New York and LA sessions with Benny Golson, Gigi Gryce, John Lewis, Zoot Sims, Shlley Manne, and others. CD

Bill Carrothers on piano, Drew Gress on bass, and Bill Stewart on drums. CD

A pretty warm and lyrical set by Kenny – accompanied here by a larger group that includes Cecil Payne, David Amram, and Cannonball Adderley on horns, plus a young Cedar Walton on piano. Dorham wrote 4 of the album's tracks, and they provide a perfect showcase for his polished trumpet style. Titles include "Spring Cannon", "Blue Spring", "Poetic", and "Passion Spring". CD

A pretty warm and lyrical set by Kenny – accompanied here by a larger group that includes Cecil Payne, David Amram, and Cannonball Adderley on horns, plus a young Cedar Walton on piano. Dorham wrote 4 of the album's tracks, and they provide a perfect showcase for his polished trumpet style. Titles include "Spring Cannon", "Blue Spring", "Poetic", and "Passion Spring". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful late work from piano legend Bill Evans – a set that was recorded in 1977, but not issued until after his death in 1980 – at which point it became an instant essential in his catalog! As with so many of Bill's 70s recordings, the session benefits from the bass work of Eddie Gomez – rich, round, and warm – a perfect accompaniment for Evans' sometimes faltering piano work at the time – and a player that Evans was incredibly lucky to be working with during much of his later years. Elliot Zigmund is on drums, a beautifully sensitive player – and the set includes a sublime version of Michel Legrand's "You Must Believe In Spring", plus the tracks "Theme From Mash", "The Peacocks", "Sometime Ago", and "Gary's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful late work from piano legend Bill Evans – a set that was recorded in 1977, but not issued until after his death in 1980 – at which point it became an instant essential in his catalog! As with so many of Bill's 70s recordings, the session benefits from the bass work of Eddie Gomez – rich, round, and warm – a perfect accompaniment for Evans' sometimes faltering piano work at the time – and a player that Evans was incredibly lucky to be working with during much of his later years. Elliot Zigmund is on drums, a beautifully sensitive player – and the set includes a sublime version of Michel Legrand's "You Must Believe In Spring", plus the tracks "Theme From Mash", "The Peacocks", "Sometime Ago", and "Gary's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

Two fantastic albums – the amazing Dolphin, with Lou Levy on piano – plus Spring Is Here, also with Levy – plus Monty Budwig on bass and Victor Lewis on drums! CD

Stan Getz on tenor saxophone, Lou Levy on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. CD

Stan Getz on tenor saxophone, Lou Levy on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. CD

Featuring special material by all-star groups that feature Al Sears, Coleman Hawkins, and Buddy Tate on tenor – plus Hilton Jefferson on alto, Jimmy Hamilton and Pee Wee Russell on clarinet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, and Joe Newman on trumpet! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by reedman Rudolph Johnson – a hell of a saxophonist, and one with a great ability to combine the spiritual with the searing – a bit like Joe Farrell at his CTI best, but not as freewheeling – nicely focused, and a little bit funky in all the right parts – in ways that make this album one of the real standouts on the legendary Black Jazz label! The groove is nice and hard, and plenty dark – with lots of sharp edges around the offbeat rhythms, and a "bite" that makes the album one of the heaviest titles on the label. Other players include John Barnes on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Ray Pounds on drums – and titles include the great "Diswa", which has sort of of a tight jazzy hip hop sample feel to it, plus "Mr TJ", "Little Daphne", and "Spring Rain". CD

One of the few albums ever cut by reedman Rudolph Johnson – a hell of a saxophonist, and one with a great ability to combine the spiritual with the searing – a bit like Joe Farrell at his CTI best, but not as freewheeling – nicely focused, and a little bit funky in all the right parts – in ways that make this album one of the real standouts on the legendary Black Jazz label! The groove is nice and hard, and plenty dark – with lots of sharp edges around the offbeat rhythms, and a "bite" that makes the album one of the heaviest titles on the label. Other players include John Barnes on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Ray Pounds on drums – and titles include the great "Diswa", which has sort of of a tight jazzy hip hop sample feel to it, plus "Mr TJ", "Little Daphne", and "Spring Rain". CD

One of the few albums ever cut by reedman Rudolph Johnson – a hell of a saxophonist, and one with a great ability to combine the spiritual with the searing – a bit like Joe Farrell at his CTI best, but not as freewheeling – nicely focused, and a little bit funky in all the right parts – in ways that make this album one of the real standouts on the legendary Black Jazz label! The groove is nice and hard, and plenty dark – with lots of sharp edges around the offbeat rhythms, and a "bite" that makes the album one of the heaviest titles on the label. Other players include John Barnes on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Ray Pounds on drums – and titles include the great "Diswa", which has sort of of a tight jazzy hip hop sample feel to it, plus "Mr TJ", "Little Daphne", and "Spring Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite singers and one of our favorite composers – brought together in a dream of a vocal jazz album! We've always loved the tunes that Michel Legrand penned for films of the 60s and 70s – as they've got a depth, sincerity, and jazziness that goes beyond most of his contemporaries – but they've also never sounded better than in the hands of vocalist Karin Krog and arranger Palle Mikkelborg, who both really deliver a unique twist on the Legrand sound! Mikkelborg's arrangements for the set are extremely beautiful – sometimes using funky backings, sometimes softer strings – but always getting the right balance between emotion and grooviness that Legrand brought to his original recordings of the work. And guitarist Philip Catherine plays some nicely complicated lines that electrify the tunes with a weird, moody feel – often "singing" alongside Karin's deeply icy vocals in a really wonderful way. The tracks are all taken at slightly longer readings than you might expect, which makes for even more room for creative invention – and titles include "Watch What Happens", "Ask Yourself Why", "I Will Wait For You", "Once Upon A Summertime", and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking record from flautist Hubert Laws – a mixture of classical themes and jazz, handled with an airy CTI approach – and set to arrangements by Don Sebesky that are simply mindblowing! The album's a wonderful example of the way that CTI really pushed the boundaries of instrumental expression in the 70s – taking Laws wonderfully breathy work on flute, and mixing it with some well-crafted backings that also feature electric piano by Bob James, bass by Ron Carter, and percussion by Airto and Jack DeJohnette. The larger group is handled by Sebesky, who really brings some magic to the record – a sense of sound, space, and timing that's still a heck of a lot more mature and sophisticated than most instrumental recordings coming out today! Titles include "Syrinx", "Rite Of Spring", "Brandenburg Concerto No 3", and "Pavane". CD

A groundbreaking record from flautist Hubert Laws – a mixture of classical themes and jazz, handled with an airy CTI approach – and set to arrangements by Don Sebesky that are simply mindblowing! The album's a wonderful example of the way that CTI really pushed the boundaries of instrumental expression in the 70s – taking Laws wonderfully breathy work on flute, and mixing it with some well-crafted backings that also feature electric piano by Bob James, bass by Ron Carter, and percussion by Airto and Jack DeJohnette. The larger group is handled by Sebesky, who really brings some magic to the record – a sense of sound, space, and timing that's still a heck of a lot more mature and sophisticated than most instrumental recordings coming out today! Titles include "Syrinx", "Rite Of Spring", "Brandenburg Concerto No 3", and "Pavane". LP, Vinyl record album

The Ramsey Lewis Trio gets some additional orchestral backings – and with great results! The set features Ramsey, Eldee Young, and Red Holt – all playing their usual pyrotechnic blend of soul jazz and swing – supported by larger arrangements handled by Riley Hampton, done in a style that never gets in the way – but which creates some really cook banks for Ramsey and crew to soar off of! Titles include "Spring Fever", "Sound Of Spring", "Truly Truly Spring", "Soft Winds", and "Blue Spring". LP, Vinyl record album

A solo piano album recorded at Toronto's Cafe des Copains. Tracks include "House Of Jade", "Pent Up House", "Thou Swell", and "Dat Dere". CD adds the bonus tracks "Manhattan" and "Indian Summer". CD

Myra Melford on piano, accompanied by Marty Ehrlich on alto saxophone, clarinet, and bass clarinet. CD

Features solo piano tracks and duets with Kenny Barron, Tommy Flanagan, Roland Hanna, Barry Harris, and Hank Jones. CD

Titles include "Autumn Sea", "Summer Time", "Spring Time For Hitler", and "Santa Claus Coming To Town". CD

You probably know the name of Jonathan Coe as a writer – for books that include What A Carve Up and The Rotters Club – but he's also had plenty of ties to music, including projects with Louis Philippe and High Llamas – and this new set of jazz-based works done with Artchipel Orchestra! The songs are all penned by Coe, and handled by the group with a great mix of larger charts and individual voices – all at a level that hearkens back to vintage work like this on the UK scene from artists like Mike Westbrook or Michael Gibbs – both of whom would be great comparisons to the vibe of this project! Ferdinando Farao arranged and conducted the group – which features a variety of saxes, flute, trumpet, trombone, and even some mighty nice vibes – on titles that include "Spring In My Step", "Erbalunga", "Looking For Cicely", and "Suspended Moment". CD

The Maybeck solo series produced plenty of greatness when it was going on – and one of the greatest moments was this sweet solo set from Kenny Barron! Barron's one of those players we never get tired of – and while we love him in group and trio settings, he's equally magical here working by himself – opening up on these long, lyrical numbers that have a really evocative feel – beautiful runs up and down the keyboard, but in ways that are extremely thoughtful and well-paced – and not just an unbridled display of his talents. There's a sense of soul to the set that never lets up – and titles include "Bud Like", "Witchcraft", "Sunshower", "And Then Again", "Skylark", and "Spring Is Here". CD

Superb work from pianist Richie Beirach – a set that's dedicated to Bill Evans, and which certainly embraces some of the key numbers in his songbook – but which also has that even more spacious sound that Beirach was bringing to his trio dates in the 70s! Richie's sense of timing and tone are fantastic – doing so much with so little, that Evans would have been pleased – although again, Beirach is hardly borrowing straight from Bill's style. Also fantastic is bassist George Mraz, whose way of inflecting notes and measuring color and mood almost rival the role of Eddie Gomez when playing with Evans – all balanced nicely by the work of Al Foster on drums, who's at his most subtle here. Titles include "Blue In Green", "Nardis", "Peace Pipe", "Spring Is Here", "Solar", and "In Your Own Sweet Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A great second pairing of this hip team – further proof that Tony Bennett was a hell of a jazz singer when he wanted to be! Titles include "You're Nearer", "Lonely Girl", "You Must Believe In Spring", "Two Lonely People", and "The Bad & The Beautiful". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A great second pairing of this hip team – further proof that Tony Bennett was a hell of a jazz singer when he wanted to be! Titles include "You're Nearer", "Lonely Girl", "You Must Believe In Spring", "Two Lonely People", and "The Bad & The Beautiful". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

The complete recording of Tony Bennett and Bill Evans as a duo – the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album from '75 and the '76 follow up Together Again – back to back, plus a bonus CD of alternate takes! If you've ever doubted the real jazz sensibility of Tony Bennett, the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album is the one to change your mind – because Tony's working here in a marvelously unadorned setting – with only the piano of Bill Evans to back him up! The record's a rare gem from years after Bennett was cracking the pop charts, but was willing to pull back to the jazz of his roots – and the session's equally rare for Evans, who rarely worked with vocalists at this point in his career. The simplicity of the album is its strength – and together, the pair really sound tremendous – slightly faltering at times, but in a way that exposes a sense of humanity you might not find in other records, especially those by Bennett. Titles include "When In Rome", "Some Other Time", "The Touch Of Your Lips", "My Foolish Heart", "Waltz For Debby", and "Young & Foolish". Together Again is another gem, following the form of the first duos record exceptionally well, perhaps with Evan's piano a bit more prominent in the sound, and another fine batch of tunes, including "The Bad And The Beautiful", "Lucky To Be Me", "A Child Is Born", "Lonely Girl", "You Must Believe In Spring" and more. The bonus CD features alternate takes of material from the 2 albums, with versions of "You And Foolish", "The Touch Of Your Lips", "Some Other Time", "When In Rome", "Waltz For Debbie" and multiple versions of "The Bad And The Beautiful", "A Child Is Born", and more. (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A rare bit of righteous jazz from the Cali scene of the 70s – a record that's much more obscure than some of the better-known efforts from the Bay Area and the LA scene, but which resonates strongly with all the power of those classics too! James Benson was an educator as much as he was a musician – yet here, he proves himself very strongly as a hell of a leader – blowing flutes, tenor, and soprano in a cool combo that also features the greats Cal Green and Roy Gaines on guitars, Ed Pratt on alto, Buffalo Williams on piano, and Ronnie Randall on drums! There's plenty of percussion on the record, including some congas by Big Black – and the set mixes rootsy rumblings with spiritual solos in a really great way. Sandra Meadows sings a bit on the set, and titles include "Malcolm IX", "Spring 2000", "Brother Don", "Song For My Black Mother", "Nigeria West Africa", and a nice remake of "Compared To What". (Jazz, Jazz) CD

A rare bit of righteous jazz from the Cali scene of the 70s – a record that's much more obscure than some of the better-known efforts from the Bay Area and the LA scene, but which resonates strongly with all the power of those classics too! James Benson was an educator as much as he was a musician – yet here, he proves himself very strongly as a hell of a leader – blowing flutes, tenor, and soprano in a cool combo that also features the greats Cal Green and Roy Gaines on guitars, Ed Pratt on alto, Buffalo Williams on piano, and Ronnie Randall on drums! There's plenty of percussion on the record, including some congas by Big Black – and the set mixes rootsy rumblings with spiritual solos in a really great way. Sandra Meadows sings a bit on the set, and titles include "Malcolm IX", "Spring 2000", "Brother Don", "Song For My Black Mother", "Nigeria West Africa", and a nice remake of "Compared To What". (Jazz, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A lost little session from pianist Walter Bishop – one that has the pianist working at an all acoustic level, and in a trio format that's a bit different than his other 70s sessions – but still totally great! The group features wonderful work from Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – both players we totally love together, and who give Bishop a bit of backing that's similar to their work with Cedar Walton. Yet the style here is very different, too – as Walter brings out these more gutbuckety notes at times – still handled with class and care, but with a deeper vibe that seems to resonate especially strongly with the bass of Jones. Titles include "Manha Do Carnaval", "Old Folks", "Up Jumped Spring", and "Straight No Chaser". CD

An amazing session recorded by Bill Black – a singer known best for his work with Gene Krupa in the 40s, but whose life took a sad turn in the 50s, and was barely heard from again! This album's a really unique session recorded by Bill in the early 50s – one that features very spare accompaniment that's mostly guitar and bass – and these wonderfully fragile vocals by Black that easily place him in the Chet Baker camp. The tunes are all extremely well-chosen – numbers that have the right lack of bravado to fit Bill's sad-tinged vocals – and the arrangements are surprisingly fresh too, way more than just simple renditions of the tunes. There's a brilliance here that we'd almost match with Sinatra's Wee Small Hours album – but which also has the gentle easygoing feel of some of the work of Matt Dennis. Titles include "Listen Little Boy", "Nobody's Heart", "Spring Is Here", "Down In The Depths On The 90th Floor", and "Where Are You". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A well-titled set from Art Blakey – considering the hard-driving sound of the group! The album's one of the best from that unusual year of 1957 – almost a "lost" year for Art, when he was working away from Blue Note with a very different lineup of the Jazz Messengers than on his famous sessions for that label! The players here are all great – and include Johnny Griffin on tenor, Bill Hardman on trumpet, Junior Mance on piano, and Spanky DeBrest on bass – all working with a style that's a bit loose and open, allowing plenty of space for solos! Griffin's horn has all the sharp edges you'd expect, and Hardman's great too – and Blakey himself seems to sit back a bit more than usual in his chair, letting the soloists lead the tracks, instead of kicking things into gear from the drums. Titles include "Deo X", "Sweet Sakeena", "Late Spring", "Krafty", and "For Miles & Miles". CD

A well-titled set from Art Blakey – considering the hard-driving sound of the group! The album's one of the best from that unusual year of 1957 – almost a "lost" year for Art, when he was working away from Blue Note with a very different lineup of the Jazz Messengers than on his famous sessions for that label! The players here are all great – and include Johnny Griffin on tenor, Bill Hardman on trumpet, Junior Mance on piano, and Spanky DeBrest on bass – all working with a style that's a bit loose and open, allowing plenty of space for solos! Griffin's horn has all the sharp edges you'd expect, and Hardman's great too – and Blakey himself seems to sit back a bit more than usual in his chair, letting the soloists lead the tracks, instead of kicking things into gear from the drums. Titles include "Deo X", "Sweet Sakeena", "Late Spring", "Krafty", and "For Miles & Miles". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-titled set from Art Blakey – considering the hard-driving sound of the group! The album's one of the best from that unusual year of 1957 – almost a "lost" year for Art, when he was working away from Blue Note with a very different lineup of the Jazz Messengers than on his famous sessions for that label! The players here are all great – and include Johnny Griffin on tenor, Bill Hardman on trumpet, Junior Mance on piano, and Spanky DeBrest on bass – all working with a style that's a bit loose and open, allowing plenty of space for solos! Griffin's horn has all the sharp edges you'd expect, and Hardman's great too – and Blakey himself seems to sit back a bit more than usual in his chair, letting the soloists lead the tracks, instead of kicking things into gear from the drums. Titles include "Deo X", "Sweet Sakeena", "Late Spring", "Krafty", and "For Miles & Miles". LP, Vinyl record album

Great Blue Note 2-fer that brings together a bunch of previously unreleased live sessions from Art Blakey and different incarnations of the Jazz Messengers! Sides 1 through 3 feature a stellar set of tracks recorded in 1961 and 1962 with the sextet lineup that included Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, and Curtis Fuller, with the titles "Promised Land", "Arabia", "Mosaic", "Ping Pong", and "Up Jumped Spring". Side 4 has some older material, from 1954 – by the first incarnation of the group that included Lou Donaldson, Clifford Brown, and Horace Silver – and the titles "Wee Dot", "Blues", and "The Way You Look Tonight". Nice notes, and as usual, the Messengers shine in a good live setting. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual live set from the great Art Blakey – his only album for the United Artists label, but one that continues the tradition of the expanded group style he was starting to use at Blue Note! The lineup here is a sextet, one that's got even more power than the Jazz Messengers as a quintet – a group that bridges generations with older Messengers Wayne Shorter on tenor and Jymie Merritt on bass – alongside rising talents Curtis Fuller on trombone, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Cedar Walton on piano – the last of whom leaves a key mark on the group's sound, through his mix of soulful groove and lyrical inflections! There's maybe even more searing energy here than on the previous live Blue Note albums from Blake. This first volume includes the version of "Three Blind Mice" that was sampled years ago by Gang Starr, plus the cuts "Plexis", "Children Of The Night", "Up Jumped Spring", and "Blue Moon". CD

A really unusual live set from the great Art Blakey – his only album for the United Artists label, but one that continues the tradition of the expanded group style he was starting to use at Blue Note! The lineup here is a sextet, one that's got even more power than the Jazz Messengers as a quintet – a group that bridges generations with older Messengers Wayne Shorter on tenor and Jymie Merritt on bass – alongside rising talents Curtis Fuller on trombone, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Cedar Walton on piano – the last of whom leaves a key mark on the group's sound, through his mix of soulful groove and lyrical inflections! There's maybe even more searing energy here than on the previous live Blue Note albums from Blakey – and titles include "Plexis", "Up Jumped Spring", "That Old Feeling", and "Three Blind Mice". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual live set from the great Art Blakey – his only album for the United Artists label, but one that continues the tradition of the expanded group style he was starting to use at Blue Note! The lineup here is a sextet, one that's got even more power than the Jazz Messengers as a quintet – a group that bridges generations with older Messengers Wayne Shorter on tenor and Jymie Merritt on bass – alongside rising talents Curtis Fuller on trombone, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Cedar Walton on piano – the last of whom leaves a key mark on the group's sound, through his mix of soulful groove and lyrical inflections! There's maybe even more searing energy here than on the previous live Blue Note albums from Blakey – and titles include "Plexis", "Up Jumped Spring", "That Old Feeling", and "Three Blind Mice". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful little record from pianist Joanne Brackeen – unlike anything the artist ever recorded, as it's just a set of duets with guitarist Ryo Kawasaki, who brings in some really beautiful elements to the mix! Ryo plays an acoustic nylon string guitar, but with a dexterity that most other players would use on electric – and the balance of his instrument with Brackeen's piano is sublime – full of colors and imaginative tones, but also a fair degree of rhythmic impulses too – which guide the duo in ways that are completely refreshing throughout! And yes, Ryo could be slick on other records, but he's definitely not here – and instead finds a special space alongside those choppy blocks of sound that Joanne plays so well. Titles include a great reading of Kawasaki's "Trinkets & Things" – plus "Shadowbrook Air", "Spring Of Things", "Fair Weather", "Whim Within", and "Winnie & Woodstock". LP, Vinyl record album

If you've never heard Anthony Braxton play straight jazz, you owe it to yourself to check out this performance – it's a delight, like some of his few straight sets! With Hank Jones on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. Titles include "Joy Spring", "You Go To My Head", "Old Folks", and "Background Music". CD