Seminal sounds that bridge the worlds of swing and bop – mostly recorded for Svoy in 1944, the earliest days of the label – with a few tracks from 1949 as well – and a number of alternates appearing here for the first time ever! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by Buck Ram All Stars, Pete Brown Quintette, Hot Lips Page, Ben Webster, Herbie Fields, Tiny Grimes, Charlie Parker, Miss Rhapsody, and Clyde Hart. LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of Stan Getz' earliest sides for Savoy – 78rpm material from some of his youngest years on record, – with players who include Shorty Rogers on trumpet, Kai Winding on trombone, Hank Jones and Duke Jordan on piano, and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims on tenors. LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded in London at the end of the 60s – with Ronnie Gleaves on vibes and Dave Shepherd on clarinet! LP, Vinyl record album

A great illustration of the hipness that was Boyd Raeburn – a beautiful collection of key 78s for Savoy! Some tracks feature vocals by David Allyn or Ginnie Powell – and the set features detailed notes and great sound too. LP, Vinyl record album

A great little 12 track LP that compiles some of Lester Young's small combo work for Savoy – featuring backing by players that include Count Basie, Freddie Green, Shadow Wilson, Cozy Cole, Roy Haynes, and Junior Mance. Titles include "June Bug", "Blue Lester", "Blues N Bells", "Basie English", "Jump Lester Jump", and "Ding Dong" – and the album comes with a great cover image! LP, Vinyl record album

If you've ever needed a record to convince you of the genius of Don Byas, this is it – because the set sparkles with warmth and tone that's simply amazing – a sound that will grab you from the very first note! The focus of the album is clearly Byas' tenor – not just because that's the way the title bills it, but also because the other players really lay back, and let Don start the tune, set the tone, and keep things going strongly throughout. Most titles are ballads, blown beautifully – and titles include "Cynthia's In Love", "London Donnie", "September Song", "To Each His Own", "Living My Life For You", and "They Say It's Wonderful". LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s collection of some of Coltrane's groundbreaking recordings for Savoy from the late 50s – recorded in the company of a super-hip sextet with Wilbur Harden on trumpet, and done in a way so that the tracks open up nice and long, in strong modal grooves that point the way towards Trane's later work in the 60s. The set features 5 long tracks issued in the 50s – "Anedac", "BJ", "Once In A While", "Dial Africa", and "Oomba" – plus "BJ2", an unissued take! LP, Vinyl record album

Mike Cuozzo didn't cut many records back in the day, but all of them are pretty darn nice – definitely the case with this one, which features Eddie Costa on vibes, Ronnie Ball on piano, Vinnie Burke on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little 50s session from Hawk – recorded for the World Wide subsidary of Savoy, in a great style that has plenty of room for solo space! Tracks are long, and arranged by Billy Ver Plank – with a moody small combo mode that lets Hawkins get in plenty of those edgey bits in his solos, hidden underneath ostensibly sweeter playing. The rest of the group includes Frank Wess, Marshall Royal, and Frank Foster – and titles include "Ooga Dooga", "Thanks For The Misery", "There Is Nothing Like A Dame", and "An Evening At Papa Joe's". LP, Vinyl record album

"Jazz For The Thinker" – a great title for this mind-expanding set of tunes from Yusef Lateef, recording here from the Detroit underground of the late 50s, with a really cosmic and exotic approach to his work! The album's one of the best of Lateef's sides for Savoy – a blend of hardbop influences with some Africanist leanings – never too over the top, but subtly snuck into more conventional elements of the tunes. The group's a quintet with Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, and Ernie Farrow – and titles are all originals, and include "Space", "Midday", "Polarity", and "Happyology". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes cuts from a 1954 sessions with Frank Morgan and the Kenny Clarke All-Stars, with Walter Benton on tenor, Milt Jackson on vibes, Gerald Wiggins on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums; plus cuts from a 1955 sessions with Gigi Gryce on alto, Duke Jordan on piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Great 50s material from Red Norvo – recorded with Tal Farlow on guitar and Charles Mingus on bass! The drum-less combination of vibes, guitar, and bass makes for an almost-exotic approach – one that rings out with some new moods and tones on tracks that are old standards – in a manner that really helps us understand why folks from the old days think Norvo's so great! Titles include "Godchild", "September Song", "Swedish Pastry", "I'll Remember April", "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me", "Cheek To Cheek", "This Can't Be Love", "I Get A Kick Out Of You" and "Move". LP, Vinyl record album

Older Charlie Parker material – originally recorded as 78rpm releases for Savoy, packaged up here in full LP form, along with alternate takes and a great cover, in the years after his early death! Players include Miles Davis on trumpet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and piano, Duke Jordan and John Lewis on piano, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Red Cross", "Sippin At Bells", "Little Willie Leaps", "Donna Lee", "Chasing The Bird", and "Half Nelson". LP, Vinyl record album

One of AK Salim's far-reaching "jazz suites" from the late 50s. This one focuses on the bluer side of jazz, and features some excellent soloists – like Seldon Powell on flute and tenor, Sahib Shihab on baritone sax, Nat Adderley on cornet, and Phil Woods on alto – all playing long soulful passages on Salim originals like "Payday", "Joybox", "Full Moon", and "Blu-Shout". The set's not as modernist oriented as similar work by some of Salim's contemporaries – still with an overall conception, but somewhat more looser swinging – and like some of AK's best other sessions from the time, has a feel that's quite like some of Slide Hampton's leaner, more soul jazz moments. LP, Vinyl record album

Never-issued material from reedman Frank Wess – done around the same time as his other all-star sessions for Savoy, but even more obscure! The lineup features Frank on flute, tenor, and alto – with Thad Jones on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and Hank Jones on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

Hard-swingin tracks from Ernie Wilkins – one of the most soulful arrangers of his time, working here in a wonderful all-star session from the 50s! The album's definitely got the "top brass" promised in the title – a lineup that features Donald Byrd, Ray Copeland, Idrees Sulieman, and Joe Wilder on trumpets – all working at a level that allows plenty of space for well-blown solos, but tied up in tighter ensemble formation overall – all with that Wilkins sense of swing that really set Ernie apart at the time. Rhythm is from a trip that includes Hank Jones on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Kelly Clarke on drums – and titles include "58 Market Street", "Trick Or Treat", "Speedway", "Dot's What", "Top Brass", "Imagination", and "Willow Weep For Me". Also features the album Trumpets All Out – an all-trumpet affair, one that features 5 different players on the instrument – Art Farmer, Emmet Berry, Charlie Shavers, Ernie Royal, and Harold Baker – supported by spare rhythm from the trio of Don Abney on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Bobby Donaldson on drums. There's a definite swing-based approach here – different than usual for some of Farmer's outings of the time – but the differences between the players are nicely pronounced, and the amazing thing about the album is how it manages to pack so much solo energy in such a relatively small space, in a way that still lets you hear the different voices clearly. Titles include "She's Just My Size", "Five Cats Swingin", "Blues In 6/4", "Trumpets All Out", and "Low Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little session – an oft-overlooked gem from Savoy's legendary hard bop years of the 50s – reissued many years later with an added bonus track! Altoist John Jenkins leads the session – which also features Donald Byrd – who gets co-billed as leader on this reissue, plus Curtis Fuller, Tommy Flanagan, Doug Watkins, and Art Taylor – and with a lineup like that, you can hardly miss! The set grooves like one of the best edgy Prestige blowing sessions from the time – long tracks, lots of room for solos, and a surprising coherency that really drives the whole thing. Features the 4 longish tracks from the original LP – "Orpheus", "Honeylike", "Rockaway", and "Star Eyes", plus a take of "Darn That Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice nice early work from Al – of the sort you can't always find that easily on reissue! The set's a very well put together album that brings together titles from 2 early sets on Savoy. 4 tracks are from a 1950 set with a quartet that includes George Wallington, on the tracks "Infinity", "Groovin With Gus", and "Let's Get Away With It All". The other 5 cuts are from 1953 – from a quintet set with Nick Travis on trumpet, Horace Silver on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Max Roach on drums. Titles on that one include "Ah-Moore", "I'm Tellin Ya", and "Jane Street" – and Cohn is really in best form on those sides! LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic early work by John Coltrane – an album that shows that he was already reaching far, even in the 50s! The tracks on the set are quite long – quite speculative work that predates some of the searching experiments that Trane began in the 60s, with a nice undercurrent of spiritualism that's missing from some of his other work of the period. The work's played by a hip sextet co-led with trumpeter Wilbur Harden, and featuring Curtis Fuller on trombone, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Art Taylor on drums, and Ali Jackson on bass. Titles include the classic original reading of "Dial Africa", plus the super-extended "Gold Coast", and the nice "Oomba". LP, Vinyl record album

Ouch, what a terrible title – and for such a nice album! The record brings together sides recorded by Frank Wess and Frank Foster for the Savoy label in 1956 and 1957 – laidback hardbop tunes that have both players working in easy-going company, with the feel of a late 50s Prestige Records blowing session. Neither player is at the top of their form here, but overall, the material is still pretty darn great – and other players include Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Henry Coker, Kenny Clarke, and Benny Powell. Tracks include "Stop Gap", "MC", "La Jolie", "Lazy Sal", "Casa De Marcel", "Hard Sock Dance", "South Side", and "Salvation" – and the album features a few previously unissued tracks. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal session from Curtis Fuller – one of a handful he cut for Savoy, recorded during that late 50s/early 60s period when he seemed poised to become one of the biggest trombonists in jazz! (Whatever happened? How did he cut so many records as a leader so fast, then slide back into being a sideman for most of the rest of his career?) The set's cut in that laidback blowing session mode of the Savoy hardbop years – with tremendous work from Benny Golson on tenor, plus Tommy Flanagan on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Al Harewood on drums – all working through easily-handled tunes that include "Minor Vamp", "Love Your Spell Is Everywhere", "Five Spot After Dark", and "Twelve Inch". Think soul jazz with a slight touch of mysticism! LP, Vinyl record album

A rarity from the bop era – hard-blowing tracks that run for a duration that's way longer than the standard three minutes of most 78rpm singles. Here, Gordon and Gray blow head to head in some of their famous "battle" sessions – working with players like Sonny Criss, Howard McGhee, Hampton Hawes, and Barney Kessel in a format that was very popular on the LA bop scene. Each side of the 2LP set features one long track – and titles include "Disorder At The Border", "Cherokee", "Byas A Drink", and "The Hunt". Great 70s package – with notes on all the material the material. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-known 50s jazz sessions from the Savoy label – a laidback classic that's a great illustration of the label's shift in modes after the early bop years! The setting here is relatively informal – with Milt Jackson as the ersatz leader, working almost in blowing session mode with hip players who include Frank Wess on flute and tenor, Hank Jones on piano, Eddie Jones on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums – all players who relax into a groove wonderfully, and really open up on the album's four long tracks. Titles include the classic reading of "Opus De Funk", plus "Opus Pocus", "You Leave Me Breathless", and "Opus & Interlude". LP, Vinyl record album

With Pete Johnson on piano, JC Heard and Jack Parker on drums, Al Hall and Abe Bolar on bass, Jimmy Shirley on guitar, Albert Nicholas on clarinet, Ben Webster and Budd Johnson on tenor, Hot Lips Page on trumpet, JC Higginbotham and Clyde Bernhardt on trombone, and Don Stovall on alto. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Hank's few non-trio sets as a leader – and a great set of hardbop tunes that features work by Donald Byrd, Jerome Richardson, Herbie Mann, and Kenny Clarke. The horns add in a lot more than you get on the usual Jones album – taking Hank's piano into firey territory that shows he can groove with the best of them! Titles include "Bluebird", "Hank's Pranks", "Alpha", "Wine & Brandy". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album from brother Yusef, and one that's got the haunting mix of hardbop and exotic instrumentation that made these early records so great. Yusef plays argol and flute, in addition to straight tenor, and he's backed by a Detroit group that includes Bernard McKinney on euphonium , Terry Pollard on piano, William Austin on bass, and Frank Gant on drums. The set has a great rendition of Lateef's own "Valse Bouk", plus the tracks "Moon Tree", "Half Breed", and "Stella By Starlight". Long tracks, a nice moody feel, and a cool cover, to boot! LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of the genius work that Yusef Lateef cut for the Savoy label in his early years – a haunting mix of hardbop and exotic instrumentation that may well be some of Lateef's greatest music ever! Yusef plays tenor and flute, and he's backed by a Detroit group that includes Wilbur Harden on flugelhorn, Hugh Lawson on piano and ocarina, Ernie Farrow on bass and earthboard and Oliver Jackson on drums and gong. 13 numbers in all, including "Prayer To The East", "8540 12th Street", 'Sounds Of Nature", "Seulb", "Lover Man", "Gypsy Arab", "Night In Tunisia", 'Love Dance", "Sram","Endura" and "Delilah". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful stuff from Brother Yusef, cut during his early days with Savoy, when he was hitting a perfect mix of soul jazz, hardbop, and more exotic instrumentation. This set features his great quintet with Curtis Fuller, Hugh Lawson, and Louis Hayes – and Yusef plays a number of other strange percussive and reed instruments, in addition to his usual tenor. The tracks are haunting, and all originals. Titles include "Blues In Space", "Morning", "Metaphor", and "The Beginning". Very nice! LP, Vinyl record album

Older Charlie Parker material – originally recorded as 78rpm releases for Savoy, packaged up here in full LP form, along with alternate takes and a great cover, in the years after his early death! Players include Miles Davis on trumpet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and piano, Duke Jordan and John Lewis on piano, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Red Cross", "Sippin At Bells", "Little Willie Leaps", "Donna Lee", "Chasing The Bird", and "Half Nelson". LP, Vinyl record album

A mid 80s collection of tracks pulled from 50s sessions, with sidemen that include Billy Taylor on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, Eddie Costa on piano, Paul Quinichette on tenor, and Hank Jones on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

A great lost side from Savoy Jazz – not to be confused with Opus De Jazz Vol 1, the more famous album by Milt Jackson. Like that one, though, this set features a vibist in the lead – John Rae, a strong player who only recorded a few albums, most notably with Herbie Mann. The groove's a lot more modern than the earlier set – with Steve Kuhn on piano and Bobby Jaspar on flute helping out Rae on the solos. Titles include "Roll On Down", "By My Side", "Potlikker Blues", and "Ah Leu Cha". LP, Vinyl record album

80s issue of some seminal recordings of some of the most influential, yet unde-documented jazz pianists of the bop and post bop eras. There's three tracks by the Bebop Boys, with Bud Powell, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, Al Hall and Kenny Clarke: "Bebop In Pastel", "Seven Up" and "Blues In Bebop". Following that there's 5 stellar tracks from Lennie Tristano's trio with Billy Bauer and John Levy, performing his cerebral and vastly influential music on two takes of "Supersonic", plus "On A Planet", "Air Pocket" and "Celestia" and fouor popping bop numbers from Herbie Nichols in a small group rolling through "'s Wonderful", "Nichols & Dimes", "Who's Blues" and "My Lady Gingersnap". There's also a batch of trio sides from Dodo Marmarosa and the under-recorded George Wallington, and a nice handful of bop numbers from the Kenny Clarke Quintet featuring Horace Silver. 27 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous tenor work from the late 40s – a huge collection of early Savoy singles done by Charlie Ventura, including some cuts with Jackie & Roy on vocals! A few other numbers features vocals by Buddy Stewart – but most are instrumentals, with lots of hard-wailing tenor from Ventura – and the set also features a few previously-unissued titles, and great notes too! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best dates ever as a leader from trumpeter Joe Wilder – and one of the few to have a really relaxed, open sort of format! Joe's not tied up in gimmicks or larger groups here – and he really sparkles in the company of a quartet that features Hank Jones on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – players that really match Wilder's inherent sense of soul and lyricism, as he waxes some beautiful solos on the set. There's a nice sort of blueness in Joe's tone, but one that's never too forced or cliched – and titles include "Mad About The Boy", "Six Bit Blues", "Darn That Dream", "Prelude To A Kiss", and "My Heart Stood Still". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure, but very moving session by this little-known pianist from the 60's. The session's one of the great avant ones that Savoy recorded during the decade, and like all of them, it's got a surprisingly powerful feel, despite the apparent disregard of the label for projects such as this at the time. Valdo Williams has a hypnotic approach to the piano that's unlike any of the other avant players we can think of from the period. At times, he's as free as Cecil Taylor, but he always manages to rope things back in, and then hit a groove that's a little more soulful. In a way, the album's a mix of free jazz and "new thing" playing, and it's a very unique piece of work from the period. Tracks are long, and include the titles "Desert Fox", "Move Faster", and "The Conqueror". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice selection of late 40s work by a few groups, collected by Savoy as a kind of introduction to the bebop movement, a look back at the early days of bop. Kai Winding and his quintet, featuring Allen Eager on tenor and Shelley Manne on drums, lead off the set with four tracks including "Mr. Dues" and "O-Go-Mo". From there tenor sax man Brew Moore's quartet, featuring Jimmy Johnson on bass and Stan Levey on drums, contribute four tracks including "Blew Brew" and "More Brew". Eddie Lockjaw Davis rounds out the set, with a group that features Fats Navarro on trumpet and Al Haig on piano. His four tracks include "Spinal" and "Red Pepper". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer stuff – a really well-done collection of rare bop material for Savoy! The set's not really a compilation, but more of an archive of great sessions from the 78rpm era – with batches of tracks in order from the same sessions. Includes material by a Kenny Dorham combo, a Joe Newman group, a Gil Fuller set with Dave Burns and Sahib Shihab, a Ray Brown date, and vocal sets by Eddie Jefferson, Babs Gonzales, and Kenny Hagood! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent hardbop session from the glory days of the Savoy label – easily one of the label's key 50s classics! Drummer Kenny Clarke's at the front of the group – but all players are great, and the set features work by Cannonball Adderley on alto, Jerome Richardson on tenor, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Nat Adderley on cornet, Hank Jones or Horace Silver on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass. The Adderley brothers sound especially great – and the young Cannonball has a quality here that's more soulful and sharp-edged than his work on Mercury – much more in a Prestige blowing session style! Titles include "Late Entry", "Chasm", "Bohemia After Dark", and "Hear Me Talkin To Ya". LP, Vinyl record album

With Rex Stewart on cornet, Emmett Berry on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet, Vic Dickenson on trombone, Red Richards on piano, Bucky Pizzarelli on banjo and guitar, and Al Lucas on bass and tuba. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of the great early Savoy material recorded by Erroll Garner! Titles include "Moonglow", "Laura", "This Can't Be Love", "She's Funny That Way", "I Surrender Dear", "Stormy Weather", and "All Of Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of a few albums cut in America by French 50s modernist Andre Hodeir – a set of compositions arranged and conducted by Hodeir himself, featuring American players that include Idrees Sulieman and Donald Byrd on trumpets, Hal McKusick on alto and bass clarinet, Bobby Jaspar on tenor and flute, Jay Cameron on baritone and clarinet, Eddie Costa on vibes, and Frank Rehak on trombone. Annie Ross does a very nice vocal obligatto on the track "The Alphabet", and other tunes include "On A Standard", "On A Riff", "On A Blues", "Criss Cross", and "Paradoxe II". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent collection of overlooked tenor players from the late 40s and early 50s – put together from rare Savoy 78s and 10" sessions – with excellent notes, too! Features a full side each of work by Brew Moore, Allen Eager, and Phil Urso – plus tracks by Teddy Reig and Bernie Privin. LP, Vinyl record album

Well, it's not the whole Charlie Parker Story – but the album does feature some great material from a very famous session, recorded on 11/26/1945, originally issued on 78s, along with extra tracks, compiled here in one of Savoy's posthumous Bird LPs from the early 60s. The group includes Miles Davis on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include original and alternate takes of "Thriving From A Riff", "Meandering", "Koko", "Now's The Time", and "Billie's Bounce", all in early famous versions – with alternate takes too. LP, Vinyl record album

A great compilation – despite the title – one that features west coast recordings made by Savoy, showing the less "cool jazz" side of the LA scene in the late 40s and early 50s! There's some excellent material on here not available elsewhere – especially some great bop groovers in the Central Ave kind of mode. The album's got 4 tracks by Slim Gaillard – "The Jam Man", "Slim's Riff", "I'm Confessin'" and "Oxydol Highball" plus "Blow Blow Blow" by the Wardell Gray All-Stars, 3 takes each of "Blues A La Russ" and "Wake Up Old Maid" by Russell Jacquet, 'What Is This Thing Called Love" by Wild Bill Moore and Gene Montgomery, "Strollin'", "Sonor", "Blues Mood", "Skoot" and "I've Lost Your Love" by a KennY Clarke Sextet that features Milty Jackson and Gerald Wiggins and 4 numbers from Helen Humes. LP, Vinyl record album