A landmark pairing of two Chicago avant players at the start of the 80s – and one that shows that the city had plenty going on, even away from the AACM! The set brings together the older Hal Russell – still an underground secret in the city – and the younger Mars Williams, who was just starting out here, but would soon rise to fame in the NRG Ensemble, and on decades of other recordings and alliances in the Windy City. There's a mix of instrumentation that really shows the open-minded sense of improvisation that Russell helped encourage in the younger Generations – and Hal plays drums, C melody sax, cornet, vibes, toy horns, and "lots of other stuff" – with Mars Williams playing tenor sax, slide whistles, bells, newspapers, and "lots of other stuff" too! Titles include "Carnal Concupiscence", "Is This Virginia", "Odoriferous Flambeaus Of The Paranymphs", "Eftsoons", and "Noise Command Blast 1". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant solo effort from drummer Jim White – a musician who's provided support to a wide range of rock greats – including Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, and Bill Callahan – but one who's also a secret master of the drum kit, with a command of his instrument that's really breathtaking! In some ways, the set's a record of solo drums – maybe not as improvised as on a free jazz album, but pretty open overall – yet Jim also mixes in some other sounds too, mostly just to fill up the background space so that the drums are in the lead – a gentle sonic palette that still emphasizes all the live, spontaneous action on the acoustic drum kit at the core! Titles include "Names Make The Name", "Here Comes", "Soft Material", "Curtains", "Percussion Build", "Marketplace", and "Walking The Block". (Rock, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Stanley Clarke's a lot more soul-based than fusion here – but that's A-OK with us, because we like this sort of work a lot better than his jamming jazz rock of the 70s! The record's got a great mellow soul vibe – laidback and gently stepping – sometimes in a way that's a bit commercial, but never with as many of the cloying styles as hurt other records like this at the time. Stan sings, plays bass and guitar, and other players include Greg Phillinganes on Fender Rhodes and mini-moog, Ndugu Chancler on drums, Michael Sembello on guitar, and Paulinho Da Costa on percussion. Titles include "Straight To The Top", "Let Me Know You", "You Are The One For Me", "Play The Bass", "New York City", and "Secret To My Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Donna Lee", "Barbary Coast", "Teen Town", "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines", "3 Views Of A Secret", "Blackbird", "Liberty City", "Domingo", "Soul Intro/The Chicken", and "Invitation". CD

A brilliant solo effort from drummer Jim White – a musician who's provided support to a wide range of rock greats – including Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, and Bill Callahan – but one who's also a secret master of the drum kit, with a command of his instrument that's really breathtaking! In some ways, the set's a record of solo drums – maybe not as improvised as on a free jazz album, but pretty open overall – yet Jim also mixes in some other sounds too, mostly just to fill up the background space so that the drums are in the lead – a gentle sonic palette that still emphasizes all the live, spontaneous action on the acoustic drum kit at the core! Titles include "Names Make The Name", "Here Comes", "Soft Material", "Curtains", "Percussion Build", "Marketplace", and "Walking The Block". (Rock, Jazz) CD

A Windy City classic – from Vee Jay Records! The MJT grooves like nobody's business, thanks to a core rhythm group that includes Harold Mabern on piano, Walter Perkins on drums, and Bob Cranshaw on bass! Add to the mix a young Frank Strozier on alto, fresh from Memphis (he made the trip to Chi-town with buddy Harold Mabern), and the smoking trumpet of Willie Thomas, and you've got one of the tightest combos to never make it in the big time – a killer little group that was almost a Chicago secret back in the day, but one that's well worth discovering if you've got any sort of a love for hardbop or soul jazz! This oft-overlooked gem is one of the best hardbop albums to ever come out of Chicago, and it's got some great originals by Mabern – like "Richie's Dilemma" and "Make Everybody Happy" – plus a nice version of Booker Little's "Sweet Silver". LP, Vinyl record album

The start of the 80s, and Weather Report are still going strong – thanks to powerful performances from Wayne Shorter on saxes, Joe Zawinul on keyboards, Jaco Pastorius on bass, and Peter Erskine on drums – plus more percussion from Robert Thomas Jr. Zawinul produced, and wrote most of the tracks – and titles include "Night Passage", "Dream Clock", "Port Of Entry", "Rockin' In Rhythm", "Fast City", "Three Views Of A Secret", and "Madagascar". CD

A bit of a change for The Great Jazz Trio, but a great one too – given that Buster Williams is on bass here, instead of the usual Ron Carter – working with drummer Tony Williams and pianist Hank Jones to really make things sparkle! Buster's bass is always a treat, and this album's no exception – a set that's filled with some surprisingly soulful moments on the bottom, which really seems to push the group nicely on the longer tracks in the set. Jones sounds a bit different here than before – in a good way – and titles include versions of "Love For Sale", "Secret Love", "Autumn Leaves", and "Someone To Watch Over Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Ambitious work from Jaco – a set of larger group recordings that have a really expansive feel! There's a jagged electric undercurrent to the set, but the album's also got some redemptive work from the larger group – bright, optimistic, and filled with a globe-spanning array of influences that comes together surprisingly well. The album was oddly released with no personnel, but it's our guess that lots of Jaco's famous friends are helping him out, and we're certain we hear the harmonica of Toots in there on a number of tracks. Titles include "Chromatic Fantasy", "Word Of Mouth", "John & Mary", "3 Views Of A Secret", and "Liberty City". CD

The start of the 80s, and Weather Report are still going strong – thanks to powerful performances from Wayne Shorter on saxes, Joe Zawinul on keyboards, Jaco Pastorius on bass, and Peter Erskine on drums – plus more percussion from Robert Thomas Jr. Zawinul produced, and wrote most of the tracks – and titles include "Night Passage", "Dream Clock", "Port Of Entry", "Rockin' In Rhythm", "Fast City", "Three Views Of A Secret", and "Madagascar". CD

Wild sounds in a range of different styles – jazz, rock, and more outside modes – all served up in support of a legendary list made years ago by the group Nurse With Wound! The list was a secret guide to all things weird and unusual – put together decades back, and now famous as kind of a Rosetta Stone for stepping into music from the farther left side of the spectrum – here served up from a range of German recordings from back in the day, most recorded during a key moment when the scene was really breaking down boundaries in styles! There's a fair bit of electric elements here, and you'll recognize a few artists as being heroes from the prog and MPS generations – on titles that include "Fritz Muller Traum" by Fritz Muller, "Jazzi Jazzi" by Tomorrow's Gift, "Output" by Wolfgang Dauner, "Black Sand" by Brainticket, "Trauma" by Gomorrha, "Big City" by Thirsty Moon, "Snakeskin Tango" by Brainstorm, "Scorpion" by Association PC, "The Executioner" by My Solid Ground, "It Loves Want To Have Done" by Anima Sound, and "It's So Nice" by Ex Magma. (Rock, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest albums ever from singer Joe Lee Wilson – a righteous vocalist with a style we'd rank right up there with Leon Thomas or Andy Bey in the 70s! The album's got an easygoing vibe that's a nice change from some of Joe's other records – a quality that's never too forced, and which has Wilson sliding into the tunes wonderfully without any sort of gimmicks or tricks. His voice often has a nice crackle, which further underscores his instrument-inspired approach – and also makes the lyrics sound that much more wonderful too. The set was produced by Noah Howard, possibly in Paris – and it features a quartet with Bobby Few on piano, Steve Sax on saxes and flute, Jack Gregg on bass, and Al Levitt on drums. Includes the lovely originals "Dedicated To My Father", "Come & See", and "Secrets From The Sun" – plus a great take on Billy Gault's "Mode For Trane". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Stripped-down Count Basie from the start of the 60s – a great little set that has the Count working with some of the best players from his larger group, in a session of even more intimate small combo material! The sounds here echo the Basie groove of the earlier years, but the overall presentation is a fair bit more modern – nicely syncopated with that sense of space discovered by Basie in the 50s – and perfectly interpreted by players who include Thad Jones on trumpet, Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, Freddie Green on guitar, Eric Dixon on flute, and Basie himself on both piano and organ – the latter of which is quite a treat! Titles include "Secrets", "Count's Place", "I Want A Little Girl", "Tally Ho Mr Basie", "Senator Whitehead", "Whatcha Talkin", and "Shoe Shine Boy". CD

Stripped-down Count Basie from the start of the 60s – a great little set that has the Count working with some of the best players from his larger group, in a session of even more intimate small combo material! The sounds here echo the Basie groove of the earlier years, but the overall presentation is a fair bit more modern – nicely syncopated with that sense of space discovered by Basie in the 50s – and perfectly interpreted by players who include Thad Jones on trumpet, Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, Freddie Green on guitar, Eric Dixon on flute, and Basie himself on both piano and organ – the latter of which is quite a treat! Titles include "Secrets", "Count's Place", "I Want A Little Girl", "Tally Ho Mr Basie", "Senator Whitehead", "Whatcha Talkin", and "Shoe Shine Boy". LP, Vinyl record album