Great stuff by this fantastic funky fusion outfit that included Billy Hart on percussion, Eddie Green on electric piano, and Odeon Pope on tenor and flute. The real highlight, though, is Pat Gleason on arp, who adds a lot of cool dark moody touches to the group's fusiony playing. The whole record's a stellar mix of soul jazz and edgey electric playing, and it's far and above one of the best albums ever to be released on Muse. It's also one of the hardest to find, too, and this is one of the rare few copies we've ever seen! Tracks include "Celestial Bodies", "Got To Be There", "Uzuri", and "Perception". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazingly beautiful set of tracks from Art Farmer – playing here with superb accompaniment from a young Harold Mabern on piano, in a laidback quartet format that really lets Art open up! Art's playing is fresh and creative throughout – never too over the top, and always blown with that subtle genius that he was bringing to his work in the 60s – a pure exercise in understatement, with a quality that seems to make the notes fall out of the air by themselves. Rhythm is by Tommy Williams on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums – and the choice of material includes Tom McIntosh's great composition "The Day After", plus Art's "Punsu" and "Kayin" – and versions of "Change Partners", "Blue Room", and "Nobody's Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovily tripped-out work from vibist Dave Pike – and one of the few American albums that matches the experimental sound of his work for MPS! The session's often quite free and open – in a way that not only uses odd instrumental combinations and arrangements, but which also features some offbeat production by Herbie Mann that further abstracts the sound! Elements of Pike's earlier work shine through in a few of the more straightforward groovers, but his new European-endowed sense of hipness wins in the end – thanks to a good deal of modal grooves, psychedelic elements, and even a bit of fuzzy Fender bass! Other players include Lee Konitz on alto sax, Don Friedman on piano, Chuck Israel on bass (electric and acoustic), and Eddie Daniels on tenor and clarinet – and titles include "Free Improvisation", "The Drifter", "Ballad", "The Doors Of Perception", and "Anticipation". LP, Vinyl record album

Really fantastic work from Dizzy Gillespie – proof that of all the original boppers, he was maybe the one who really continued to experiment over the years – as he comes across here with a great blend of electric funk and jazz! The whole album has a sly sweet funky sound that's part CTI/part Latin-tinged Dizzy – and the real strength is the great Mike Longo, who plays some amazing stretched out piano lines, which work perfectly with the basslines on the record as a foil for Dizzy's sparkling trumpet solos. The instrumentation also features great use of Latin percussion too, and the album's got 4 long cuts – including the excellent "Me N Them", plus "Olinga", "Timet", and "Diddy Wa Diddy". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning funk from the great Dizzy Gillespie – light years away from his early bop recordings! The album's a slammin batch of 70s instrumentals – Dizzy's trumpet firmly in the lead over electric backings that have more than a bit of funk in them – a bit like his Soul Salvation record, and but slightly more open overall – with a groovy vibe throughout! The bass is the main driving factor of the tunes – played either by Phil Upchurch or Chuck Rainey – and the tracks bounce along with a fierce and righteous groove that also includes hard riffing on guitar and some sweet piano lines. Players include Mike Longo, James Moody, and Bernard Purdie – and tracks include "N'Bani", "Matrix", "Soul Kiss", "Ding A Ling", and "Alligator". Great stuff, and a crucial album in Dizzy's lost career! Damn funky, too. LP, Vinyl record album

One of those great funky records that James Moody cut for the Perception label in the early 70s – a set tha has some mighty nice piano from the great Mike Longo! Eddie Jefferson sings vocals on a hilarious version of "Pennies From Heaven", and other titles include "Heritage Hum", "Road Runner", "Soul Searching", and "Travel On". LP, Vinyl record album

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

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". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual early 70s live date – with long tracks that include "Perception", "Blues March", and "Bird Like" – plus work by Bill Hardman on trumpet, David Schnitter on tenor, Mickey Tucker on piano, and Cameron Brown on bass! CD

An unusual early 70s live date – with long tracks that include "Perception", "Blues March", and "Bird Like" – plus work by Bill Hardman on trumpet, David Schnitter on tenor, Mickey Tucker on piano, and Cameron Brown on bass! LP, Vinyl record album

Kenny Burrell at his best – lean, mean, playing in a stripped down session that he rarely matched in later years! The record's got an open-ended jam session feel – Kenny listed as the leader, but playing in a laidback setting with Cecil Payne on baritone, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. The album's long tracks move along at a soulful pace, letting in a lot of room for solo work – especially from Burrell and Payne, who never sounded better! Titles include "Drum Boogie", "Perception", "Strictly Confidential", and "Don't Cry Baby". CD

A great CD that combines most of the material on Art's two albums for Argo – Art (1960) and Perception (1961). Art is a beautiful album of understated brilliance – one of Farmer's early shifts into the sublime, an easily blown batch of trumpet tracks played with trio backing by Tommy Flanagan, Tommy Williams, and Albert Heath. The tracks are all in the four to five minute range, with Art crafting lyrically soulful lines over the top. Titles include "Who Cares", "Out Of The Past", "Younger Than Springtime", "That Ole Devil Called Love", and "Goodbye Old Girl". Perception is similar, an amazingly beautiful set of tracks from Art – playing with superb accompaniment from a young Harold Mabern, in a laidback quartet format that really lets Art open up! Art's playing is fresh and creative throughout – never over the top, with that subtle genius that he was bringing to his work in the 60s – and the choice of material includes Tom McIntosh's great composition "The Day After", plus Art's "Punsu" and "Kayin". One track from each album has been omitted to fit the material on one CD (which is BS, by the way, as the CD is only 64 minutes long!) – but if you can stand having the incomplete versions of the albums, this is a great deal for some rare material! CD

The stuff of legend – and not just work by the Jazztet combo, but also solo albums from Art Farmer and Benny Golson too! Set includes Jazztet albums Meet The Jazztet, Big City Sounds, Jazztet & John Lewis, Jazztet At Birdhouse, Another Git Together, and Here & Now; Benny Golson albums Turning Point, Free, and Take A Number From 1 to 10; plus Art Farmer albums Art, Listen To Art Farmer, and Perception. CD

A fantastic bit of late 60's funk, and a surprisingly slammin' record from Dizzy! The album's got tight, hard, choppy funk arrangements from Ed Bland – who went onto to do some great work at the Perception label – and the group features James Moody blowing hard lean funky solos right next to Diz, in the way that he'd do on some of his own funk work from the same time. The record is wonderful all the way through – killer heavy drums, heavy electric bass, searing sax solos from Diz and Moody – all produced with a mad mad full-on funk sound that will make your jaw drop! Titles include "Blue Chuchifrito", "Chicken Giblets", "Rutabega Pie", "The Fly Fox", "Pot Licka" "Stomped & Wasted" and "Casbah Melon". CD

A fantastic bit of late 60's funk, and a surprisingly slammin' record from Dizzy! The album's got tight, hard, choppy funk arrangements from Ed Bland – who went onto to do some great work at the Perception label – and the group features James Moody blowing hard lean funky solos right next to Diz, in the way that he'd do on some of his own funk work from the same time. The record is wonderful all the way through – killer heavy drums, heavy electric bass, searing sax solos from Diz and Moody – all produced with a mad mad full-on funk sound that will make your jaw drop! Titles include "Blue Chuchifrito", "Chicken Giblets", "Rutabega Pie", "The Fly Fox", "Stomped & Wasted" and "Casbah Melon". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic bit of late 60's funk, and a surprisingly slammin' record from Dizzy! The album's got tight, hard, choppy funk arrangements from Ed Bland – who went onto to do some great work at the Perception label – and the group features James Moody blowing hard lean funky solos right next to Diz, in the way that he'd do on some of his own funk work from the same time. The record is wonderful all the way through – killer heavy drums, heavy electric bass, searing sax solos from Diz and Moody – all produced with a mad mad full-on funk sound that will make your jaw drop! Titles include "Blue Chuchifrito", "Chicken Giblets", "Rutabega Pie", "The Fly Fox", "Pot Licka" "Stomped & Wasted" and "Casbah Melon". LP, Vinyl record album

Very much the sort of record that's made James Brandon Lewis such a key force on the tenor in recent years – an album that acts as a bridge between so many different modern modes, in part because of the strength of the group! Lewis is one of that rare breed who can improvise on the outside, yet still retain a soulful swing – almost a quality that hearkens back to 60s avant jazz giants – and we can say that same about the rest of the group here, a lineup that features Aruan Ortiz on piano, Brad Jones on bass, and Chad Taylor on drums – the last of whom is especially marvelous in this endeavor! It almost seems as if Lewis gets better and better with each new record – and that's certainly the case here – n titles that include "Black Apollo", "Triptych", "Elan Vital", "Empirical Perception", "Transfiguration", and "Swerve". CD

A sweet set of electric funk from James Moody – and a great little record to match the grooves he was laying down at the Perception label in the early 70s – with a very unique sound! Moody's working here alongside some sweet work on electric piano by either Jodie Christian or Tennyson Stephens – and with some sly and soulful arrangements by Chicago soul maestro Richard Evans, who also plays bass on the record and gives it a style that's almost an extension of the later Cadet kind of groove. The album features an excellent funky instrumental version of " First Thing I Do In the Morning", originally a funky vocal 45 by Chicago singer Joyce Williams – and other cuts include "Trilby", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely", "World Is A Ghetto", "Good Sense Humor Man", and "Country City Country". CD

A sweet set of electric funk from James Moody – and a great little record to match the grooves he was laying down at the Perception label in the early 70s – with a very unique sound! Moody's working here alongside some sweet work on electric piano by either Jodie Christian or Tennyson Stephens – and with some sly and soulful arrangements by Chicago soul maestro Richard Evans, who also plays bass on the record and gives it a style that's almost an extension of the later Cadet kind of groove. The album features an excellent funky instrumental version of " First Thing I Do In the Morning", originally a funky vocal 45 by Chicago singer Joyce Williams – and other cuts include "Trilby", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely", "World Is A Ghetto", "Good Sense Humor Man", and "Country City Country". CD

A lost bit of Stanley Turrentine funky work – recorded between his years at Blue Note and his time at CTI, and nearly lost to the pages of history! Despite the obscurity, though, the album's a great one – done with these short stomping sort of arrangements that remind us a lot of the work on Blue Mitchell's Bantu Village album, or the style used on some of the Dizzy Gillespie funk sides for Perception! (And honestly, we think there's a lot of Monk Higgins' influence on the set, even though he doesn't seem to be credited.) The group's ultra-hip – with Freddy Robinson on guitar, Wilton Felder on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums, Victor Feldman on vibes, and King Errison on congas – and tracks are short, soulful, and very much to the point! The groove is really surprising – but tremendous – and is as essential to fans of funk as it is to those of Stanley's other work. 5 numbers in all: "Flipped", "I'm The One", "Toe Hold", "I Only Get This Feeling" and "Flipped Out". LP, Vinyl record album

Probably the best jazz album that Phil Upchurch ever cut! Phil plays in two settings here – one with a funky large group, arranged and conducted by Ed Bland (who did a lot of the work for Perception records in the early 70s) – the other with a quintet that includes Wynton Kelly, Richard Davis, Jimmy Cobb, and Montego Joe! To our ears, the best stuff's the large group material, because Upchurch's years of studio work seem to come to the forefront as he wails with the large arrangements – but the quartet material's also pretty darn great, as Phil rarely got a chance to play in such a tight small combo jazz setting, and Montego Joe's conga work really grooves those tunes up nicely as well! Tracks include "Feeling Blue", "Stop & Listen", "Muscle Soul", "Israel", and "Subaceous Lament". (Soul, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Charles Earland really soars to the heavens here – working in a style that's very different than his early jazz albums on Prestige, but which still features plenty of great solo moments too! Earland's key partner in crime here is the great Randy Muller – the man behind the sound of Brass Construction and BT Express – working on arrangements and production to help the keys of Charles get all these excellent grooves – modes that move between midtempo jazz funk to a few clubbier tracks – all in the hippest side of the 70s spectrum! Earland has expanded his keyboard range past straight Hammond, and works all this other great magic into the Fender Rhodes and other instruments – and the record also features backing vocals from the group Skyy – who would soon go on to great fame on their own, thanks to Muller. Titles include "Let The Music Play", "I Like It", "Changes", "Over & Over", and "Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

A swirling array of tones, colors, and sounds – written and arranged by JJ Johnson, conducted by Gunther Schuller, and with Dizzy at the helm, blowing some of his most complicated solos ever. The approach is firmly in the Verve jazz orchestra tradition – and recalls the earlier brilliance of such projects in the hands of Ralph Burns, done here with a great depth of expression, and none of the coldness that you might expect from Schuller's participation. Clearly, there's a Miles/Gil Evans influence here, but the crew retains their identity strongly – and Dizzy's hot tone on the trumpet provides a broder spectrum than Miles ever could. Titles include "Fantasia", "Ballade", "Jubelo", and "The Sword Of Orion". CD

A swirling array of tones, colors, and sounds – written and arranged by JJ Johnson, conducted by Gunther Schuller, and with Dizzy at the helm, blowing some of his most complicated solos ever. The approach is firmly in the Verve jazz orchestra tradition – and recalls the earlier brilliance of such projects in the hands of Ralph Burns, done here with a great depth of expression, and none of the coldness that you might expect from Schuller's participation. Clearly, there's a Miles/Gil Evans influence here, but the crew retains their identity strongly – and Dizzy's hot tone on the trumpet provides a broder spectrum than Miles ever could. Titles include "Fantasia", "Ballade", "Jubelo", and "The Sword Of Orion". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of Columbia Records sets from Jean-Luc Ponty – served up here in a single package! First up is Gift Of Time – a set that really shows him embracing keyboards much more than at the start of his career – even though he also still turns in plenty of great jazzy sounds on violin! Ponty often seems to be mixing both – using the keyboards to augment inflections in the violin – at a level that makes you feel like he's not using the older stringed instrument at all during some sections, even though it's there in the mix. The set's got a vibe that very much fits with its cover – somewhat lean, with guitar from Pat Thomi, bass from Baron Browne, and percussion and drums from Rayford Griffin. Titles include "Faith In You", "New Resolutions", "No More Doubts", "Metamorphosis", and "Introspective Perceptions". Storytelling is a set that has Jean-Luc Ponty really staying on top of his fusion game – part of that ever-evolving run of records that took the European musician from early straight jazz violin records in the 60s, to the height of American jazz crowds in the 70s and 80s! Here, Ponty continues his exploration of various keyboard modes, while also folding in warm work on electric violin – a blend that's surprisingly seductive, and augmented along the way with guest work from Grover Washington on soprano sax, and Patrice Rushen on additional keyboards. The core group also has guitar from Jamie Glaser, and piano and more keyboards from Wally Minko – on titles that include "Tender Memories", "In The Fast Lane", "After The Storm", "The Amazon Forest", "A Journey's End", and "Pastoral Harmony". Tchokola is a very different record than usual for Jean-Luc Ponty – as you maybe can tell from the global-styled image on the cover! This time around, Ponty's bringing in some key elements from African music – plenty of live, acoustic percussion, which makes for a really great blend with the warmer keyboard and electric violin styles he's normally known for! The percussion was recorded at an analog level, which helps it retain its warmth – a great mix of balafon, tama, sabar, bongos, and other instruments – plus some nice use of kora too. There's also some vocals on the record – sung by Angelique Kidjo and Myriam Betty – and titles include "Yeke Yeke", "Rhum N Zouc", "Cono", "Bottle Bop", "Tchokola", "Sakka Sakka", and "Mouna Bowa". CD