A dozen track promotional sampler. CD

Keyboardist Julius Brockington really takes off here – in a style that's not quite funk, not quite jazz – and which has some of the unique sophisticated changes that Gene Harris was bringing to his Blue Note records in the mid 70s! Like Gene, Julius already has a strong background on the keys – and here, he's able to open up and create all sorts of new rhythms in his music – working on organ, piano, and even a bit of Arp – in a combo that features Steve Turner on alto and flute, Jim Wilson on trumpet, and Garry Langston on guitar! The vibe is great – sophisticated, but funky too – and very unusual compared to other albums of the time. All the material is original – and titles include "Gettin' Into It", "Lost Tribe", "Jaded Jackie", and "In the Back of the Churchyard". (Soul, Jazz) CD

One of the coolest early albums from Japanese keyboardist Takehiro Honda – a real meeting of Japanese and European talents – as Honda plays electric and acoustic piano alongside tenor and soprano from the great Gerd Dudek – with bass from Gunter Lenz and drums from Motohiko Hino! The vibe here is very different from many of Honda's other early 70s albums – with very long tracks that open up and build spaciously, making some especially great use of Dudek's flowing talents on reeds, which can sometimes be sharp, sometimes warm – matched with some equally dynamic energy from the drums of Hino, who's also a really key part of the set! Tracks are all nicely extended – and titles include "Flying To The Sky", "Floating On The Sea", and "Dji Dji Eitch Eitch". CD

Naoki Nishi's not the biggest name from the glory days of the Japanese piano trio scene, but he's a great musician, and one with a lyrical quality that really links his style to that of important American greats from the time – maybe some of the warmth of Hank Jones, but mixed with some of the longer form ideas of Cedar Walton too! There's also a nice sense of space between his notes, but not in a Bill Evans way, as the through line is always clear – and given nice support here from Osamu Kawakami on bass and Michael Reznikoff on drums. Titles include the originals "A Little Song", "Monstar", "Dewdrops", and "Giant From The West" – plus versions of "Ugestu" and "On Green Dolphil Street". CD

Garner grooves nicely here – finding an almost renewed energy for the 60s, but still hitting all those highly-rhythmic modes we love so much in his early work! The recording quality is great – lots of bold echo from the piano, and even a bit of Erroll's grunting vocalizations somewhere in the mix – kind of an extra added emphasis that sounds great next to the bass of Eddie Calhoun and drums of Kelly Martin. Titles include "Just One Of Those Things", "Blue Lou", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Dreamstreet", and the groovy "Mambo Gotham" – an especially jaunty little number! LP, Vinyl record album

Early 80s trio material from pianist Fumio Karashima – a splendid set of extended original compositions, played with a sense of grace and majesty that few other players can match! The trio on the set is beautifully balanced – with regular member George Ohtsuka on drums and guest player Richard Davis on bass – all working together as one unit to paint magical pictures of sound over the structure of Karashima's originals "Child In The Wind", "Cycle Of Time", "His Mother", and "Portrait". As always, there's a wonderfully evocative sound to Fumio's piano – a boldness that might be traced back to McCoy Tyner, but also a sense of space and placement that's more European in origin. Really great stuff – and one of the best albums ever by this wonderful player! CD

Drummer Elvin Jones joins the Fumio Karashima Trio for this great late 70s outing – no surprise, really, given that Karashima played with Jones on some of his Japanese recordings – and it's clear that Elvin's just happy to return the favor! The tracks here are long and spacious – very much structured by Fumio's gentle touch on the keys, and hardly at all by the more driving approach that Jones might bring to a record like this at the time – in a group that also features Andy McCloud on bass. Most tracks are acoustic, but the title cut "Moonflower" features Karashima on Yamaha electric – next to other titles that include "Bessie's Blues", "Bitter Waltz", "Friday Night", and "My Funny Valentine". CD

A wonderful bit of spiritual soul jazz from a barely-recorded saxophonist – one known for a rare debut album on Blue Note! This sweet little record was recorded out of the same energy that produced Larry Young's Lawrence of Newark LP for Perception Records, and it's a strange session by Tyrone Washington – a young player from the Newark scene who'd previously cut a straighter album for Blue Note, but who was working here in kind of a messed-up grab bag of styles that fit well with the stoned-out approach of the Perception label. Hubert Eaves plays piano, Stafford James plays bass, Clifford Barconadhi is on drums, and the album's a mix of funk, modal jazz grooving, and a bit of outside activity. In a way, the album's earnestness reminds us of some of Roland Kirk's work from the same time – except that Tyrone's backing group is incredible, with a tight rhythmic sound that gets funky at just the right moments. Titles include "War Is Not For Men", "1980", "Submission", and "Spiritual Light Of The Universe". CD

Incredible stuff from the jazz underground of Newark! This is one of the rarest albums ever recorded by jazz organist Larry Young – cut for the tiny Perception label during the early 70s, and featuring some of the cream of the New Jersey jazz underground. The album's got playing that bridges a number of Young's different styles – from his straighter soul jazz work at Blue Note, to his harder jamming with Santana and John McLaughlin, to his more fusion oriented albums for Arista. James Blood Ulmer's on guitar, but there's also a large ensemble of excellent players, and lots of other percussion and cool instrumentation that really gives the album an "out there" sound! Titles include "Sunshine Fly Away", "Saudia", "Hello Your Quietness", and "Khalid Of Space". CD

A great Erroll Garner double-header – two 60s albums back to back on a single CD! First up is Dreamstreet – a record in which Garner grooves nicely, finding an almost renewed energy for the 60s, but still hitting all those highly-rhythmic modes we love so much in his early work! The recording quality is great – lots of bold echo from the piano, and even a bit of Erroll's grunting vocalizations somewhere in the mix – kind of an extra added emphasis that sounds great next to the bass of Eddie Calhoun and drums of Kelly Martin. Titles include "Just One Of Those Things", "Blue Lou", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Dreamstreet", and the groovy "Mambo Gotham" – an especially jaunty little number! One World Concert is a set with an ambitious title, but a nicely earthy feel – a live recording that features Erroll Garner's trio with Eddie Calhoun on bass and Kelly Martin on drums – stretching out strongly in front of a live audience. Titles include "Mack The Knife", "Misty", "Dancing Tambourine", "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe", and "Sweet & Lovely". CD

A great early album from pianist Kunhiko Sugano – a set that has the leader working in a relaxed live setting, in a small Japanese club that also features a conga added to his usual trio! Most numbers begin with an introspective introduction from Sugano – those lyrical lines he does so well – then the trio gets moving with a nice sort of kick that really opens up the longer solos – with that majestic, soulful style that some of the best Japanese pianists of the time did so well! The record's a classic in the 70s Japanese piano style – and the group features Izao Suzuki on bass, Shinji Mori on drums, and Yoichi Ogawa on congas. Titles include "Good Morning Heartache", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Black Orpheus", and "Autumn Leaves". CD

A sweet Japanese piano trio session, but one with a great added kick – thanks to the conga work of Yohichi Ogawa, who's rhythms really bring a lot to the trio of Kunhiko Sugano on piano, Eizoh Honda on bass, and Teruhiko Takada on drums! Tracks are nice and long, and have that fluid, open vibe we always love in Sugano's music – a blend of lyrical imagination, gentle swing, and really freewheeling energy that shows up especially well on the longer tracks on the set! Titles include versions of "Wave", "Summertime", and "Menina Moca" – plus the original "Blues". CD

Japanese pianist Yoku Tamura has some great rhythm help here from two American players – Andrew Simpkins on bass and Frank Gant on drums – both of whom really do a great job of keeping up with his lively energy on the keyboard! Tamura's got a crackle that mixes older roots with a more modern sense of swing – and the warmth of Simpkins is especially great in this setting, maybe softening some of the edges, and bringing out soulful currents that really help the album sparkle. Titles include a great reading of "Blue Bossa", plus "On Green Dolphin Street", "Black Orpheus", "The Nearness Of You", and "Sonnymoon For Two". CD

Includes remixes by Modaji, Coldcut, J Flava, and Restless Soul. CD

A real mindblower from the Japanese scene of the 70s – a perfect illustration of why that world of records was so incredible during the decade! The music here is spiritual, but also somewhat free – served up by musicians who'd clearly been inspired by John Coltrane and the Impulse Records generation, but who've clearly moved to their own plane of existence as a unit – really feeling each others' impulses automatically, and creating this cohesive vision of music that's simply fantastic from start to finish! All tracks are long, and often quite spiritual too – especially when the tenor and soprano sax of Kyoichiroh Morimura soar out in the lead – driven on by the fantastic piano of leader Tohru Aizawa, and the bass of Kohzoh Watanabe and drums of Tetsuya Morimura. None of the players achieved the same fame as some of their bigger contemporaries, but really sound wonderful here – on titles that include "Dead Letter", "Sacrament", "Philosopher's Stone", and a great version of the Chick Corea tune "La Fiesta". CD features bonus tracks – live versions of "Sundance" and "Samba De Orfeu". CD

A record with a very bleak sort of cover image, but a wonderfully warm sound within – strongly resonant quartet work that features great vibes from Kinta Hamada, plus Takeshi Inomata on drums, Kinta Hamada on vibes, Naoki Nishi on piano, and Kenichi Uchiyama on bass! With a lineup like that, you might expect a bit of a Modern Jazz Quartet approach – but these guys have moved way past that, and are instead in the warmer, more expressive territory opened up by the Japanese piano scene of the 70s – working in a well-recorded format that sparkles with plenty of warmth and relaxed imagination. Most tracks are nice and long, and titles include "CTA", "Adjustment", "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set", "That Old Black Magic", and "Angel Eyes". CD

One of those records that you might pass by in the racks, as the cover image almost seems more like a metal set than a jazz one – yet a date that really opens up with all the best charms of the Japanese jazz scene at the time – mixing the vibes of Kinta Hamada, piano of Naoki Nishi, bass of Kenichi Uchiyama, and drums of the great Takeshi Inomata on drums – all in a setting that's wonderfully understated, gently swinging, and with a lot of warmth throughout! Titles include nice takes on "Bluesette", "Blue Rondo A La Turk", and "The Summer Knows" – plus "Des Sasser" and "It Don't Mean A Thing". CD

Erroll Garner at the start of the 60s – but still sounding wonderfully unique, and coming across with a timeless vibe that makes the record every bit as great as his classics from the 50s! The format is simple – just Garner on piano, with Eddie Calhoun on bass and Kelly Martin on drums – but the sound is sublime, and in that special Garner-like approach that nobody else could match – very rhythmic, with a gritty pulse at the core – yet topped with these explosive lines on the keys that all make complete sense – not showoffy pyrotechnics, but sublime lyrical lines that never fail to blow us away. Titles include "All Of Me", "No More Shadows", "You Do Something To Me", "The Best Things In Life Are Free", and "El Papa Grande" – a nice number with a bit of a Latin pulse! CD features the bonus track "Octave 103". CD

Garner grooves nicely here – finding an almost renewed energy for the 60s, but still hitting all those highly-rhythmic modes we love so much in his early work! The recording quality is great – lots of bold echo from the piano, and even a bit of Erroll's grunting vocalizations somewhere in the mix – kind of an extra added emphasis that sounds great next to the bass of Eddie Calhoun and drums of Kelly Martin. Titles include "Just One Of Those Things", "Blue Lou", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Dreamstreet", and the groovy "Mambo Gotham" – an especially jaunty little number! CD

Japanese drummer George Ohtsuka returns here to his Maracaibo group – a combo with a mix of fusion and Latin influences, but stretching out on long tracks that aren't nearly as smooth as other contemporary work of this nature! The group features Mabumi Yamaguchi on tenor and soprano sax, Tsunehide Matsuki on guitar, and Toshiyuki Sekine on Fender Rhodes – plus guest work from Miroslav Vitous on bass and Nana Vasconcelos on percussion and voice! Tracks are nice and long – more open than other Japanese projects of this nature – and titles include "Spring 80", "American Tango", "Maracaibo Corpone", and "Mucarabu". CD

Lawrence D "Butch" Morris conducts with Arthur Blythe on alto saxophone, J A Deane on trombone, electronics, and live sampling, Vincent Chancey on French horn, Jemeel Moondoc on flute, Marion Brandis on flute, alto flute, and piccolo flute, Janet Grice on bassoon, Bill Horvitz on electric guitar, Brandon Ross on acoustic and octave guitar, Zeena Parkins on harp, Jason Hwang on violin, Curtis Clark on pinao, Thurman Barker on vibraphone and percussion, and Taylor McLean on percussion and glockenspiel. CD