Groundbreaking work by one of the greatest artists in Brazil – a masterful collection that dips heavily into Jorge Ben's key recordings of the 60s and early 70s for Philips! The scope of sounds here is really amazing – as Jorge starts with an already-great driving samba groove, then expands into bigger arrangements, more complicated sounds, and emerges in the 70s with a heavy funk approach to his work! Nobody could touch Jorge during this time, and every single track on the set is a winner – the kind of stuff that will make you a convert for life, and want to track down every Ben album from these years. The set's filled with treasures – 19 tracks that include "Que Pena", "Taj Mahal", "Chove Chuva", "Xica Da Silva", "Cade Tereza", "Zumbi", "Pais Tropical", "Oba La Vem Ela", "Que Maravilha", "Charles Anjo 45", "O Telefone", "Bebete Vaobora", "Caramba Galileu Da Gailieia", and "Ponta De Lanca Africano". CD

One of the most unusual "best of" collections you'll ever own – given that it features material pulled together from seven different albums by Ben LaMar Gay – none of which were ever released! The package is more of a debut than anything else – and a hell of a musical statement, too – as Ben's music is almost completely without referent – and that's saying a lot, given the already genre-busting nature of other releases on the International Anthem label! We might list the music under jazz – as it does feature some jazz instrumentation – but there's also lots of electronic elements too, often used in these shape-shifting ways that criss cross with other elements – like bass clarinet, flute, viola, and voice – all kind of crashing together in waves of sonic energy that embrace multiple genres at once, but never have the hokey result of other music that might try to do such a thing. Instead, imagine Ben's voice as being this bold cut-up experiment (in the original William S Burroughs mode) – but one that might have been taken across the scope of an entire record collection, sweeping up snatches of jazz, electronica, orchestral music, folk, hip hop, and lots more – all with results that are as revolutionary as Burroughs' writing. Titles include "Muhal", "Music For 18 Hairdressers – Braids & Friends", "7th Stanza", "Gator Teeth", "Swim Swim", "Kunni", "Oh No Not Again", "Jubilee", and "A Seasoning Called Primavera". CD

Ben LaMar Gay might well be one of the most creatively intense artists on the International Anthem label – and that's saying a lot, given all of the groundbreaking talents who've come to record for the company in recent years! And while Ben's previous record was completely mindblowing, this set really pushes things over the top – and has the artist at the helm of a large assemblage of musicians who provide all these different sonic elements to augment the intensity of his vision – as the leader handles cornet, organ, and a host of other instruments – while singing on most cuts, but in a way that's majestic and very much his own – neither soul, nor jazz – at least in familiar ways. The lineup features voices of many others – and instrumentation that includes Tomeka Reid on cello, Matthew Davis on trombone, Johanna Brock on viola, and Rob Frye on flute – mixed with spoken and sung passages from a number of others, including Angel Bat Dawid. Incredibly beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Hood Rich Happy", "I Once Carried A Blossom", "Slightly Before The Dawn", "Be Loving Me Some Of You", "We Gon Win", "S'Phisticated Lady", "In Tongues & Droves", and "Touch Don't Scroll". CD

Ben Hans on drums with Jeff Scroedl on guitar and Mark Solveson on bass. CD

Notable sidemen include Benny Carter and Oscar Peterson. CD

Featuring Phil Woods, Mike Mainieri, Phil Upchurch, and Richard Davis! CD

A historic meeting between pianist Art Tatum and tenor sax giant Ben Webster! At some level, it's clear that Tatum's the star of the session – as most tracks start out with that introspective and often complicated approach to the keys that marks his trio and solo work – but Webster always slides in just in time to keep the record from being a standard Tatum outing – blowing with a crisp tone that's beautifully recorded here, and hardly concerned at all with the presence of Red Callender on bass and Bill Douglass on drums – who are much lower in the mix. Titles include "Night & Day", "Where Or When", "My Ideal", "Gone With The Wind", and "All The Things You Are". CD

About as classic as you can get for Ben Webster on Verve Records – a nicely mature, nicely laidback session that really captures the energy promised in the title! The sidemen are all in an easygoing, soulful mode – Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and Ben blows these beautifully deep, well-crafted lines on tenor over the top – always with that raspy tone that had already influenced a generation, but which hardly ever got a better showcase than this! Titles include "Time On My Hands", "Where Are You", "Soulville", "Late Date", and "Ill Wind". CD also features 3 previously unissued tracks – "Who", "Boogie Woogie", and "Roses Of Picardy". CD

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A legendary meeting of two giant talents in Brazilian music – and a set that's maybe one of the best albums of the decade by both artists involved! The album has a raw, acoustic vibe – the kind of sound you'd expect from the cover photo of Jorge Ben and Gilberto Gil playing guitars together – and the style is maybe more in Ben's mode of the time, but with the acoustic qualities that Gil used on his album in 1971 – blended together perfectly, on long tracks that really have the spontaneous feel of both artists jamming together in the studio. Every minute of the double length set is great – and titles include a very long take on Ben's famous "Taj Mahal" track – done in a sparer studio setting than the original, with a haunting groove, and great vocals by both singers – plus the titles "Sarro", "Quem Mandou", "Nega", and "Meu Glorioso Sao Cristvao". CD

2 albums' worth of incredible work from Ben E King! Spanish Harlem is a classic – and forget that you've heard the title track a million times, because the album's a treasure all the way through – packed with beautiful tunes arranged and produced by the Lieber-Stoller tune, in that mix of baion rhythms that they were crafting in the uptown studios for the Drifters during the early 60s. The leadoff cut is the amazing "Amor", a lightly grooving number that should have been massive – and just about every other cut is a similar Latin-tinged number. Titles include "Come Closer To Me", "Sway", "Love Me, Love Me", "Frenesi", "Souvenir Of Mexico", and "Besame Mucho". Don't Play That Song is equally great – with some darker numbers done in Ben's increasingly uptown soul style. Titles include classics like "Here Comes The Night", "Don't Play That Song", "Young Boy Blues", and "Stand By Me" – plus lesser-known gems like "Brace Yourself", "I Promise Love", "Yes", "First Taste Of Love", and "Show Me The Way". CD

Ben Monder on guitar, Kermit Driscoll and Skuli Sverrisson on bass, Ted Poor on drums, with vocals CD

An excellent group! Features Kenny Barron on piano, Gary Bartz on soprano and alto, Ben Riley on drums, and Buster Williams on bass. CD

A historic meeting between pianist Art Tatum and tenor sax giant Ben Webster – recorded in 1956, but only first issued by Pablo Records in the 70s! At some level, it's clear that Tatum's the star of the sessions – as most tracks start out with that introspective and often complicated approach to the keys that marks his trio and solo work – but Webster always slides in just in time to keep the record from being a standard Tatum outing – blowing with a crisp tone that's beautifully recorded here, and hardly concerned at all with the presence of Red Callender on bass and Bill Douglass on drums – who are much lower in the mix. Titles include "Night & Day", "Where Or When", "My Ideal", "Gone With The Wind", and "All The Things You Are". CD features 5 bonus tracks – all solo piano numbers by Tatum, recorded in LA in December of 1953. Titles include "Night & Day", "Where Or When", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Gone With The Wind", and "All The Things You Are". CD

Features Ben Webster on tenor! Tracks include "Have You Met Miss Jones", "All The Things You Are", "Where Or When", and three takes of "Gone With The Wind". CD

Includes 94 tracks on 4 CDs and features work with Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Teddy Wilson, Slim Gaillard, Woody Herman, Cozy Cole, and others. CD

Nobody deserves the title of King Of the Tenors more than Ben Webster – as his warm soulful style influenced countless players in his day, and stil sounds pretty darn great today! This early Verve LP features some excellent small combo work by Ben, playing as the main soloist in smaller groups that include players like Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, and Harry Edison – on swing-based tunes like "Bounce Blues", "Cottontail", "That's All", and "Jive At Six". Includes a single version of "That's All", and the unissued tracks "Poutin" and "Bounce Blues (alt)". CD

A great little album from Ben Webster – perhaps not his most sophisticated, jazz-wise, but done up in a cool cover that has him standing in front of the steel globe at the 1964 World's Fair in New York. The music on the disc has a similar optimistic approach – as Ben solos lightly over rhythms by either Hank Jones or Roger Kellaway on piano (and a bit of harpsichord), plus bass and drums backing by Richard Davis and Osie Johnson. The album's got a great rolling soul jazz number called "See You At The Fair", and a very odd crashing harpsichord number called "Lullaby Of Jazzland" – plus the tunes "Fall Of Love", "While We're Dancing", and "Our Love Is Here To Stay". CD

About as classic as you can get for Ben Webster on Verve Records – a nicely mature, nicely laidback session that really captures the energy promised in the title! The sidemen are all in an easygoing, soulful mode – Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and Ben blows these beautifully deep, well-crafted lines on tenor over the top – always with that raspy tone that had already influenced a generation, but which hardly ever got a better showcase than this! Titles include "Time On My Hands", "Where Are You", "Soulville", "Late Date", and "Ill Wind". CD also features 3 previously unissued tracks – "Who", "Boogie Woogie", and "Roses Of Picardy". CD

A rare meeting of these two American giants of the tenor sax – brought together at the end of the 60s in Europe, both recording late in their careers, but with a laidback and open approach that's really wonderful! The format here is quite loose – a bit like some of the late hours, swing-based sides on Prestige at the end of the 50s – with longish tracks that let both players state their solos in clean, well-recorded phrasings – with gentle support from a trio that includes Tete Montoliu on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums. There's a few faltering moments at times, but they also add a nice degree of humanity to the record – kind of a dimming genius that might not have been allowed on an American session by either player, but which speaks volumes here for the time and distance both players had travelled! Titles include "Caravan", "Sundae", "Blues For Dottie Mae", and "Perdido". CD

An incredible debut from Ben Westbeech – easily one of the greatest artists so far to emerge from Gilles Peterson's Brownwood label – and one of the best new UK soul singers we've heard in years! The album's got a freshness and brilliance that takes us back to the first time we heard Omar, Jamiroquai, or Lewis Taylor – kind of an instant smile that hits our face after the first few notes of each tune – a joy of discovery that's every bit as rewarding as the music itself! Ben's warm vocals are mixed nicely with subtle arrangements that get slightly cosmic, but never too much so – and which instead always veer towards organic territory that beautifully respects the lyrics of the tunes, and Westbeech's role as soul singer first and foremost. The record's one you'll be playing for years to come – and it's filled with great tracks that include "Bright Future", "Get Silly", "Welcome", "So Good Today", "Gotta Keep On", "Taken Away From", "Grey Skies", "Stop What You're Doing", "Dance With Me", and "Hang Around". CD

Amazing stuff! Jorge Ben never made a bad record in the 60s – and this is one of his best! The album's filled with tight jaunty numbers that mix big band samba arrangements with quickly strummed guitar, and Jorge's wonderfully raw vocals – all classic stuff for Jorge, but a style that we never tire of! Every track's a winner, and the album glides effortlessly from number to number, grooving along with a stunning mix of instruments, vocals, and this incredible echoey production. Titles include "Vou De Samba Com Voce", "Guerreiro Do Rei", "Descalco No Parque", "Gabriela", "Saida Do Porto", "Bicho Do Mato", and "Zope Zope". CD

14 of the best tracks ever by this fantastic Brazilian artist! Unlike some of the other CDs in the Personalidade series, this one's got killer stuff all the way through – really fantastic work from maybe Jorge's best period – and a masterful mix of funky soul and samba grooves! Titles that include "Que Pena", "Take It Easy My Brother Charles", "Que Maravilha", "Pais Tropical", "Chove Chuva", and "Rita Jeep". Nice stuff! CD

One of the few albums by Jorge Ben that was issued in America – a mid-70s set that brings together some of the best work he recorded for Philips Records in Brazil in the late 60s and early 70s! The work here is the stuff of legend – sounds that effortlessly blend samba and soul, all without ever sounding forced – and with an undeniably infectious groove that comes through strongly in Jorge's fantastic presentation of the material! His vocals are amazing – the kind that really grab you, even if you don't understand the language – and the rhythms are full of rootsy percussion and riffing acoustic guitar – plus some basslines that are very unique, and really drive the tunes. The whole thing's wonderful – every track is a killer – and titles include "Ze Cangica", "O Circo Chegado", "Morre O Burro Fica O Homem", "Paz E Arroz", "Oba, La Vem Ela", "Apareceu Aparecida", "Oba La Vem Ela", and "Errare Humanum Est". CD features two bonus tracks – "Que Maravilha" and "Taj Mahal (1972 version)". CD

With Ches Smith on drums. CD

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The first full length collaboration between blues, soul and rock slide guitar eclecticist Ben Harper and harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite – and it's win for both – with a vibe that's rooted in many traditions, but feels right at home in both Harper's and Musselwhite's wheelhouses. We expected a blues & soul covers set when we first heard that this project was in the works – and while the prospect of these 2 fellows working together on the classic Americana songbook sounds like a pretty good idea to us – we're actually all the more impressed with this all originals take on classic styled craft. A bit of blues and blues rock, a bit of gospel, and a bit of southern styled folk soul – and a bunch of great songs! It's a full band set up for the most part, too, as opposed to a spare duos set – and the titles include "Don't Look Twice", "I'm In I'm Out And I'm Gone", "We Can't End This Way", "You Found Another Lover (I Lost Another Friend), "I Ride At Dawn", "Get Up!", "She Got Kick", "Blood Side Out" and "All That Matters Now". CD

A warmly well-crafted second set from the trio of pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Billy Hart – one that has an even more cohesive, group-directed vibe than their debut! The setting's a bit different, the group have grown a lot together, and there's a resonance here that's wonderful – with Hays' piano ringing out on all these long, lyrical lines – as Street wraps things together with a sense of flowing spirit – and Billy Hart continues to be a mature master showing that less is often more on the drums! The approach is maybe illustrated perfectly on the group's take on "With A Little Help From My Friends" – which could be a thematic title for the album – but the whole thing's great too, on titles that include "Song For Peace", "Irah", "Throughout", "Butterfly", "Capricorn", and a very fresh take on Milton Nascimento's classic "Bridges". CD

Ingrid Jensen on trumpet and electronics, Christine Jensen on saxophone, Ben Monder on guitar, Fraser Hollins on bass, and Jon Wikan on drums. CD

One of the hippest projects we've heard from drummer Ben Riley in awhile – a big band project devoted to the music of Thelonious Monk, and one that gets most of its angular changes from the saxophone section! There's a great post-Monk quality to this one that makes it way more than just a copycat of the old days – a re-interpolation of the music and inspirations of Monk for a slightly different jazz idiom, presented with 4 saxophones, 1 trumpet, guitar, bass, and drums – and no piano at all! Riley's on drums, and saxophones include Bruce Williams on alto and soprano, Wayne Escoffery and Jimmy Greene on tenor, and Jay Brandford on baritone – working alongside guitar from Freddie Bryant, bass from either Kiyashi Kitagawa or Peter Washington, and trumpet from Don Sickler, who sometimes blasts out in the lead. Titles include "Gallop's Gallop", "Green Chimneys", "Shuffle Boil", "Straight No Chaser", "Rhythm-A-Ning", and "Let's Call This". CD

Ben Sidran's recordings for the Go Jazz label covers material from the 1980s and 1990s. Includes a bonus interview with Ben. CD

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Classic late Webster material, recorded in a laidback setting for Verve, with associates that include Coleman Hawkins, Budd Johnson, Roy Eldridge, Jimmy Jones, and Les Spann. Side one is a very long version of "In A Mellow Tone", with a blowing session solo approach – and side two features shorter tracks like "Budd Johnson", "Young Bean", and "De Dar". CD

Features Ben Webster on tenor sax, Alan Branscombe on piano, Lennie Bush on bass, and Jackie Dougan on drums. Tracks include "In A Mellow Tone", "Gone With The Wind", "Perdido", "Ben's Theme Tune", and "Over The Rainbow" – plus a short interview track with Ben Webster. CD

Includes the songs "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Time On My Hands", "Early Autumn", "Prisoner Of Love", "When I Fall In Love", "Willow Weep For Me", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Chelsea Bridge", "My Funny Valentine", "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me", and more. CD

With Gilad Hekselman on guitar, Matt Penman on bass, and Obed Calvaire on drums. CD

Ben Allison on bass, Michael Blake on saxophones, Ted Nash on saxophones and flute, Tomas Ulrich on cello, Jeff Ballard on drums, Frank Kimbrough on piano, and Ron Horton on trumpet and flugelhorrn. CD

Just about nothing could match the sublime quality of Jorge Ben's late 60s or early 70s – so we'll admit that we're quite biased against the work on this set, most of which is collected from the late 80s and early 90s. The roots of the music are still the same for Ben – with lots of choppy samba grooves, strong soulful vocals, and great guitar work – but most of these tracks are pretty slickly produced, rubbing off some of the edge that made the early stuff great. Still, Jorge's kind of always great – and if we didn't like his early material so much, we'd probably groove more to this set. Includes remakes of "Taj Mahal", "Pais Tropical", and "Charles Anjo 45" – plus "Cowboy Jorge", "Pelos Verdes Mares", "Homem Do Espacao", "Menina Sarara", and "Engenho De Detro". CD

Includes a handful of tracks from each leader – 11 tracks total. CD

Tracks include "Bye Bye Blackbird", "Try", "Language Of The Blues", and "She Steps Into A Dream". CD

A posthumous release of live material recorded in Sweden, during a time when tenor genius Ben Webster was doing some of his best work overseas! The tracks here feature Ben in a few different settings – with piano from Teddy Wilson or Lasse Sjosten, bass from Red Mitchell or Sture Nordin, and drums from Ed Thigpen and Frederik Noren. But maybe best of all is the trumpet work on most tracks – played by either Arne Ryskog or Rolf Ericson, both players whose presence really brings a lot – and makes the record a bit different than some of those other "older American soloists with a European rhythm section" dates of the time. Titles include "Indiana", "C Jam Blues", "The Theme", "Satin Doll", "I Got Rhythm", and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". CD

Includes the songs "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Stompy Jones", "Going Home", "I Got It Bad", "Cottontail", "Come Sunday", "Our Blues", "Sunday", and "Old Folks". CD

Ben Webster and Ole Kongsted on tenor saxophone, John Darville on trombone, Arnvid Meyer on trumpet, Kenny Drew and Niels Jorgen Steen on piano, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel and Hans Nymand on drums. CD

Wonderful stuff! Ben Webster blows soulful late night ballads over strings – a perfect combination, and a wonderful idea that was first executed on two LPs in the 50s: Music For Loving and Music With Feeling, both of which are reissued here with some extra unreleased material! Backings are by Ralph Burns and Billy Strayhorn – both of whom can be trusted to keep things hip, using the strings to create mood, emotion, and tension, instead of a pillow to smother the sound of Webster's incredible tenor work. Added to those two albums and bonus cuts is the even rarer Harry Carney with Strings session, recorded in the same era, and a perfect addition to the package that makes for over 3 LPs worth of material on 2 CDs, all packaged with great notes and some very cool Verve artwork! Titles include "Chelsea Bridge", "Some Other Spring", "Blue Moon", "Early Autumn", "My Fantasy", "Love Is Here To Stay", "Under A Blanket Of Blue", "You're Mine You", "Love's Away", and "All Too Soon". CD

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An amazing tribute to the late Michael Jackson – a beautifully done package that brings together all of his early solo albums for Motown – plus some great bonus tracks as well – all wrapped up in a book-styled cover with lots of notes and vintage photos! The music here is tremendous – the first stand-alone utterings of the King Of Pop, done in a style very similar to the Jackson 5 material at Motown, but sometimes a bit more pointed and personal too – a very different version of Michael than you may know from later years. The set features the full albums Got To Be There, Ben, Music & Me, and Forever Michael – plus two more albums of material recorded in the 70s, but released later – Looking Back To Yesterday and Farewell My Summer Love. There's a whopping 71 tracks in all – and bonus tracks include original mixes of "Melodie", "To Make My Father Proud", "Twenty Five Miles", "Here I Am", "Girl You're So Together", "Call On Me", "Farewell My Summer Love", "Touch The One You Love", and "Don't Let It Get You Down". CD

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Glenn Zottola on trumpet. CD

Music from Fairmont, Kayot, Jussi-Pekka, Darkmountaingroup, Ben Watt, Budai & Vic, Nino Astronauta, Madoka, Lephtee, Jimpster, and more. CD

Recorded live at the Glasgow International Jazz Festival and Musikhusit Aarhus in Copenhagen –with Kenny Barron, Ray Drummond, and Ben Riley! CD

Killer work by Astrud Gilberto – very different than her Verve sides of the 60s! The album was produced by Astrud, arranged by Deodato – and has that wonderful warm full jazz feel of her classic album on CTI, but also a bit more like some of the funky work of Jorge Ben at the time – choppy at the bottom, with a sound that's a bit samba, and a bit funky at times. Mike Longo and Deodato play keyboards on the session, giving it an electric groove that works perfectly with Astrud's soaring vocals – and the whole album really holds together wonderfully! There's a nice bit of funk on the cut "Take it Easy My Brother Charlie" – and other tracks include "Zigy Zigy Za", "Baiao", "Gingele", "Bridges", and "Where Have You Been?" DVD side features include linear notes, artist photos plus the whole album in 5.1 surround sound!. CD

Notable sidemen include Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Milt Jackson on vibes, John Lewis, Milt Hinton, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke. 43 tracks total. CD

Firey guitar work from one of the all-time greats! Grant Green was one of the most incredible jazz guitarists of all time, and his early Blue Note work has always been some of the best guitar jazz ever recorded. With this great album, Blue Note has finally unearthed an amazing early session by Green – recorded in trio format with drummer Ben Dixon and organist John Patton. Both Patton and Green originally hailed from St. Louis, but were picked up on a tour by Lou Donaldson to join his band – and brought by Donaldson to Blue Note when the group hit New York. This set of tracks, dedicated to their boss, shows Patton and Green in sparkling interplay – trading lines with an ease, confidence, and rawness that would make most other organ/guitar teams weep with joy to achieve! The CD's a perfect one if you're a fan of Green's First Stand or Green Street albums – and it includes the tracks "Blues For Lou", "Big John", "Look At That Girl", and "This Little Girl Of Mine". CD

A beautiful little session from one of the greatest guitarists ever! The album's part of Blue Note's tendency to "churchify" Grant Green on some albums – giving his guitar a gospelly groove that has some nicely soulful connotations – but it's also a record that's maybe the strongest of that bunch, as it's got this approach that's loose and open – and which has this fantastic flow that's aided by the piano of Kenny Drew! Drew is the equal star on this set – and the longer tunes on the record really allow for plenty of open solo space – and the whole thing shines with Drew's piano matching lines with Green's strung-out single-note solos. The groove is pretty hard, and the recording quality keeps the whole thing nice and lively – thanks also to work from Ben Tucker on bass and Ben Dixon on drums. Titles include "Sunday Mornin", "Come Sunrise", "Exodus", and "Freedom March". CD features the bonus track "Tracin Tracey". CD

A really unique album in the career of Johnny Griffin – and one of the few entries in the short-lived "jazz meets folk" genre of the 60s! The record features Griffin blowing through versions of older folk numbers – mostly traditional tunes, re-arranged by Johnny here with a swinging vibe that's a bit soul jazz, but also slightly more exotic and lyrical – in keeping with the timeless themes of the compositions. The rest of the group includes Barry Harris on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Ben Riley on drums – a trio who seem well-suited to match the sensitive spirit of some of the tunes! And while you might have reservations about a record like this, don't – because Griffin's tone and phrasing are great, and really keep things away from the gimmicky side of the spectrum! Titles include "The Kerry Dancers", "Green Grow The Rushes", "Black is The Color of My True Love's Hair", "25 1/2 Daze", and "The Londonderry Air" – plus the Griffin original "Oh Now I See". CD

Johnny Griffin on tenor sax, Clementine on vocals, Patrice Galas on piano and electric keyboards, Jimmy Woode and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Ben Riley and Bobby Durham on drums. CD

The twin-tenor duo of Johnny Griffin and Eddie Lockjaw Davis were really on fire in the early 60s – and unlike other pairings of the time, they often brought a strong dose of modernism to their music – as you'll hear in these great interpretations of tunes by Thelonious Monk! The record's a great reminder that the reach of Monk extended far beyond the highbrows of jazz a the time – as Griff and Lock take a nice soul-based path through the tunes, with help from Junior Mance on piano, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums! Titles include "Epistrophy", "Stickball", "In Walked Bud", "Well, You Needn't", and "Rhythm-a-ning". CD

Scott Hamilton's first two albums in one great package! Good Wind is the great opening statement from tenorist Scott Hamilton – a young player who emerged in the late 70s, but one with a definite old school sound! Scott blows here with a wind that's plenty good – very deep-toned, and with a raspy, honest quality that almost takes us back to Ben Webster in the 50s – quite a surprise for the Concord Records sound. The record's got a very well-matched group, too – Nat Pierce on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, Bill Berry on trumpet, and Jake Hanna on drums – all of whom give Hamilton's tenor plenty of space to dominate the session. Titles include "Stuffy", "Indiana", "Blue Room", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Ill Wind", and "Broadway". Scott Hamilton 2 builds on the same foundation as its predessor, but swaps Berry's trumpet for guitarist Cal Collins. Tracks include "East Of The Sun", "There Is No Greater Love", and the Hamilton original "Blues For The Players". CD