Sophisticated fusion from Japanese reedman Toshiyuki Honda – a set that's kind of an extension of the straighter sounds he'd crafted a few years before! The album has almost a soundtrack-like feel at times – and comes off like a suite of tracks that blends core combo instrumentation with larger strings – in ways that color in the tunes wonderfully – but in ways that are quite different from some of the other "jazz with strings" albums of the time! Honda's work on soprano sax, alto, and keyboards is great throughout – and although some of the rhythms are programmed, they're still quite warm and hardly the too-commercial type that other jazz artists were using at the time. Titles include "Waltz Crepuscule", "Love Theme #2", "A Refracted Beat", "The Woman From Marusa", "The Men Gather Round Money", and "A Gloomy Foreboding Of Battle". LP, Vinyl record album

With vocals from Esther Godinez. CD

Some of the most intense work we've ever heard from composer/reedman Darius Jones – a set of longer works, recorded live in Vancouver – with a style that mixes core jazz instrumentation with some added string elements that really send things over the top! There's plenty of free improvisation going on here – and the alto of Jones sounds especially nice next to the skittish drums of Gerald Cleaver – as the duo find strong interplay with the work of Jesse and Josh Zubot on violins, Peggy Lee on cello, and James Meger on bass! All the string instruments are hardly any sort of string quartet – and instead, they come across with those freer improv modes unlocked during the loft jazz generation of the 70s – really exploding here with a sense of united majesty and individual expression. Titles include "Zubot", "Damon & Pythias", "Rainbow", and "Fluxus V5T 1S1". CD

Some of the most intense work we've ever heard from composer/reedman Darius Jones – a set of longer works, recorded live in Vancouver – with a style that mixes core jazz instrumentation with some added string elements that really send things over the top! There's plenty of free improvisation going on here – and the alto of Jones sounds especially nice next to the skittish drums of Gerald Cleaver – as the duo find strong interplay with the work of Jesse and Josh Zubot on violins, Peggy Lee on cello, and James Meger on bass! All the string instruments are hardly any sort of string quartet – and instead, they come across with those freer improv modes unlocked during the loft jazz generation of the 70s – really exploding here with a sense of united majesty and individual expression. Titles include "Zubot", "Damon & Pythias", "Rainbow", and "Fluxus V5T 1S1". LP, Vinyl record album

The poetic title here is wonderfully well-suited to the album – as there's a free-floating, spacious quality to the music – yet one that's very different than some of the softer sessions that sort of reference might make you expect! Cornet player Kirk Knuffke always has a great sense of space in his music – and in this trio, it really seems to do a lot to the piano of Matthew Shipp, who can be a master of understatement at times, with really quietly brooding sounds on the keys – matched by the perfect energy of bassist Michael Bisio, who is exactly the right choice for this outing. If you know some of Knuffke's other work, you'll be surprised here – as there's more of an edge, and the session really builds a bridge to the world of Shipp, while finding this great spot in the middle for both to exist – on titles that include "Time Is Another River", "Paint Pale Silver", "Heal The Roses", "Today for Today", "Blinds", "June Stretched", "Between Today & May", "Stars Go Up", and "The Water Will Win". LP, Vinyl record album

Stone flute, or stoned flute, the album's got a really laidback feel – a sound that's very open-ended, and quite different from some of the crossover classics Herbie Mann was cutting a few short years before! The record's got the darkly brooding feel of some of his other work on the Vortex label – and features a subtle blend of softly-blown flute with guitar from Sonny Sharrock, vibes from Roy Ayers, and bass from either Miroslav Vitous or Ron Carter. There's some light added strings on most tracks, but they're arranged by William S Fischer – in ways that make them more sly sense of darkness in the background than standard sleepy accompaniment. Herbie and Fischer are a perfect combination here, one that makes for a surprising degree of depth – on titles that include "Waltz For My Son", "Miss Free Spirit", "Flying", "In Tangier", and "Pendulum". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most ambitious album from Myele Manzanza to date – a set that's exploding with contributions from a great range of guests – singers who include Omar, Rosie Frater Taylor, China Moses, and Wallace – next to a great array of keyboard work from Lewis Moody! Myele handles drums and percussion, plus a bit of keys – but the sound of the record is more soul than before, and definitely in the post-jazz mode of other recent work on the London scene – co-produced and mixed by Moody, with tracks that include "Gone Up In Flames", "Silencing The Sun", "wasted Time", "Unfold", "Crisis & Opportunity", and "Falling Fast". LP, Vinyl record album

Rob Mazurek is one of the most collaborative musicians we know – but this time around, he's completely solo, but handling a range of instruments that might usually be associated with a larger group! In addition to his familiar trumpet and pocket trumpet work, Rob's creating sounds here on prepared and regular piano, bells, shakers, flutes, and percussion – and also using a bit of sampler work, his voice, and even a bucket too – all in the kind of spontaneously spiritual styles he's unlocked in improvisations with other players in recent years! The sound is wonderful – maybe a more intimate take on the Exploding Star vibe – and titles include "Sbagliato", "Bar Basso", "Moss Covered Hips", "Collectors Of Bones", "Collimated & Trestled", and "Magic Yellow Bucket". CD

A set of incredible records from Charles Mingus – all presented together in one mighty nice package! First up is Mingus Moves – a fantastic fresh new chapter in the career of Charles Mingus – a set that features the addition of two key players who would really shape his sound in the 70s – Don Pullen on piano and George Adams on tenor, both completely wonderful here! The group also features excellent trumpet from Roland Hampton, a player we don't know from many other settings – and the set also features some really nice vocal work from Honi Gordon and Doug Hammond. Titles include "Canon", "Moves", "Wee", "Flowers For A Lady", "Opus 3", and "Newcomer". CD also features bonus tracks – "Big Alice" and "The Call". Changes is key 70s work from Charles Mingus – an album that was recorded over the course of three days of creative activity at the end of 1974, but somehow split into two different albums under the Changes name! The lineup here is prime 70s Mingus – George Adams on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Don Pullen on piano – young players who really give a fresh voice to Mingus' musical ideas, and help him find this beautiful late life sense of color, tone, and timing that's completely sublime! Titles on this second volume include "Sue's Changes", "Devil Blues", "Remember Rockefeller At Attica", "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA", "Black Bats & Poles", "For Harry Carney", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love" – which features a guest appearance by Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and Jackie Paris on vocals. On 3 Or 4 Shades Of Blues, Charles Mingus is returning to the soulful gospel-influenced mode he swung big in the early 60s! The record's something of a later predecessor of the classics Blues & Roots for Atlantic and Mingus (x5) for Impulse – and the style is slightly less dramatic, but still quite steeped in soulful explorations that feature plenty of notes from the bluer side of the spectrum! Players include George Coleman and Ricky Ford on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Larry Coryell on guitar – and titles include new takes on "Better Git Hit In Your Soul" and "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" – plus"Nobody Knows", "Noddin Ya Head Blues", and "Three Or Four Shades Of Blues". Next is Cumbia & Jazz Fusion – one of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". Me Myself An Eye is complicated later work from Charles Mingus – a great illustration of the way his power to command a large ensemble never wavered as the years went on! The album features two different large groups of players – filled with modernists young and old – including Ricky Ford, George Coleman, and Michael Brecker on tenors; Ronni Cuber and Pepper Adams on baritone; Randy Brecker and Jack Walrath on trumpets; Lee Konitz on alto, Larry Coryell on guitar, Slide Hampton on trombone, and Eddie Gomez on bass. Side one features the 30 minute track "Three Worlds Of Drums", and side two contains a remake of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting", plus "Devil Woman" and "Carolyn Keki Mingus". Something Like A Bird is one of the last albums Charles Mingus ever gave us – before departing this planet way way too soon! The set shows the increasing sophistication of Mingus' music in these later years – a mode that almost echoes the path that Duke Ellington would take in his final decade – a move towards some larger-form material that still holds onto all the raw energy of the early days, but finds a way to not only bridge larger musical ideas – but musical generations as well! As part of this, the set's got a wonderful lineup – with Lee Konitz on alto, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, George Coleman on tenor, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and titles include the long title track, "Something Like A Bird", split up over 2 sides of the LP, plus "Farewell Farwell". CD

One of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". CD

The title's exploding with Mingus, and the album is too – a completely classic effort for Impulse Records that's easily one of Charles' best of the 60s! Things are reigned in somewhat from the Mingus years at Atlantic or Candid, but the sound is still great – almost more focused than before – with a sense of all the best qualities that Charles was finding in his music, laid out back to back in near-perfect formation! The group's full of great players – with reeds from Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, and Jerome Richardson – all of whom really contribute some deep tones to the album – and Jaki Byard's on piano, making one of his key Mingus appearances of the 60s. Titles include the massive "Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul" (the virtual Mingus "trademark" tune), plus the tracks "Celia", "Hora Decubitus", and "II B.S.". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic lost legacy in European free improvisation – the complete works of a group who were first known as Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe, then later as Fourmenonly – presented here in a beautiful 3CD set! First up is the album Trees – issued on a small label in 1968, but a set that matches the groundbreaking energy of the early work on FMP – played by a group that features Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Wilfreid Eichorn on tenor and soprano sax, Claus Buhler on bass, Rudi Thielmann on drums, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, Mellophon, piston, and percussion! The group have a melodic vibe at the core – often feeling out the initial space as a unit, then exploding with sound and color – and really making especially great work of the talents of Joos and Eichorn – players who work together with great power, driven on by the others. Titles include "Lonely Time", "Trees", "Schnee Verbrennt", "Change Of Beauty", and "The Devil Is Green Blue Yellow". CD also features a bonus unreleased improvisation too! Next is Position 2000 – a record of even longer improvisations, and one that shows the quintet really developing their sound – strongly aware of the farther reaches, but always beginning in some more colorful passages that almost have a melody, before exploding out with very vibrant energy! The lineup is the same as on the debut – with Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, mellophone, Indian flute, and percussion – and Wilfried Eichorn on tenor, soprano sax, bass clarinet, flute, and percussion – alongside Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Klaus Buhler on bass, and Rudi Thielmann on drums. Titles include "The Sun Is Coming Over", "Position 2000", and "Where Love Forever Shines". CD also features an unreleased improvisation. For the next album, bassist Buhler has departed the group – who are renamed Fourmenonly! Their first record is a brilliant set of free jazz from the German scene of the 70s – very different than other work of the time, in that there's maybe more of a future-thinking balance between sounds and silence, frenzy and fragility – all served up by a quartet that features Herbert Joos on trumpet and flugelhorn, Wilfried Eichhorn on tenor and soprano sax, Helmuth Zimmer on piano and percussion, and Rudi Theilmann on drums and percussion. Titles include "Viridiana/Ich Und Meine Bruder/Compulsion" and "Count Down/Excess". On the album Eight Science Fiction Stories, the Fourmenonly lineup is expanded by trombonist Wolfgang Czelusta – and perform some fantastic work billed as "science fiction stories", all composed by Herbert Joos. The sound is as revolutionary as on the group's earliest material, but also maybe more compact as well – nicely focused, with especially strong emphasis on the interplay between Czelusta on trombone, Wilifried Eichorn on bass clarinet, flute, and oboe, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, trumpet, and mellophone. The piano of Helmuth Zimmer is amazing – almost Cecil Taylor-like in intensity at times – and drummer Rudi Theilmann does a great job of moving from passages of full-on power to more spacious percussion. Titles include "Lucifer Is Marching On", "Dead Season", "The Beauty Without A Face", "Departure", "Plastic Happiness", and "Space Wall". CD

A lost live recording from the legendary Thelonious Monk Quartet of the 60s – done at a time when the group wasn't recording at all, as a small benefit at a high school in California! Yet despite that setting, the vibe here is as relaxed, open, and human as if the combo were playing at an overseas club – very personal presentation of the best ideals inherent in Monk's piano, Charlie Rouse's tenor, Larry Gales' bass, and the drums of Ben Riley! Monk had been having some health issues during the year, but they don't show up at all in his performance – save for maybe a sense of brooding darkness at times, although that was always a quality that might appear in his performance. The music is every bit as essential as the London recordings that would emerge a few years later – and titles include "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Ruby My Dear", "Don't Blame Me", "Epistrophy", and "I Love You Sweetheart Of All My Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most important Sun Ra albums from the early years of Saturn Records – a set that got a bit more circulation than some of his other records, and which shows the group really expanding their sonic range in a wonderful way! The title track takes up all of side one – and is this mystic workout that features Sun Ra on clavioline and piano – an acoustic/electric combination that creates really mindblowing results – and which is echoed by some very inventive reed work from Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, Pat Patrick on baritone, and John Gilmore on tenor. The tune has a brooding intensity that's amazing – very spacey at times, and free, but not in an aggressive way. Other tunes follow in their own rich pattern – and also feature Ra on Sun Harp, celeste, dragon drum, and marimba – on titles that include "The Shadow World", "Abstract Eye", and "Abstract I". CD

Darkly expressive work from Wallace Roney – one of those key albums that seems to push his original Muse Records sound even further with a range of more expansive elements! Roney's still got that brooding post-Miles sound in his horn – but here, it's used in some more complicated soundscapes at points – still mostly jazz, but almost with a soundtrack element too – especially in the way the keyboards drift in and out of the mix. Other players include Antoine Roney and Steve Hall on saxes, Geri Allen on Fender Rhodes and piano, Adam Holzman on organ, Buster Williams on bass, and Lenny White on drums – plus a fair bit of samples dropped into the mix by Val Gelder Jeanty. Titles include "NeuBeings", "Cygroove", "Metropolis", "Straight To Nothing", "No Room For Argument", and "Midnight Blue". CD

The music of Weather Report, served up by that group's legendary bassist Miroslav Vitous – but at a level that's quite different than the original! There's definitely lots of Weather Report-like elements at play here – not just Miroslav's bass and keyboards, but also the kind of wide-edged approach to fusion that the group had – that way of making your stereo feel as if it was somehow encompassing an extra 90 degrees of the spatial spectrum in the way the instruments come together! Yet the music here is also a lot more freewheeling, too – almost improvisations based on Weather Report themes – stepping "out" much more than that group ever did – save maybe on some of their more brooding live moments – which makes the whole thing way more than just a rehash of older songs. The group's a sextet – with Gary Campbell and Roberto Bonisolo on soprano and tenor saxes, Aydin Esen on keyboards, and both Gerald Cleaver and Nasheet Waits on drums – on titles that include "Birdland Variations", "Pinocchio", "Acrobat Issues", "Morning Lake", "Scarlet Woman Variations", and "Seventh Arrow". CD

You might know pianist Ra Washington from his work in Mourning A BLKstar or Vernacular, and he's even more powerful and righteous here in a collaboration with bassist Jah Nada – as the pair head up a collective that delivers music that's full of music and message throughout! There's a brooding intensity to the music that's amazing – very deep currents that certainly echo the basslines, but then resonate out even more strongly with a larger sonic palette that seems to draw everything together – from a mix of guitar, percussion, trumpet, reeds, and keyboards too – all elements used sparely, but with fantastic energy – spacing things out, moving them up, and setting the free to soar to the heavens on titles that include "Wrath Of Dawn", "My Father The Butcher", "Planting Seeds", "When The Angels Sing", "Hands", "Call To Prayer", and "Bobbi Lynn". LP, Vinyl record album

Torbjorn Zetterberg has always been a hell of a bassist – but in recent years, he really seems to be exploding as a greater jazz visionary – working with a group like this in a range of explosive new ideas we never would have expected just a few years ago! The music is often incredibly dense – Zetterberg's bass in the lineup, but also part of a rich array of sounds from Susana Santos Silva on trumpet, Mats Aleklint on trombone, Jonas Kullhammar on tenor and alto, Alberto Pinto on clarinet and baritone, Jon Falt on drums, Alexander Zethson on Hammond and Fender Rhodes, and Lars Skoglund on drums – mostly players that have worked together often over the years, and who beautifully interpret the stunning arrangements and compositions by Zetterberg. There's definitely plenty of outside moments on the record, but as with much Moserobie material, things also swing at times too – a balance between freedom and structure that matches the balance between group and individual on the album. Titles include "Drommusik", "Meningen Med Vad", "Oraklet I Finnaker", "Plingplongpiano", and "Nytt Hopp Over Atlanten". CD

Pianist Satoko Fujii has a really unique touch on the piano here – free lines that are very much in a Cecil Taylor side of the spectrum, but also often handled with a much lighter approach – so that there's these fleeting, scattered sounds that keep exploding from the instrument – matched with all these equally light touches from Mark Dresser on bass and Jim Black on drums! There's definitely a lot of improvisation taking place, but you can also get the sense of a larger structure in Fujii's approach – one that's often painterly, even when abstract – a bit hard to put in words, but very striking throughout. Titles include "Oscillation", "Then I Met You", "The Way To Get There", and "Shake Up & Down". CD

A fantastic group from the British scene at mid 60s – music from a time when the UK world of jazz was exploding from the work of artists like Joe Harriott and Tubby Hayes, but also held some other tremendous talents as well! The group here has trumpeter Henry Lowther and tenorist Lyn Dobson at the core – and also features work from Jon Hiseman on drums, plus piano from Ken McCarthy and bass from Ron Rubin on the quintet tracks, and bass from a pre-Cream Jack Bruce on the quartet titles! Tracks are long, open, and filled with the kind of modern expression you might know from the group of Ian Carr and Don Rendell – often modal rhythms giving strong inspiration to freer solo flights – but always with a sense of soul that keeps things from ever sounding too outside to swing. The whole thing's wonderful – a near-lost slice from these crucial years – with titles that include "Snow", "Straight Away", "Celebrity Stomp", "Night & Day", "Red Planet", "Black & White Raga", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

Insanely wonderful music from Andrew Hill – a lean, stripped-down session that has Hill working at his firey best – in a space that's somewhere between the "new thing" recordings of Jackie McLean, and the brooding brilliance of Andrew's later Smokestack session! The group here has some key figures fleshing out the sound – a young Joe Henderson, blowing tenor with a very edgey quality – the very versatile Richard Davis on bass – and the great Roy Haynes on drums, very much at his most fluid interpretation of rhythm! The whole set's pretty darn great – one of the more mindblowing Blue Notes you'll ever hope to buy – and tracks include "Pumpkin", "Subterfuge", "Cantarnos", and "McNeil Island". CD

One of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". CD

The title's exploding with Mingus, and the album is too – a completely classic effort for Impulse Records that's easily one of Charles' best of the 60s! Things are reigned in somewhat from the Mingus years at Atlantic or Candid, but the sound is still great – almost more focused than before – with a sense of all the best qualities that Charles was finding in his music, laid out back to back in near-perfect formation! The group's full of great players – with reeds from Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, and Jerome Richardson – all of whom really contribute some deep tones to the album – and Jaki Byard's on piano, making one of his key Mingus appearances of the 60s. Titles include the massive "Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul" (the virtual Mingus "trademark" tune), plus the tracks "Celia", "Hora Decubitus", and "II B.S.". CD features the bonus track "Freedom" – not on the original LP! CD

Truly one of the Modern Jazz Quartet's greatest albums – and a set that has an edge and a darkness that's missing from some of their other Atlantic records! Part of the reason for this may be the group's fantastic reading of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" – a killer moody track that sounds great in the group's vibes/piano style – and which leads off the album with a chilling tone that's really unbelievable! The rest of the album's pretty great too – and there's a brooding intensity we don't normally hear in the piano of John Lewis and vibes of Milt Jackson. Other tracks include Gary McFarland's "Why Are You Blue" – plus John Lewi's "Belkis", "Animal Dance", "New York 19", and "Trieste". CD

One of the most beautiful, most sophisticated, and most fully-realized sessions from trumpeter Hannibal Marvin Peterson – and a record that features some incredible larger backings from David Amram! The set's a haunting suite dedicated to the children of Vietnam – one that starts out in a darkly brooding mode, but which opens up with some extremely redemptive moments as the set moves on – done in a very spiritual approach to soul jazz that's strongly in the Alice Coltrane tradition! Instrumentation includes a small string group, plus added percussion – and musicians on the set include Art Webb on flute, Richard Davis on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Michael Cochran on piano, and Hannibal himself on both trumpet and koto. The lovely Alpha Johnson sings on a few of the album's tracks, and the whole thing is very warm and deep, and has a lot of variance in tempo and mood, with a strong spiritual feel similar to that of some of the more ambitious Strata East recordings from the time! Titles include "Forest Sunrise", "The Bombing", "Prayer", "Aftermath", and "Finale". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing jazz from Japan – a tremendous introduction to the 70s scene in Tokyo if you've never heard this music at all – and a package that also includes a fair bit of rare tracks, even if you're not a newcomer! The Japanese love of American jazz is no secret – and the music was spread widely there by American forces after WWII – but during the 70s, something really special happened, and the scene found a voice that was all its own – exploding with new energy to create sounds that were soulful, spiritual, and powerfully poetic! By the end of the 70s, Japanese fusion would get more global exposure – but most of the tracks here are acoustic, save for Fender Rhodes lines – and feature completely inventive, imaginative sounds – often set to grooves that are modal and spiritual too. A fantastic collection throughout – with tracks that include "Blind Man" by Shintaro Quintet, "White Fire" by Takao Uematsu, "Aya's Samba" by Eiji Nakayama, "Earth Mother" by Koichi Matsukaze, "Dead Letter" by Tohru Aizawa, "Kaze" by Takeo Moriyama, "Long Neal" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, "Unknown Point" by Mitsuaki Katayama, and "Little Island" by Fumio Karashima. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

One of the coolest, baddest, funkiest albums Cannonball Adderley ever recorded – a massive suite of tunes based on the signs of the Zodiac, produced to perfection by David Axelrod, and featuring some hip recitations from the mighty Rick Holmes! The double-length set is completely compelling all the way through – a darkly brooding batch of funky jazz that shows a strong Miles Davis electric influence at points, thanks to Nat Adderley's spacey trumpet lines, Mike Deasy's trippy guitar, and George Duke's excellent keyboards! Other tracks are a bit more laidback, fitting the mood of their respective signs – and overall, the whole thing slips and slides wonderfully from cut to cut – taking you through the star signs with a really righteous, soulful approach. Titles include "Cancer", "Sagittarius", "Pisces", "Aquarius", "Capricorn", "Virgo", "Taurus", "Aries", "Libra", and a special "Introduction". LP, Vinyl record album

Sharp tenor from the great JD Allen – a very striking set that's filled with all original compositions – work that really shows the way that Allen's grown strongly as both a writer and player in recent years! There's a sense of darkness to the record right from the start – a brooding intensity that finds a way to both move forward and fold back on itself – this kind of elliptical mode that's very compelling, and brought into strong focus by a quartet that features Eldar Djangirov on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass, and Jonathan Barber on drums. Titles include "Grace", "Chagall", "Load Star", "Cross Damon", "Detroit", "Mass", and "The Little Dipper". CD

Beautiful hardbop from Boston – and one of the first-ever albums recorded by trumpeter Donald Byrd as a leader! The set was originally done for the obscure Transition label – also home to inventive early recordings by Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor – and as with those records, there's a very special sort of sound going on here – as the date's a quartet outing, with a very unusual group – with Ray Santisi on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Jim Zitano on bass – all giving Byrd plenty of room to solo in the lead. The record features a very different side than some of Donald's other early two-leader sessions (such as the dates with Pepper Adams) – especially as he blows with a warmth and moodiness that we don't normally hear from him at this point – sounding fantastic on titles that include "Little Rock Getaway", "If I Love Again", "What's New", and "Stella By Starlight". CD

The group's listed here as the Double Quintet of trumpeter Ian Carr, but the sound is right next to the best work of his Nucleus group for Vertigo Records – a groundbreaking blend of jazz and electric elements, served up in a style that's very different from American work of the time! At one level, Carr and his group mates have this sophisticated style that's awash in complicated colors and very rich tones – but at another, they're able to open up and really let things fly – not really in prog directions, or avant improvisation either – but with a very freewheeling spirit that has Ian and the group exploding with new ideas all the way through! Other players include Harry Beckett on trumpet, Brian Smith on tenor and soprano, Tony Roberts on tenor and bass clarinet, and the electric core of Chris Spedding on guitar, Ron Matthewson on electric bass, and Karl Jenkins on electric piano – on long takes of tracks that include "Element 1", "Bedrock Deadlock", "Torso", "Snakehips Dream", and "Spirit Level". First-ever release – pulled from a well-recorded radio session in 1970! LP, Vinyl record album

Drummer Joe Chambers never records much as a leader – but every time he does, the album really turns out to be something special! That's definitely the case with this early 90s session for Candid Records – a date that recalls the brooding intensity that Joe brought to some of his late 60s dates for Blue Note as a sideman, carried out here on a set of tunes and concepts that are all Chambers' own – and given great life by a lineup that features Bob Berg on tenor, Philip Harper on trumpet, George Cables on piano, and Santi Debriano on bass! Berg is at his moodiest here – a great reminder of that side of his talents – and titles include "For Miles", "El Gaucho", "Phantom Of The City", "In & Out", and "Fun". CD

Darkly brooding work from John Coltrane's early years as a leader on Prestige – a very unique little record that features twin baritone sax support from Pepper Adams and Cecil Payne! Both players are wonderfully hip here – more than enough to match Trane's unique musical vision for the group's format – and the sound of the session is much edgier than some of his other Prestige work – which may be why the label chose not to issue it until 1963, even though it was recorded back in '57. There's a nice roughness here – the same inspirational early sound you'll get on Coltrane's early sides for Savoy or Imperial – and other players include Mal Waldron on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Titles include "Cat Walk", "Dakar", "Route 4", "Velvet Scene", and "Witches Pit". CD

Saxophonist Marty Ehrlich is certainly exalted here – working in a superb trio setting that seems to make for one of his best records in years! The rhythm duo are fantastic – Nasheet Waits on drums and John Hebert on bass – both players who create this brooding sense of power right from the start, which Ehrlich then augments with deftly creative work on alto, clarinet, bass clarinet, and wooden flutes – notes that are sharp and striking, but always incredibly thoughtful too – a really special balance that makes for a hell of a record. Titles include "Stone", "Dance No 5", "Senhor PC", "Yes Yes", "Dusk", "Sometimes", and "The Arc Of The Oar". CD

Excellent 60s work by tenorist Stan Getz – a completely sublime meeting with pianist Bill Evans – tunes recorded in 1964, but not issued at the time, even though they are fantastic – because Verve Records instead wanted to really focus on Stan's bossa nova recordings! The pairing of Getz and Bill Evans is a wonderful one here – as both players are at their warmest, and working with a wonderful sense of tone throughout – Stan, slightly lyrical at times – and Bill, with some slight brooding undercurrents that really add some depth to the set. The rest of the group features either Ron Carter or Richard Davis on bass, plus Elvin Jones on drums – and titles include "Funkallero", "Melinda", "Grandfather's Waltz", "My Heart Stood Still", and "Night & Day". CD features alternate versions, and the unissued tunes "WNEW Theme" and "Carpetbagger's Theme". CD

Excellent 60s work by tenorist Stan Getz – a completely sublime meeting with pianist Bill Evans – tunes recorded in 1964, but not issued at the time, even though they are fantastic – because Verve Records instead wanted to really focus on Stan's bossa nova recordings! The pairing of Getz and Bill Evans is a wonderful one here – as both players are at their warmest, and working with a wonderful sense of tone throughout – Stan, slightly lyrical at times – and Bill, with some slight brooding undercurrents that really add some depth to the set. The rest of the group features either Ron Carter or Richard Davis on bass, plus Elvin Jones on drums – and titles include "Funkallero", "Melinda", "Grandfather's Waltz", "My Heart Stood Still", and "Night & Day". CD features alternate versions, and the unissued tunes "WNEW Theme" and "Carpetbagger's Theme". CD

The darkly brooding image of Hampton Hawes on the front cover of this one is a real standout in the mostly-sweet cover lineup of the Contemporary label – but it's also a great indication of the sound of the record, which is something different than most of its contemporaries! Hawes is working here at his top-shelf early best – stepping around the keys of the piano with a sense of grace and spaciousness – but also a hard-hitting, highly rhythmic mode on the left – a bit soul jazz at times, mixing earthy elements with the sweeter, lyrical moments in his solos. Rhythm is by the team of Red Mitchell and Chuck Thompson – and titles include "Yesterdays", "Blues For Jacque", Stella By Starlight", "Steeplechase", "Round Midnight", "Autumn In New York" and "Section Blues". CD

Insanely wonderful music from Andrew Hill – a lean, stripped-down session that has Hill working at his firey best – in a space that's somewhere between the "new thing" recordings of Jackie McLean, and the brooding brilliance of Andrew's later Smokestack session! The group here has some key figures fleshing out the sound – a young Joe Henderson, blowing tenor with a very edgey quality – the very versatile Richard Davis on bass – and the great Roy Haynes on drums, very much at his most fluid interpretation of rhythm! The whole set's pretty darn great – one of the more mindblowing Blue Notes you'll ever hope to buy – and tracks include "Pumpkin", "Subterfuge", "Cantarnos", and "McNeil Island". CD features 2 bonus tracks too – alternate takes of 2 tracks on the album. CD

A classic set of 80s work from drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson – issued on Ornette Coleman's label! The group here is a lineup of the Decoding Society that features twin guitars from Cary Denigris and Masujaa Hugh Riley, plus soprano and tenor from a young Zane Massey, bass from John Moody, and soprano, alto, and flute from Eric Person – all produced by Bill Laswell too! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording – but never issued properly until this reissue! This rare live set was recorded in New York in 1959, and it features the unusual pairing of Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh with the Bill Evans trio of the time – Bill on piano (natch), Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Paul Motion on drums. Evans' warm, round lyricism is quite striking here – much more different backing than we're used to hearing behind Konitz and Marsh, although still with enough modern tones to make them feel right at home. There's a darkly brooding feel to the best numbers here, and most tracks stretch out far past the 5 minute mark – making for a 12 track set that offers over 90 minutes of music! Titles include "Lennie Bird", "April", "Just Friends", "Palo Alto", "317 E 32nd", "It's You Or No One", "You Stepped Out Of A Dream", "Lennie-Bird", and "How About You?". CD

Fantastic work from a trans-Atlantic group – one that features really beautiful work on saxes from Daunik Lazro, in one of his best settings in many years! All the other musicians here are fantastic – as in addition to Daunik on tenor and baritone, the rest of the group features Joe McPhee on tenor and pocket trumpet, Joshua Abrams on bass and guembri, Guillaume Seguron on bass as well, and Chad Taylor on drums and mbira! Given the use of the double basses, there's a strong bottom end here – and that's perfect for those organic tones that we've always loved from Lazro's horn, since first discovering him in the 80s – a very different trajectory of improvisation than some of his European contemporaries, with a quality that seems to bring out more from McPhee as well. Taylor just keeps exploding with his talents in recent years, and is a perfect partner for the music here – and all the tracks are improvised, save for a snippet of Albert Ayler's "Mothers" which appears at one spot. CD

Beautiful work from Rob Mazurek – a player we respect more and more with each new release! The title here is especially well chosen – as "Sound Is" definitely what the record is about – a set that follows in the same legacy of sonic exploration first begun on seminal Delmark Records sides cut by the AACM in the 60s – recast here by a new Chicago generation that features Mazurek on cornet and piano, John Herndon on drums and percussion, Matt Lux on electric bass, Josh Abrams on acoustic bass and piano, and Jason Adasiewicz on some especially nice vibes! The vibes often have this chromatic quality that's starkly metallic – ringing out strongly next to Abrams' warmer bass, and Mazurek's palette of colors on his horn – driven by a brooding sense of rhythm from Herndon, playing here away from his more familiar Tortoise setting, and reminding us that he's always had a great ear for jazz. Titles include "The Earthquake Tree", "The Star Splitter", "The Dream Rocker", "Microrapagonafly", "Aphrodite Rising", "The Field", "Nora Grace", "Le Baiser", and "Dragon Kites". CD

A set of incredible records from Charles Mingus – all presented together in one mighty nice package! First up is Mingus Moves – a fantastic fresh new chapter in the career of Charles Mingus – a set that features the addition of two key players who would really shape his sound in the 70s – Don Pullen on piano and George Adams on tenor, both completely wonderful here! The group also features excellent trumpet from Roland Hampton, a player we don't know from many other settings – and the set also features some really nice vocal work from Honi Gordon and Doug Hammond. Titles include "Canon", "Moves", "Wee", "Flowers For A Lady", "Opus 3", and "Newcomer". CD also features bonus tracks – "Big Alice" and "The Call". Changes is key 70s work from Charles Mingus – an album that was recorded over the course of three days of creative activity at the end of 1974, but somehow split into two different albums under the Changes name! The lineup here is prime 70s Mingus – George Adams on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Don Pullen on piano – young players who really give a fresh voice to Mingus' musical ideas, and help him find this beautiful late life sense of color, tone, and timing that's completely sublime! Titles on this second volume include "Sue's Changes", "Devil Blues", "Remember Rockefeller At Attica", "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA", "Black Bats & Poles", "For Harry Carney", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love" – which features a guest appearance by Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and Jackie Paris on vocals. On 3 Or 4 Shades Of Blues, Charles Mingus is returning to the soulful gospel-influenced mode he swung big in the early 60s! The record's something of a later predecessor of the classics Blues & Roots for Atlantic and Mingus (x5) for Impulse – and the style is slightly less dramatic, but still quite steeped in soulful explorations that feature plenty of notes from the bluer side of the spectrum! Players include George Coleman and Ricky Ford on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Larry Coryell on guitar – and titles include new takes on "Better Git Hit In Your Soul" and "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" – plus"Nobody Knows", "Noddin Ya Head Blues", and "Three Or Four Shades Of Blues". Next is Cumbia & Jazz Fusion – one of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". Me Myself An Eye is complicated later work from Charles Mingus – a great illustration of the way his power to command a large ensemble never wavered as the years went on! The album features two different large groups of players – filled with modernists young and old – including Ricky Ford, George Coleman, and Michael Brecker on tenors; Ronni Cuber and Pepper Adams on baritone; Randy Brecker and Jack Walrath on trumpets; Lee Konitz on alto, Larry Coryell on guitar, Slide Hampton on trombone, and Eddie Gomez on bass. Side one features the 30 minute track "Three Worlds Of Drums", and side two contains a remake of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting", plus "Devil Woman" and "Carolyn Keki Mingus". Something Like A Bird is one of the last albums Charles Mingus ever gave us – before departing this planet way way too soon! The set shows the increasing sophistication of Mingus' music in these later years – a mode that almost echoes the path that Duke Ellington would take in his final decade – a move towards some larger-form material that still holds onto all the raw energy of the early days, but finds a way to not only bridge larger musical ideas – but musical generations as well! As part of this, the set's got a wonderful lineup – with Lee Konitz on alto, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, George Coleman on tenor, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and titles include the long title track, "Something Like A Bird", split up over 2 sides of the LP, plus "Farewell Farwell". CD

The title's exploding with Mingus, and the album is too – a completely classic effort for Impulse Records that's easily one of Charles' best of the 60s! Things are reigned in somewhat from the Mingus years at Atlantic or Candid, but the sound is still great – almost more focused than before – with a sense of all the best qualities that Charles was finding in his music, laid out back to back in near-perfect formation! The group's full of great players – with reeds from Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, and Jerome Richardson – all of whom really contribute some deep tones to the album – and Jaki Byard's on piano, making one of his key Mingus appearances of the 60s. Titles include the massive "Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul" (the virtual Mingus "trademark" tune), plus the tracks "Celia", "Hora Decubitus", and "II B.S.". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's exploding with Mingus, and the album is too – a completely classic effort for Impulse Records that's easily one of Charles' best of the 60s! Things are reigned in somewhat from the Mingus years at Atlantic or Candid, but the sound is still great – almost more focused than before – with a sense of all the best qualities that Charles was finding in his music, laid out back to back in near-perfect formation! The group's full of great players – with reeds from Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, and Jerome Richardson – all of whom really contribute some deep tones to the album – and Jaki Byard's on piano, making one of his key Mingus appearances of the 60s. Titles include the massive "Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul" (the virtual Mingus "trademark" tune), plus the tracks "Celia", "Hora Decubitus", and "II B.S.". CD

Truly one of the Modern Jazz Quartet's greatest albums – and a set that has an edge and a darkness that's missing from some of their other Atlantic records! Part of the reason for this may be the group's fantastic reading of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" – a killer moody track that sounds great in the group's vibes/piano style – and which leads off the album with a chilling tone that's really unbelievable! The rest of the album's pretty great too – and there's a brooding intensity we don't normally hear in the piano of John Lewis and vibes of Milt Jackson. Other tracks include Gary McFarland's "Why Are You Blue" – plus John Lewi's "Belkis", "Animal Dance", "New York 19", and "Trieste". CD

Bold and brilliant duets from altoist Jemeel Moondoc and drummer Dennis Charles – the latter of whom is in tremendous form in this very free setting! There's a sense of soul and spirit that grabs us right from the start – these surprisingly deep notes from Moondoc, making us keep checking the notes to see if he's handling another horn besides alto sax – given a rumbling, brooding sensibility through Charles' work on drums – which never bombastically dominates, but always ruminates with a power that drives Jemeel on. Titles include "We Don't", "We Do", "Judy's Bounce", and "Home". CD

A great collaboration between bassist Joe Morris, drummer Luther Gray, and reedman Peter Cancura – all coming together here in searing trio formation that reminds us a lot of the energy of the ESP avant generation! Gray's drums have a nice degree of focus and force – never as loose as might be by another player in such a setting – and Cancura blows both tenor and alto, the former with a hauntingly soulful sound that echoes out nicely in the spare format of the record. Morris' brooding bass is a constant presence throughout – and the album features four long tracks, "Geomantic", "Thicket", "Crow", and "Nettle". CD

Gary Peacock's bass has always had a wonderful home on the ECM label – one of the few places its deepest, most powerful tones can really come to light – as they do strongly on this well-balanced trio recording with Marc Copland on piano and Joey Baron on drums! All three players are masters of understatement – able to make such powerful movements with just a bit of energy – and the brooding quality of Peacock gets offset through some illuminations on Copland's piano in this really great way – while Baron shifts in these careful, thoughtful modes that greatly accommodate both musicians. Titles include "Gaia", "Christa", "Vignette", "Gloria's Step", "Requiem", "Shadows", and "Esprit De Muse". CD

Duke Pearson knocks it out of the park with this one – perfectly summing up all the new ideas in jazz arranging and large ensemble work he'd been exploring at Blue Note – and pushing things way way past his previous small group material as well! The album's quite different than most other 60s iterations of big band jazz – as Pearson's got a way of making all instruments come together on the rhythms, then exploding with subtle colors and soulful tones – yet all at a level that's never forced or gimmicky at all. It helps that he's got a tremendous lineup of players here – both Lew Tabackin and Frank Foster on tenor (the latter of whom does some arranging for the record) – plus Pepper Adams on baritone, Marvin Stamm and Randy Brecker on trumpets, Garnett Brown and Jimmy Cleveland on trombones, Jerry Dodgion and Al Gibbons on alto, and the rhythm team of Bob Cranshaw on bass and Mickey Roker on drums. Duke plays superb piano with a really sophisticated touch, but it's really his strength as an arranger that makes the whole thing come together beautifully. Andy Bey sings on a version of "I'm Tired Cryin Over You" – and other titles include "Amanda", "Tones For Joan's Bones", "Dad Digs Mom", "Disapproachment", and "Make It Good". CD

There's nothing too dreamy here – as Joshua Redman takes on the energy of the Old & New Dreams that featured his father, Dewey Redman – an excellent late 70s ensemble filled with members of Ornette Coleman groups, working in a very Ornette-like mode! The style is similar here – no piano at all, and a quartet that features Ron Miles on cornet, Scott Colley on bass, and Brian Blade on drums – exploding with energy that criss-crosses the rhythmic and melodic roles of all players – which might well make for one of the liveliest Joshua Redman albums in years. Miles is wonderful in the setting, and Colley and Blade are right on the money – and titles include the originals "The Rest", "Haze & Aspirations", "New Year", "It's Not The Same", "Blues For Charlie", and "Unanimity" – plus versions of Charlie Haden's "Playing" and Ornette's "Comme Il Faut". CD

Mindblowing jazz from Japan – a tremendous introduction to the 70s scene in Tokyo if you've never heard this music at all – and a package that also includes a fair bit of rare tracks, even if you're not a newcomer! The Japanese love of American jazz is no secret – and the music was spread widely there by American forces after WWII – but during the 70s, something really special happened, and the scene found a voice that was all its own – exploding with new energy to create sounds that were soulful, spiritual, and powerfully poetic! By the end of the 70s, Japanese fusion would get more global exposure – but most of the tracks here are acoustic, save for Fender Rhodes lines – and feature completely inventive, imaginative sounds – often set to grooves that are modal and spiritual too. A fantastic collection throughout – with tracks that include "Blind Man" by Shintaro Quintet, "White Fire" by Takao Uematsu, "Aya's Samba" by Eiji Nakayama, "Earth Mother" by Koichi Matsukaze, "Dead Letter" by Tohru Aizawa, "Kaze" by Takeo Moriyama, "Long Neal" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, "Unknown Point" by Mitsuaki Katayama, and "Little Island" by Fumio Karashima. 3LP set features bonus tracks – "Sea Breeze" by George Otsuka and "Ode To Workman" by Terumasa Hino and Reggie Workman. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the freshest vibist we've heard in years – a player whose records are always exploding with amazing sounds on his instrument – and the kind of intensity we'd reserve for a rare few on the vibes – maybe Bobby Hutcherson, Walt Dickerson, or Steve Nelson! Jason Adasiewicz has a talent that's been building and building for the past few years – and here, he really knocks it out of the park – showing a melodic conception that's as bold as his rhythmic inspiration – and control enough to get free, yet swing inside beautifully at just the right moment! The balance is one that's really been bringing some great sounds to the Chicago scene in recent years – and Jason's trio here features very like-minded cats – Mike Reed on drums and Nate McBride on bass, both players who ensure that the record is far more compelling than most other vibes trio sets you'll hope to find. Titles include "Stake", "Life", "Rose Garden", "Overtones Of China", "Warm Valley", and "Off My Back Jack". CD

One of the coolest, baddest, funkiest albums Cannonball Adderley ever recorded – a massive suite of tunes based on the signs of the Zodiac, produced to perfection by David Axelrod, and featuring some hip recitations from the mighty Rick Holmes! The double-length set is completely compelling all the way through – a darkly brooding batch of funky jazz that shows a strong Miles Davis electric influence at points, thanks to Nat Adderley's spacey trumpet lines, Mike Deasy's trippy guitar, and George Duke's excellent keyboards! Other tracks are a bit more laidback, fitting the mood of their respective signs – and overall, the whole thing slips and slides wonderfully from cut to cut – taking you through the star signs with a really righteous, soulful approach. Titles include "Cancer", "Sagittarius", "Pisces", "Aquarius", "Capricorn", "Virgo", "Taurus", "Aries", "Libra", and a special "Introduction". CD

Darkly brooding work from John Coltrane's early years as a leader on Prestige – a very unique little record that features twin baritone sax support from Pepper Adams and Cecil Payne! Both players are wonderfully hip here – more than enough to match Trane's unique musical vision for the group's format – and the sound of the session is much edgier than some of his other Prestige work – which may be why the label chose not to issue it until 1963, even though it was recorded back in '57. There's a nice roughness here – the same inspirational early sound you'll get on Coltrane's early sides for Savoy or Imperial – and other players include Mal Waldron on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Titles include "Cat Walk", "Dakar", "Route 4", "Velvet Scene", and "Witches Pit". CD

One of the coolest entries so far in this excellent series of rare material from legendary trumpeter Miles Davis – a set that brings together unheard studio sessions from the years 1966 to 1968 – some tracks from the recordings that gave the world the Miles Smiles, Nefertiti, and Water Babies albums! The group here is that legendary lineup that includes Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – a group who, by this point, was quite comfortable with both each other, and the new ideas that Miles was bringing to his music – very ready to step out with the rich sense of imagination they brought to music like this. There's definitely a new current of darkness here – that brooding quality that Davis had on some of his pre-electric dates – and it's wonderful to hear his ideas develop over a few performances of some tunes, and also through some of the studio chatter too. Titles include two takes of "Freedom Jazz Dance", three versions of "Circle", two of "Dolores", "Orbits", "Footprints", "Gingerbread Boy", "Nefertiti", "Fall", and "Water Babies" – plus the tracks "Play Your Eight", "Blues In F", "Country Son", and "Masqualero". CD

With Ray Santisi on piano, Johnny Chiodini on guitar, Mike Richmond on bass, and Randy Jones on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from this very hip group – a contemporary combo, but one who play with a depth of sound to warrant their inclusion on the Jazzman label! The style is almost spiritual jazz, but a bit more laidback too – sounds that are cosmic, yet never soaring to the skies – and almost more content to contemplate their own existence in these cool little rhythmic progressions – a very hip approach that draws a lot of power from its minimalism! Instrumentation is a bit trippy at points – but mostly in the way the players fold things together – so that tinkling piano tipples over brooding basslines, or organ lines hum softly to encourage string sounds to start too – a beautifully poetic style that only gets better as the album moves along! Titles include "Cast Adrift", "For A Breath I Tarry", "Have Spacesuit Will Travel (part 2)", "Clear Skies Select Stick", "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 6)", and "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 4)". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from avant saxophonist Hans Koller – rare material that stands with the best Free Sound albums he released for MPS in the 70s! By this point in his career, Koller was really exploding with talent – a sax player who first begun in the postwar years with modes that were more California modern, but expanded and changed throughout the 60s – to the point where Hans was one of the most open-minded, freely-creative musicians on the central European scene! If you've only heard Koller's straighter tenor, you'll really be blown away here – as Hans blows both that horn and soprano sax, in a freewheeling group that also features Wolfgang Dauner on piano, Zbigniew Siefert on alto and violin, Adelhard Rodinger on bass, and Janusz Stefanski on drums. And while the music definitely lives up to the Free Sound name of the group, it's also not entirely free jazz – as there's a sense of structure and larger modern ideals that hearkens back to some of Koller's earlier music, even while the soloists are taking off. Titles include the 40 minute workout on "Nome", the 11 minute "Ulla M Kompanie 22/8", and the surprisingly spiritual "Kunstkopfindianer/Adea". CD

Another vicious set of hammering, lovable skronk from Last Exit – the mighty mid 80s free group that featured Sonny Sharrock, Peter Brotzman, Bill Laswell and Shannon Jackson! This should certainly not come as a surprise, but the sound is as muscular as can be without exploding all over the place. Each player brings their most hammering torrents. Brotzmann and Sharrock get to bring the noise, and a great sense of playfulness while Laswell and Jackson keep rhythmically sound. And boy, does Jackson hit those drums! Ouch! Tracks include the 18 minute "Hard School", "Brain Damage", "Taking A Beating", "Last Call" and "Dark Heart". CD

Abbey Lincoln takes on the legacy of Billie Holiday – in a strong live set recorded with a small group at the end of the 80s! The setting's a bit more relaxed here than on some of Abbey's other albums of the period – a bit looser and sometimes more languid, but only in the best sort of ways to get at the moodiness of Billie Holiday's approach to the tunes. A few numbers seem to bristle with a bit more of that Abbey Lincoln sense of pride – that righteous legacy that runs straight from Billie's classic "Strange Fruit" – but overall, the spirit of Holiday's more traditional approach definitely guides the performance. The group's a quartet – with Harold Vick on tenor! (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Great later work from Abbey Lincoln! The album Talking To The Sun is something of a comeback set for Abbey Lincoln – an extremely powerful set from the early 80s, and one that helped set the tone for some great albums to come! Abbey's working here in a bold style that includes a fair bit of original material – done in collaboration with alto saxophonist Steve Coleman, whose edgey tone really adds a lot to the record! There's a sense of voice here that takes us back to Abbey's bold experiments with Max Roach in the early 60s – a righteous tone that effortlessly mixes politics and art, yet which never forgets its key mission of music. The set includes original compositions "The River", "Talking To The Sun", "People On The Street", and "Prelude/A Wedding Song" – plus a nice take on the Mercer/Mancini number "Whistling Away The Dark". On the second two records, Abbey Lincoln takes on the legacy of Billie Holiday – in a strong live set recorded with a small group at the end of the 80s! The setting's a bit more relaxed here than on some of Abbey's other albums of the period – a bit looser and sometimes more languid, but only in the best sort of ways to get at the moodiness of Billie Holiday's approach to the tunes. A few numbers seem to bristle with a bit more of that Abbey Lincoln sense of pride – that righteous legacy that runs straight from Billie's classic "Strange Fruit" – but overall, the spirit of Holiday's more traditional approach definitely guides the performance. The group's a quartet – with Harold Vick on tenor – and titles include "For All We Know", "No More", "Gimme A Pigfoot", "God Bless The Child", "For Heaven's Sake", and "Don't Explain". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Stone flute, or stoned flute, the album's got a really laidback feel – a sound that's very open-ended, and quite different from some of the crossover classics Herbie Mann was cutting a few short years before! The record's got the darkly brooding feel of some of his other work on the Vortex label – and features a subtle blend of softly-blown flute with guitar from Sonny Sharrock, vibes from Roy Ayers, and bass from either Miroslav Vitous or Ron Carter. There's some light added strings on most tracks, but they're arranged by William S Fischer – in ways that make them more sly sense of darkness in the background than standard sleepy accompaniment. Herbie and Fischer are a perfect combination here, one that makes for a surprising degree of depth – on titles that include "Waltz For My Son", "Miss Free Spirit", "Flying", "In Tangier", and "Pendulum". CD

The title's exploding with Mingus, and the album is too – a completely classic effort for Impulse Records that's easily one of Charles' best of the 60s! Things are reigned in somewhat from the Mingus years at Atlantic or Candid, but the sound is still great – almost more focused than before – with a sense of all the best qualities that Charles was finding in his music, laid out back to back in near-perfect formation! The group's full of great players – with reeds from Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, and Jerome Richardson – all of whom really contribute some deep tones to the album – and Jaki Byard's on piano, making one of his key Mingus appearances of the 60s. Titles include the massive "Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul" (the virtual Mingus "trademark" tune), plus the tracks "Celia", "Hora Decubitus", and "II B.S.". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost live recording from the legendary Thelonious Monk Quartet of the 60s – done at a time when the group wasn't recording at all, as a small benefit at a high school in California! Yet despite that setting, the vibe here is as relaxed, open, and human as if the combo were playing at an overseas club – very personal presentation of the best ideals inherent in Monk's piano, Charlie Rouse's tenor, Larry Gales' bass, and the drums of Ben Riley! Monk had been having some health issues during the year, but they don't show up at all in his performance – save for maybe a sense of brooding darkness at times, although that was always a quality that might appear in his performance. The music is every bit as essential as the London recordings that would emerge a few years later – and titles include "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Ruby My Dear", "Don't Blame Me", "Epistrophy", and "I Love You Sweetheart Of All My Dreams". CD

Duke Pearson knocks it out of the park with this one – perfectly summing up all the new ideas in jazz arranging and large ensemble work he'd been exploring at Blue Note – and pushing things way way past his previous small group material as well! The album's quite different than most other 60s iterations of big band jazz – as Pearson's got a way of making all instruments come together on the rhythms, then exploding with subtle colors and soulful tones – yet all at a level that's never forced or gimmicky at all. It helps that he's got a tremendous lineup of players here – both Lew Tabackin and Frank Foster on tenor (the latter of whom does some arranging for the record) – plus Pepper Adams on baritone, Marvin Stamm and Randy Brecker on trumpets, Garnett Brown and Jimmy Cleveland on trombones, Jerry Dodgion and Al Gibbons on alto, and the rhythm team of Bob Cranshaw on bass and Mickey Roker on drums. Duke plays superb piano with a really sophisticated touch, but it's really his strength as an arranger that makes the whole thing come together beautifully. Andy Bey sings on a version of "I'm Tired Cryin Over You" – and other titles include "Amanda", "Tones For Joan's Bones", "Dad Digs Mom", "Disapproachment", and "Make It Good". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most beautiful, most sophisticated, and most fully-realized sessions from trumpeter Hannibal Marvin Peterson – and a record that features some incredible larger backings from David Amram! The set's a haunting suite dedicated to the children of Vietnam – one that starts out in a darkly brooding mode, but which opens up with some extremely redemptive moments as the set moves on – done in a very spiritual approach to soul jazz that's strongly in the Alice Coltrane tradition! Instrumentation includes a small string group, plus added percussion – and musicians on the set include Art Webb on flute, Richard Davis on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Michael Cochran on piano, and Hannibal himself on both trumpet and koto. The lovely Alpha Johnson sings on a few of the album's tracks, and the whole thing is very warm and deep, and has a lot of variance in tempo and mood, with a strong spiritual feel similar to that of some of the more ambitious Strata East recordings from the time! Titles include "Forest Sunrise", "The Bombing", "Prayer", "Aftermath", and "Finale". CD

One of the most beautiful, most sophisticated, and most fully-realized sessions from trumpeter Hannibal Marvin Peterson – and a record that features some incredible larger backings from David Amram! The set's a haunting suite dedicated to the children of Vietnam – one that starts out in a darkly brooding mode, but which opens up with some extremely redemptive moments as the set moves on – done in a very spiritual approach to soul jazz that's strongly in the Alice Coltrane tradition! Instrumentation includes a small string group, plus added percussion – and musicians on the set include Art Webb on flute, Richard Davis on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Michael Cochran on piano, and Hannibal himself on both trumpet and koto. The lovely Alpha Johnson sings on a few of the album's tracks, and the whole thing is very warm and deep, and has a lot of variance in tempo and mood, with a strong spiritual feel similar to that of some of the more ambitious Strata East recordings from the time! Titles include "Forest Sunrise", "The Bombing", "Prayer", "Aftermath", and "Finale". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful sounds from two dark-tinged improvisers – coming here together in a performance that's supposedly a tribute to John Coltrane, but which comes across in a spirit that's very much their own! Shipp is able to serve out these effortless clusters of notes with that new sense of imagination that's really marked his growth in the past decade – notes that are always full of brooding energy, but never in a way that's sleepy or sloppy. Parker responds with some of his sharpest, fastest lines in years – blowing both tenor and soprano sax, but never in ways that are Coltrane-like – which is no surprise, as Evan's helped evolve jazz tremendously in the decades since Trane's passing. The CD features one extended improvisation "Leonine Aspects 1", which runs for 51 minutes – and the shorter "Leonine Aspects 2". CD

An incredible album, and one of Strozier's best! The record is an excellent example of the maturity and modernism that was coming out of the Chicago jazz scene as it hit the early 60s – and it features Strozier's soulful alto in the company of some of the city's best players, like pianist Chris Anderson, drummer Walter Perkins, bassist Bill Lee, and baritonist Pat Patrick, playing here away from Sun Ra's group! The title track alone is an incredibly fantastic composition, full of moodiness and incredible reed work – but the rest of the record's great, too, and features excellent originals like "The Need For Love", "The Crystal Ball", and "Pacemaker". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet cuts for the Christmas season – a great batch of jazz, vocal, and R&B numbers pulled from the postwar years – excellent songs and singles from a time when the best sort of Holiday music was coming out on record, year after year! The set's a great addition to the ever-growing Bear Family Christmas collections – and like the rest, it really shows a strong understanding of what makes a great Christmas tune so great – not just a hit, or a familiar chart number from the past – but new takes on old tunes, or fresh songs that really show just how much Holiday music was flooding the record business back in the day! The package is great, with notes on each track – and titles include "Ole Santa" by Dinah Washington, "Mambo Santa Mambo" by The Enchanters, "I've Had A Very Merry Christmas" by Jerry Lewis, "Happy New Year Baby" by Johnny Otis, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" by Ramsey Lewis, "Christmas Ball" by Georgie Auld with Bill Darnel, "Jingle Bells" by Knuckles O'Toole, "Jing A Ling Jing A Ling" by The Andrews Sisters, "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson, "Come On Santa Let's Have A Ball" by Kay Martin & Her Body Guards, and "Mister Santa" by Dorothy Collins. (Holiday Music, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet cuts for the Christmas season – a great batch of jazz, vocal, and R&B numbers pulled from the postwar years – excellent songs and singles from a time when the best sort of Holiday music was coming out on record, year after year! The set's a great addition to the ever-growing Bear Family Christmas collections – and like the rest, it really shows a strong understanding of what makes a great Christmas tune so great – not just a hit, or a familiar chart number from the past – but new takes on old tunes, or fresh songs that really show just how much Holiday music was flooding the record business back in the day! The package is great, with notes on each track – and titles include "Ole Santa" by Dinah Washington, "Mambo Santa Mambo" by The Enchanters, "I've Had A Very Merry Christmas" by Jerry Lewis, "Happy New Year Baby" by Johnny Otis, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" by Ramsey Lewis, "Christmas Ball" by Georgie Auld with Bill Darnel, "Jingle Bells" by Knuckles O'Toole, "Jing A Ling Jing A Ling" by The Andrews Sisters, "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson, "Come On Santa Let's Have A Ball" by Kay Martin & Her Body Guards, and "Mister Santa" by Dorothy Collins. (Holiday Music, Jazz) CD

Mindblowing jazz from Japan – a tremendous introduction to the 70s scene in Tokyo if you've never heard this music at all – and a package that also includes a fair bit of rare tracks, even if you're not a newcomer! The Japanese love of American jazz is no secret – and the music was spread widely there by American forces after WWII – but during the 70s, something really special happened, and the scene found a voice that was all its own – exploding with new energy to create sounds that were soulful, spiritual, and powerfully poetic! By the end of the 70s, Japanese fusion would get more global exposure – but most of the tracks here are acoustic, save for Fender Rhodes lines – and feature completely inventive, imaginative sounds – often set to grooves that are modal and spiritual too. A fantastic collection throughout – with tracks that include "Blind Man" by Shintaro Quintet, "White Fire" by Takao Uematsu, "Aya's Samba" by Eiji Nakayama, "Earth Mother" by Koichi Matsukaze, "Dead Letter" by Tohru Aizawa, "Kaze" by Takeo Moriyama, "Long Neal" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, "Unknown Point" by Mitsuaki Katayama, and "Little Island" by Fumio Karashima. 3LP set features bonus tracks – "Sea Breeze" by George Otsuka and "Ode To Workman" by Terumasa Hino and Reggie Workman. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Don't be put off by the title – as these guys aren't abrasive in the way that some noise act might be – and instead, they've got this really complex way of spinning out improvised sounds on an array of instruments – all in a spirit that's very much like the German work on the FMP label at the time! Axolotl are much more obscure – as a French trio, they were more overlooked – but they really share an ear for the best free improvisation that was exploding in the hippest scenes in Europe by the end of the 70s – served up here in a two-reed lineup that has Jacques Oger on tenor, baritone, and other reeds – and Etienne Brunet on alto, bass clarinet, and more – accompanied by guitarist Marc Duford. As you can imagine, with a lineup like that, there's plenty of fresh sounds within – delivered on shorter tracks that really keep their focus, with titles that include "Illusion", "Ombre Pilee", "Suave", "Dehors", "Paris Froisse", "Trottoirs Defunts", and "Couloir". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful hardbop from Boston – and one of the first-ever albums recorded by trumpeter Donald Byrd as a leader! The set was originally done for the obscure Transition label – also home to inventive early recordings by Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor – and as with those records, there's a very special sort of sound going on here – as the date's a quartet outing, with a very unusual group – with Ray Santisi on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Jim Zitano on bass – all giving Byrd plenty of room to solo in the lead. The record features a very different side than some of Donald's other early two-leader sessions (such as the dates with Pepper Adams) – especially as he blows with a warmth and moodiness that we don't normally hear from him at this point – sounding fantastic on titles that include "Little Rock Getaway", "If I Love Again", "What's New", and "Stella By Starlight". CD

A record of darkly brooding sounds from drummer Jack DeJohnette – a trio date, but one that's way more than any trio session you might expect – and definitely part of the great legacy of creative sounds that Jack has given us over the years! The lineup features Matthew Garrison on bass and electronics, and Ravi Coltrane on tenor, soprano, and sopranino sax – working together in textures of sounds that really benefit from DeJohnette's open conception of rhythm, as the group creates lots of textures and tones. Coltrane's sound grounds the whole thing with some soulful currents – and titles include a take on John Coltrane's "Alabama", which nicely sets up the excellent originals "In Movement" and "Two Jimmys" – the former a great showcase for Ravi's solos and the latter doing the same trick for Garrison's sly, almost sinister bass groove. Other titles include a shadowy take on Earth Wind & Fire's "Serpentine Fire", plus "Blue In Green", "Lydia", "Rashied", and "Soulful Ballad". CD

A set of incredible records from Charles Mingus – all presented together in one mighty nice package! First up is Mingus Moves – a fantastic fresh new chapter in the career of Charles Mingus – a set that features the addition of two key players who would really shape his sound in the 70s – Don Pullen on piano and George Adams on tenor, both completely wonderful here! The group also features excellent trumpet from Roland Hampton, a player we don't know from many other settings – and the set also features some really nice vocal work from Honi Gordon and Doug Hammond. Titles include "Canon", "Moves", "Wee", "Flowers For A Lady", "Opus 3", and "Newcomer". CD also features bonus tracks – "Big Alice" and "The Call". Changes is key 70s work from Charles Mingus – an album that was recorded over the course of three days of creative activity at the end of 1974, but somehow split into two different albums under the Changes name! The lineup here is prime 70s Mingus – George Adams on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Don Pullen on piano – young players who really give a fresh voice to Mingus' musical ideas, and help him find this beautiful late life sense of color, tone, and timing that's completely sublime! Titles on this second volume include "Sue's Changes", "Devil Blues", "Remember Rockefeller At Attica", "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA", "Black Bats & Poles", "For Harry Carney", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love" – which features a guest appearance by Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and Jackie Paris on vocals. On 3 Or 4 Shades Of Blues, Charles Mingus is returning to the soulful gospel-influenced mode he swung big in the early 60s! The record's something of a later predecessor of the classics Blues & Roots for Atlantic and Mingus (x5) for Impulse – and the style is slightly less dramatic, but still quite steeped in soulful explorations that feature plenty of notes from the bluer side of the spectrum! Players include George Coleman and Ricky Ford on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Larry Coryell on guitar – and titles include new takes on "Better Git Hit In Your Soul" and "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" – plus"Nobody Knows", "Noddin Ya Head Blues", and "Three Or Four Shades Of Blues". Next is Cumbia & Jazz Fusion – one of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". Me Myself An Eye is complicated later work from Charles Mingus – a great illustration of the way his power to command a large ensemble never wavered as the years went on! The album features two different large groups of players – filled with modernists young and old – including Ricky Ford, George Coleman, and Michael Brecker on tenors; Ronni Cuber and Pepper Adams on baritone; Randy Brecker and Jack Walrath on trumpets; Lee Konitz on alto, Larry Coryell on guitar, Slide Hampton on trombone, and Eddie Gomez on bass. Side one features the 30 minute track "Three Worlds Of Drums", and side two contains a remake of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting", plus "Devil Woman" and "Carolyn Keki Mingus". Something Like A Bird is one of the last albums Charles Mingus ever gave us – before departing this planet way way too soon! The set shows the increasing sophistication of Mingus' music in these later years – a mode that almost echoes the path that Duke Ellington would take in his final decade – a move towards some larger-form material that still holds onto all the raw energy of the early days, but finds a way to not only bridge larger musical ideas – but musical generations as well! As part of this, the set's got a wonderful lineup – with Lee Konitz on alto, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, George Coleman on tenor, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and titles include the long title track, "Something Like A Bird", split up over 2 sides of the LP, plus "Farewell Farwell". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from a real golden period in the career of improvising reedman Akira Sakata – that 80s moment when he stepped out even more strongly on his own than he did in previous years – sometimes using more space between his notes, and coming up with a sound that can be incredibly seductive, and surprisingly soulful at times! Sakata blows tenor here next to the drums of Takeo Moriyama – and he moves between moments of intensity and others of contemplation – as does Moriyama on the drums, which sometimes have a quality that's very low, or even brooding – before exploding again into new fireworks! The interplay between the pair is tremendous – very different than European free jazz of the time, on titles that include "Chiasma", "Ghosts", "Satsuki", "Archezoa", "Hachi", "Dance", "Tsui Oku", and "Mitochondria". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great meeting of talents – legendary reedman Sadao Watanabe, who'd already done plenty to bring the bossa nova to Japan by the time of this record – and a host of Brazilian musicians who further help him expand his groove! The combo is listed as Sadao's Brazilian 8 – and includes Jose Ferreira Godinho Filho on alto, Carlos Alberto Alcantara on tenor, Waldir De Barrios on trumpet, and Aparecido De Barros on trumpet – a group who are way more than just the added guitar and percussion that American musicians might use on such a set – although there's plenty of that here too! Watanabe's out front on alto and flute and he runs through a groovy set of bossa cuts that includes "Muito A Vontade", "Tristeza", "Barquinho Diferente", "Eu E A Brisa", "Bim Bom", and "E Nada Mais". LP, Vinyl record album