The always entertaining Sauter - Finegan Orchestra presents us with a percussion-oriented record that lapses into slightly "experimental" moments. One of the tracks, "The Minute," is a poem read by Ruth Yorke while the musicians provide some mood music. Each song gets its own unique description on the back cover. Titles include "A Chinese Painting," "Kinetic Energy," "World Without Time," "The Stone Age," and "The Jukes Family Takes A Holiday." (Now Sound, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably THE classic Cal Tjader album of the 60s – a landmark album that crossed over equally into Latin, jazz, and mainstream audiences – and a stone cooker that's filled with smoking little grooves! The set's probably best known for its title track "Soul Sauce" – one of the biggest jazz hits of the 60s, and a catchy groover that was built around a riff from Dizzy Gillespie, but which also featured a groovier 60s sound, thanks to Cal's use of vibes. The whole album follows in similar format – and features great work by a core combo that includes Armando Pereza on congas, Lonnie Hewitt on piano, and Johnny Rae on drums. Titles include "Soul Sauce" – also known as "Guacha Guaro" – plus the tracks "Joao", "Leyete", "Maramoor", and a killer reading of "Afro Blue" that features guest appearances by Donald Byrd, Jimmy Heath, and Kenny Burrell. LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Gene Ammons – and a record that introduced his talents to a whole new audience in the 60s! The album's a more laidback one than some of Jug's more hard-blown honkers – as you might guess from his hit rendition of the ballad in the title – and the instrumentation here varies between organ from Johnny Hammond Smith and piano from Mal Waldron – making for a nice tapestry of dark-tinged, late nite moods. Other players include Frank Wess on tenor and flute, and Art Taylor or Ed Thigpen on drums. Titles include the classic "Angel Eyes", plus "You Go To My Head" and "It's The Talk Of The Town" – and slightly more groovin numbers like "Getting Around" and "Water Jug". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album of vocal tracks from Chet Baker – one that elevates the sound of his earlier small group work with some added backings on some tracks – all at a level that continues the new level of sophistication that Baker brought to jazz on his first few recordings! The mid 50s set is overflowing with key performances from Chet, both on vocals and trumpet – and the core group features wonderful work on piano from Russ Freeman, and this great use of flute by Bud Shank – which seems to underscore some of the moodier currents in Baker's music. Some tracks feature larger arrangements that really elevate the proceedings – handled by Johnny Mandel, Marty Paich, and Frank Campo – and the album's classic Chet all the way through – cool but fragile – summed up in the set's perfect take on the stone classic "Lets Get Lost" – plus titles that include "Just Friends", "Grey December", "I Remember You", "Long Ago & Far Away", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "I Wish I Knew", and "Daybreak". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from The Brecker Brothers – working here at a new level for 70s jazz fusion! Sure, it's as slick as it can be – with touches of club and disco grooves to give an even smoother edge to the jazz funk of the Brecker Brothers – but thanks to some solid soloing that's not afraid to go for the easy spots, the album's a lot more solid than an number of sound-a-like copycat LPs to come out at the time! There's more than enough interesting jazz funk numbers on here to keep you happy if you dig a soulful fusion groove, and with Steve Gadd and Lenny White on drums, the beats are heavy enough in the right places. Titles include "Tabula Rasa", "Finger Lickin Good", "Funky Sea, Funky Dew", "Squids", "Petals", and "As Long As I've Got Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone groover from the great Ray Bryant – one of his brilliant albums for Cadet from the 60s! Ray's soul jazz trio (with Freddie Waits on drums) is augmented by the 2-horn trumpet section he used on some of his other Cadet recordings from the time – trumpet from Snookie Young and flugelhorn from Clark Terry, both of whom really help the album open up from the usual standard soul jazz trio side! The sound is really unique, and the "bottom" of the brass gives his piano a nice deep sound that you wouldn't necessarily expect from the arrangement – almost a bit of a bounce at the bottom, always helping the groove. The record includes a number of nice originals, like "Little Soul Sister", "All Things Are Possible", "Erewhon", and "Monkey Business" – plus versions of "Gotta Travel On" and "Bag's Groove". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most highly-regarded albums of Hank Crawford's 60s run on Atlantic Records – a set when everything seems to come together just right – and provide an even better showcase than usual for Hank's soulful lines on alto sax! The set also features tenor from David Newman – easily a perfect companion to Crawford for the record – and the rhythms have a nicely laidback, easygoing vibe – almost more Prestige Records soul jazz than the usual Atlantic style of the time. The set's got some warm mellow instrumental versions of blues classics, plus a few originals like "Lorelei's Lament", "Blue Stone", and "Playmates". LP, Vinyl record album

A late 70s classic from jazzy funk master George Duke! Master Of The Game is an excellent mix of jazz, smooth soul, and Latin riffing – really a perfect blend of styles that shows not only how far George's sound had progressed throughout the 70s, it also charts the development of the California scene during the late 70s. George has musical help from Ray Obeido, Roland Bautista, and Sheila E – plus vocals by Lynn Davis, Josie James, and Napoleon Brock. The tracks have a smooth sound that works perfectly with Duke's best keyboard approaches – subduing his tenency to "rock out" a bit, but bringing forward his classic ability to hit a stone mellow groove. Titles include "I Want You For Myself", "Every Little Step I Take", "Look What You Find", "I Love You More", "Dog Man", and "Games". LP, Vinyl record album

An early set from tenorist Scott Hamilton – recorded with a great quartet that features either Hank Jones or Tommy Flanagan on piano, plus George Mraz on bass and Connie Kay on drums. David Stone Martin cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from reedman Ronnie Laws – and an album that really helped set a whole new standard for funky fusion in the 70s! Laws works here with great Wayne Henderson production – which gives the album an even sharper sound than other Blue Note sets of this vintage – and that kind of tight blend of funk and jazz you'd find in the Crusaders, with a similar no-nonsense approach in the grooves! Henderson's got a great way of never being too smooth – and Laws responds with some wicked solos on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – soaring out over the course of the whole wonderful album. Titles include "Goodtime Ride", "Just Love", "Saturday Evening", "Friends & Strangers", "Nuthin Bout Nuthin", "New Day", and "Same Old Story". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual pairing – and a wonderful sound, too – just piano and drums, which is unique for both Louis Bellson and Meade Lux Lewis! Back cover also sports a nice David Stone Martin image. LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Supersax – a record with plenty of classic bop elements, despite a very 70s-styled group name and cover! The combo's a large one, and features tight horn formation deftly cutting through a host of bop classics – lots of ensemble passages at the start, then breakout solos that really get things going! Horn players include Conte Candoli on trumpet, Carl Fontana on trombone, and supersax players Med Flory and Joe Lopes on alto, Warne Marsh and Jay Migliori on tenor, and Jack Nimitz on baritone. Ronnell Bright, Lou Levy, and Walter Bishop Jr handle the piano – and titles include "Confirmation", "Lover Man", "Salt Peanuts", "The Bird", "Groovin High", and "Yardbird Suite". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Cannonball Adderley – and a pivotal set that has him continuing the live recording setting of some of his best 60s albums, while also stretching forward to some of the more inventive ideas of the latter part of the decade! David Axelrod produced, and the album's definitely got his ear firmly in place – a great way of bringing together the album's hip instrumentation – Cannon's alto, Nat Adderley's cornet, and the wicked electric piano of Joe Zawinul – played here in a style that would go onto have a huge influence on countless other musicians on the instrument. Rhythm is by Victor Gaskin on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums – and as with other Axelrod live albums, there's some great spoken bits left in the mix – Cannon's charming conversation with the audience, which really opens up the tunes. Titles include the 2 title hits – "Walk Tall" and "74 Miles Away" – plus "I Remember Bird", "Oh Babe", and "Do Do Do". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Kenny Burrell – a record that brought the guitarist to a whole new audience, with a wonderful sound that's a perfect summation of CTI at its best! The vibe here is perfect – spare, airy guitar lines from Burrell – playing with a freer style than usual, although with all of the deep soul of before – in ways that are a bit like the early Wes Montgomery material for CTI, but taken to the next level with a more sophisticated set of backdrops too! Don Sebesky handled arrangements, Freddie Hubbard solos alongside Kenny, and many track shave some mighty nice electric piano, too. Titles include funky track "Love Is The Answer", and mellower tunes "Child Is Born", "Do What You Gotta Do", and "Be Yourself". LP, Vinyl record album

Stone cooking hardbop – done with all the sharp edges of a New York session, even though the material was recorded live in Rio! The setting is an unusual one – a State Department tour of American jazz musicians – but a lineup that moves way past some of the overly-mainstream "ambassadors" out there – given that the players include Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn on tenors, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Herbie Mann on flute, and even Ahmed Abdul-Malik on oud! Tracks are nice and long – very much in a jam session mode on the best numbers, but mixed with some well-played mellower moments too – and titles include "Wee Dot", "Red Door", "Autumn Leaves", and the haunting original "Ismaaa", which has a great Eastern feel, thanks to the oud! LP, Vinyl record album

Remarkable work from Jane Fielding – a little-known west coast singer from the 50s, one who cut a handful of great rare albums! This set's a stone winner all the way through – stripped down backing by a small combo that includes Lou Levy and Red Mitchell – and a set of songs that includes some familiar numbers, but done in an easily swinging style that captures all the warmth of an intimate live show. Titles include "One Song", "Stars Didn't Fall", "A Summer Day", "I'll Remember April", and "Long Ago & Far Away". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of famous work by tenor players recorded for Verve and Norgran – all packaged in a classic David Stone Martin cover! Titles include "All Of Me" and "Pastel" by Illinois Jacquet, "Tenderly" and "Almost Like Being In Love" by Ben Webster, "With The Wind & The Rain In Your Hair" and "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" by Stan Getz, "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and "Take The A Train" by Flip Phillips, and "Swinging On A Star" and "Charlie's Venture" by Charlie Ventura. LP, Vinyl record album

Not really a recital in the "live" sense, in that the album's a studio session – but a great batch of classic Verve sides by Billie Holiday! The care and quality of the record definitely demonstrate that the Verve years are some of Holiday's best – and for the session, Norman Granz has backed up Billie with a great batch of musicians – including Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Flip Philips on tenor, Barney Kessel on guitar, and Oscar Peterson on piano. Tracks include "Remember", "Yesterdays", "He's Funny That Way", "Stormy Weather", "My Man", and "Lover Come Back To Me" – and the cover has a portrait of Billie by David Stone Martin! (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Features work by Gene Krupa, Oscar Peterson, a trumpet battle with Roy Eldridge and Charlie Shavers, and the classic "Jam Session Blues" – all packaged in a box with a David Stone Martin cover! LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful hard burner from Gene Krupa – a perfect example of the way he could skirt different camps of jazz when working in small group format! Players here are all top shelf – and include Ben Webster, Bill Harris, Teddy Wilson, Ray Brown, and Charlie Shavers – a lineup that almost makes the record come across like a JATP All-Star session, save for the fact that the tracks are a bit shorter! Titles include "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Capital Idea", "Paradise", "Overtime", and "Coronation Hop". David Stone Martin cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hardest to find albums by this lost 60s soul jazz vibist – and all of his albums are pretty darn hard to find! The album's also perhaps his best – as Freddie takes a little more straight funky jazz approach, and loses some of the pop feel of his other albums. There's 2 different groups on here – one a bit large, and with Wally Richardson, Bernard Purdie, and Dud Bascomb; the other a groovy quintet with Joanne Brackeen on electric piano and Gene Walker on Varitone. The album includes a great cover of "Listen Here", plus "Stone Wall" and "Short Circuit". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant little record, and one that really lives up to the heady claim of its title! The lineup here is spare, but the sound is really full – swelling with complicated colors, images, and tones that delight us with each new track – a masterpiece in understatement, and one of the most perfectly realized blends of acoustic and electric jazz instrumentation from the late 70s! The sound is really a perfect "fusion" of modes – with guitar from Vic Juris and keyboards from Barry Miles dancing alongside the bass of John Burr and drums of Terry Silverlight – never too jamming or too rock-influenced, but always filled with energy and a sense of imagination. Titles include the beautiful "Tandoori" – a stone jazz dance groover with some great scatted vocals alongside the guitar – and other tracks include "Sunrise", "Streams", "Routes", "Follow Me", and "Country Miles". LP, Vinyl record album