A great lost crime jazz soundtrack – penned by Elmer Bernstein in the style of some of his best work from the 50s! There's a real Man With The Golden Arm feel here – as the orchestra rises and falls in a mode matching the Staccato title – and solos break out with a fluid and brazen sort of feel – plenty of jazz to show the west coast origin of the recording! Players include Don Fagerquist and Pete Candoli on trumpets, Dick Nash on trombone, Ted Nash and Dave Pell on saxes, John Williams on piano, and Barney Kessell on guitar. The show itself is pretty darn cool – and starred a young John Cassavetes as detective Johnny Staccato – a role that supposedly gave Cassavetes enough money to shoot the film Shadows in his free time! Great all the way through – with tracks that include "Staccato's Theme", "Thinking Of Baby", "Poi & Juice", "Deadly Game", "Night Mood", "Jazz At Waldo's", "Like Having Fun", and "MacDougal Street Special". (Soundtracks, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A great little collection that seeks to put the Bristol scene on the map – and to show the kind of inventive jazz the city's been offering up in recent years! The compilers aim to demonstrate that Bristol has as many newly-creative acts as the sort that have been bubbling up in London on labels like Brownswood – and the range of material here really shows a similar way of blending newer ideas and older execution – especially strong in the rhythm department, and with an effortless mixing of acoustic and electric modes. If you've been digging sounds from Comet Is Coming, Nubya Garcia, and Joe Armon-Jones, this set is a great place to take that interest further – on work that includes "Bergson" and "Jabba" by Waldo's Gift, "3.3 Encke Ups" and "Sea Of Apathy & Indifference" by Run Logan Run, "Flump (Ishamel Ensemble rework)" and "Grook" by Snazzback, "Owl" by Lyrebird, and "Bourdain" by Alun Elliott Williams. (New Grooves, Jazz) CD

Very spacey work from Mahavishnu Orchestra – a set that continues the change in sound explored by the second incarnation of the group – one that's much more spacious than the first! The group here is somewhat large, but often comes off with a good sense of leanness at times – less of the notes-on-notes jams of rockish fusion, and more stretched-out spiritual modes, mixed with a slight dose of funk at just the right moments! John McLaughlin's in the lead on guitar, and other players include Gayle Moran on keyboards, Jean-Luc Ponty on electric violin, and Narada Michael Waldon on drums, percussion, clavinet, and vocals. Titles include "Eternity's Breath", "Lile's Dance", "Can't Stand Your Funk", "Earth Ship", "Be Happy", "Opus 1", and "Pegasus". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Charles Mingus' greatest albums from the early days – and a record that shows him making the shift into the groundbreaking style that would characterize his excellent work of the late 50s! The group features Mal Waldon on piano, George Barrow on tenor, Eddie Bert on trombone, and Max Roach on drums on two tracks (Willie Jones handles the kit on other cuts) – all coming together with a jagged sense of power that really shows Mingus taking charge – pushing the group strongly in a "jazz workshop" sort of mode! The album features a key reading of the seminal "Haitian Fight Song", a masterful reworking of the tracks "A Foggy Day" and "I'll Remember April" – and the tunes "Lady Bird", "Love Chant", and the very cool "Drums". CD

A real treat – as Braxton plays work by Monk, blowing alto in a clean, clear, angular mode that echoes with a bit of Lacy, and shows some slight traces of Konitz as well. The group's a quartet – with Mal Waldon on piano, Bill Osborne on drums, and Buell Neidlinger making a surprising appearance on bass. Titles include "Brilliant Corners", "Played Twice", "Skippy", and "Ask Me Now". CD

A really beautiful album from keyboardist Ray Angry – a set that not only sparkles from his own great work on Hammond, piano, and Fender Rhodes – but also from a killer quintet that includes Derrick Hodge on bass, Eric Harland on drums, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, and Myron Waldon on a variety of saxes! If you're a fan of any of the players in the mix, you'll find plenty here to love – and in fact, it's almost as if the album gives each of them the hippest sort of setting that they've had in awhile, maybe even more than on their own albums as leaders – as there's this magical sense of flow that has the notes and rhythms cascading about in really fresh directions. Ray wrote most of the titles – and tunes include "Bjork City", "Number One Love", "Bleeding Heart", "Circles INside You", "Gamma Ray", "Jake-Ism", and "It Might Be Gold". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from saxophonist Salim Washington – a great little album recorded in Boston during the 90s, but filled with the same sense of soulful expression as albums on Strata East from 20 years before! The group's a large one here – with trombone from Frank Lacy, alto from Kurtis Rivers, trumpet from Waldon Ricks, viola from Melanie Dyer, and some especially great piano from Joe Bonner, who also wrote some of the tracks on the set. The work has a focused, flowing feel from the very first note – well-executed large group material that really draws on the best spirits of the ensemble, and hones that energy into some wonderfully evocative tunes! Titles include "Blessing From Oshun", "Love In Exile", "Blossom", "To Know Yahweh", "Chaos In America", and "Whispered Fade". CD

Features 25 tracks including "It's A sin To Tell A Lie", "Black Raspberry Jam", "Curse Of An Aching Heart", " Lounging At The Waldorf", "Big Chief De Sota", "Bach Me Up", and "S'posin". CD