A legendary album from the 70s funk scene – and one of the crowning achievements of keyboard maestro Eumir Deodato! Deodato got his start during the bossa years of the 60s – where his sophisticated charts were already enough to make his career a landmark – but in the following decade he picked up the Fender Rhodes, and really took off in a great new direction with classic records like this! The set's a wonderful blend of larger charts and jazzy soloing – with sublime Rhodes lines from the leader, plus a mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation in the best CTI mode – underscored by percussion from both Ray Barretto and Airto. The features Deodato's remake of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" into the funky "2001" – soaring with Fender Rhodes lines that set a new standard for the instrument, with a funky undercurrent that few would have expected for the tune. Other tracks are nice too – and include a great bossa-y version of "Baubles Bangles & Beads", plus "Spirit Of Summer", "September 13", and "Carly & Carole". LP, Vinyl record album

Early work from this great pianist – in a quintet with Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Javon Jackson on tenor, Peter Washington on bass, and Tony Reedus on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the harder to find Red Garland albums on Prestige, and a trio session recorded with Specs Wright on drums and Jimmy Rowser on bass. This was Prestige's first live night club recording, and it's recorded live on location at the Prelude in Harlem. Red's a little bit less mannered than usual, and he opens up nicely on a set of material that's pretty much in the Harlem jazz lounge bag of the time – "Satin Doll", "Perdido", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "There'll Never Be Another You", "Let Me See", "Prelude Blues", "Just Squeeze Me" and "One O'Clock Jump". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-ever Mel Torme jazz vocal albums – right up there with his best Bethlehem recordings! The set was recorded with Marty Paich's Dek-tette, who set the tone perfectly for the warmly perfect style of The Velvet Fog – and who, like Mel, manage to be totally polished, yet also still swing with a fair bit of emotion. The result is a swinging batch of standards that lets Mel shine at his best – including titles like "I've Got The World On A String", "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You", "Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea", and "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Hey Girl", "Nassau Day", "Livin Inside Your Love", "Welcome Into My World", "Before You Go", "Unchained Melody", "Love Ballad", "Prelude To Fall", and "Soulful Strut". LP, Vinyl record album

Candido cut sooo many great Latin records over the years, spanning a wide range of styles, we have a hard time deciding which we love the best. We like to think this may be his best album from the early part of his career, specifically because it features the master conga player amidst a tight jazz lineup, who leave him plenty of room to solo and just plain get down doing his thing. Dick Hyman's on organ, Joe Puma's on guitar, and Ernie Royal's on trumpet, with George Duvivier and Charlie Persip in the rhythm section. 8 tracks in all, including "Afro Blue", "Caravan", "Softly But Blue", "Blue Lou", "Blue Prelude", "Bongo Baby", "Blue Dirge" and "Candido Cocktail". (Latin, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Funky keyboards galore – and one of the greatest records ever from this legendary Brazilian jazz talent! The album follows nicely off Deodato's Prelude classic for CTI – and like that one, this set's built on long-flowing tunes that rise and fall with a wonderful sense of rhythm – a sublime electric piano groove that's quite different than anything Deodato recorded before – and possibly never realized this perfectly again after his CTI years. Other players include Stanley Clarke on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, and Hubert Laws on flute – and titles include the massive Latin funk track "Super Strut", plus the tunes "Pavane For A Dead Princess", "Skyscrapers", and a great version of "Nights In White Satin". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully laidback album from Barney Kessel – gentle guitar stepping around familiar standards, but all with a hip sort of west coast 50s flavor! The main group on the album features Bob Cooper on oboe and tenor, Claude Williamson on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums – but a few extra tunes, added to expand the full LP from the original 10" session, feature Hampton Hawes on piano and Red Mitchell on bass – plus the rest of the other group. Titles include "Speak Low", "Love Is Here To Stay", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "On A Slow Boat To China", "Barney's Blues", "A Foggy Day", "Prelude To A Kiss" and "64 Bars On Wilshire" – obviously not a standard! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful laid back LP from Barney Kessel, with a mellow west coast feel throughout. Kessel's got a nice sympathetic quintet supporting him on this date, with Bob Cooper, Claude Williamson, Monty Budwig and Shelly Manne. 8 numbers in all, including "Speak Low", "Love Is Here To Stay", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "On A Slow Boat To China", "Barney's Blues", "A Foggy Day", "Prelude To A Kiss" and "64 Bars On Wilshire". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that will blow your mind – way different than you might expect from the cover! Sure, Pee Wee was a bit of a traditionalist on his instrument – the clarinet – but he's working here in a starkly modern way that almost recalls some of the best 50s work of Jimmy Guiffre, or some of the earlier sides by Steve Lacy. There's still a swing-based approach to the tunes, but they're handled in a spare style that features equal interplay between Russell, trombonist Marshall Brown, bassist Russell George, and drummer Ronnie Bedford – a great player who really makes the album sparkle! The tracks include a couple of Thelonious Monk titles – "Ask Me Now!" and "Hackensack" as well as a couple of Marshall Brown originals – "Licorice Stick" and "Calypso Walk". Other titles are Ornette Coleman's "Turnaround", Coltrane's "Some Other Blues" and Ellington's "Prelude To A Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album

The great Lalo Schifrin plays piano and leads a crack group of studio players through some larger orchestral material with a nice jazzy feel! The overall approach is similar to Lalo's classic 60s soundtrack work – with nice solos arching out over sweeping strings and orchestral passages, and all tracks written with a good deal of punch, plus lots of little Latiny influences. Easily one of his most perfectly conceived albums of the 60s – and pretty darn tough to find. Tracks are long and titles include "El Salon Mexico", "New Fantasy", "Sabre Dance", and "Prelude #2". LP, Vinyl record album

The mighty Lonnie Liston Smith live – sounding every bit as great as he did on his famous studio sessions from the 70s – and maybe even more freewheeling too! The feel of the record is really tremendous – extremely soulful, with Lonnie jamming away on keyboards as the band grooves up these cool spacey rhythms – stepping out in territory that's definitely the more cosmic side of jazz funk, with those righteous currents that always made Lonnie so great. The whole thing's wonderful – with loads of great electric work, and an overall spiritual vibe that's every bit as great as his albums for Flying Dutchman – and players include Donald Smith on flute and a bit of vocals, Dave Hubbard on tenor and soprano sax, and Lonnie himself on Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and Arp. The set includes a nice extended take on "Visions of A New World", plus the tracks "Watercolors", "Sorceress" – which isn't on any of his studio albums, "Prelude", and the classic "Expansions". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Charlie Ventura – just the kind of record to make you appreciate what an amazing player he was back in the day! The session's a nice spare one, without some of the pyrotechnics or showmanship of other Ventura albums – especially the live dates – and the intimacy really lets Charlie open up in a personal, creative sort of way on his tenor – almost rivaling Lester Young or Ben Webster for tone and imagination. Great Verve-like work throughout – with rhythm by Gene Kutch, Louis Cicchini, and Ace Tesone – and tracks that include "Blues For Two", "Somebody Loves Me", "Limehouse Blues", "Blue Prelude", and "Girl Of My Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful solo set from this amazing Japanese avant pianist – with the original "On The Road", plus offbeat takes on "Greensleeves", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Let's Cool One", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album that's as hip as its cover image – one of 3 seminal mid 50s recordings for Imperial by LA altoist Sonny Criss! At this point in his career, Criss had a sharp-edged sound that could easily rival the best work by Sonny Stitt or Charlie Parker on the alto sax – but he also had a groove that was a bit more spacious, and a tone that was slightly more raspy – a wonderful quality that we can only describe as Criss-esque, recorded perfectly in the Imperial studios! The group here is a tight quartet – with Sonny Clark on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Lawrence Marable on drums – and Criss' solos are brilliant throughout! Titles include "Wailin With Joe", "The Man I Love", "Blues For Rose", "Blue Prelude", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool Japanese-only collection, overflowing with CTI keyboard gems from Deodato – including "Super Strut", "Spirit Of Summer", "2001", "Baubles Bangles & Beads", "Prelude To Afternoon Of A Faun", "September", "Pavane For A Dead Princess", and "Rhapsody In Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant album from trumpeter Kenny Dorham – a set that's maybe a bit less-known than some of his records for Blue Note, but a set that shares a lot with those classics – as it's got that similar mix of larger compositional structures and more open solo moments! Kenny's own playing is tremendous, and the rest of the group is wonderful – a unique lineup with Jackie McLean on alto, Bobby Timmons on piano, Teddy Smith on bass, and JC Moses on drums – all working with Kenny in a slightly Latin tinged mode that features some really shimmering trumpet work! The record features a stunning three part reading of McLean's haunting tune "Melanie" (done under his name on the album A Fickle Sonance) – plus the tracks "Prelude", "El Matador", "Smile", and "There Goes My Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

Trombonist McGarity is joined by Doc Severinsen on trumpet, Bob Wilber on clarinet, tenor sax & baritone clarinet, Dick Cary on piano, alto horn & trumpet, George Barnes on guitar, Jack Lesberg on bass and Don Marino on drums. The album has a nice batch of subdued New Orleans-type brass playing and every single title has "blue" in the title but the songs don't make you sad. Tracks include "Blue Moon", "Blue Prelude", "Blue Champagne", "Blue Turning Grey Over You", "Born To Be Blue", "I Get The Blues When It Rains", and "Under A Blanket Of Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure one from Max Roach! The set was recorded live in 1968 in Norway – and it features Max working with Steve Lacy on soprano, Red Mitchell on bass, Steve Kuhn on piano, and Abbey Lincoln on vocals. Abbey sings on a few tracks – and the group jams on others – but a certain percentage of the record features Max playing solo, in that great way he used on the Drums Unlimited album for Atlantic. The whole album's quite varied – but it also shows the range of Roach's creative explorations at this sometime "lost" time in his career. Titles include "Prayer Protest From Freedom Now", "For Big Sid", "Drums Unlimited", "Profit", "Patty Pat and Midnight Variations", and "Prelude". LP, Vinyl record album

Given that Chick Corea first got his start working in the New York Latin scene back in the 60s, the album's a bit of a return to his roots – even if the general theme here is Spanish, and not Afro-Cuban! The Corea Spanish Heart here is cast in some darker, more contemplative tones than more traditional Latin sides – but it borrows a wonderful array of modes from genres past – including bits of strings, percussion, and an overall more ambitious approach that sometimes shows up in Chick's piano work, or in the general construction of the tunes. The double-length set features a wide variety of Spanish-influenced numbers – played by Corea on acoustic piano and a variety of keyboards, with other players who include Don Alias, Jean Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, and Steve Gadd. Titles inclu de "Love Castle", "The Gardens", "Night Streets", "The Hilltop", "Armando's Rhumba", "Prelude To El Bozo", "Spanish Fantasy", and "My Spanish Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal 70s side from Miles Davis – originally a Japanese recording, and one that returns to the solid push of the initial electric years! The record's a completely cooking little session – one that mixes the raw, noisier styles of other Davis albums with a focus, funked-up energy that's really set loose in the freer standards of the Japanese scene – all to come up with a sound that's completely otherworldly, and which is light years ahead of most mainstream fusion from the period. Pete Cosey plays some really wicked guitar and synthesizer, Al Foster kicks tremendous energy on his drums, Sonny Fortune brings a soulful depth on soprano sax and flute, and Michael Henderson creates massive flow on the bass. Titles include "Prelude", "Interlude", and a long version of "Theme From Jack Johnson". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Warm Valley", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Satin Doll", "Caravan", "In A Sentimental Mood", "Black And Tan Fantasy", "Passion Flower", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Satin Doll", "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "Take The A Train", "C Jam Blues", "Mood Indigo", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Perdido", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The Concord label gave guitarist Herb Ellis some of his greatest moments of the 70s – like this early cooker with guitarist Joe Pass – recorded live at the Concord Jazz Festival that gave the label its name! The 1973 performance has both players really opening up – never overwhelming each other, but driving with energy right from the start, then spacing out their own territory strongly on the solos. Backing is from bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jake Hanna – but the record leaves lots of room for guitar throughout – with tones and moments from both players that are a real surprise. Titles include "Seven Come Eleven", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Perdido", "Easy Living", and "Concord Blues". LP, Vinyl record album