A funky fusion classic from guitarist Wah Wah Watson – his only album as a leader, despite countless appearances as a sideman on 70s soul, jazz, and pop sessions! The album's got a really wonderful sort of west coast groove – one that takes bits of spacey fusion, bassy funk, and mellower soul – and wraps them up with a fresh and imaginative approach, not to mention plenty of wah wah work on guitar! Players on the set are a superstar array of the best talents in Watson's field – and include Bennie Maupin, Herbie Hancock, Dave Grusin, Joe Sample, and The Waters, who sing vocals on a few cuts. The set includes the killer instrumental "Bubbles", one of our favorite mellow grooves ever – plus the tracks "Goo Goo Wah Wah", "My Love For You Comes & Goes", "Good Friends", "Love Ain't Somethin", and "Sunset Boulevard". (Soul, Jazz) CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing blend of free jazz and fusiony touches – a partially electric session that's a real standout in the New York loft jazz scene! The album was produced by Noah Howard at Ornette Coleman's Artist House studio – but it's got a sound that's quite different from work by either of those big names associated with the set. Daniel plays trumpet and flugelhorn on the record – always with an open, spacious tone that soars one minute, meanders the next – allowing plenty of room for contributions from other group members who include Khan Jamal on vibes, Jerome Cooper on drums, Tim Ingles on electric bass with wah wah, and Richard Daniel on Fender Rhodes – again played with wah wah and echoplex! The added processing really does cool things to the electric sides of the music – spacing them out nicely, and creating a wide-toned sound that's a nice contrast to Jamal's vibes and Daniel's horn. All tracks are long, and titles include "Tapestry", "Sweet Dreams", and "Mozambique". CD also features the previously unreleased bonus track "Asagefo". CD

A rare early side of Miles Davis – recorded in postwar Paris in the company of Tadd Dameron! The group's a quintet – with Miles on trumpet and Tadd on piano – and although the overall vibe certainly shows a lot of bop generation spirit, there's also a strong indication of the deeper ideas that were already becoming a part of both artists' music. The group features some excellent work on tenor from James Moody – plus bass from Barney Spieler and drums from Kenny Clarke. Tunes include a fair bit of familiar numbers from the Charlie Parker camp – and titles include "Rifftide", "Good Bait", "Don't Blame Me", "Lady Bird", "Wah Hoo", "Allen's Alley", "Embraceable You", "Ornithology" and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Smooth jazzy work from Deodato – a record that takes off from his electric keyboard work of the early 70s, and shows his growing interest in modern soul and R&B a the time! Deodato's still a few years way from some of his famous soul production work, but he's already got a great ear for a groove – and works in a style that's tight, but never too slick – the best Joe Sample or Crusaders territory, but even more groove oriented too. You can definitely hear Deodato's growing taste for modern soul here – especially on the seminal club jammer "Whistle Bump", which is a tight keyboard-driven groove, with some sweeping strings underneath wah wah guitar. The cut's the real standout on the album – although there's a few other nice moments, like "Space Dust" and "Lovely Lady", which has a great mellow Bob James-ish sound. LP, Vinyl record album

Count Basie goes pop, and the results are mighty nice – a hard-swinging take on familiar tunes from the 60s, but all re-tooled the jazzy Basie way! The vibe here is right up there with the best Neal Hefti moments with the group – and although the arrangements are by Billy Byers, they've got that sense of tightness that Hefti first help bring to the band – a great setting for the inventive solos, and all the cool little twists and turns that make a record like this so great. And while you might think of the setting, or the title, as some sort of sell-out on the Count's part – the album's instead a perfect way to hear what made the Basie band so great – how they could completely transform tunes like "Pretty Woman", "Bye Bye Love", "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy", "At Long Last Love", and "Go Away Little Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Miles Davis' last studio session before a few years of seclusion – and a really monumental effort, probably the baddest of the electric period! The album does a great job of capturing the energy of the frenzied live sets from that time, and matching it with Teo Macero's cut and paste editing, and wizardry at the mixing console. The side long piece "He Loved Him Madly" is a minimalist epic, while "Calypso Frelimo" alternates between mad afro-percussion driven jams and spacey wah-wah trumpet interludes. The rest of the album is divided up into more succinct shorter funky pieces, like classic "Rated X", with Miles basically just leaning on an electric organ over a hyper funk beat, and the bluesy "Honky Tonk" which opens with an incredibly funky burping electric piano break! CD

Soulful 70s work from Herbie Hancock – a record that tightens things up from the Headhunters and Sextant sessions, but which still retains a lot of their depth and charm! Players here including some previous partners – like Bennie Maupin on reeds and Paul Jackson on bass – plus the mighty Wah Wah Watson on guitars, James Levi on drums, Kenneth Nash on percussion, and Ray Parker on additional guitar. Tracks are tightly electric fusion, but still have some of the sharper tones of Herbie's electric work – weird moogy moments mixed into more straight ahead funk – all with a sound that's not unlike some of Ramsey Lewis' best Columbia work of the period. Herbie plays Fender Rhodes, Arp, clavinet, mini-moog, and more – and titles include "Doin' It", "Spider", "Swamp Rat", "People Music", and a remake of "Cantelope Island" that's pretty darn tasty! LP, Vinyl record album

Though there are a number of different LPs using the VSOP title in a few different ways, this was the first, a double album recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival, featuring Herbie leading groups that represented a number of different points in his career. The first lineup later recorded under the name VSOP, and was a re-grouping of the classic Miles quintet, with Freddie Hubbard in Miles' place, in fine form here, the group playing nice expansive lines as they stretch out. They take on "Maiden Voyage" and "Nefertiti" and really stretch out on "Eye Of The Hurricane". Sides 3 and 4 are the real treat, with Herbie's early electric band that had recorded the spacey Warner's LPs playing "Toys" and "You'll Know When You Get There", and then the funk band that was contemporanious with the release of the LP, featuring Headhunters Paul Jackson & Bennie Maupin, and some heavy wah wah funk from Wah Wah Watson, on "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" & "Spider". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work by Andrew Hill – recorded in the 60s – but not issued until this 1975 2-fer package, which then went out of print very quickly! One session's from 1969, and features Hill with Bennie Maupin, Charles Tolliver, and Pat Patrick. Another has him and Maupin playing a few tracks with a string quartet. And the last set (which covers all of the second record) is a straighter set from 1965, with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Richard Davis, and Joe Chambers. The album's a motherlode of great rare material by one of the best piano players of the 60's, and a talent that Blue Note made sure to record as much as they could. Tracks include "Diddy Wah", "Fragments", "Erato", "Pax", and "Eris". LP, Vinyl record album

Miles Davis' last studio session before a few years of seclusion – and a really monumental effort, probably the baddest of the electric period! The album does a great job of capturing the energy of the frenzied live sets from that time, and matching it with Teo Macero's cut and paste editing, and wizardry at the mixing console. The side long piece "He Loved Him Madly" is a minimalist epic, while "Calypso Frelimo" alternates between mad afro-percussion driven jams and spacey wah-wah trumpet interludes. The rest of the album is divided up into more succinct shorter funky pieces, like classic "Rated X", with Miles basically just leaning on an electric organ over a hyper funk beat, and the bluesy "Honky Tonk" which opens with an incredibly funky burping electric piano break! CD

Miles Davis' last studio session before a few years of seclusion – and a really monumental effort, probably the baddest of the electric period! The album does a great job of capturing the energy of the frenzied live sets from that time, and matching it with Teo Macero's cut and paste editing, and wizardry at the mixing console. The side long piece "He Loved Him Madly" is a minimalist epic, while "Calypso Frelimo" alternates between mad afro-percussion driven jams and spacey wah-wah trumpet interludes. The rest of the album is divided up into more succinct shorter funky pieces, like classic "Rated X", with Miles basically just leaning on an electric organ over a hyper funk beat, and the bluesy "Honky Tonk" which opens with an incredibly funky burping electric piano break! LP, Vinyl record album

2 beautiful later albums from Deodato – back to back on one CD! Knights Of Fantasy is smoth and jazzy – done in an LA late 70s style that's kind of like work by Joe Sample or The Crusaders, but a bit more R&B oriented, and with a deeper soul style overall! You can definitely hear Deodato's growing taste for modern soul here – especially on the seminal club jammer "Whistle Bump", which is a tight keyboard-driven groove, with some sweeping strings underneath wah wah guitar. The cut's the real standout on the album – although there's a few other nice moments, like "Space Dust" and "Lovely Lady", which has a great mellow Bob James-ish sound. Night Cruiser is a key record in Deodato's move from funky jazz in the 70s to modern soul in the 80s – and one that showcases the best of his talents in both genres! The approach here is more tightly arranged and produced than that of his earlier CTI sides – but in a mode that's still plenty nice to our ears – as Deodato's uncanny sense of rhythm and timing is still very firmly in place, making the set way way more than just a smooth jazz album – and pushing it strongly into the realm of soulful spacey fusion! There's some really great tracks on the set – like the amazing "Skatin", a sweet keyboard number that's a perfect roller skating jam (in case you couldn't guess from the title) – plus "Love Magic", "Uncle Funk", "East Side Strut", and "Night Cruiser". 11 tracks in all! CD

A quadruple-header from Ramsey Lewis – four albums from his great 70s electric period on Columbia Records! First up is Funky Serenity – sweet electric funk from Ramsey Lewis! The album's one of his best from the 70s – and it's got Ramsey on Fender Rhodes, electric harpsichord, and other keyboards, grooving away in an open-ended 70s mode that still retains all the heavy soul of his classic work for Chess. Morris Jennings adds in some very nice percussion with his drum work, and Cleveland Eaton's on funky bass, giving the set a strong bottom groove. Features the sublime sample cut "My Love For You", a great version of "Knights In White Satin" that's done with a weird spacey groove, plus the tracks "Kufany Mapenzi (Making Love)", "Serene Funk", "What It Is!", and "Dreams". Golden Hits isn't a "best of", but instead has Ramsey and his funky mid 70s trio with Morris Jennings and Cleveland Eaton revisiting some of his best loved material from the Cadet years, but with the groovy Rhodes and wah wah sound that we dig so much about his CBS recordings. Unlike some of the other records from this period, the group's nice and stripped down, just the electric piano, bass and drums, so the groove's nice and wide open, Ramsey and company popping along with the sanctified soulful vibe of his 60s work, but updating their sound with some nice electric touches. 9 numbers in all: "Hang On Sloopy", "Blues For The Night Owl", "Hi-Heel Sneakers", "Carmen", "Delilah", "Wade In The Water", "Slippin' Into Darkness", "Somethin' You Got", and "The In Crowd". Solar Wind was cut smack dab in the middle of Ramsey's glory days at Columbia Records – with great production help and work on bass from the mighty Cleveland Eaton! The style is nice and lean, with just some occasional fuller touches – and Ramsey plays plenty of Fender Rhodes, in addition to bits of Arp and moog too – in a setting that's mostly trio, with a few guest players stepping into the mix from track to track! There's a nice degree of fuzz at points, thanks to added help from Steve Cropper – and titles include a great funky version of "Summer Breeze", plus "Solar Wind", "Come Down In Time", "Love for A Day", "Hummingbird", "Jamaican Marketplace", and "Sweet & Tender You". Sun Goddess is one of our favorite Ramsey Lewis albums ever – and a perfect summation of the genius that was brewing on the Chicago scene in the late 60s and early 70s! The album has Ramsey working strongly with Earth Wind & Fire – no surprise, given his close ties to Maurice White, who was the drummer in Ramsey's trio before starting his own group – and the shared relationship both artists had with producer Charles Stepney! The three were all key parts of the late 60s sound at Chess Records – but here, they've brought the same soulful energy to Columbia – working in a wider, more mature groove for the 70s – one that has Lewis' wicked Fender Rhodes lines stretching out strongly over tight, compressed, funky lines from EWF! The centerpiece of the set is the massive 7 minute "Sun Goddess", but there's lots of other nice ones like "Living For The City", "Gemini Rising", and "Jungle Strut". Funky, electric, and sublimely wonderful all the way through! CD

Titles include "Kansas City Blues", "Yardbird Waltz", "Diblin' And Dablin", "Doo-Wah-Doo", "Hot Biscuits", and "Ace In The Hole". CD

Overlooked work by one of the true guitar geniuses of the 70s – an artist who should be right up there with Derek Bailey and Fred Frith – especially with groundbreaking work of this nature! Hans Reichel has a very unique approach to the electric – one that's both very deft on the strings, but also has a sonic sensibility that almost seems to use the instrument to trigger sounds as much as to create notes – moments that are often quite melodic, even when free – shifting between the infinite tonal possibilities of the guitar and some of its textural elements too. Some of Reichel's later work wasn't as great as his 70s output – but this album's a tremendous and well-lauded classic! Titles include "Lupi", "Shaved Guitar", "Krampfhandlugen", and "Alfons Al Piepenbrink & His Lonely Wah Wah Pedal". CD

The second Folkways album from trumpeter Charles Shaw – and even more wonderful than the first! This one changes up the groove a bit – still sticking in Shaw's spiritual jazz vein at times, but also tripping things out a bit more with use of electric guitar and the ultra-cool "bag flute" – which is almost like a wah-wah sort of reed instrument, and which makes for some really funky moments! The electric touches are totally great – and mix with rougher acoustic jazz elements in ways that remind us of earlier 70s work from Luther Thomas and Joe McPhee – also both avant players who could show a funky side like this at times. Shaw plays trumpet, flugelhorn, and the bag flute – and other instrumentation includes guitar from James Greggo and Tom Lee Harris, alto from Brian Ross, tenor from Glenn Spears, bass from Ronnie Boykins, and drums from Art Blakey Jr. Titles include "Kid Zorro", "Postage Paid", "Mr Zip", "Chain Reaction", and "Melted Soul". CD

Just about any record with Maiden Voyage in the title turns out to be pretty darn great – and this record is no exception! The set's a sweet mix of electric and acoustic modes from Japanese tenorist Tatsuya Takahashi – played by his Tokyo Union group, and featuring electric piano and bass nestled in amidst the larger horn section – all in a great blend of big band jazz and funkier modes! The title track is a great cover of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" – taken in a spacious, open way that has some weird electronics bubbling underneath – and other highlights include a great wah wah funk version of "One Mint Julep", a stepping version of "Sir Duke" with some vocoder, and a driving big band version of "Giant Steps". CD

A massive live set from Cannonball Adderley – and a record that really shows the growth he'd undergone in just a few short years! The album's done in close collaboration with David Axelrod – who'd handled Cannon's big live dates for Capitol in the 60s – but this record is much more freewheeling, open-ended, fuzz, funky, and electric overall! Tracks are all nice and long, and really trip out in the best way – with keyboards from George Duke in the core group, plus some heavy basslines from Walter Booker, drums from Roy McCurdy, and guitar from Mike Deasy on a number of key tracks. Deasy plays with lots of great wah wah and fuzz – and the album also features guest work from Airto on percussion and Ernie Watts on tenor – plus Cannonball's great alto and the cornet of brother Nat Adderley too. There's a really collaborative feel to the whole thing – as the record steps easily between a lot of heady styles – and titles include "Zanek", "Eye Of The Cosmos", "The Scene", "The Chocolate Nuisance", "The Steam Drill", "Little Benny Hen", and "The Black Messiah". CD

Crackling with excitement – and the future of piano jazz! The Bad Plus are a totally tight trio that explore the realm of acoustic piano with the same depth and imagination that Medeski, Martin, & Wood once brought to the Hammond. The trio are clearly steeped in pop influences from the past 20 years – but manage to play together with the free-thinking complexity and rhythmic conviction of some of the best French and Japanese piano trios of the 70s. The set includes a few great covers that might otherwise sound gimmicky, but which come across amazing well – thanks to the group's depth and level of execution – plus some even better original tunes that we love especially much! Titles include "Big Eater", "Everywhere You Turn", "1972 Bronze Medalist", "Boo Wah", "Flim", "Silence Is The Question", "Heart Of Glass", and "Smells Like Teen Spirit". CD

Madly tripped out guitar funk – and a real turning point in the career of guitarist Eddie Fisher! Eddie began his career as a straighter guitarist on the St Louis scene – and although his first album for Cadet was a relatively traditional soul-jazz outing, this one's a wild batch of tripped-out guitar licks! The band's a fuzzy psychedelic one – not in a rock-styled way, but more in an early George Clinton kind of mode, with plenty of rumbling bass at the bottom, warm electric piano lines, nicely placed drum beats, and Eddie's fuzzbox guitar snaking and wah wah-ing over the top! Eddie arranged and produced, and the record's a perfect batch of kicked-back stoner funk numbers that go on and on and on and on! Titles include "Land Of Our Father", "Beautiful Things", "East St Louis Blues", "Another Episode", "Either Or", and "Jeremiah Pucket". LP, Vinyl record album

Three later live sets from Dizzy Gillespie – all in a single package! Sesjun Radio Shows 1 is great, and if you like Dizzy Gillespie as much as us, you'll know that he kept on getting better and better as the years went on – continuing to evolve as a musician, into territory that's always very different than what he was giving the world a few years before! That's definitely the case here, on two live performances done for Dutch Radio in the late 70s – both of which feature a guitar as the key partner – with Rodney Jones on the first half, Ed Cherry on the second, and bass from Benjamin Brown and drums from the great Mickey Roker. Tracks are long, and open up in this really wonderful way – and the group is joined by percussionist Sheyvonne Wright on the second half, who also sings a bit too. There's a quality here that's much more in the best 70s work on the Muse label than you might expect – and titles include "Barcelona", "Diddy Wah Diddy", "Toccata", "The Truth", "Night In Tunisia", "Manha De Carnaval", and Round Midnight". Sesjun Radio Shows 2 is further proof that the genius of Dizzy Gillespie knows no bounds, even in later years – as these two different radio performances feature Diz with very unique saxophonists – both of whom really transform the sound of the group! The first half of the set has Gillespie on trumpet with a young Paquito D'Rivera on soprano and alto sax – a young player really coming into his own here, in an unusual group that also features Canadian guitarist Ed Cherry, bassist Michael Howell, and drummer Ignacio Berroa – on titles that include the funky "Unicorn", plus "All The Things You Are" and "Cripple Crapple Crutch". The second half will be even more surprising to fans of avant jazz – as the legendary Sam Rivers joins the group on tenor and soprano sax – blowing straighter than on his free improv records, but definitely adding an edge! The rest of the group features Cherry and Berroa, with John Lee in on bass for Howell – and titles include "Tanga", "Manteca", and "Birk's Works". Concert Of The Century is a record with a title that's a hell of a claim to make – but it's also a hell of a concert, too – one that features Dizzy Gillespie blowing with an all-star small group lineup – in really stretched-out takes on the tunes, at a level that rivals his best 70s material on the Pablo label! In addition to Gillespie on trumpet, players also include Milt Jackson on vibes, James Moody on tenor and flute, Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all working together as seamlessly as you'd expect! Titles include "Darben The Redd Foxx", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Get Happy", "Blues N Boogie", "If I Should Lose You", and "Bass Solo/Manha De Carnaval/Work Song". CD

Wahoo is right – as Duke Pearson sets up one of his hippest sessions of the 60s, a lyrical batch of soul jazz tracks, with that slight edge of darkness that he was putting into his best work as the decade progressed! Players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor, and Donald Byrd on trumpet – and the overall feel is perhaps a bit like some of those Byrd sessions that were heavily influenced by Pearson, but also with a bit of the later expansive style of writing for horns that you'd find on albums like Pearson's Prarie Dog or Bobby Hutcherson's The Phantom. Titles include "ESP", "Fly Little Bird Fly", "Farewell Machelle", "Bedouin", and "Amanda". CD

Wahoo is right – as Duke Pearson sets up one of his hippest sessions of the 60s, a lyrical batch of soul jazz tracks, with that slight edge of darkness that he was putting into his best work as the decade progressed! Players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor, and Donald Byrd on trumpet – and the overall feel is perhaps a bit like some of those Byrd sessions that were heavily influenced by Pearson, but also with a bit of the later expansive style of writing for horns that you'd find on albums like Pearson's Prarie Dog or Bobby Hutcherson's The Phantom. Titles include "ESP", "Fly Little Bird Fly", "Farewell Machelle", "Bedouin", and "Amanda". CD

A stunner – and one of Clark Terry's finest moments ever! The record has a rawness and groove that you'd hardly expect from his later albums – no surprise, though, considering that it was cut during that really hip time at Emarcy, when the label was working in a mode that was darker and more challenging than many of the smaller labels at the time. Credit is also due to arranger Quincy Jones – who pulls together a group that includes Horace Silver, Jimmy Cleveland, Cecil Payne, and Art Blakey, all into a fiercely grooving sound that recalls some of his most adventurous work of the 50s. The album kicks off with the stunning "Swahili", a tune that will instantly make you happy you bought the record – and other tracks include "Coop", "Chuckles", "Tuma", "Kitten", and "The Countess". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool, surprisingly righteous album from trumpeter Bobby Bryant – maybe the hippest set he ever cut, and a record that features some great larger arrangements that are overflowing with soul! The set features work from Charles Owens and Herman Riley on tenors, Dennis Budimir on guitar, Joe Sample on piano, and Henry Cain on organ – and the whole thing has a wonderfully groovy vibe! Tracks include "Swahili Strut", "Prayer For Peace", "Kriss Kross", and "Nite Crawlers". LP, Vinyl record album

2 rare sides of work by trumpeter Clark Terry – both with a fair bit more edge than many of his later recordings! The first half of the CD is from the amazing 1955 album Clark Terry for Emarcy – a real stunner, and one of Terry's finest moments ever! The record has a rawness and groove that you'd hardly expect from his later albums – no surprise, though, considering that it was cut during that really hip time at Emarcy, when the label was working in a mode that was darker and more challenging than many of the smaller labels at the time. Credit is also due to arranger Quincy Jones – who pulls together a group that includes Horace Silver, Jimmy Cleveland, Cecil Payne, and Art Blakey, all into a fiercely grooving sound that recalls some of his most adventurous work of the 50s. The album kicks off with the stunning "Swahili", a tune that will instantly make you happy you bought the record – and other tracks include "Coop", "Chuckles", "Tuma", "Kitten", and "The Countess". These tracks are followed by 8 more from an obscure 1954 session done under the leadership of clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton – and featuring Terry on trumpet, Barry Galbraith and Sidney Gross on guitars, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums – all in a really unusual group formation that's totally great! One guitar's used for solos and the other for rhythm – and the lack of piano gives the record a decidedly different swing than you might expect from a Jimmy Hamilton session – one that's less traditional, and more airy and open – really inventive in the rhythmic construction of the tunes, in a mode that's followed up very nicely by the soloists in their own energy. Titles include "Chuckles", "Bohemia After Dark", "Blues In My Room", "Blues For Clarinet", and "What Am I Here For". CD

Lots of unusual songs on this later recording from the great Blossom Dearie – titles that include "Round About", "The Both Of Us", "I Wish It Weren't Spring", "A Small Love Song", "Sad Song Lady", "Good Morning Darling What's Your Name" – and duets with Mark Murphy on "Love Dance" and "Just Being Here". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Wahoo is right – as Duke Pearson sets up one of his hippest sessions of the 60s, a lyrical batch of soul jazz tracks, with that slight edge of darkness that he was putting into his best work as the decade progressed! Players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor, and Donald Byrd on trumpet – and the overall feel is perhaps a bit like some of those Byrd sessions that were heavily influenced by Pearson, but also with a bit of the later expansive style of writing for horns that you'd find on albums like Pearson's Prarie Dog or Bobby Hutcherson's The Phantom. Titles include "ESP", "Fly Little Bird Fly", "Farewell Machelle", "Bedouin", and "Amanda". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great take on the music of Studio Ghibli – one that presents the sounds with very much the jazz promised in the title! The sound is very lean and stripped-down, with a small combo style on most numbers – all instruments handled by Tomoo Nogami, who mixes piano, bass, and drums with some other elements thrown into the mix – maybe more of an easygoing version of the clubjazz style of the Tokyo scene! Yuriko Kuwahara of Cosmic Home fame handles the vocals – all in Japanese, and again with a jazz-based approach that's nicely different than the originals. (Japanese, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely expanded version of the great Ghibli Jazz concept – delivered here in a live setting that's maybe got even more brilliance than the studio albums! There's a dynamic sense of presentation right from the start, partly the sense of the concert space in the mix, partly the energy from the crowd – and if anything, these tunes are more groovers than the previous studio albums – and topped with really great vocals from Yuriko Kuwahara. Titles include "Tonari No Totoro", "Kaze No Toorimichi", "Mononokehime", "Itsumo Nandodemo", "Jinsei No Merry Go Round", and "Umi No Mieru Machi". (Japanese, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums to feature the work of the legendary Tadd Dameron from his formative early years in bop – a time when Dameron's modernist modes were really helping to shape the sound of the scene! The groups are all pretty darn smoking, and the record features some classic work by Fats Navarro on trumpet, Allan Eager on tenor, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Tracks are longer than the usual 3-minute bop side, and titles include "Wahoo", "Good Bait", "Tiny's Blues", and "Symphonette". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare live material from Charlie Parker – recorded in the very familiar territory of the Birdland nightclub, but not issued until an LP release from the 70s! The material originally was broadcast on radio, but through the series of the Rose transcription disc archive – which meant better recording and preservation than most other radio material of the bop years – helping to make this album a real treasure among Bird fans in the years after his death. The lineup is a very tight bop-based one – with Fats Navarro on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, and Art Blakey on bass. Chubby Newsome adds vocals to "Embraceable You" – and the rest of the set includes "Wahoo", "Round Midnight", "This Time The Dream's On Me", "Dizzy Atmosphere", "A Night In Tunisia", "Move", "The Street Beat", "Out Of Nowhere", "Little Willie Leaps", "Ornithology", "I'll Remember April", and "Cool Blues/52nd St Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunner – and one of Clark Terry's finest moments ever! The record has a rawness and groove that you'd hardly expect from his later albums – no surprise, though, considering that it was cut during that really hip time at Emarcy, when the label was working in a mode that was darker and more challenging than many of the smaller labels at the time. Credit is also due to arranger Quincy Jones – who pulls together a group that includes Horace Silver, Jimmy Cleveland, Cecil Payne, and Art Blakey, all into a fiercely grooving sound that recalls some of his most adventurous work of the 50s. The album kicks off with the stunning "Swahili", a tune that will instantly make you happy you bought the record – and other tracks include "Coop", "Chuckles", "Tuma", "Kitten", and "The Countess". CD

A really great take on the music of Studio Ghibli – one that presents the sounds with very much the jazz promised in the title! The sound is very lean and stripped-down, with a small combo style on most numbers – all instruments handled by Tomoo Nogami, who mixes piano, bass, and drums with some other elements thrown into the mix – maybe more of an easygoing version of the clubjazz style of the Tokyo scene! Yuriko Kuwahara of Cosmic Home fame handles the vocals – all in Japanese, and again with a jazz-based approach that's nicely different than the originals. (Japanese, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of wonderful tenorists – each of them important players on their respective local scenes – coming together tremendously here in an all-star set! Tracks are often long, and really allow each individual plenty of personal expression on their solos – and although Edwards was getting some good time on record at this point in his career, the set's maybe even more special for the way it presents both Buck Hill and Von Freeman – each of whom is great. Backing is by the trio of Rein De Graaff on piano, Koos Serierse on bass, and Eric Ineke on drums – and titles include "Perdido/Wahoo", "Red Top", "I Can't Get Started", "Out Of Nowhere", "Loverman", and "Old Folks". CD

A bold little set from Steve Grossman – a record that's nicely poised between his frenetic work of the 70s and mellower moments of later years – done in quartet formation, but with plenty of focus on Steve's wonderful tenor, especially on the longer tracks! There's a very nice "bit" in Grossman's reed on most of the numbers here – a sound that's not as screeching as on his 70s dates, but which often hints at that direction, then swings back into a rounder, fuller tone on the horn. Backing is by Takehiro Honda on piano, Masahiro Yoshida on drums, and either Hideo Kawahara or Yasushi Yoneki on bass – on titles that include "Taurus People", "Soultrane", "Katonah", and "Afternoon In Paris". CD

One of the most obscure sessions in the long career of jazz singer Helen Merrill – a vocalist who's got a reputation for cutting plenty of obscure sessions around the globe! This date features a mature Merrill sounding wonderful – recording in a nicely understated setting for a Japanese label, with backing from a trio that features Kosei Uchida on piano, Hideo Kawahara on bass, and Tim Horner on drums. As on some of Merrill's other magical records, the songs here are less important than the interpretation – as she works a very personal sort of spell on tunes that include "Imagination", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "While We're Young", "Falling In Love With Love", and "All Blues/St Louis Blues". The set also features trio instrumentals "Milestones", "Bossa Nouveau", and "Put Your Little Foot Right Out". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A 2LP collection of material originally recorded for radio on acetates, then transferred to tape in 1961 and released as 2 albums on the Jazzland label in the early 60s. The sides are noteworthy in that they offer some important early performances by Navarro – working with the Tadd Dameron band that included Allan Eager, Kenny Clarke, and altoist Rudy Williams. Dameron wrote and arranged most of the material, and titles include "Wahoo", "The Squirrel", "Our Delight","Eb Pob", "Tadd Walk", and "Good Bait". CD

A stunner – and one of Clark Terry's finest moments ever! The record has a rawness and groove that you'd hardly expect from his later albums – no surprise, though, considering that it was cut during that really hip time at Emarcy, when the label was working in a mode that was darker and more challenging than many of the smaller labels at the time. Credit is also due to arranger Quincy Jones – who pulls together a group that includes Horace Silver, Jimmy Cleveland, Cecil Payne, and Art Blakey, all into a fiercely grooving sound that recalls some of his most adventurous work of the 50s. The album kicks off with the stunning "Swahili", a tune that will instantly make you happy you bought the record – and other tracks include "Coop", "Chuckles", "Tuma", "Kitten", and "The Countess". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from bassist Charlie Haden and his Quartet West – a lovely look back at the styles and chanteuses of the 50s & 60s noirish jazz – with some lush strings accompaniment and guest vocalists including Cassandra Wilson, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Ruth Cameron and Diana Krall! It's the kind of thing that could come of hokey without a genuine love if the material in the mix, and the Haden & co. pull it off wonderfully. The quartet players include Ernie Watts on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano and Rodney Green on drums. Includes "If I'm Lucky" with Melody Gardot, "Sophisticated Lady", "Today I Am A Man", "Ill Wind" with Norah Jones, "My Love And I" with Cassandra Wilson, "Theme From 'Markham'", "Angel Faces", "Goodbye" with Diana Krall, "Wahoo" and more. CD

Fantastic 70s work by Ahmad Jamal – the kind of record you look for for years, and are always disappointed when you end up buying a more straight-ahead session! The album features Jamal on both Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano – working in a trio format, plus percussion, with some occasional additional backgrounds arranged by Richard Evans. The tracks are long, loping, and with a very strong soul jazz approach that builds on Jamal's advances of the 60s. Titles include "Death & Resurrection", "Swahililand", "Eclipse", "Pastures", and "Dialogue". LP, Vinyl record album