Includes the albums Hampton Hawes Trio Vol 1, This Is Hampton Hawes Vol 2, Everyone Likes Hampton Hawes Vol 3, Curtis Fuller & Hampton Hawes, Four, For Real and Mingus 3. CD

A pair of overlooked albums from Ornette Coleman – back to back on a single CD for the first time ever! Crisis is a record that bursts out with a sound that definitely lives up to its striking title – as Ornette Coleman explores the new frontiers of experimental jazz with one of his great groups from the end of the 60s! The album's got the intensity of the best ESP sessions of the period, but also shows the richer sonic elements that Coleman can bring to the proceedings – that way of mixing sharp edges with surprising currents – delivered by an all-star group that features Ornette on alto and violin, Don Cherry on trumpet and flute, Dewey Redman on tenor and clarinet, Charlie Haden on bass, and the young Ornette D Coleman on drums. It's especially amazing to hear Haden and Cherry take on such different roles than in the Ornette material of the early 60s – and also realize a wider vision for the music, on tunes that include a great version of Haden's "Song For Che", plus "Broken Shadows", "Trouble In The East", and "Space Jungle". CD

Includes the albums (Billy's Best, Imagination, Basie & Eckstine Inc, No Cover, No Minium, Once More With Feeling, At Basin St East, and Sing The Best Of Irving Berlin. (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Includes the albums Castle Rock, In A Mellow Tone, Perdido, Creamy, Blues A Plenty, Side By Side, and Back To Back. CD

Includes the albums Collaboration, Plays Songs By Vernon Duke, Double Play, Dinah Sings & Previn Plays, Pal Joey, Secret Songs For Young Lovers, West Side Story, and A Touch Of Elegance. CD

Albums included: The Happy Blues, Jammin' Hi Fi, Blue Gene, Groove Blues, Big Sound, and Boss Tenor. CD

No Mirage here – as the album's got a presence that's impossible to deny – a solid, soulful uttering from this key Chicago combo of the 70s! The group's led by reedman Ari Brown – better known for his later avant work – and they've got a wicked blend of keyboards and horns with lots of complicated touches, played out over funky rhythms that are completely mindblowing! The great Ken Chaney plays keyboards, and in addition to Brown's reeds, the set also features trumpet from Frank Gordon, trombone from Steve Galloway, and bass from Rufus Reid – plus cool percussion from Arlington Davis and Drasheer Khalid. Most cuts are instrumental, and recorded beautifully – but one number, "The Ultimate Frontier", also features vocals from Anita Jefferies. Other cuts include "Slinky", "Mirage", "Just a Little Peace", and "March On". CD

Plenty of spirit, and plenty of soul – a 70s classic from organist Doug Carn, and a record that took his instrument, and jazz in general, to a whole new level for the decade! Carn's got this burning, righteous quality on his keys – a vibe that certainly owes something to Larry Young, but also takes off even further – working in a spiritual ensemble that also features his wife Jean Carn on vocals – sounding way more like a righteous jazz singer than on her later soul sides for Philly International! Other players are great, too – and include Charles Tolliver on flugelhorn, Garnett Brown on trombone, George Harper on tenor and soprano sax, Buster Williams on bass, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums. Tracks include "New Moon", "Trance Dance", "My Spirit", "Blue In Green", and "Arise & Shine". CD

Includes the albums Chico Hamilton Quintet Featuring Buddy Collette, Quintet In Hi Fi, Chico Hamilton Quintet/Zen – The Music Of Fred Katz, South Pacific In Hi Fi, Gongs East, and Three Faces Of Chico. CD

Includes seven complete albums recorded Kenny Burrell, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Clarke, Donald Byrd, Elvin Jones, and others! CD

An excellent funky fusion group from Chicago – and one of the best ensembles to record for the Black Jazz label! The group's made up of hip Chicago underground players – and includes Ken Chaney on electric piano, Ari Brown on saxes, and Frank Gordon on trumpet – a lineup that comes together with the same sort of righteous energy and soulful power as Windy City contemporaries like The Pharoahs or Earth Wind & Fire! On this first LP, they jam with a mix of righteous funk and spiritual soul jazz, mixing electric piano, choppy reeds, and tight horns with a powerful rhythm backing that never goes too over the top, and which stays in a good modal mode that works great for the soloists – soaringly expressive at a personal level, yet coming together with a really righteous group feel in the end. Tracks include "Jupiter", "Brand New Feeling", "Convulsions", and "Kera's Dance". CD

A beautiful and rare recording – both for singer Alice Babs, and Duke Ellington himself! The session was cut in Paris in 1963 – and it's a moody, intimate album that features Duke backing up Alice with arrangements that are quieter and more subtle than those used with most other Ellington-related singers. Alice is extremely great on the set – and often sings in weird wordless vocals – not really scatting, but more of a horn based-style that's very icy and cool. The whole thing's great – much greater even than the sum of its two famous parts – and titles include "Serenade To Sweden", "Stoona", "La De Doody Doo", "Strange Visitor", "Come Sunday", "Babsie", and "Untitled Lullaby". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Three great albums from saxophone genius Joe Harriott! CD

Early work by pianist Mel Powell, captured here in a variety of settings including trio, quintet, septet, and larger formations. CD

Includes the albums New York New York, Jazz In The Space Age, Stratusphunk, George Russell Sextet In KC, Ezz-Thetics, The Stratus Seekers, and The Outer View. CD

Seven early albums by Cecil Taylor! CD

Two great albums from a time when Maynard Ferguson was really hitting his stride – back to back on one CD! New Sounds is a really nice set, and very much in the best spirit of the excellent early 60s albums that Maynard cut for Roulette! As with those, there's some great players working in the group – a lineup that includes Willie Maiden on tenor sax, Dusko Goykovich (horribly misspelled in the notes) on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber on Baritone, and Lanny Morgan on alto – all of whom get to step out in short but soulful solos that make the tracks bristle with more excitement than you'd think. And as with other Cameo jazz sides from the time, Rufus Jones is on drums – bringing in a nice little punch to the tracks that kicks them up in just the right sort of way. Titles include the originals "Bossa Nova De Funk", "Maine Bone", and "At The Sound Of The Trumpet" – plus a version of "Watermelon Man", and the bonus track "The Song Is You". Come Blow Your Horn is a surprisingly nice album of big band material from Maynard – recorded at a time when he was just getting his start as a big name, and still handling some hip enough players to make the groove swing! One track claims to have a "Dusan Goykovich" as a soloist – who we can only imagine to be our man Dusko Goykovich – and the record has plenty other nice solos by Lanny Morgan. Arrangements are by Don Sebesky, Al Cohn, Willie Maiden, and Oliver Nelson – and tracks include "Groove", "Whisper Not", "Blues For A Four String Guitar", "New Hope", and "Naked City Theme". CD

A sweet collection of small ensemble and solo piano albums from the great Erroll Garner! CD

An instant classic from Five Corners Quintet – acoustic jazz played with a dancefloor groove, and the perfect summation of a brilliant run of initial singles! The FCQ return jazz to its grooviest roots – played live, without processing or electronics, and able to hit a snapping groove that takes us back to the days when Blue Note and Prestige got plenty of play on the radio and jukebox! Most tracks roll along in a modal or waltzing mode that shares a lot with the best Nicola Conte projects of recent years – but the group have also got a real feel for their own tonal colors, effortlessly shading in each space and corner of the tunes with a sublime blend of ringing vibes, dancing piano, and beautifully-toned horn passages. Mark Murphy guests on vocals on the tracks "This Could Be The Start Of Something", "Before We Say Goodbye", and "Jamming" – and Okou sings on "Blue Cycles" and "Case Study" – leaving the remaining instrumentals "Trading Eights", "Interlope", "Straight Up", "Three Corners", "Lighthouse", and "Unsquare Bossa". US CD features the bonus tracks "Taxi Driver". (New Grooves, Jazz) CD

Angular Monk meets hard-driving Art Blakey – in a session that's quite unique, and which has gone onto become one of the best-remembered Atlantic jazz sessions of the late 50s! The album features Blakey in that key non-Blue Note year of 1957 – a time when he was working with a variety of players, at a variety of labels, and taking some real chances with his music before settling into his more established hit Jazz Messengers sound. The group here is Art's own – with Johnny Griffin on tenor, Bill Hardman on trumpet, and Spanky DeBrest on bass – augmented by the piano of Thelonious Monk – a match that might seem unlikely at first, but not so much so after you consider the great work that Monk and Griffin did together at Riverside during the late 50s. There's a nice match between Johnny's sharp-edged tenor and Monk's imaginative playing – and if anything, the record has Blakey, Hardman, and DeBrest moving dynamically to keep up with the flurry of modern ideas coming from Griffin and Monk! Tracks are almost all originals by Thelonious too – a fact that definitely helps keep up the "Monk-ish" sound of the record – titles that include "Evidence", "Blue Monk", "I Mean You", and "Rhythm A Ning" – alongside Griffin's "Purple Shades". Includes bonus alternate takes of "Evidence", "Blue Monk", and "I Mean You". CD

A classic session from one of the leading lights in RCA's modernist swing stable of jazz musicians during the 50s. Pianist Schaefer's working here with a number of different small groups that include players like Phil Woods, Hal McKusick, Nick Travis, and Milt Hinton – on varying styles that feature either a frontline of multiple altos, multiple trombones, or multiple trumpets. Schaefer wrote many of the tracks on the album – and titles include "This One's For Jack", "Song Of Love", "Real Lee", "Of Thing's Gone By", and "Let's Have A Cerebation". CD

Angular Monk meets hard-driving Art Blakey – in a session that's quite unique, and which has gone onto become one of the best-remembered Atlantic jazz sessions of the late 50s! The album features Blakey in that key non-Blue Note year of 1957 – a time when he was working with a variety of players, at a variety of labels, and taking some real chances with his music before settling into his more established hit Jazz Messengers sound. The group here is Art's own – with Johnny Griffin on tenor, Bill Hardman on trumpet, and Spanky DeBrest on bass – augmented by the piano of Thelonious Monk – a match that might seem unlikely at first, but not so much so after you consider the great work that Monk and Griffin did together at Riverside during the late 50s. There's a nice match between Johnny's sharp-edged tenor and Monk's imaginative playing – and if anything, the record has Blakey, Hardman, and DeBrest moving dynamically to keep up with the flurry of modern ideas coming from Griffin and Monk! Tracks are almost all originals by Thelonious too – a fact that definitely helps keep up the "Monk-ish" sound of the record – titles that include "Evidence", "Blue Monk", "I Mean You", and "Rhythm A Ning" – alongside Griffin's "Purple Shades". CD

A hell of a record – and one that's not just noteworthy for being one of the rare few sessions as a leader from pianist Dolo Coker – but also for the sideman work by Art Pepper and Blue Mitchell! The pairing of Mitchell and Pepper is an unusual one, but it works wonderfully here – as Art's got a crisp, soulful tone on both alto and his newly-acquired tenor, and Mitchell blows in a real back-to-basics hardbop mode that's much more similar to his Blue Note work than his other electric sessions of the mid 70s! Yet Coker's also a cooker too – and his deft phrasing and soulful currents really make the session move – set fire by the work of Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Frank Butler on drums. Titles include "Roots 4FB", "Mr Yohe", "Tale Of Two Cities", "Jumping Jacks", and "Gone Again". CD features the bonus track "Round Midnight". CD

Includes the songs "Buhaina Buhaina", "After You've Gone", "Days Of Wine And Roses", "That's All", "Blues For Sam Nassi", "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over", "The Real Blues", "Carioca Hills", "Exactly Like You", "Georgia On My Mind", "Keep On Pumpin'", "Onion Roll", "Gumbo Hump", "High Heel Sneakers", "Put Your Little Foot Right Out", "Ralph's Boogie", "Rockin' In Rhythm", "Lady Be Good", "Blue Bossa", "Like Someone In Love", "The Flintstones Theme", "Take The "A" Train", "Just Friends", and "Captain Bill". CD

One of our favorite Red Garland albums of the late 50s – thanks to a slightly different rhythm section that features Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums – both of whom work beautifully with Red in a gutbuckety set of tunes! The style isn't exactly soul jazz, but it's clear that Garland's feeling a bit of pressure from some of the up and comers on the scene – and he digs a bit deeper into bluesy roots here, in a setting that makes especially nice use of Jones' work on bass. Titles include "He's A Real Gone Guy", "See See Rider", "Trouble In Mind", "St. Louis Blues", and "Theme From M Squad". CD

An overlooked gem from Zoot Sims – a session that has him working in very laidback company with Jimmy Rowles on piano, who tipples the keys of the piano with a really timeless late nite kind of sound! The style here is a bit like that of the Rowles/Getz album The Peacocks – although a bit more straightforward overall, with a main focus on the talents of both soloists, coming together beautifully in a relatively spare setting. Bass is by George Mraz and drums are by Mousie Alexander – and the real surprise here is almost Sims, who blows with this open-ended, laidback tone that's really great – a bit languid, but never weary – and somehow with a lot more warmth than on many of his other too-tight records from the 70s. Titles include "Legs", "Shadow Waltz", "I Hear A Rhapsody", "Gypsy Sweetheart", and "Where Our Love Has Gone". CD

A rare early date as a leader from pianist Walter Bishop Jr – cut for a tiny east coast label that folded almost as soon as the record was issued – but a date that's gone onto great fame over the years, thanks to circulation in a few different formats! Bishop's got a really maturing approach here – as sharp as his work from the bop years, but with a deeper sense of tone and color too – occasional lyrical moments that get great shading from the bass of Jimmy Garrison and drums of GT Hogan – both players who make the album really something special – a real cut above the usual trio session. In that manner, the record features two tunes that run for nearly 10 minutes each – opening up in that reflectively soulful mode that Bish would be known much more for in later years – and titles include "Speak Low", "Milestones", "Green Dolphin Street", and "Blues In The Closet". CD features 4 bonus alternate takes! CD

A hell of a record – and one that's not just noteworthy for being one of the rare few sessions as a leader from pianist Dolo Coker – but also for the sideman work by Art Pepper and Blue Mitchell! The pairing of Mitchell and Pepper is an unusual one, but it works wonderfully here – as Art's got a crisp, soulful tone on both alto and his newly-acquired tenor, and Mitchell blows in a real back-to-basics hardbop mode that's much more similar to his Blue Note work than his other electric sessions of the mid 70s! Yet Coker's also a cooker too – and his deft phrasing and soulful currents really make the session move – set fire by the work of Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Frank Butler on drums. Titles include "Roots 4FB", "Mr Yohe", "Tale Of Two Cities", "Jumping Jacks", and "Gone Again". CD

One of the best by Red Garland for Prestige – a totally cooking record that features some great added conga work from Ray Barretto! Ray's presence really helps the record live up to its Latin-styled title – and Garland's usual trio with Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums seems to get a whole new life from the added percussion – really stepping things up with a bit more of a groove than usual! The title cut – "Manteca" – is an 8 minute jam that's gone onto become a real jazz dance classic – and other tracks include "Exactly Like You", "S'Wonderful", and "Mort's Report". CD also features the bonus track "Portrait Of Jenny". CD

A great little live set from Von Freeman – and one of his best albums! Like some of his rare few sides from the 70s, this one features Von in a relaxed setting – blowing as the main lead soloist in front of a piano trio recorded at the Dakota Bar & Grill in St Paul, Minnesota, in 1996. Unlike other sets, though, this one really shows the edge that Von can have when he's working at his best. Gone are the easily-blown standards that never really illustrate the genius of Von that's been an influence on decades of players – from Andrew Hill to Malachi Favors to Eric Alexander. Freeman's range on the tenor is incredible – taking in a wealth of influences that runs from Coleman Hawkins to Ben Webster to Coltrane and Wayne Shorter – and while the rhythm section is comprised of younger players from St Paul, Von's the real talent here, and has plenty of room to work. Titles include "Footprints", "Caravan", "Crazy She Calls me", "Blues For Sunnyland", and "Bye Bye Blackbird". CD

Sublime Hammond from Johnny Smith – a pair of early albums for Riverside, back to back on a single CD! Black Coffee is one of Johnny Hammond's first albums – and a cooking little live set that really has the organist working with some early raw power! The group's a trio, but they seem to burn differently than some of the other organ combos of the time – maybe with that fluid sensibility that Johnny brought to his keys, and which would later open up in even more famous ways. The core group features Eddie McFadden on guitar and Leo Stevens on drums – but they're joined by Seldon Powell on tenor for more than half the album, who really opens things up with his tremendous playing – and shows at an early state that Johnny Hammond always knows the right way to use a horn player. Titles include "Monterey Theme", "Far Away Places", "I Remember Clifford", "He's A Real Gone Guy", and "Rufus Toofus". Mr Wonderful is a record that definitely lives up to its title – reminding us not only that Johnny Hammond Smith is one hell of an organist, but also a great leader with a really unique feel for a groove! The set's noteworthy not just for Johnny's own work on Hammond, but also for the presence of a young Houston Person – blowing tenor here in a way that's breathtaking right from the start – a bold, soulful tone that's a perfect fit for the group – which also includes trumpet from Johnny Williams and guitar from Eddie McFadden. The set includes a lot of tasty originals by Johnny – like "Cyra", "Lambert's Lounge", "Departure", and "Opus 2" – and already shows the way that Hammond was complicating his groove from that of other players of the time! CD

This all-star quartet really won us over the first time around (and trust us, we can always be wary of too many cooks in the broth) – and they're equally great here, too – with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its mighty parts – almost as if each of these longtime leaders have decided it's even better to throw their collective hats in the ring and come up with something really special together! The piano of Brad Mehldau has a way of really ringing out with a brightness next to the sharper edges of Redman's horn – who himself seems to push forward with a new sense of imagination on his solos – warmed up a bit by the bass of Christian McBride, as all the players are kicked into gear by Brian Blade's work on drums. Titles include "Statuesque", "Ship To Shore", "Kite Song", "Disco Ears", and "Long Gone". CD

Al Cohn is one of those players who continued to stay great, even as the years went on – still growing and developing his amazing skills on tenor, although often without all the flair and fanfare of his contemporaries! But when Cohn got the right setting to show his skills, he could really take off – as he does in this overlooked gem for Concord Records – an album that really lives up to the promise of its title! Al blows these long, creative solos that don't hit you over the head at first, but really continue to amaze as they move along – and he's got some very sympathetic backing on the set, from a trio that features Herb Ellis on guitar, Monty Budwig on bass, and Jimmie Smith on drums. Titles include "O Grande Amor", "Russian Lullaby", "When Your Lover Has Gone", "I Remember You", and "When Day Is Done". CD

Excellent live work from the start of the 80s – very different than the full-on electric jams of Miles Davis concert performances from the early 70s – and at a level that shows that Miles was really finding a way forward with at great new groove! There's a nice sense of open space on the very long performances here – well-blown solos from Davis, really showing a new sort of form – in a lineup that also features Bill Evans on soprano sax, Mike Stern on guitar, Marcus Miller on bass, and the great Al Foster on drums! Mino Cinelu adds in some nice percussion moments, and Miller's basslines really help give the record a great sense of direction. Titles include "Kix", "My Man's Gone Now", "Jean Pierre", "Fast Track", and "Back Seat Betty". CD

One of the hippest takes ever on the Porgy & Bess score – done in duet format by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, in a fuller spirit than their other albums for Verve! Like many late 50s albums of Gershwin's score, this one was issued in advance of the film with Sidney Poitier – but unlike most, this is less of a cash-in affair, and really takes Gershwin's music on its own – serving it up with that newly serious style that Verve was hitting with some artists, especially Ella, in the latter half of the 50s. Most tracks have relatively full backings – strings and jazz orchestrations – and the double-length set features 15 tracks that include "Buzzard Song", "I Got Plenty O Nuttin", "My Man's Gone Now", "I Wants To Stay Here", "Summertime", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "What You Want Wid Bess", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Oh Lawd I'm On My Way", and "A Woman Is A Sometime Thing". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

An all-star session put together by Verve in 1958 – one that features a septet of some of the label's biggest giants in jazz at the time! The format here is a bit open-ended – almost like some of the earlier JATP sessions on Verve – with lots of room for personal interaction between the soloists, especially the horn players in the lead! These include Stan Getz on tenor, Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax, and Harry Edison on trumpet – working alongside Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Louis Bellson on drums. Titles include a beautiful extended "Ballad Medley" – really a great illustration of the freedoms that Verve brought to jazz recording in the 50s – plus the titles"Chocolate Sundae", "When Your Lover Has Gone", and "Candy". CD

One of Hank Jones' key mid 50s sides for the Savoy label – and quite possibly the hippest of the bunch, thanks to the presence of a young Donald Byrd on trumpet! The core trio here is Hank's group with Eddie Jones on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums – but it's Donald Byrd's trumpet that really makes the album shine – by adding in a slightly sharper edge than you might normally hear on some of Jones' sweeter trio sets. An additional trumpeter – Matty Dice – joins the group on some of the tracks too, blowing alongside Byrd in a relaxed, open-ended way that's totally great. Titles include "An Evening At Papa Joe's, "Summer's Gone", "Don't Blame Me", "And Then Some", and "Almost Like Being In Love". CD

Late Kenton on Capitol – but great Kenton too! In a way, Stan was almost best when he was working with standards – as on a set like this, he has an incredible way of transforming the sound of familiar numbers into something dark, moody, and modern. It's amazing to hear the way he raises the edge of tunes we thought we'd already heard too much of – and working with players like Charlie Mariano, Don Sebesky, and Rolf Ericson, Stan's in perfect company to really work magic with the material. Titles include "Django", "Willow Weep For Me", "I Get Along Without You Very Well", "The Thrill Is Gone", and "When Sunny Gets Blue". CD features the bonus track "Lazy Afternoon". CD

An extremely haunting version of the score to Porgy & Bess – recorded by the Modern Jazz Quartet at the height of their powers, in a gently soulful version that really takes off from the original. The group have a very free approach here – one that uses Gershwin's originals as a set of loose guidelines to work from – shading in the spaces with their own tones and colors on vibes, piano, bass, and drums. The album features some great modern takes on "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" – and other tracks include "O Bess, Where's My Bess", "I Love You Porgy", "My Man's Gone Now", and "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York". CD

Art's blowing with a quiet intensity here – not as far out as you might expect from the title, but with that crisp genius that still graced all of his records from the time! The album features a quartet with Dolo Coker on piano, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Frank Butler on drums – working in a format that gives Art center stage, blowing with a slightly raspy tone that still always sends chills up our spine! There's a maturity here that we really like – that later Contemporary mode that has Pepper breaking things down a bit more than usual, and showing a bit more humanity in his horn. Titles include "Too Close For Comfort", "Gone With The Wind", "Long Ago & Far Away", and "I Love You". CD also features the bonus track "Five Points". CD

We're normally not the biggest fans of Oscar Peterson, but on this set, he's working with tenorist Ralph Moore and trumpeter Roy Hargrove – and really gets past his usual trio sound! The album's got a strong and soulful frontline that really makes things happen – with Moore's tenor solos as impeccably placed as always, and Hargrove's trumpet strutting boldly at the top of the proceedings. Some of the strongest work on the set happens on Peterson's original compositions – and titles include "Rob Roy", "Blues For Stephane", "Cool Walk", "Ecstasy", "Truffles", and "She Has Gone". CD

The album's a heck of a great ride with tenorist Tom Tallitsch – a player who's stepped in traditional tones and phrasing, but who can also push things forward with his own personal agenda as well! Tallitsch has a really old school depth to his instrument – a quality that reminds us a bit of Eric Alexander at his best, as does the flowing sense of rhythm the album gets from Art Hirahara on piano, Peter Brendler on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums – a rhythm trio that fits together very well and provides a rock-solid and soulful swing on the album's best numbers. Michael Dease blows some tight trombone throughout too, and most tunes are originals – with titles that include "Ride", "Rubbernecker", "Rain", "The Giving Tree", "El Luchador", and "Turtle" – but the album also features two surprising ballad remakes, of David Bowie's "Life On Mars" and Led Zepplin's "Ten Years Gone". CD

Wonderful work from Leon Thomas – easily one of his greatest albums ever, and a set that was recorded at the same time he was working with Pharoah Sanders! Thomas really rose to fame on Sanders' classic "The Creator Has A Master Plan" – and this set really takes off from that moment – letting Leon spin out some spiritual vibes of his own, and step into a few fresh new styles as well! The album's plenty righteous right from the start – partly because the lineup includes James Spaulding on alto and flute, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and the enigmatic "Little Rock" on tenor – who is actually Pharoah Sanders – but also because Leon serves up a shorter take on "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – done in a great style! The album also features a classic vocal take on Horace Silver's "Song for My Father", with lyrics that we totally love – plus the frenetic "Malcolm's Gone" – and the tracks "One", "Echoes", "Let The Rain Fall On Me", and "Damn Nam". CD include 3 versions of "Take The 'A' Train", 2 takes of "Walkin'", 2 takes of "Willow Weep For Me", and 2 takes of "If It Didn't Hurt So Much". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A previously unreleased live date from late in the career of Ben Webster – recorded at The Renaissance in Hollywood in 1960, but unissued until nearly 25 years later! The group features Jim Hall on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Frank Butler on drums – and tracks are all longish, and live-feeling – with that sense of fragility that marked some of Webster's later recordings in this mode, and even further deepened the humanity in his tone. And while the recording quality is definitely "live" at times, Ben's tone comes through loud and clear – different than on some of the tighter Verve recordings of a few years before, but in a way that's really great. Titles include "Georgia On My Mind, "Caravan", "Stardust", and "Ole Miss Blues". CD features 4 more bonus tracks – "Gone With The Wind", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "Mop Mop", and "Renaissance Blues". CD

Previously unreleased material by Joe Pass – recorded in New York in 1975, in a spare, stripped-down mode that features only Joe on solo guitar! The style is a bit similar to other work on the Pablo label at the time, but a bit more introspective, given the solo setting – and honestly, we're surprised at how much we like Joe in this mode – as he's got a warm and gentle touch that doesn't always show through in group sessions – and really manages to keep his work on the strings interesting, even in the most subtle moments. Titles include "I Never Knew", "We'll Be Together Again", "Blues For Alagarn", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Moritat", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". CD

A classic set that brings the east coast tenor of Sonny Rollins into contact with a west coast rhythm section of Ray Brown and Shelly Manne! Despite Rollins' silly look on the cover, and the album's overall "western" theme, the session's a brilliant one – right up there with Sonny's strongest trio sides of the late 50s, and a key link in a string of excellent recordings for Blue Note, Prestige, and Riverside! The lack of a piano really opens up the style of the set – letting Sonny explore freely on his solos, while Brown's bass and Manne's drums do more than enough to keep the rhythms going on their own. Solos aren't as "out" as on the Village Vanguard sessions, but certainly every bit as inspired – and titles include "I'm An Old Cowhand", "Solitude", "Come, Gone", "Way Out West", and "Wagon Wheels". CD features 3 bonus tracks! CD

A seminal set from John Coltrane – one of those amazing records that wasn't issued until a few years after his death – then blew folks' minds even further with the depths of his talents! The setting is a live performance in Japan from 1966 – a really open-ended, freewheeling, totally expressive session cut with a group that also includes Pharoah Sanders on tenor, Alice Coltrane on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums. Clearly, the group's opening up a huge amount of new territory here – not just for Coltrane, but for jazz in general – as they propel firmly forward on two very long tracks – really letting Trane's ideas spill forth, continuously building momentum. One of the definitive statements of "energy-jazz", and a recording that has gone onto become one of Trane's most-hailed albums ever – with the tracks "Peace On Earth" and "Meditations/Leo". CD

Magical trio recordings from the classic trio that featured Bill Evans on piano, Scott LaFaro on bass, and Paul Motian on drums – a massive 3CD set of music, and one that brings together the complete June 1961 Village Vanguard recordings! The revolutionary bass work of LaFaro, and free-thinking rhythms of Motian really helped open up Evans' work on piano at the time – and their influence is heard to best effect on this spontaneous live set, spread out over the course of 22 tunes, recorded throughout the afternoon and evening on June 25, 1961. The package features one newly-discovered take, plus a number of alternates, spoken bits from Bill, and even a few final bars of music. Titles include "Solar", "Milestones", "All Of You", "Gloria's Step", "My Man's Gone Now", "Detour Ahead", "My Romance", and "Waltz For Debby". CD

One of Tal's most compelling albums of the 50s – a drummer-less trio session, recorded with Eddie Costa on piano and Vinnie Burke on bass. Tal's tone is as great as always – edgily carving out some rhythms with the trio, swinging more gently than the title might imply, in a mode that might later be taken up by Jim Hall, but which here is all Tal's own! Titles include "Meteor", "Taking A Chance On Love", "Yardbird Suite", "Like Someone In Love", and "I Love You". Plus, the One of the most compelling Verve albums from guitar genius Tal Farlow – a drummer-less trio session, recorded with Eddie Costa on piano and Vinnie Burke on bass – really opening up at a level that lets you hear just how revolutionary Farlow's approach was at the time. Tal's tone is as great as always – edgily carving out some rhythms with the trio, swinging more gently than the title might imply, in a mode that might later be taken up by Jim Hall, but which here is all Tal's own – a fantastic modernist change from the way the guitar had been just in jazz just a few short years before. Titles include "Meteor", "Taking A Chance On Love", "Yardbird Suite", "Like Someone In Love", and "I Love You". CD features 4 bonus tracks – 2 versions of "Gone With The Wind, and alternate takes of "Yardbird Suite" and "Taking A Chance On Love". Great stuff – with over 60 minutes of music. CD

A classic set that brings the east coast tenor of Sonny Rollins into contact with a west coast rhythm section of Ray Brown and Shelly Manne! Despite Rollins' silly look on the cover, and the album's overall "western" theme, the session's a brilliant one – right up there with Sonny's strongest trio sides of the late 50s, and a key link in a string of excellent recordings for Blue Note, Prestige, and Riverside! The lack of a piano really opens up the style of the set – letting Sonny explore freely on his solos, while Brown's bass and Manne's drums do more than enough to keep the rhythms going on their own. Solos aren't as "out" as on the Village Vanguard sessions, but certainly every bit as inspired – and titles include "I'm An Old Cowhand", "Solitude", "Come, Gone", "Way Out West", and "Wagon Wheels". CD features 3 bonus tracks! CD

A classic set that brings the east coast tenor of Sonny Rollins into contact with a west coast rhythm section of Ray Brown and Shelly Manne! Despite Rollins' silly look on the cover, and the album's overall "western" theme, the session's a brilliant one – right up there with Sonny's strongest trio sides of the late 50s, and a key link in a string of excellent recordings for Blue Note, Prestige, and Riverside! The lack of a piano really opens up the style of the set – letting Sonny explore freely on his solos, while Brown's bass and Manne's drums do more than enough to keep the rhythms going on their own. Solos aren't as "out" as on the Village Vanguard sessions, but certainly every bit as inspired – and titles include "I'm An Old Cowhand", "Solitude", "Come, Gone", "Way Out West", and "Wagon Wheels". CD features 3 bonus tracks! CD