Sublimely spiritual work from trombonist Charles Greenlee – a player who's best remembered for work as a sideman with Archie Shepp, but who really sparkles as a leader on this rare Japanese set! The vibe here is totally great – a righteous approach to soul jazz that rivals the best work of the Strata East scene in the US, but which is carried off with the poise and power of some of the best mid 70s Japanese-only dates of this type – clearly a great deal of respect and freedom given to Greenlee in the studio, but also some good help in putting together the record in as solid a way as possible. Jean Carn makes a great appearance singing on 3 tracks here – with a quality that's even more righteous than her work with Doug Carn on Black Jazz – and one more number features the great Joe Lee Wilson on vocals too. Players include Hubert Eaves and Art Matthews on piano, Charles Sullivan on trumpet, Archie Shepp on tenor and soprano, Buster Williams on bass, and either Charlie Persip or Beaver Harris on drums – and titles include "I Know About The Life", "He's Gone", "Steam", "Someday", "Crusificado", and "Miss Barbara". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice rare one from the late 70s! Like his mentor Archie Shepp, Marion Brown came inside a bit in the late seventies, perhaps to prove that he could still play that way. On this Japanese-only recording, he's joined by Kenny Barron, Cecil McBee, and Philly Joe Jones. Some nice moody originals, plus well selected jazz standards like "Soul Eyes" and "Blue Monk". Inside – but with an edge. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark meeting from one of the two greatest talents in jazz on the 70s European scene – vocalist Karin Krog and saxophonist Archie Shepp – both coming together in an extremely evocative session! The work has a very moody feel – as Krog's singing in a spacious tone that allows for plenty of tenor work by Shepp – done in a mode that colors in the spaces between the words, and made all that much better by support from his regular group members Charles Greenlee and Beaver Harris. Shepp was hitting a more traditional tone at this point in his career – but as with his other recordings of the same time, there's still a strongly modernist undercurrent that shines through nicely. Combined with Krog's vocals, the result is a beautiful approach that really opens up jazz standards like "Soul Eyes", "Solitude", and "Hi Fly" – and which is matched perfectly for Shepp's "Steam" and Carla Bley's "Sing Me Softly Of the Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful Japanese-only session from Benny Golson – and proof that, throughout the years, Golson could always continue to turn out wonderful material! Benny's working here with old bandmate Curtis Fuller on trombone – and the pair are supported by a trio who include Bill Mays on piano, Bob Magnusson on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums – all held wonderfully in command by Golson, who's working here with a tightness that recalls Jazztet years, yet which also has him and Fuller opening up in nice long solos. There's a sense of warmth here that crackles wonderfully – that raspy Golson tone that we first grew to love in the late 50s, and which has only deepened with age by this point. The set includes the wonderful original tune "One More Mem'ry", plus great versions of Golson's "Sad To Say", "Touch Me Lightly", "Five Spot After Dark", "Once Again", and "Out Of The Past". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album