but in ways that are nicely altered from his acoustic playing. The trio also features Ray Brown on bass and Jimmie Smith on drums – and titles include "My Ship", "Your Feet's Too Big", "Spring Is Here", and "Alone Together" – plus an especially sweet Fender Rhodes version of "Bag's Groove". LP, Vinyl record album

A great debut from a Chicago group who almost seem ready to set a whole new tone for their city's scene – working here in ways that hearken back to the open spontaneous creativity of Sun Ra and the AACM, but also with more of a sense of post-performance presentation that resonates with some of the contemporary experiments on the International Anthem label! But these guys are also different than any of those references might imply – very organic in their approach to the music, which was created spontaneously in the studio, then winnowed down for the six different selections on the record – comprised of an array of sounds from Molly Jones on saxes and flute, Julian Otis on voice and electronics, Ben Zucker on vibes and cornet, and Wilson Tanner Smith on cello and harmonica. In the best AACM tradition, the instrumental shifting also includes work on percussion, toys, whistles, and other instruments – as the group spin things out with spiritual energy that really gets a lot from the vocalizations of Otis. Titles include "Freedom Is A Feeling", "In The Weather Together", "When They See Us", "We Instruments", and "The World Spins On Its Axis". CD

A rare non-Impulse Records album from the early days of Pharoah Sanders – but a set that ranks right up there with his classics for that legendary label! The album's one of the classics in Strata East's Dolphy Series – and it's a uniquely collaborative session from 1969, one that has Sanders working with a largeish group that includes Sonny Fortune on alto sax, Sonny Sharrock on guitar, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Leon Thomas on vocals, and Cecil McBee on bass – all coming together with a freely exploratory sort of energy, one that's a bit like some of Archie Shepp's most righteous sides from the same time. Sanders' tenor still dominates most numbers, but not as much as on some of the Impulse sides – and there's a nicely relaxed and personal feel to the whole album. The album features 3 long tracks – "Prince Of Peace", which has Leon Thomas doing his "Creator Has A Master Plan" thing, and the cuts "Balance" and "Izipho Zam", the latter of which jams for a full 28 minutes! LP, Vinyl record album

A heavenly blend of jazz and spiritual modes – one of the best jazz mass projects of the 70s, presented here with bonus alternate takes as well! Pianist Heikki Sarmanto composed the work, and leads the core instrumental group on piano – often working in a sweet modal style with help from Pekka Poyry and Seppo Paakkunainen on flutes and saxes – bringing some really soulful currents to the larger arrangements, which feature voices conducted by Gregg Smith, with some occasional solos from singer Maija Hapuoja! As with most projects of this nature, the music takes off from an older mass style, but in a mode that bridges to the spiritual jazz traditions of the 70s too – mixing familiar themes with new compositions, on titles that include "Duke & Trane", "Gracious Father", "Northern Dance", "Intercessions", "Hymn For The Day", "Holy Holy Holy", and "Through Him". CD

An overlooked treasure from Archie Shepp – a set recorded for the Enja label with a profile that's not as bold as some of his other albums, but a great later session that has some surprisingly wonderful moments! Perhaps the best of these is the album's long workout on "Mama Rose" – done here as a free-flowing modal number with some great soprano sax lines from Archie – blown beautifully over soaring rhythms from Kenny Werner on piano, Santi DeBriano on bass, and the great Marvin Smitty Smith on drums. The track really cooks wonderfully – and is followed by the more sensitive "Soul Song", the hard-blown tenor cut "Geechee", and a laidback take on "My Romance". Both "Geechee" and "Mama Rose" dominate the record – and are perfect examples of the later soulful sound of Shepp in the post-Impulse years! CD

Jimmy Smith serves up a bucket of soul here – on an album that's one of his last for Blue Note, and still very much in the strong trio mode that launched his work for the label! The group's that super-sharp early 60s combo of Jimmy's – with Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – both players who have a groove that's maybe a bit under-stated at times, but which really lets Smith dominate the record – on both the keys of the Hammond, and the great work he brings to the bass pedals too. The tracks are short, but very groovy – with a tighter sound than on some of Smith's early Blue Note trio albums, and the same kind of in-the-pocket sound that made his Crazy Baby album a big hit. Includes a very groovy remake of "John Brown's Body", the original groovers "Bucket" and "Sassy Mae", and a nice modal tune called "3 for 4". LP, Vinyl record album

Jimmy Smith serves up a bucket of soul here – on an album that's one of his last for Blue Note, and still very much in the strong trio mode that launched his work for the label! The group's that super-sharp early 60s combo of Jimmy's – with Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – both players who have a groove that's maybe a bit under-stated at times, but which really lets Smith dominate the record – on both the keys of the Hammond, and the great work he brings to the bass pedals too. The tracks are short, but very groovy – with a tighter sound than on some of Smith's early Blue Note trio albums, and the same kind of in-the-pocket sound that made his Crazy Baby album a big hit. Includes a very groovy remake of "John Brown's Body", the original groovers "Bucket" and "Sassy Mae", and a nice modal tune called "3 for 4". CD reissue also features previously unissued bonus tracks "Trouble In Mind" and "Sassy Mae", done in an alternate take! CD

CD features 5 bonus tracks too – alternate takes of 2 tracks on the album, plus "Apostrophe", "Groanin", and "Since I Fell For You". CD

One of Lonnie Liston Smith's most spiritual sessions, and the record that most clearly shows his roots with Pharoah Sanders! The vibe here is much more jazz-based than on some of Lonnie's other records for Flying Dutchman – with Smith playing as much acoustic piano as he does electric, using the former in long-spiralling lines that have a beautifully meditative quality, and which give the album a real Strata East-like sound. Mtume and Sonny Morgan play percussion, Cecil McBee plays bass, and the real star of the album may well be George Barron – who turns in some beautiful Sonny Fortune-like work on tenor and soprano sax! Titles include "Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord", "Rejuvenation", "Astral Traveling", "I Mani", "Aspirations", and "In Search Of Truth". CD includes alternate takes of "Astral Traveling", "Rejuvenation", "Imani", and "In Search Of Truth". CD

One of Lonnie Liston Smith's most spiritual sessions, and the record that most clearly shows his roots with Pharoah Sanders! The vibe here is much more jazz-based than on some of Lonnie's other records for Flying Dutchman – with Smith playing as much acoustic piano as he does electric, using the former in long-spiralling lines that have a beautifully meditative quality, and which give the album a real Strata East-like sound. Mtume and Sonny Morgan play percussion, Cecil McBee plays bass, and the real star of the album may well be George Barron – who turns in some beautiful Sonny Fortune-like work on tenor and soprano sax! Titles include "Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord", "Rejuvenation", "Astral Traveling", "I Mani", "Aspirations", and "In Search Of Truth". The CD includes alternate takes of "Astral Traveling", "Rejuvenation", "Imani", and "In Search Of Truth". CD