30 cuts of the classic doo wop sides that the Spaniels cut for the Vee Jay label in Chicago, during the late 50's. In contrast to labelmates The El Dorados, The Spaniels were a bit smoother, and added more of a sweet harmony sound to their style – as you'll know from tracks like "Goodnit ... (Soul) read moreCD
A great selection of work from Chicago blues giant Otis Spann – with three unreleased bonus tracks too! First up are five tracks from Spann's contributions to the album Chicago The Blues Today Vol 1 – material that just features Otis on vocals and piano, with some raw drums from SP ... (Blues) read moreCD
A well crafted set of tunes – both modern and soulful, in keeping with the rich talents of James Spaulding! The album sports a stupid title, but it's actually a thoughtful batch of tracks dedicated to African American achievement and expression – featuring Spaulding on alto sax and ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Includes the songs "Gangsters", "Rudi, A Message To You", "Nite Club", "Too Much Too Young (Live)", "Guns Of Navarone (Live)", "Rat Race", "Rude Boys Outta Jail", "Maggie's Farm", "Do Nothing", "Stereotype ... (Rock) read moreCD
(BMG direct pressing.)
Spectral (Dave Rempis/Darren Johnston/Larry Ochs) —
Empty Castles ... CD Aerophonic, 2018. Used ...
$9.99
A beautiful triangulation of horns from the Spectral Trio – working here on their second album, with a mighty nice lineup that features Larry Ochs on tenor and sopranino, Dave Rempis on alto and baritone, and Darren Johnston on trumpet! The sound here feels more focused on textures than ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A great one from this excellent 80s quartet – with Charlie Rouse on tenor, Kenny Barron on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Ben Riley on drums! (Jazz) CD
Russ Spiegel on guitars, Jim Gasior on organ, and Lucas Apostoleris on drums – with special guests Brian Lynch on trumpet and Hendrik Meurkens on harmonica. (Jazz) CD
A landmark album from The Spinners – one that has the Detroit vocal group making a hip trip to the Philly scene – picking up a whole new sound and rich new energy in the process! A few years later, working in Philly studios would be common for many artists – but this self-titled ... (Soul) read moreCD
Jazz Alchemy "Six Pieces For Trumpet, Drum & Bass" with Charles McGhee on double trumpets, Richard Davis on bass, and Brian Brake on drums. Three Problems "Duo Versions" with Marilyn Crispell on piano and Reggie Workman on bass, and Three Problems "Solo Versions" ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Jo Stafford —
Jo + Jazz ... CD Columbia (Japan), 1960. Used ...
$6.999.99
They certainly got the title right on this one – as Jo's singing a great batch of jazz-based tracks – and getting help from an array of small group players that include Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, Conte Candoli, and Ray Nance! Arrangements are by Johnny Mandel, in a warmly chromatic ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
With Monty Alexander on piano, Ben Wolfe on bass, and Clyde Lucas on drums – plus special guests Hendrik Meurkens on harmonica and vibes, and Dick Oatts on flute and soprano sax. (Vocalists) CD
(Packaged in a slim CD case, booklet appears to be signed by both artists.)
Peter Stampfel And The Brooklyn & Lower Manhattan Fiddle/Mandolin Swarm —
Holiday For Strings ... CD Don Giovanni, 2016. Used Gatefold ...
Just Sold Out!
Mavis Staples takes the stage at one of our favorite hometown haunts – performing live with small combo backing, in a sound that's even rootsier than some of her recent records! The setting is a great one for Mavis, and it's nicely free of some of the hoke that can sometimes creep in – ... (Soul) read moreCD
(Still sealed, cutout hole through case and tray card.)
Excellent early work from Candi Staton – recorded for Rick Hall's famous Fame studios in Muscle Shoals! The tracks here are quite different than some of Candi's later, more famous work – very much in the best deep soul tradition of singers like Ann Sexton, Betty Harris, or Ann Peebles ... (Soul) read moreCD
The title certainly gets it right – as Dakota Staton is definitely dynamic on this one, but not in a way that's hokey or forced at all! Instead, the record nicely lifts Staton from some of the more laidback and bluesy modes of her other 50s records – into a fuller range of styles that ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
It's time to swing, but with a classy sound throughout – very much the best mix of modes Dakota Staton brought to her key early years at Capitol Records! Backings are by Sid Feller, and are pretty darn jazzy throughout – more so than some of Sid's other work of the time – a ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
A great session by this excellent Chicago quartet – originally recorded in 1996, but unissued until 2000. The record is one of the most lyrical sets to come out of the Chicago underground in the past few years – and it offers a excellent chance to see a straighter side of the group's ... (Jazz) read moreCD
The second Steely Dan album in the last three years, and only their third in the previous 20! On Everything Must Go, the Dan take a more laidback, easy funk approach to the arrangements than the incredibly grand scale of their mid-to-late 70s work. The tunes are comparably minimal, in fact, but ... (Rock) read moreCD
Steely Dan —
Gaucho ... CD MCA, 1980. Used ...
$5.99
The last album in the classic run of Steely Dan – the final taste we'd have of the group until their surprising revival in the 90s! Gaucho picks up beautifully where Aja left off – warmly produced with a deep undercurrent of jazz, but perhaps a bit more down to earth feel at times too ... (Rock) read moreCD
Fantastic early work from flautist Jeremy Steig – a 60s quartet session for Columbia that came several years before the funky style of some of his later work – and a damn great record, with lots of soulful touches! Part of this has to do with the rhythm section of Ben Tucker on bass ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Musical themes from classic Bogart flicks, including Treasure Of Sierra Madre, Key Largo, The Big Sleep, Sabrina, and To Have And Have Not, plus an extended suite from Casablanca – performed by Charles Gerhardt and The National Philharmonic ... (Soundtracks) read moreCD
Bobo Stenson Trio —
War Orphans ... CD ECM (Germany), 1998. Used ...
$11.99
A record that's as melancholic as its cover and title – definitely one of the more sensitive efforts we've ever heard from pianist Bobo Stenson – and a set that also really showcases some great contributions from bassist Anders Jormin as well! Jormin composed a few of the most ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Stereoscope Jerk Explosion —
La Panthere Pop ... CD Cosmic Groove (France), 2008. Used ...
$9.99
Funky grooves, psychedelic sitar, and mod Hammond organ – a magnificent blend that's every bit as dynamic as the image on the cover – served up as the long-awaited debut album from this cool European combo! The album's got a feel that's somewhere between 60s spy soundtracks and Brit ... (Deep Funk) read moreCD
Curtis Stigers on tenor sax and vocals, Larry Goldings on piano and organ, David Tronzo on guitar, Ben Allison on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. (Jazz) CD
Quartet date led by Loren Stillman on alto sax performing a set of original compositions that include "Chicken", "How Sweet It Is", "Between The Devil And God", and "Chasing The White Rabbit". (Jazz) CD
Great straight work from the legendary Sonny Stitt – recording here in a mode that's different than his funky sides of the time – and a lot more back to basics! The group's a quintet – as Sonny blows both tenor and alto, with help from Joe Newman on trumpet, Duke Jordan on piano, ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Sonny Stitt on alto and tenor saxophone with Bud Powell, Duke Jordan, and Junior Mance on piano, Curly Russell, Eugene Wright, and Tommy Potter on bass, and Art Blakey, Max Roach, and Wes Landers on drums. (Jazz) CD
Sublime Sonny Stitt for Verve – a near-perfect record in just about every way from start to finish! Sonny's tone is amazing here – crisp, but still with a great deal of warmth – and focused, but never in a way that's hackneyed or cliched – really showing the brilliance of ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A smoking little bop set from Sonny Stitt – recorded live at the Keystone in 1981, as sort of a "summit meeting" of horns – one that features Richie Cole and John Handy in the frontline with Sonny! The rhythm section alone is enough to cook this one up nicely – with ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Some of the last work that Sonny Stitt ever recorded – and a rock-solid return to straight, acoustic work – material that has him blowing both alto and tenor, in two different groups! The first is a quartet with Junior Mance on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Some of the last work that Sonny Stitt ever recorded – and a rock-solid return to straight, acoustic work – material that has him blowing both alto and tenor, in two different groups! The first is a quartet with Junior Mance on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Probably the most classic of Stitt's sides for Verve – and certainly the one that gets rated time and time again by jazz collectors. We think it's pretty darn great – although we always wonder why folks don't give Stitt's other sides for Verve as much of a chance, because they're all ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Out of print Verve Elite pressing – with bonus tracks.)
One of Sonny Stitt's amazing albums for Roost – a record with a beautifully mature conception of bop soloing, and a totally confident tone throughout! There's an understated brilliance here that's nearly impossible to describe in words – a sense of placement, timing, and phrasing that's ... (Jazz) read moreCD
One of Sonny Stitt's amazing albums for Roost – a record with a beautifully mature conception of bop soloing, and a totally confident tone throughout! There's an understated brilliance here that's nearly impossible to describe in words – a sense of placement, timing, and phrasing that's ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Sonny Stitt makes Oscar Peterson sit up and groove! The record's a great one, and uses the Peterson Trio as a perfect rhythm section for Sonny's confidently blown solos of the late 50s – in a way that pushes the combo past their usual safe area, and into more freewheeling territory to keep ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Includes the compositions "Le Baiser De La Fee", Symphony In C", "Pulcinella", "Octet For Wind Instruments", and "L'Histoire Du Soldat (suite)". (Classical) CD
The incredible second album from saxophonist Frank Strozier – recorded for Vee Jay records after his initial debut, but for some reason never issued at the time! Strozier was really hitting on all burners at this point – fusing the Memphis soul of his roots with the soulful hardbop he ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Suffers —
Suffers ... CD Rhyme & Reason, 2016. Used ...
$9.99
No suffering here – as these guys have an upbeat, joyous sound that really grabs us right away – a warm vibe that's very much their own, and which is a nice change from some of the more posturing retro soul on the market! In fact, although these guys work in an old school mode of live ... (Deep Funk) read moreCD
Way more than just a bop-heavy set – a landmark record that shows a side of the Chicago scene that hardly ever made it on record! In the years after Charlie Parker passed away, tributes to his greatness were a very common thing in local jazz scenes across the US. This is a prime example of ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Out of print, sealed with a cutout through the case spine.)
A great little showcase for some truly legendary jazz lifers – Ira Sullivan and Stu Katz – collaborators of more than a half century doing their thing wonderfully over a handful of dates at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago in the summer of '10! This is literally a Family Affair, that ain't ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Super Jazz Trio (Tommy Flanagan) —
Standard ... CD Baystate/BMG (Japan), 1980. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
There's nothing standard here – because with a lineup that includes Tommy Flanagan on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – the set is definitely a cut above! The title's a reference to the songs – which are all older jazz standards – but the trio ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(1997 Japanese pressing – includes obi!)
Super Jazz Trio with Art Farmer —
Something Tasty ... CD Baystate/Victor (Japan), 1979. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
Definitely something tasty from the Super Jazz Trio – a rare Japanese-only effort that has the combo joined by the mighty Art Farmer! Art plays flugelhorn on the date, and fits in wonderfully alongside the piano of Tommy Flanagan, bass of Reggie Workman, and drums of Joe Chambers – a ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Out of print 2009 SHM-CD pressing – includes obi.)
Supermen Lovers —
Body Double ... CD Word Up (France), 2022. Used ...
$4.99
A completely fresh take on the Charlie Parker aesthetic of the bop generation – updated for the 70s, but in ways that are still pretty classic overall! The group's a large one, but plays with a tightness that goes way past their gimmicky name – thanks to players who include Med Flory ... (Jazz) read moreCD