Classic trio material from pianist Sonny Clark – a talent who left our planet all too soon, but who managed to record quite a number of really great albums for Blue Note in the second half of the 50s! Clark's talents were always great in a group with horns, but he's equally wonderful on a trio date like this – and gets a chance to show off both his strong sense of rhythm, and some more lyrical modes that really make the album sparkle – playing here in a perfect lineup with Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The set's easily one of the best straight trio sessions ever cut for Blue Note – tracks are longish, with a very hardbop groove – and titles include "Be Bop", "Two Bass Hit", "Tadd's Delight", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". CD features 3 bonus alternate takes! CD

One of the greatest recordings ever made by John Coltrane in his later years – a record that has him stepping off into really new territory that would have really been something, had he stayed on the planet long enough to make more recordings like this! The vibe is very experimental – almost predating loft jazz work to come in the 70s – as Coltrane works here just alongside the drums of Rashied Ali – a fantastic match for his mighty talents, as the pair work together with a whole new extrapolation of the spiritual territory that had been unlocked on more famous records of the time. The material didn't come out until years after Coltrane's death – at a time when others were already recording this way – but the set maybe blows away some of the best material of this nature from the 70s. Titles include "Mars", "Venus", "Jupiter", and "Saturn". CD

Maybe one of the greatest jazz albums of all time – a real breakthrough moment for the legendary John Coltrane, and the blueprint for generations of jazz records to come! Trane was already breaking down plenty of boundaries before Love Supreme – but he knocked it out of the park for the album – which is a full-length suite of spiritual expression, one that gives even greater focus and message to Coltrane's long-spiralling style of soloing on the tenor sax! The group here is the classic quartet – McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – taking Trane up to the heavens on waves of modal energy, but also holding his spirit closer to the planet than on some of later, more outside performances. There's a slight bit of vocalization on the record – that chanted energy that imbues the set with so much love – and movements include "Acknowledgement", "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm". CD

Maybe one of the greatest jazz albums of all time – a real breakthrough moment for the legendary John Coltrane, and the blueprint for generations of jazz records to come! Trane was already breaking down plenty of boundaries before Love Supreme – but he knocked it out of the park for the album – which is a full-length suite of spiritual expression, one that gives even greater focus and message to Coltrane's long-spiralling style of soloing on the tenor sax! The group here is the classic quartet – McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – taking Trane up to the heavens on waves of modal energy, but also holding his spirit closer to the planet than on some of later, more outside performances. There's a slight bit of vocalization on the record – that chanted energy that imbues the set with so much love – and movements include "Acknowledgement", "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm". CD

One of the last records that Booker Ervin ever recorded, and one of the best! There's a depth of tone and conception here that goes far beyond even Ervin's already-great albums for Prestige – a mix of modernism and soulful expression that really points the way towards jazz expression in the 70s – although sadly, Booker was to leave the planet before getting a chance to stretch out in that era. All 6 tracks on the album are originals – and they sparkle with the imagination found on some of the most top-shelf Blue Notes of the time – work by Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, or Wayne Shorter – played by a group that includes the amazing Richard Williams on trumpet (almost worth the price of the record alone), Bobby Few on piano, Lenny McBrowne on drums, and the little-known Cevera Jefferies on bass. Loads of dark edges, searing solos, and plenty of free flights into the sky – on titles that include "The In Between", "Tyra", "The Muse", "Mour", "Sweet Pea", and "Largo". 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

Charles Mingus recorded many great concerts over the years – but this huge double-length collection may well be one of the most likely to earn the title of "great" – as the lineup is superb, and the music really captures Mingus at a time when he was setting a new fire in his sound! The time is the magical year of 1964 – and Mingus works here with a small group that features Eric Dolphy at a time right before he was to leave our planet all too soon – stretching out with the kind of incredible solos that Mingus allowed players in his group – showing some of the new spirituality that was coming into his sound at the time, emboldened by the leadership of the famous bassist. Dolphy blows flute, alto, and bass clarinet – alongside tremendous work from Clifford Jordan on tenor – springboarding here into the more spiritual currents of his albums to come – next to work from the great Jaki Byard on piano and Dannie Richmond on drums. All titles are very long, filled with majestic solos – and tracks include "Fables Of Faubus", "Parkerana", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk", "ATFW", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Meditations On Integration". CD

A nice little live trio outing with Jason Moran's angular piano out front of Tarus Mateen on acoustic electric bass and Nasheet Waits on the kit. The set has a much freer, and more laguorous feel than Moran's great (if a little straight) Black Stars album, and fleshes out the more experimental ideas he put to tape solo on the Modernistic album. "Planet Rock" fares especially well in this setting – with the tight bass and snapping trap that was missing in the studio version. Another nice piece of work by possibly the greatest young talent on Blue Note right now! Other tracks include "Gangsterism On Canvas", "Ringing My Phone (Straight Outta Istanbul)", "Gentle Shifts South", "Body & Soul", "Infospace", "Out Front", and "Intermezzo Op. 118, No. 2". CD

One of Ra's last recordings – and a great one – caught live at a festival in Germany, with a group that includes Marshall Allen, Ahmed Abdullah, Jothan Callins, Tyrone Hill, Stanley Morgan, and Michael Ray. The set has that Ellingtonish flourish that crept into much of Ra's work after the mid 80s – handled with an edge that still keeps the sound all his own, but which shows an increasing preoccupation for straighter jazz expression, and well crafted large group arrangements – peppered with a few numbers that are more in the older space-spirit of the group. Ray sings vocals on a few numbers with Abdullah and Allen, and titles include "Satellites Are Scanning", "Calling Planet Earth", "Theme Of The Stargazers", "We Travel The Spaceways", and "Carefree". CD

The time is always right for Woody Shaw – as just about every album from the trumpeter's a gem, and this set's no exception to that rule! The set's an overlooked live date from the early 80s – one that features four long songs, just the sort of extended numbers that demonstrate Woody's wonderful talents on the trumpet – that soulful, soaring, exploratory style that really transformed the use of the instrument during Shaw's all-too-short time on this planet. The rhythm section is great – with Mulgrew Miller on long spiraling piano lines, Stafford James on bass, and Tony Reedus on drums – and Steve Turre's also in the group, blowing both trombone and that unique shell of his. Titles include "From Moment To Moment", "Time Is Right", "We'll Be Together Again", and "You & The Night & The Music". CD

An incredible 3CD set from Atomic – the increasingly amazing group of Scandinavian scene firebrands Fredrik Ljungkvist on reeds, Mangus Broo on trumpet, Havard Wiik on piano, Ingegbrigt Haker Flaten on bass and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums & percussion – who separately, and as a unit, must be acknowledged as some of the best modern free jazz players on the planet! If you thought that the title Retrograde might indicate a 3CD retrospective, think again. The set features 2 CDs of material captured over 2 days in July of 2007 – and a bonus third disc with the group doing their inimitable thing live at Tula's Jazz Club in Seattle! The studio work is as masterful as ever, always finding a killer groove and impeccable rhythmic dynamics – ratcheting up the intensity without the blunt force trauma that others in the free jazz underground bring on, balanced by spare moments and strains of the 60s heroes of avant garde jazz lurking in the shadows. Really wonderful stuff from players we love and respect more with each successive project! Titles include "Db Gestalt", "Retrograde", "Invisible Cities", "Correspondence", "Sweet Ebony", "King Kolax", "Invisible Cities II", "Papa", "Don Don", "Swedish Oklahoma" and more. The live disc has us kicking ourselves for not catching one of the group's Chicago shows, and the titles include "Crux", "Db Gestalt", "Painbody", "ABC 101b" and more. CD

One of the last albums that Albert Ayler ever recorded before his strange and mysterious early death – and one of his most memorable records as well! The record shows Ayler at the crossroads, filled with emotion and meaning, struggling to convey his message to a lager audience. At times, he takes a strange soul/jazz format to do so, and has tracks featuring backing by "the Soul Singers" – at others, he plays solo, with some of the most plaintive tones he ever laid down on wax! The record features an incredibly haunting "Message From Albert", plus the tracks "New Generation", "Sun Watcher", "New Ghosts", and "Free At Last". Completely fascinating, and a record that really makes you wonder what would have happened had he not left the planet so early! CD

The musical legacy of saxophonist Marion Brown knows no bounds – and although he gave the world some key studio records that helped define his role in the late 60s and early 70s, his live performances on this planet were an equally important demonstration of the righteous power he brought to his music! This rare 1969 concert from Germany is a key addition to that legacy of important Brown performances – and features the alto saxophonist in a very cool group with Ed Kroeger on trombone, blowing all these soulful lines next to Brown's alto – very spiritual throughout, at a level that really makes us which we knew more about his work. There's no piano in the group at all – just excellent bass from Sigi Busch, and drums from a young AACM hero Steve McCall – on titles that include "Ode To Coltrane", "Mary Ann", "Juba Lee", "Study For Four Instruments", "Modus Rhythmicus", and "Exhibition". CD

One of the greatest recordings ever made by John Coltrane in his later years – a record that has him stepping off into really new territory that would have really been something, had he stayed on the planet long enough to make more recordings like this! The vibe is very experimental – almost predating loft jazz work to come in the 70s – as Coltrane works here just alongside the drums of Rashied Ali – a fantastic match for his mighty talents, as the pair work together with a whole new extrapolation of the spiritual territory that had been unlocked on more famous records of the time. The material didn't come out until years after Coltrane's death – at a time when others were already recording this way – but the set maybe blows away some of the best material of this nature from the 70s. Titles include "Mars", "Venus", "Jupiter", and "Saturn". CD

Maybe one of the greatest jazz albums of all time – a real breakthrough moment for the legendary John Coltrane, and the blueprint for generations of jazz records to come! Trane was already breaking down plenty of boundaries before Love Supreme – but he knocked it out of the park for the album – which is a full-length suite of spiritual expression, one that gives even greater focus and message to Coltrane's long-spiralling style of soloing on the tenor sax! The group here is the classic quartet – McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – taking Trane up to the heavens on waves of modal energy, but also holding his spirit closer to the planet than on some of later, more outside performances. There's a slight bit of vocalization on the record – that chanted energy that imbues the set with so much love – and movements include "Acknowledgement", "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm". CD

The Indigo Trio – flautist Nicole Mitchell, double bassist and pianist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Hamid Drake – accompanied by fellow flautist Michel Edelin on this Rogue Art set! Ethiopian Princess Meets The Tantric Priest may be at its core a prime pairing of 2 of the most creative flute players on the planet, but the other players have ample space to do their thing – lots of it! 2 brilliantly communicative, yet distinct flutes, supported and matched by Bankhead and Drake masterfully. Half of the set is credited as Nicole Mitchell compositions: 'Top Secret", "Inside The Earth", "Wind Current" and "Ambre Sunset" – plus Edelin's "Derives" and "Call Back", Bankhead's "Return Of The Sun" and the stellar title piece, credited to the group. CD

Key moments in the career of Charles Mingus – all recorded during the crucial years of 1964 and 1965, and featuring the first-time release of a fair bit of live material too! The set represents the first full presentation of recordings that have appeared piecemeal on a handful of obscure releases – self-released records from Mingus himself – Town Hall, My Favorite Quintet, and Music Written For Monterey – all really expanded here with the full recordings of the tracks, and unreleased titles provided from the original tapes! Mingus was really on fire during these years – severed from most of his bigger label associations, and freely working on some of his most inventive ideas with various smaller groups of players – all fresh young talents who were key interpreters of Charles' ideas – including Johnny Coles and Lonnie Hillyer on trumpet, Jimmy Owens on trumpet and flugelhorn, Charles McPherson on alto sax, Clifford Jordan on tenor, Jaki Byard on piano, Eric Dolphy on alto, flute, and bass clarinet. The stalwart Dannie Richmond is on drums, and the sides represent some of Dolphy's last, and most important recordings on the planet – recordings done at Town Hall and in Amsterdam in April of 1964 – in addition to live material at Monterey in 1964 and 1965, in Minneapolis in May of 1965. Tracks are all quite long – some pushing the half-hour timing – and as with the best live Mingus, there's variations here that go way past any studio readings – really incredible solo flights that are still beautifully integrated with the ideas of the main group. Titles include "So Long Eric", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk", "Mingus Piano Solo", "Bird Preamble", "Themeless Blues", "Copa City Titty", "A Lonely Day In Selma", "Cocktails For Two", "Praying With Eric", "Parkeriana", "ATFW", "Meditations On A Pair Of Wire Cutters", and "Meditations On Integration". 7CDs, limited edition, and with a great book of notes too! CD

A really smoking live set from Art Pepper – recorded quite late in his too-short career, and a great reminder that he still had plenty to offer us when he left the planet! The tracks are all very long, and Art's a masterful soloist throughout – blowing with the sort of non-stop energy and creative vision used on some of his famous expanded live dates from the final years – including the Vanguard sessions box set! Yet there's also maybe even more bite here – a very intense approach a times, driven strongly by a trio that features Milcho Leviev on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Al Foster on some especially strong drums. Titles include "Goodbye", "Red Car", "What Is This Thing Called Love", and "Make A List Make A Wish". CD

A really beautiful collection of rare tracks from Sun Ra – put together by the mighty Gilles Peterson, who we've trusted for years to give us some of the most soulful, cosmic music on this planet! Gilles has a wonderful ear for a certain strand of sounds from Ra and the Arkestra – their more spacey, more spiritual moments – which are strung together in this wicked double-length collection – which also includes a few tracks never issued before! The inside is as beautiful as the cover, and the whole thing's got copious notes on the music – including some track-by-track details that never showed up on some of the original records. 2CD set features 34 tracks in all – with titles that include "When There Is No Sun", "Spontaneous Simplicity", "Love In Outer Space (voc)", "On Jupiter, "We Travel the Spaceways", "Sleeping Beauty", "Mystery Mr Ra", "Blackman", "The All Of Everything", "The World Of Africa", "They Plan To Leave", "Children Of The Sun", "Dreaming", "Black Sky & Blue Moon", "Enlightenment", and "India". CD

Really wonderful work from Sun Ra – a host of recordings cut at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Fest in the early 70s – always a very welcoming audience for the Arkestra at the time! We're not sure what was in the water, but it always seems like the group really hit their stride at the festival – opening up with a force and intensity that really goes past some of their other recordings! It's almost as if the enthusiastic mix of ages and cultures present really ignited the best energies in the Arkestra – having them hit the kind of righteous crescendo of their best Space Is The Place identity – and even some of the more avant, outside moments have a focus that the group hardly seems to reach this well! The material is from the John Sinclair archives – originally issued on the CDs Life Is Splendid, Outer Space Employment Agency, and It Is Forbidden – but somehow sounding even more amazing in a tight package like this – with loads of amazing keyboards from Ra, soulful vocals from June Tyson, Cheryl Banks, and Judith Holton, and wonderful supporting reeds from the Arkestra. Titles include "Space Is The Place", "Enlightenment", "What Planet Is This", "Immeasurable", "Love In Outer Space", "Watusi", "Images", and some great untitled improvisations. CD

Sun Ra left the planet a few decades ago, but his Arkestra has been going strong – really carrying the torch that the great one kept burning – and stepping out here in their first studio album in 20 years! The record is really something special – that core Sun Ra spirit, but taken in righteous territory that shows just how much the group has evolved in his absence – still with alto saxophonist Marshall Allen as the leader, but a combination of classic Arkestra members and younger musicians who have really helped continue that legacy of mentorship and spiritual exploration that was always the greater mission of the ensemble. The production is great – never too commercial, and handled brilliantly to capture the spirit of the group at their most expressive – with a lineup that also features Knoel Scott on alto, James Stewart on tenor and flute, Michael Ray and Cecil Brooks on trumpets, Vincent Chancey on French horn, Farid Barron on piano, Dave Hotep on guitar, Akatunde and Elso Nascimento on percussion, and Tara Middleton on vocals and violin. Titles include "Sea Of Darkness/Darkness", "Swirling", "Seductive Fantasy", "Sunology", "Door Of The Cosmos/Shy", "Satellites Are Spinning/Lights On A Satellite", "Infinity/I'll Wait For You", and "Angels & Demons At Play". CD

We completely love the music of Woody Shaw – but unfortunately, the legendary trumpeter left this planet way too soon, and only gave us about 20 years of recordings! Fortunately, the vaults have yielded some gems like this over the years – unreleased live material that not only adds to the space in Woody's catalog, but also really shows us how special he could be in a live setting! Shaw's got this strength of imagination and inner spirituality that never falters at all, even when the tracks are stretching out nice and long – which they really do here, as almost all the numbers move way past the ten minute mark – and have Woody blowing magnificent solos throughout. The group is great, too, with Mulgrew Miller on piano, Tony Reedus on drums, and Stafford James on some especially crucial bass – an instrument that always seems to drive Shaw onto new heights when it's handled the right way, which it definitely is here. Titles include "Eastern Joy Dance", "Rahssan's Run", "The Organ Grinder", "Pressing The Issue", "Sweet Love Of Mine", "Katrina Ballerina", and "400 Years Ago Tomorrow". CD

One of the most righteous albums ever from saxophonist John Tchicai – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given the depth of his other work! This rare late 60s date for MPS is a tremendous extension from Tchicai's earlier work, even his other European sessions – as it features John recording with a very large ensemble on side one – a full jazz orchestra with a really groundbreaking approach to its music – an ambitious, fully expressive ensemble led by trumpeter Hugh Steinmetz, who also solos strongly on the record as well. Steinmetz also contributed the title composition "Afrodisiaca", which is a 22 minute long piece played by the orchestra – and Tchicai wrote most of the tracks on side two, which are played by a smaller group, but with a similarly expressive feel! These tracks include "This Is Heaven", "Lakshimi", "Heavenly Love On A Planet", and "Fodringsmontage" – and all feature amazing solo lines from John on alto and soprano sax. CD

A jazz vocal masterpiece from Sarah Vaughn – one of her greatest albums ever, and a record that raised the bar for countless vocal sessions in years to come! Sarah's working here in an intimate group arranged by Ernie Wilkins – filled with famous trumpet solo work by Clifford Brown, during his last few years on the planet - plus tenor from Paul Quinichette, flute from Herbie Mann, and piano from Jimmy Jones. Sarah's vocals are incredible – curving, turning, and lilting with a tremendous amount of jazz-based inflection – and titles include "Lullaby Of Birdland", "April In Paris", "September Song", "He's My Guy", and "I'm Glad There Is You". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

The second album from Chicago vibist Jason Adasiewicz and his Rolldown group – giving us some of the best vibes-led jazz in years! The group features players from the Chicago scene that are truly at the forefront of an exciting wave of modern jazz in the city, and anywhere else on the planet – coronet player Josh Berman, Aram Shelton on alto sax and clarinet, Frank Rosaly on drums, and Jason Roebke on bass – rolling along with sound that combines an avant energy with classic dexterity. The interplay is intuitive and dynamic, balancing tense and playful moments with precision. Wonderful! Includes "Green Grass", "Varmint", "Dagger", "Hide", "I Hope She Is Awake", "Punchbag" and "The Griots". CD

The first album from the great Special Edition group of drummer Jack DeJohnette – a wickedly sharp record that's as equally tight on the reeds as it is on the drums! The album features brilliant work on tenor and bass clarinet from David Murray, and equally nice alto from Arthur Blythe – both criss-crossing and soaring out effortlessly in each others' company – amidst complex rhythmic impulses from DeJohnette on drums, and both bass and cello from Peter Warren. Jack also plays a bit of piano and melodica as well – and titles include "One For Eric", "Zoot Suite", "Central Park West", "India", and "Journey To The Twin Planet". CD

The last Liberation Music Orchestra effort from the great Charlie Haden – offered up here in a set that brings together two live performances from a time when he was still on the planet, plus three more songs by the group on their own – working under the guidance of longtime musical partner Carla Bley! The set begins with a beautiful reworking of Miles Davis' "Blue In Green" – redone here by Haden and the group as a masterpiece of color and tone – and the record closes with a version of Haden's "Song For The Whales", both recorded with Charlie and the group in 2011. In between are three more new performances, post-Haden – the beautiful titles "Time Life/Silent Spring", and "Utviklingssang" – all of which really live up to that long legacy of amazing colors and tones that the group did so well. The two different slices of music come together beautifully, and make for a surprisingly unified set in the end. CD

Amazing early work from Lennie Tristano – and proof that he'd developed all of his modernist ideals firmly in the years before his birth of the cool fame. The tracks are from obscure sources, and most likely appeared on 78 rpm records – and the dates given range from 1946 to 1949. Players include all the likely suspects – like Billy Bauer, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, and others – and although the recording quality isn't always excellent, the conception is, and the CD is perhaps one of the best on the market to give a clear picture of Tristano's true genius! There's a total of 26 cuts in all – including "Disgression", "Out On A Limb", "Interlude", "Blues", "Atonement", "Supersonic", and "On A Planet". CD

Definitely a swell group – one that features the tenor and bass clarinet of Gebhard Ullmann and trombone of Steve Swell – a two-horn frontline that's mighty powerful! Support is given by Hilliard Greene on bass and Barry Altschul on drums – the latter of whom has this way of rapid-fire propelling the record, giving it energy that really matches the dynamic quality of the horns! Titles include "More Hello", "New York 5:50", "Composite #1", "Berlin 9:35", "Airtight", and "Planet Hopping On A Thursday Afternoon". CD