Michael Carvin on drums – with Marcus Strickland on saxophone, Carlton Holmes on piano, and Dezron Douglas on bass. CD

Some of the best work ever recorded by bassist Paul Chambers – one of the greatest bass players in jazz! This excellent 3CD box set features the bulk of albums that Paul Chambers recorded for Blue Note as a leader, plus an earlier gem recorded for the Imperial label, and another session for the Transition label. Together, the records give an incredible picture of Chambers' work – showing why most jazz players of the 50s regarded him as one of the most important forces on his instrument, and why Chambers had some unique talents that made him one of the few bassists to regularly record albums as a leader. Players on the albums include John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Clifford Jordan, Pepper Adams, and Curtis Fuller – and the albums include Chamber's Music, Whims Of Chambers, Paul Chambers Quintet, Bass On Top, and Transition Session. 32 tracks in all! CD

The music of Richard Rodgers – swung beautifully by tenorist George Coleman – blowing in that clear, strong, soulful style we love so much! The rhythm section is great – a cooking lineup that features Harold Mabern on piano, Jamil Nasser on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – the three of whom really help keep things right on the money throughout! George opens up with some beautifully-blown solos – and titles include "Bewitched", "Falling In Love With Love", "My Funny Valentine", "Thou Swell", and "I Could Write A Book". CD

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A great ECM trio date – tracks include "Open, To Love", "Touching", "Albert's Love Theme", "Cartoon", "Blood", and the title track "Nothing Ever Was, Anyway". CD

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Tracks include "Fantastic Rhythm" and "Let Nature Take Its Course", unabridged versions of "Chelsea Bridge" and "Pretty Girl", and Strayhorn's 1942 arrangements of "Something To Live For". CD

A beautiful tribute to the historic pairing of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman – delivered here by one of our favorite jazz singers working today! The album's way more than just a simple rehash of a classic – as Kurt Elling expands upon the Coltrane/Hartman vibe tremendously, taking the music into even loftier territory with his own wonderful vocals, and creative presentation of the music that includes a few medley moments, and some great spoken bits to link the whole thing together! Musical arrangements are by Laurence Hobgood, who's been with Elling for years – and Hobgood really stretches out with his own energy here, to break the set past any easy cliches, and make it a really Elling-centrist effort that stands as one of Kurt's best records in years. The whole thing was recorded live, and titles include "Say It", "They Say It's Wonderful", "It's Easy To Remember", "Dedicated To You", "All Or Nothing At All", "You Are Too Beautiful", and a medley of "What's New/Lush Life/Autumn Serenade". CD

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Gil plays Jimi? Sounds like a gimmick, but it comes off pretty darn great – and it helps you forgive him for trying to convince the kids that he's not as old as his grey hair might make you think! As always with Evans, the key to the album is a beautiful balance between the strength of the players and vision of the arrangements – a hip mix of musicians who include Billy Harper on tenor and flute, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, and both Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie on guitars! Arrangements are great too – handled by Tom Malone, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson – all of whom make the album way more than just an instrumental reading of Jimi Hendrix tunes – and instead a great platform for improvisation that uses tunes that include "Up From The Skies", "Foxy Lady", "Gypsy Eyes", "Voodoo Chile", "Angel", "Crosstown Traffic", and "Castles Made of Sand". Plus, the CD features 4 bonus alternate tracks – not on the original album! CD

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A classic 70s soul soundtrack – and a dream of a combination! Curtis Mayfield wrote the soundtrack and produced the album – and the result is a killer batch of 70s soul tracks that matches Aretha's strong vocals with the hip Curtom sound of Chicago! Aretha was still doing pretty well at this point, but the album really gave her a push – and the super-hip setting let her record some of her best work of the 70s. If you own only one Aretha Franklin album from the 70s, it should probably be this one – as the mixture of soul, funk, and soundtrack grooves is great, and a refreshing change from some of the cliches that could show up on other records. Features the sublime "Something He Can Feel", plus "Loving You Baby", "Look Into Your Heart", "Sparkle", and Jump". CD

Essential 2 CD set that brings together 33 rare funky 45s from this classic Detroit group! There's loads of great stuff that you won't find that easily – and all tracks are the original 45 mixes, some of them quite different from the LP ones! Titles include "Stuffs & Things", "Fish, Chips, & Sweat", "Biological Speculation", "Jimmy's Got A Little Bit Of Bitch In Him", "Hit It & Quit It", "Joyful Process", "Cosmic Slop", "If You Don't Like The Effects", "Vital Juices", "I'll Bet You", and lots lots more! CD

All 12 parts of Glass'suite of pulsating modal minimalist music. The ensemble here is a sextet, with three electric organs and three reeds, plus voice. Like his other work of this era, the tones overlap and slowly unfold to reveal underlying patterns over the course of the piece. Far more interesting (to our ears at least) than his later operas for the latte-sipping set. CD

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A tribute to Herbie Hancock's most freewheeling group – with Billy Hart on drums and Eddie Henderson on trumpet! CD

Features Don Byron, Greg Tardy, and Miguel Zenon on reeds. CD

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Spare duets between Charlie Haden and Hampton Hawes – just bass and piano, with nothing else to hold them up – presented here as a wonderful illustration of the mature, sophisticated talents both artists had developed by the 70s! Hawes had really learned how to spin out a special kind of longform magic as the 60s turned into the new decade – and here, it's great to hear that approach without any drum in the group at all – as the tracks are long and wonderfully introspective, and offer up some beautifully moody work from Haden on bass. Titles include "As Long As There's Music", "This Is Called Love", "Hello Goodbye", "Irene", and "Rain Forest". CD

You probably know the music – as the record got a lot of press when it came out – but in case you don't, some tracks feature Herbie Hancock and Christian McBride backing Joe up, and others have Eliane Elias and Oscar Castro-Neves. Titles include "Boto", "Felicidade", "Passarim", and "Photograph". CD

Amazing sounds from Joe Henderson's later years – a completely sublime take on the music of Billy Strayhorn, and a wonderful demonstration of Henderson's mature talents on the tenor! There's a fantastic balance here between darkness and light, grit and clarity, heard in Joe's very first notes on the set – and holding on strong through some of the bolder moments in the set – with work by a shifting lineup, from solo to quintet, that features Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, Stephen Scott on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. Yet although Marsalis might be a draw for some folks, we really love it best when Henderson gets to do his own thing – stretching out in these marvelous laidback solos that are heavy on those rich tones he developed in his early years, yet turned towards Strayhorn's brilliant ear for space between the sounds. Titles include "Blood Count", "Isfahan", "Rain Check", "Lotus Blossom", "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing", and "Upper Manhattan Medical Group". CD

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Large group of improvisational musicians performing works by Mike Nock including " Earthbound", "Floating Cloud", "Flowing Water", and others. CD

Hank Jones on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. CD

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With Richard Sussman on piano. CD

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Nice one! A whopping 4CD set that brings together 4 of Roland Kirk's best late albums for Atlantic! Left & Right is an undisputed classic, and has Roland leading a large group of musicians through a haunting batch of complicated tracks that clearly illustrate his much-heralded concept of Black Classical Music. Snippets of this conception appear also on the albums Rahsaan Rahsaan and Prepare Thyself – although these also have Roland playing some other odd off-kilter numbers, in his usual insane style. Other Folks Music rounds up the set, and the album's an underrated gem that has a bit straighter sound than other Kirk albums, but also some incredibly warm, lyrical, imaginative jazz – played by Roland and some extremely well-chosen bandmates that include Trudy Pitts, Hilton Ruiz, and Richard Williams. A whopping batch of tracks – and at this price, a great way to get 4 CDs by one of our favorite jazz artists ever! CD

Lee Konitz on alto saxophone, Catherine Bent on cello, Judith Insell on viola, and Meg Okura and Rob Thomas on violin. CD

Features Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Cory Smythe on piano and quarter-tone keyboard, Sam Pluta on electronics, Zeena Parkins on electric harp, Adam Matlock on accordion, Josh Modney on violin, Robert Landfermann on bass, and Tom Rainey on drums. CD

Andy LaVerne on piano, Rick Margitza on tenor and soprano saxophone, Marc Johnson on bass, and Danny Gottlieb on drums. CD

With Kenny Kirkland on piano, Robert Hurst on bass, and Jeff 'Tain' Watts on drums. CD

One of the greatest 50s showcases for the tenor talents of Warne Marsh – a deceptively understated album that captures Warne at his most fluid and creative point! The setting is a quartet – with Ronnie Ball on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and Marsh is magnificent throughout, really blowing with a tone that is fresh and filled with modern ideas – yet never overdone, nor too willfully complex to lose the train of the tunes. The approach is almost Konitz-soulful – a wonderful distillation of ideas in the hands of one magical talent – and titles include "Ad Libido", "It's All Right With Me", "Playa Del Ray", "Autumn In New York", and "You Are Too Beautiful". CD

Two early 70s recordings by pianist Marian McPartland. CD

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One of the last great records by Charles Mingus – a set of extremely compelling original compositions, played by a fresh group of younger players, plus a few older masters! The record's got a fire and sense of emotion that's missing from a number of other 70s Mingus sessions – and it's one of the few later albums we'd easily rank right up there with his late 50s and early 60s classics! Orchestrations were partially arranged and conducted with help from Sy Johnson – and soloists include James Moody and Bobby Jones on tenor, Charles McPherson on alto, Snookie Young and Lonnie Hillyer on trumpet, and Roland Hanna on piano. Titles include "The Shoes Of The Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers", "Adagio Ma Non Troppo", "The Chill of Death", and "The I Of Hurricane Sue". CD features the bonus track "Taurus In The Arena Of Life". CD

A fantastic album – one of our favorite-ever records from Charles Mingus! The album was recorded in the same breath as his legendary works Tijuana Moods, The Clown, and Pithecanthropus Erectus – and it features the same sort of fire and emotion that made those classics so great. The group alone is amazing – with Horace Parlan on piano, Shafi Hadi on alto and tenor, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, and the amazing Clarence (aka Gene) Shaw on trumpet – all getting plenty of room to open up on the album's longer tracks! The work bristles with a sense of imagination and dark energy that Mingus hardly had in his music in later years – and each new tune brings a fresh sense of vision that never fails to astound us! In keeping with the "poetry" title, the album begins with an incredible 12 minute track "Scenes in the City" – which features a long spoken bit written by Langston Hughes about one man's love of jazz and the way that it affects his life in the city – all supported with excellent instrumentation from the group. Other titles are instrumental, and include "Nouroog", "New York Sketchbook", "Slippers", and "Duke's Choice". CD also features 3 bonus tracks – "Woody N You", "Billie's Bounce", and an alternate take of "Slippers". CD

A rare rare landmark from Charles Mingus – music written for the 1965 Monterey festival, but (as the title indicates) not played at the festival! The recording was done later, at UCLA, with a group that includes Charles McPherson, Julius Watkins, Jimmy Owens, Hobart Dotson, and Howard Johnson – and it features a large group of horns, playing in some of Mingus' most sophisticated arrangements of the 60s! There's still a tremendous amount of fire in the work, as you'd guess from titles that include "Don't Let It Happen Here", "Don't Be Afraid The Clown's Afraid Too", "Once Upon A Time There Was A Holding Corporation Called Old America", and "They Trespass On The Land Of The Sacred Sioux". The album was originally only issued on Mingus' own label, available only by mail – and is presented here as a well-done 2CD set complete with some spoken introductions. CD

Titles include "Darn That Dream", "My Sin", "Alone Together", "I Should Care", "The Good Life", and "Fin De L'Affaire". CD

A mixture of Verve regulars and early third streamers join together in this one-off session designed as a focus on the writing talents of John Lewis. Most of the material takes off from Lewis' work with the MJQ, and the band includes two of his bandmates from that group, Connie Kay & Percy Heath – as well as soloists Stan Getz, JJ Johnson, Aaron Sachs, and Lucky Thompson. Titles include "Little David's Fugue", "Sun Dance", "Django", and "Midsommer". In a great David Stone Martin cover, too! CD

A great collection of Thelonious Monk's early pre-LP recordings for Blue Note – seminal not only for the label's commitment to a modernist bop ideal, but also for Monk's integration in the growing collection of top-level jazz players on the New York scene! The work is notable also for the fact that Monk's playing sometimes in larger group settings – not just trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet certainly has a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s – as you'll hear on tracks that include work from players like Sahib Shihab and Lou Donaldson on alto, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Idrees Suliman and Kenny Dorham on trumpets – depending on the volumes. Art Blakey is on drums throughout – and titles on this first volume include "Round Midnight", "In Walked Bud", "Thelonious", "Epistrophy", "Misterioso", "Well You Needn't", and "Off Minor". New version features a total of 21 tracks with great remastering and some rare alternate takes! CD

45 tracks on 2 CDs. CD

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Features songs from the TV show – including their classic take on Piero Umiliani's "Mahna Mahna" – as well as music from the movies. 27 tracks total. CD

Hip hop for the Gainsbourg fan? This Handsome Boy Modeling School spin off has Nathaniel Merriweather, aka Dan The Automator, working in his smoothest, sexiest, loungiest mode ever! Like Handsome Boy, Lovage is packed to the rafters with mysterious guest appearances, including the turntable and mixing skills of Kid Koala, Chest "Prince Paul" Rockwell, Afrika Bambaataa, and Maseo of De La Soul. Guest vocalists include Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields, Damon Albarn, and Mike Patton. Tracks include "Ladies Love Chest Rockwell", "Pit Stop (Take Me Home)", "Anger Management", "Everyone Has A Summer They Want To Remember", "To Catch A Thief", "Lies And Alibis", "Book Of The Month", "Strangers On A Train", "Sex (I'm A)", "Tea Time With Maseo", "Herbs, Good Hygiene, & Socks", and the best song named after a bad Burt Reynolds movie ever, "Stroker Ace". CD

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A seminal blend of folk roots and jazz improvisation – with Ralph Towner on guitar, Collin Walcott on sitar, oboe and horn from Paul McCandless, and bass and flute from Glen Moore. Titles include "North Star", "Children Of God", "Naiads", "Shard", "Bell Spirit", and "The Swan". CD

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The fourth Prince soundtrack in less than a decade – and a record that follows nicely after Purple Rain, Batman, and Parade, but with a slightly different spirit too – thanks to an ever-expanding Paisley Park family that included George Clinton, Morris Day, and Mavis Staples! The older funk acts are fine, and add to the spice – but it's clear that the main attraction here is Prince, although The Time are pretty darn welcome too! The set features vocal performances from Tevin Campbell, George Clinton, Mavis Staples, TC Ellis, and Robin Power – and titles include "New Power Generation", "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got", "Love Machine", "Tick Tick Bang", "Shake", "Thieves In The Temple", "Still Would Stand All Time", "Graffiti Bridge", and "The Latest Fashion". CD

Prince in a grand groove – really hitting a new level of funk with a razor-sharp edge – and even blowing away some of his work on previous records! The record's a soundtrack for a film – Under The Cherry Moon – and although that movie never had the success of Purple Rain, we actually think it left behind an even stronger musical legacy – one that has Prince finding even more of a funky voice than before, with so many wonderfully freaky twists and turns! The music never got the showcase it might have deserved, because of the failure of the film – but it's one of our favorite Prince albums ever, and includes the massively funky "Kiss", the closest Prince ever got to James Brown, The whole album's got some great sweeping, pop psyche orchestral arrangements by Clare Fischer – and titles include "Christopher Tracey's Parade", "I Wonder U", "Under The Cherry Moon", "Girls & Boys", and "Anotherloverholenyohead". CD

A landmark album – not only for Freddie Redd, but for Jackie McLean, who's the real star of the session! In the early 60s, both Freddie and Jackie played together in a hip New York play called The Connection – working as a part of a live jazz band who were hanging out in an apartment, waiting for their "connection" to bring them some heroin. The music on this set was forged during the course of the play – played live, improvised, but tightly honed into some fantastic tunes over the course of the run – so that by the time Blue Note went to record this set, the whole thing had a razor-sharp intensity that blew away even the best other Blue Note work of the time! Redd wrote all the tracks, and he plays with a dark and fiery edge that we've never heard in his work on other records – superbly matched by McLean's alto, which blows these amazingly precise and soulful notes throughout. Titles include "Who Killed Cock Robin", "Wigglin", "Music Forever", and "O.D." CD

A massive folkloric project – one that really shows how much the form has evolved since the early days of recording! This huge book-length collection looks at the rich legacy of Appalachian music as it moved north towards the Mason-Dixon line – from roots in Virginia and Tennessee, to northern spots in Maryland and Pennsylvania as those older communities languished. The first half of the collection focuses on important 60s recordings of Ola Belle Reed and the New River Boys – done by folklorist Henry Glassie, and very well recorded – and the second half looks at the long legacy of music that's continued in that area, sometimes after the sounds have faded from the source of their original roots. CD one features all recordings of Ola and her contemporaries – while CD two features recent material with a surprisingly vibrant feel – and artists include TJ Lundy, Ryan Paisley, Hugh Campbell, Zane Campell, Dave Reed, and John Miller – as well as the Debusk-Weaver Family. The book itself is worth the price of admission – hardcover, full of photos and writings – and over 250 pages long! CD

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Ari Roland on bass, Chris Byars on tenor and alto saxophone, Sacha Perry on piano, and Keith Balla on drums. CD

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With Larry Golding on piano and organ, Willie Weeks on bass, and Steve Jordan on drums and percussion – plus special guests Dr John, Mavis Staples, Warren Haynes, and David Fathead Newman! CD

A wonderful batch of instrumentals from the legendary Raymond Scott – and a set that features some of Scott's most wonderful compositions ever! These numbers all date from the 30s, and were originally released as 78s on the Master Records label – but this later Columbia package really brings the sounds together wonderfully, and gives Scott a long-overdue showcase as one of the budding modernists of the pre-war years – a composer who could match swing and whimsy, exoticism and jazz, playfulness and poise – all without every losing his beat! The instrumental is wonderful, the arrangements inventive, and the whole thing's got the same sort of audio appeal as an old Warner Brothers cartoon. Titles include "Twilight In Turkey", "The Penguin", "The Toy Trumpet", "Powerhouse", "New Years Eve In A Haunted House", "War Dance For Wooden Indians", "Peter Tambourine", and "At An Arabian House Party". CD

Fantastic stuff – easily one of Archie Shepp's greatest albums, and certainly one of the pivotal points of 60s avant garde jazz! The album features Shepp leading a crack "new thing" line up that includes Ted Curson on trumpet, Marion Brown on alto, Joe Chambers on drums, Reggie Johnson on bass, and the lesser-known Joseph Orange on trombone – all playing in a beautifully poised manner, never too far out and free, but with all the dynamic energy of the best jazz changes of the 60s! There's a vibe here that's similar to some of the Blue Note "new thing" work by players like Grachan Moncur, Jackie McLean, and Tony Williams from the time – but there's a vision that's also wider and deeper, too, given the size of the group and the way they interact. Titles include "Hambone", "Los Olvidados", "Malcolm Malcolm–Semper Malcolm", and an insane cover of "Girl From Ipanema". You can't go wrong with this one – trust us! CD also features a bonus live version of "Hambone"! CD

A beautiful take on the compositions of Milton Nasicmento – performed by guitarist Ricardo Silveira and pianist Luiz Avellar. Given the majesty and ambitious production styles often used with Nascimento's own recordings of his tunes, this stripped-down set is a very different take on the material – one that gets at the deeply personal spirit of the tunes, and which moves past the original lyrics into some introspective musical territory. We're surprised at how much we like the results, and we really enjoy the album's versions of "Para Lennon E McCartney", "Vera Cruz", "Cravo E Canela", "Travessia", and "Nuvem Cigana". CD

Classic funkiness from Sly & The Family Stone – an album that really pushed them to the top of their game, and exploded on the late 60s scene like a righteous funky bomb! The title cut's a mega-hit that you'll recognize right away – but the whole album's great, and is filled with the simple, joyous energy that made Sly's groove one of the freshest of his generation – and which helped foist all the great work going on in the 60s underground firmly into the light of a much wider mainstream audience. The messages are subtle here, but the group are already doing their part to change the world bit by bit – and the funky rhythms at the bottom assure that they'll be doing it ass by ass on the dancefloor! Titles include "Dance to The Music", "Ride The Rhythm", "Higher", "Don't Burn Baby", and the 12 minute "Dance To The Medley", with the groovy "Music Lover" passage! CD also features 6 bonus tracks, 4 previously unreleased – titles that include "Soul Clappin", "We Love All", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Never Do Your Woman Wrong (inst)", and "Higher (unissued single version)". CD

A timeless mix of heart tuggingly intimate strings and beautiful vocals by Esperanza Spalding – a set that feels deep down close to the heart, and in turns, quite soaring – all the while wonderful! The aspects we loved so dearly on Esperanza's previous albums are also done here – touching on soulful Brazilian, soul jazz and chamber pop & soul influences, lovely wordless vocals as well as sweeter singing, and beautiful performances by the players. Ms Spalding is on bass and vocals with Leo Genovese on piano, Rhodes & melodica, Terri Lyne Carrington on drums and Quintino Cinalli on percussion. The great Milton Nasciemento guests on "Apple Blossom", and other titles include "Little Fly", "Knowledge Of Good And Evil", "Really Very Small", "Chacarera", "Wild Is The Wind", "Apple Blossom" and "Short And Sweet". CD

Maybe the greatest record so far from the lovely Esperanza Spalding – a set that has her moving farther from jazz, into a wonderfully warm style of soul music overall! The mix of modes is exquisite – a blend of Spalding's jazz-trained vocals with some beautiful arrangements that sparkle and glisten with this righteous vibe we'd put right up there with the best 70s recordings by Minnie Riperton or Linda Lewis – a really rare breed that goes way beyond the wonderful promise Esperanza's always had right from the start! The album is an instant treasure – the sort that's sure to please everyone who's already followed Spalding on her journey, yet also win her a huge new audience as well. Q-Tip helped a bit on production, but most of the work is by Spalding herself – and titles include "Radio Song", "Cinnamon Tree", "Crowned & Kissed", "Land Of The Free", "Black Gold", "Let Her", "Endangered Species", "Smile Like That", and "I Can't Help It". Comes with bonus download cart for 11 short films! CD

Maybe the greatest record so far from the lovely Esperanza Spalding – a set that has her moving farther from jazz, into a wonderfully warm style of soul music overall! The mix of modes is exquisite – a blend of Spalding's jazz-trained vocals with some beautiful arrangements that sparkle and glisten with this righteous vibe we'd put right up there with the best 70s recordings by Minnie Riperton or Linda Lewis – a really rare breed that goes way beyond the wonderful promise Esperanza's always had right from the start! The album is an instant treasure – the sort that's sure to please everyone who's already followed Spalding on her journey, yet also win her a huge new audience as well. Q-Tip helped a bit on production, but most of the work is by Spalding herself – and titles include "Radio Song", "Cinnamon Tree", "Crowned & Kissed", "Land Of The Free", "Black Gold", "Let Her", "Endangered Species", "Smile Like That", and "I Can't Help It". Deluxe edition comes with bonus DVD that includes 11 short films and lots of bonus footage! CD

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A real standout in the classic catalog of ECM – not only because the record's got a slightly different inspiration than most, but also because it seems to unlock some especially beautiful moments from players who could sound different in other settings on the label! As the title indicates, the tunes here all take inspiration from the poetry of Robert Creeley – but never in a mode that's got the usual jazz meets poetry approach – as Sheila Jordan sings the lyrics when they appear, with a sense of her own power that's very different than a more standard recitation – and which, to us, really feels a lot like her great vocal performances with Steve Kuhn for ECM. Kuhn is also in the group on piano, and other musicians include David Liebman on saxes, Lyle Mays on keyboards, and Bob Moses on drums – all working under the superb leadership of bassist Steve Swallow – who really outdid himself with the depth of feeling in this project. Titles include "Colors", "In The Fall", "She Was Young", "Some Echoes", "Ice Cream", and "You Didn't Think". CD

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The music of Weather Report, served up by that group's legendary bassist Miroslav Vitous – but at a level that's quite different than the original! There's definitely lots of Weather Report-like elements at play here – not just Miroslav's bass and keyboards, but also the kind of wide-edged approach to fusion that the group had – that way of making your stereo feel as if it was somehow encompassing an extra 90 degrees of the spatial spectrum in the way the instruments come together! Yet the music here is also a lot more freewheeling, too – almost improvisations based on Weather Report themes – stepping "out" much more than that group ever did – save maybe on some of their more brooding live moments – which makes the whole thing way more than just a rehash of older songs. The group's a sextet – with Gary Campbell and Roberto Bonisolo on soprano and tenor saxes, Aydin Esen on keyboards, and both Gerald Cleaver and Nasheet Waits on drums – on titles that include "Birdland Variations", "Pinocchio", "Acrobat Issues", "Morning Lake", "Scarlet Woman Variations", and "Seventh Arrow". CD

We're not normally the types to walk around singing the praises of the major labels – but hats off to MCA's Country Music Hall Of Fame Series, with beautifully remastered classic tracks that were previously nearly impossible to track down on vinyl, and excellent notes and biographical details. Honky tonk angel Kitty Wells gets the queen's treatment here – with 16 sweet, heart-tugging (but too endearing to be heartbreaking) singles originally released on Decca between the early 50s and mid 60s. Kitty sounds sad, sweet and beautifully earth-bound, with her vocals placed well out in front of the spare steel and waltz-picked guitar, and distant fiddle. Every ones a classic! Tracks include "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", "Icicles Hanging From Your Heart", "My Cold, Cold Heart Is Melted Now", "I Gave My Wedding Dress Away", "Release Me", "Making Believe", "I'd Rather Stay Home", "Mommy For A Day", "Heartbreak U.S.A", "Will Your Lawyer Talk To God", and "A Woman Half My Age". CD

Larry Willis on piano, David Williams on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. CD