An amazing package – decades of work from Duke Ellington, presented here with lots of unreleased tracks as well – the most comprehensive collection of this work that's ever been done! CD

Notable sidemen include Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Milt Jackson on vibes, John Lewis, Milt Hinton, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke. 43 tracks total. CD

Notable sidemen include Don Cherry, Ben Riley, Roy McCurdy, Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Paul Bley, Coleman Hawkins, and others. CD

John Kirby on bass with Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet, Russell Procope on alto saxophone, Billy Kyle on piano & O' Neil Spencer on drums. CD

Tracks include "Mister Roberts' Roost", "Seventh Avenue Express", "Sophisticated Swing", and "House Rent Boogie". CD

A tight little no-nonsense set from Al Cohn – the kind of record that he seemed to cut perfectly at the time, in a mold that he was helping trademark as the RCA 50s approach to jazz! The tunes are all quite short, and mostly familiar numbers – but they're arranged with a west coast-ish sort of flair, and played with more of a New York sense of swing – letting Al get in plenty of nice licks next to bandmates that include Joe Newman, Freddie Green, Nat Pierce, and Thad Jones. There's almost a Basie undercurrent to the set at times – as you'd guess from the players – and tracks include "That Old Feeling", "Sweet & Lovely", "Soft As Spring","I'll Be Around", "Honey Blonde", "Willow Weep For Me", and "In A Mellow Tone". CD

A twin-tenor classic from the team of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims – one of the duo's best-remembered albums from their 50s years at RCA – and a perfect blend of their talent for individual improvisation and unified ensemble energy! The album boasts 2 different groups – one with Hank Jones on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums; the other with Dick Sherman on trumpet, Dave McKenna on piano, and the rhythm team of Hinton and Johnson – but the main focus is on Al and Zoot throughout, both blowing these lines that are crisp and modern, yet filled with soul – especially on Sims' passages, which break free a bit more than some of the other RCA jazz sessions of the time. Titles include "My Blues", "More Bread", "Sherm's Terms", "From A To Z", "Crimea River", and "Mediolistic". CD

A massive set of music recorded for RCA in 1955 – five classic albums, all featuring shifting lineups of players related to the Count Basie Band! The style here is often a bit more modern than most Basie work, but still also shows an undeniably strong sense of rhythm – one that comes into play wonderfully with the tighter RCA approach to hornwork of the 50s – which often brings out some of the sharper edges of the players. Although the material's been partially issued separately over the years, this complete Mosaic package is a real delight through and through – as it brings together all albums in one set, showing shared players and a very similar sensibility running through all the record. Albums include The Natural Seven, led by Al Cohn on tenor and featuring Joe Newman on trumpet and Freddie Green on guitar; Mr Rhythm, led by guitarist Green, and featuring Newman, Cohn, and trombonist Henry Coker; Lullaby Of Birdland, a leaderless date with Newman, Cohn, and Green, plus Frank Rehak on trombone and Ernie Wilkins on alto; I'm Still Swinging, led by newman with Cohn on tenor, Urbie Green on trombone, and Gene Quill on alto; and The Jazz Workshop Four Brass One Tenor – a set that has Cohn's tenor with trumpets from Newman, Thad Jones, Joe Wilder, Bernie Glow, Phil Sunkel, and Nick Travis – each playing in shifting lineups. The package features a whopping 61 tracks in all – and the usual thorough Mosaic notes! CD

A classic set of interlocking tenor work from 3 giants who made up the best part of Woody Herman's classic 4 horn lineup – Al Cohn, Bill Perkins, and Richie Kamuca – all coming together here in small group formation! The album's a wonderful example of the way that the hornplay of the larger Herman group had an influence on the smaller combos of the west coast scene – and Perkins and Kamuca are especially great here, working with a strong sense of precision, but also some nice humanity in their tone. Other group members include either Jimmy Raney or Barry Galbraith on guitar, Hank Jones on piano, John Beal on bass, and Chuck Flores on drums – and titles include "Cap Snapper", "Pro Ex", "Hags", "Gay Blade", and "The Walrus". This CD offers up the complete sessions, and features a number of extra tracks! CD

A live album with Steve Coleman on alto saxophone, David Murray on tenor saxophone, Andy Milne on keyboards and piano, Reggie Washington on bass, and Gene Lake on drums. CD

With Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Vijay Iyer on keys, Miya Masaoka on koto, and vocals from Yassir Chadly. CD

That's "Take Ten", not "Take Five" – a great title cut that echoes Paul Desmond's previous work with Dave Brubeck – but which then gives way quickly to some sweet bossa-styled grooves done with guitar from Jim Hall! The album's one of the strongest of the Hall/Desmond collaborations for RCA – A sublime showcase not just for Paul's impeccable alto, but also for the amazing tones and chromes that fly freely from the strings of Jim's guitar! Both players are set up with just a bit of gentle backing – light percussion from Connie Kay, and a bit of bass from Gene Cherico or Gene Wright. The whole thing's a well-conceived study in economy, as the two players craft sly and subtle lines around spare drum and bass backings – slowly hanging sound in space to weave a rich web of sound that's as compelling as it seems to be effortless! Titles include "Take Ten", "El Prince", "Embarcadero", "Samba De Orfeu", "Theme From Black Orpheus", and "Alone Together". CD

With Dave Douglas on trumpet, Chris Potter on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Uri Caine on electric piano, James Genus on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums. CD

Dave Douglas on trumpet, Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor saxophone, Joshua Roseman on trombone, Greg Tardy on clarinet, bass clarinet and tenor saxophone, Uri Caine on piano, James Genus on bass, and Joey Baron on drums. Tracks are a mix of originals and compositions by Mary Lou Williams. CD

Dave Douglas on trumpet, Mark Feldman on violin, Guy Klucevsek on accordion, and Greg Cohen on bass. CD

A nicely understated session that was recorded in honor of Billy Strayhorn – who'd passed away a few months before the recording. The set features all classic Strayhorn compositions – played in new versions by Duke and a group that includes Clark Terry, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Aaron Bell, and Jimmy Hamilton. The recording quality is great, and the sound of the album really makes old classics sparkle nicely once again! Titles include "UMMG", "Blood Count", "Boo Dah", "Rain Check", "Day Dream", "All Day Long", and "Lotus Blossom", done in a haunting solo piano version by Duke!. Includes the bonus tracks "Raincheck (take 4)", Smada (takes 3 & 4)", "Midriff", "My Little Brown Book" & "Lotus Blossom (trio version)'. CD

One of Ellington's greatest albums of the 60s – and a record tinged with Eastern themes and darkly angular modern arrangements. The group here features Ellington stalwarts Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Cootie Williams, Mercer Ellington, and Rufus Jones – and the players work together tightly to craft the suite of tracks based on Ellington's impressions of recent travels through the Mid and Far East during the 60s. Titles include "Tourist Point Of View", "Isfahan", "Depk", "Mount Harissa", "Amad", "Agra", and "Blue Pepper". CD

A beautiful 60s album from Duke Ellington – one that features some of his more popular numbers, as you'd guess by the title – but captured in these sublime, sophisticated arrangements that really reflect the genius sound of his group during the later years! The tracks are familiar, and the arrangements are maybe never too way out – but they're also these mini-masterpieces in color and tone – carried off by a fantastic group of all-stars who've matured and grown as much as the Duke himself – Cootie Williams and Cat Anderson on trumpets, Lawrence Brown and Buster Cooper on trombones, Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, Johnny Hodges on alto, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and Harry Carney on piano. There's a darkness in Duke's piano that's maybe missing from earlier versions of this material – that great modern undercurrent of the late years – and titles include "Black & Tan Fantasy", "The Twitch", "Perdido", "Solitude", "The Mooche", "Creole Love Call", "Take The A Train", and "Sophisticated Lady". CD

Gil plays Jimi? Sounds like a gimmick, but it comes off pretty darn great – and it helps you forgive him for trying to convince the kids that he's not as old as his grey hair might make you think! As always with Evans, the key to the album is a beautiful balance between the strength of the players and vision of the arrangements – a hip mix of musicians who include Billy Harper on tenor and flute, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, and both Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie on guitars! Arrangements are great too – handled by Tom Malone, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson – all of whom make the album way more than just an instrumental reading of Jimi Hendrix tunes – and instead a great platform for improvisation that uses tunes that include "Up From The Skies", "Foxy Lady", "Gypsy Eyes", "Voodoo Chile", "Angel", "Crosstown Traffic", and "Castles Made of Sand". Plus, the CD features 4 bonus alternate tracks – not on the original album! CD

A dream band indeed – as the set features Maynard working with some excellent players who manage to come together tightly as a unit, then break out in really strong and hard-blown solos! Even in these early recordings, the style of the Ferguson group is firmly in place – incredible tightness, but a real respect for the soloists – and a power to kick it louder and larger than even in a small group setting. Players include Herb Geller, Al Cohn, Hank Jones, Budd Johnson, and Ernie Wilkins – and titles on this first volume include "Maynard The Fox", "The Wailing Boat", "Somebody Wants Me Down There", "Little Girl Kimbi", and "Button Nose". CD

A vintage performance from the Verve years – featuring a small group with Harry Carney on baritone, Lawrence Brown on trombone, and Ray Nance on cornet! CD

Includes the tracks "Day Dream", " Good Queen Bess (take 1 & 2)", "That's The Blues", "Old Man", "Junior Hop", "Squaty Roo", " Passion Flower", "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", "Going Out The Back Way", " Never No Lament (Don't Get Around Much Anymore)", "Blue Goose", "In A Mellowtone", "Warm Valley", "After All", "The Giddybug Gallop", "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)", "Clementine", "Moon Mist", "Sentimental Lady", "Come Sunday", " Mood To Be Woo'd", and "Rockaby River (Hop, Skip, Jump)". CD

A rare electric outing from legendary altoist Jackie McLean – and one that comes off surprisingly well, given that the move was quite a shift for the reedman! The album's got a spiritual current that McLean developed in some of his earlier 70s material – like his gems for the Steeplechase label – but also mixes in some funky fusion elements too, in a blend that almost puts Jackie in the territory that Gary Bartz hit with his Music Is My Sanctuary album – another musician who made a similar shift at the time! Production is by Mitch Farber, who also wrote most tracks – and Jackie really holds his own in the setting! Titles include the classic funk numbers "On the Slick Side" and "Long Time Lover" – plus "Gotta Get A Piece Of Your Soul", "The Molimo", and "Dr Jeckyll & Mr Funk". CD

A great little session of chamber-type jazz – and the only record we've ever seen by drummer Freddy Merkle. The set is very much in the manner of some of the other tightly-arranged RCA sessions from the mid 50s – with a style that's kind of "New York modern", in a similar mode to the work of Hal McKusick. Pianist Bill Potts wrote and arranged the sessions, and most tracks are relatively short, but still have strong breakaway solos. Half the material's played by a 10-tet, and the rest are played by Merkle's core quintet, with Potts on piano and Earl Swope on trombone. Titles include "Proto Cool", "Shhhh!", "DC Current", "Lunch Box", "Pernod 806", and "Pottsville, USA". CD

One of Braxton's first recordings of his work for larger ensembles, and a masterpiece that gives a good example of the kind of early ideas that have informed some of his recent work in the same style. The orchestras vary from track to track, but they all include excellent players like Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis, Seldon Powell, and Cecil Bridgewater – players who are more than capable of meeting the demands of Braxton's writing, and who can bring a lot of their own to the session. Great stuff, and with a good set of notes. CD

One of the best albums that Al Cohn and Zoot Sims ever cut together – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of their collaborations during the 50s and 60s! The set's got a nice small group feeling, and is a bit more open and relaxed than some of their RCA material – still in the sharp, thoughtful mode that marked both Cohn and Sims' sessions – but also a bit more earthy, too – possibly because they've got Mose Allison in the combo on piano. The album includes the incredible spare sax-only track "Improvisation For Unaccompanied Saxophones", which is an extremely haunting track that sounds unlike anything the pair had ever done together – and other titles have the full quintet playing, tunes that include "The Opener", "The Note" and "You N Me". CD

A great lost Verve album that stands as one of Stan Getz's best sessions from the early 60s – a brilliant pairing with Bob Brookmeyer that shows just how much each player had grown in the past decade! There's a strongly modernist feel to the record – more Brookmeyer's influence than Getz's usual bag – with long tracks that move almost airily at times, and which feature some beautiful interplay between tenor and trombone. Rhythm is by a very hip trio of Steve Kuhn on piano, Roy Haynes on drums, and John Neves on bass – and the work's got a great balance between freedom and more focused blowing! Titles include "Minuet Circa 61", "Thump, Thump, Thump", and "Who Could Care". CD

The first album to document a great new chapter in the career of drummer Billy Hart – his ultra-hip quartet with saxophonist Mark Turner and pianist Ethan Iverson – both younger players who have brought back a real edge to his music! The group has a very different feel than some of the other recent "revival" projects by older jazz drummers – and the focus here is extremely equal, if not even more heavily weighted towards, the younger members of the group. Turner's tenor has all the dark tones and edgey post-Shorter modes heard on his best albums under his own name – and Iverson's angular piano lines revel in a style that's almost in the legacy of Andrew Hill, but more swinging overall. Hart's rhythms are as fluid and complex as ever – making nice use of the cymbals on the fringe, but returning home to the core of the kit when a tighter groove is needed. Titles include "Mellow B", "Lorca", "Irah", "Lullaby For Mike", "Iverson's Odyssey", "Neon", "Charvez", and "Moment's Notice". CD

Includes the songs "Country", "Ritooria", "The Journey Home", "Staircase (Part II)", "String Quartet (2nd Movement)", "Invocations (Recognition)", and "Nagoya (Part II B)". CD

Rare work as a leader from drummer Osie Johnson – two sessions recorded during the heyday of his career, when he was appearing as a sideman on countless other albums! The style here is similar to some of Johnson's other session work – particularly his contributions to the labels RCA and Bethlehem – as most of the numbers are relatively tightly arranged, and given a playful, slightly modern spin that usually features a fair bit of interplay between the horns in the group. Players vary here – both between the albums, and the tracks on each set – and key musicians include Frank Wess, Thad Jones, Ernie Wilkins, Dick Katz, and Benny Powell. The CD features both albums done for the Period label – and titles include "Johnson's Whacks", "Osmosis", "Don't Bug Me Hug Me", "Midnight Mirage", "Cokernut Tree", "Blues For The Camels", "Osie's Oasis", "Cat Walk", and "Flute To Boot". CD

A wonderful later album from these two Coltrane bandmembers – reunited here in the early 80s, working in a mode that's very much in keeping with their rich spiritual jazz legacy! The group on the album's a quintet – with Pharoah Sanders on tenor, Richard Davis on bass, and Jean-Paul Bourelly on electric guitar. Sanders' majestic tenor solos really make the album sparkle – as he's blowing in a mode that feels a lot like Coltrane, circa 1963, touched with some of his own raspy soul, which makes for a different edge. Titles include "Little Rock's Blues", 'Hip Jones", "For Tomorrow", "Korina", and "Origin". CD

Sonny Rollins takes to global warming years before An Inconvenient Truth – blowing with a tone that's rich enough to power a whole city on its own! The album features Sonny in two different groups – one a quartet with Stephen Scott on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – the other a bit larger, still with Scott and Cranshaw, but also featuring Clifton Anderson on trombone, Perry Wilson on drums, and Victor See Yuen on percussion. Some tunes have that island-tinged style that Rollins started exploring from his RCA years onward – and titles include "Global Warming", "Island Lady", "Echo-Side Blue", "Change Partners", and "Mother Nature's Blues". CD

Frenetic bop work from Sonny Rollins – recorded in 1956 with an open-mouthed tone that's certainly less controlled than later years, but still no less compelling! Sonny races along some of these tracks like a train out of control – especially on "B Quick" and "B Swift", and the aptly titled "Ee-Ah". Side two has him mellowing out a bit – extended takes of "The House I Live In" and "Sonny Boy" – but the overall groove is still quite hard, a lot harder than the RCA years. Max Roach is on drums, Kenny Drew plays piano, and George Morrow is on bass. CD

A tremendous little album from Sonny Rollins – one of his most sharp-edged sessions of the mid 60s, and a bold departure from some of his previous work for RCA! The album has a crackling sense of energy that more than lives up to the exclamation point in the title – a starker quality than some of Sonny's earlier records, and one that brings out some sharper tones in his horn, even on the mellower numbers. The rhythm support is loose, but somewhat soulful and spontaneous – and features Ray Bryant on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums – an unusual pairing for Sonny, but that's what makes them so great. In a way, the album's almost Rollins' equivalent of John Coltrane's earlier Ballads album for Impulse – in that it includes familiar tunes, but remade into completely new numbers by the sound of the leader. Titles include "Green Dolphin Street", "Everything Happens To Me", "Three Little Words", and "Hold Em Joe". CD

A later recording from Pharoah, when he was working with Bill Laswell in the mid and late 90s. Laswell's on production, and the lineup features some of his international and funk-based crew like Foday Muso Sosa, Bernie Worrell and Aiyb Deng, plus older collaborators like Michael White, and some of the then young newer scene liek Charnett Moffett. The vibe is definitely of the times, with some heavier elements and hip hop influenced beats, but a few classic spiritual grooves too. 6 numbers in all, including "Our Roots (Began In Afrca)", "Nozipho", "Tomoki", "Ocean Song", "Kumba" and "Country Mile". CD

A very well-titled album – as it definitely features Zoot Sims and Al Cohn stretching out – pushing their groove a bit more than on some of their tightly-composed mid 50s sessions for RCA! The lineup is still slightly large – an octet that features Zoot and Al on tenor, plus the latter on some baritone sax too – plus Harry Edison on trumpet, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Freddie Green on guitar, and Hank Jones on piano – working with a relaxed, easygoing vibe that swings in a gentle style that really opens up the solos. Titles include "Stretching Out", "Now Will You Be Good", "King Porter", and "Bee Kay". All this, and the album has a cover of a very sexy model – stretching out! CD

Where it's at with Stanley Turrentine – circa 1962 – a time when the tenorist was really hitting on all burners, and turning out some tremendous work for Blue Note! The album's got Stan working with a special guest – a rare Blue Note appearance from pianist Les McCann, who's also at the height of his early career here – and really brings great energy to a quartet that also includes Herbie Lewis on bass and Otis Finch on drums. Les' piano has a nice bite – and really makes for a great groove alongside Stan's round, warm, raspy tone – a righteous sort of energy that drives the record strongly, in ways that are different than some of Turrentine's other sessions of the time. The whole thing's a cooker – and titles include "Pia", "Smile, Stacey", "Dorene Don't Cry I", and "Light Blue". CD also features a bonus take on "Light Blue". CD