A set with all sorts of sharp angles and bold changes from a killer quartet that includes Rob Brown on alto and flute, Steve Swell on trombone, Chris Lightcap on bass, and Chad Taylor on drums – all very fluid, adaptive players who really make the most of this special setting! Pairing Brown and Swell is genius – and the latter almost seems to bring a boldness to the record at points that allows Rob to get slightly more sensitive, especially when he uses the flute. Taylor is really great too – with that magical sense of rhythm that often keeps things moving forward, while also circling around the edges to round up the posse too – an approach that's crucial to some of the more lively moments here. Titles include "Oblongata", "Piling On", "Stills", "Interjection", "Roxanne", "501 Memo", and "Steepening Curve". CD

A really unique take on the music of jazz legend Tadd Dameron – a set that focuses entirely on vocal versions of his compositions – a side of Dameron's legacy that's sometimes overlooked! Tadd wasn't that much of a lyricist himself – although he did do two of the songs here – while others are written by Irving Reid, Bernie Hanighen, and Jack Reynolds – all with a mix of lyrics that really fit the famous modern idiom in Dameron's music – delivered instrumentally by a core combo that features Gary Smulyan on plenty of strong baritone sax solos, with Pete Malinverni on piano, David Wong on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. Anais Reno handles all the vocals – and titles include "Sweet Life", "Never Been In Love", "Whatever Possessed Med", "Weekend", "Lovely One In The Window", and "You're A Joy". CD

One of the "bottomest" albums you'll ever hear – as trombonist Curtis Fuller meets baritone saxophonist Tate Houston – for a real session of "bone" and "bari" grooving that's one of the most striking Blue Notes of the time! The album features the pair working hard to push their instruments past conventional expectations – gliding with a fluid ease that you really wouldn't expect, yet still working out all the gutbuckety soul propensities that the instruments possess. Part of the strength of the session is the rhythm section – which features Sonny Clark on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – but another strong aspect is the choice of material, which includes some nice originals like "Again", "Pickup", "Nita's Waltz", and "Algonquin". CD

Sun Ra's first album as a leader – originally issued on the Transition label, but presented here in its better-known incarnation by Delmark Records! Even at this early point, Ra had a sound unlike any of his contemporaries – large group and modern, but not in a way that showed any similarities to work going on in New York or LA – a voice that was all his own, and already quite boldly stated, even in these early years! The format might be somewhat familiar – an ensemble with horns and rhythm – but the overall execution really starts to open up as the album moves on – with odd phrasings, timings, and unusual moments that live up to all the promise you might expect from Ra. Even Mingus and some of his better-known contemporaries weren't heading in these directions in the mid 50s – and the record is a proud showcase of the freedoms that players were often accorded in the less-trafficked Chicago scene of the time. Horns include Art Hoyle & Dave Young on trumpets, John Gilmore on tenor sax, Pat Patrick on baritone, Julian Priester on trombone, and James Scales on alto sax – and rhythm includes Jim Herndon on tympani, Robert Barry on drums, Wilbur Green on electric bass, and a young Richard Evans on acoustic bass! Titles include "Brainville", "Call For All Demons", "Transition", "Lullaby For Realville", "Street Named Hell", "New Horizons", "Fall Off The Long", "Possession", and "Future". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the "bottomest" albums you'll ever hear – as trombonist Curtis Fuller meets baritone saxophonist Tate Houston – for a real session of "bone" and "bari" grooving that's one of the most striking Blue Notes of the time! The album features the pair working hard to push their instruments past conventional expectations – gliding with a fluid ease that you really wouldn't expect, yet still working out all the gutbuckety soul propensities that the instruments possess. Part of the strength of the session is the rhythm section – which features Sonny Clark on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – but another strong aspect is the choice of material, which includes some nice originals like "Again", "Pickup", "Nita's Waltz", and "Algonquin". CD

Hard-swinging jazz featuring drummer Specs Powell – and a tight batch of Basie-esque players, grooving along on a number of short lively tracks that are almost in the Count Basie style of the Roulette years! The lineup features alto and baritone sax from Sahib Shihab, tenor and clarinet from Aaron Sachss, alto and flute from George Dorsey, trumpet from Ray Copeland and Leon Merian, and trombones from Jimmy Dahl and Jimmy Cleveland – and piano is handled by Hank Jones and Nat Pierce, the latter of whom really knows how to make a group like this swing nicely! The set includes some very fresh originals by Pierce – including "Spyder Blues", "Rat Race", "Movin In", "Suspicion", and "Dispossessed" – plus versions of "You Don't Know What Love Is", "He's My Guy", and "I'll Remember April". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful step forward for drummer Max Roach – working here in very creative company with saxophonist Anthony Braxton! Although Roach could have easily rested on his laurels as a famous bop drummer – and have spent endless years touring on highly-paid revival/reunion tours – he was a true creative giant who never stopped expanding his talents, especially during the late 70s, when he was matching up with some of the greats of the avant garde. This album is a perfect example of that commitment to modernism, as Roach duets with Anthony Braxton on a set of 7 fantastic tracks that stand apart from individual work by either artist – more loose and open than earlier Roach work, but a bit more inside than some of Braxton's – with fresh results from both players that never fail to delight! Titles include "Dance Griot", "Birth", "Tropical Forest", and "Spirit Possession". CD

Bill Laswell returns to his roots – working here in a setting that's loose, open, and relatively improvised – as Bill's electric bass carves out these wonderfully spacious, tuneful lines alongside the drums and percussion of Milford Graves! Given all of Laswell's higher-concept and heavily-processed work over the years, we sometimes forget that at his core, he can still be a sensitive jazz musician – especially when working in the right setting, which definitely seems to be the case here. The tracks are long, but never meandering – and Bill's basswork not only grounds the record and gives it structure, but also seems to really set Graves free to open up in nicely complex ways. Titles include "Another Space", "Sonny Sharrock", "Eternal Signs", "Another Time", and "Autopossession". CD

An overlooked soul jazz treasure from the early 90s – the debut as a leader by saxophonist Zane Massey, and still possibly his greatest record to date! Massey's the son of jazz composer/trumpeter Cal Massey – and the vibe here is similar to that of his father's best music – sophisticated, but never too heady – done with a nicely understated quality, yet still quite possessed of its own musical vision. Massey's got a great tone on his tenor here – sharp, but never too bitten – and the instrumentation features only saxophone, bass, and drums – in a style that reminds us a bit of the freedoms of Sonny Rollins in the late 50s, yet also with a consciousness of the 60s ESP and 70s loft jazz generations. Massey hits some incredibly soulful moments here – at a level that was hardly being recorded this well at the time – and titles include "Nu Kingdom", "Trickle Down Economics", "Message From Trane", "Through The Eyes Of A Child", "Assunta", "Walk Right In", and "Ms Magic". CD

Sun Ra's first album as a leader – originally issued on the Transition label, but presented here in its better-known incarnation by Delmark Records! Even at this early point, Ra had a sound unlike any of his contemporaries – large group and modern, but not in a way that showed any similarities to work going on in New York or LA – a voice that was all his own, and already quite boldly stated, even in these early years! The format might be somewhat familiar – an ensemble with horns and rhythm – but the overall execution really starts to open up as the album moves on – with odd phrasings, timings, and unusual moments that live up to all the promise you might expect from Ra. Even Mingus and some of his better-known contemporaries weren't heading in these directions in the mid 50s – and the record is a proud showcase of the freedoms that players were often accorded in the less-trafficked Chicago scene of the time. Horns include Art Hoyle & Dave Young on trumpets, John Gilmore on tenor sax, Pat Patrick on baritone, Julian Priester on trombone, and James Scales on alto sax – and rhythm includes Jim Herndon on tympani, Robert Barry on drums, Wilbur Green on electric bass, and a young Richard Evans on acoustic bass! Titles include "Brainville", "Call For All Demons", "Transition", "Lullaby For Realville", "Street Named Hell", "New Horizons", "Fall Off The Long", "Possession", and "Future". This CD reissue is really well-done too – with pages of writings by Ra, including some poetry! Also features the bonus track "Swing A Little Taste". CD

A wonderful step forward for drummer Max Roach – working here in very creative company with saxophonist Anthony Braxton! Although Roach could have easily rested on his laurels as a famous bop drummer – and have spent endless years touring on highly-paid revival/reunion tours – he was a true creative giant who never stopped expanding his talents, especially during the late 70s, when he was matching up with some of the greats of the avant garde. This album is a perfect example of that commitment to modernism, as Roach duets with Anthony Braxton on a set of 7 fantastic tracks that stand apart from individual work by either artist – more loose and open than earlier Roach work, but a bit more inside than some of Braxton's – with fresh results from both players that never fail to delight! Titles include "Dance Griot", "Birth", "Tropical Forest", and "Spirit Possession". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked soul jazz treasure from the early 90s – the debut as a leader by saxophonist Zane Massey, and still possibly his greatest record to date! Massey's the son of jazz composer/trumpeter Cal Massey – and the vibe here is similar to that of his father's best music – sophisticated, but never too heady – done with a nicely understated quality, yet still quite possessed of its own musical vision. Massey's got a great tone on his tenor here – sharp, but never too bitten – and the instrumentation features only saxophone, bass, and drums – in a style that reminds us a bit of the freedoms of Sonny Rollins in the late 50s, yet also with a consciousness of the 60s ESP and 70s loft jazz generations. Massey hits some incredibly soulful moments here – at a level that was hardly being recorded this well at the time – and titles include "Nu Kingdom", "Trickle Down Economics", "Message From Trane", "Through The Eyes Of A Child", "Assunta", "Walk Right In", and "Ms Magic". CD