Collects tracks from the Dizzy Gillespie Sextet, Bennie Green & His Band, the Red Rodney Quintet, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Includes the previously unissued track "I'm Gonna Eat You With A Spoon". CD

One of the greatest albums ever recorded by hardbop trombone legend Bennie Green – an all-star sextet session that cooks like a mofo! The group features the twin tenors of Billy Root and Gene Ammons (billed just as "Jug" on the session, because of contractual reasons) – and it crackles with electricity from a rhythm section that features Ike Isaacs on bass, Sonny Clark on piano, and Elvin Jones on drums. There's some fantastic tracks on here, including Babs Gonzales' "Lullaby of the Doomed", and a monster jam called "We Wanna Cook", which was once described to us as "all you ever need to have a house party" – to which we wholeheartedly agree! Other tracks include "Black Pearl", "BG Mambo", and "Soul Stirrin" – and the album's one of the heaviest duty Blue Notes from the time! Features a bonus mono take of "Soul Stirrin". CD

A wonderful stormer from Bennie Green – one of the strongest Blue Note albums cut by this soul jazz trombonist, certainly one of our all-time favorite players on the instrument! The album's got a harder edge than some of the other Blue Notes from the time – as Green digs in with a group that includes Charlie Rouse on tenor, Joe Knight on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. The set features 2 great originals by fellow trombonist Melba Liston – "Green Street" and "Melba's Mood" – plus the tracks "Bennie Plays The Blues", "I Love You", and "Just Friends". CD

A stone kicker from Bennie Green – arguably his hardest swinging session ever, and an obscure indie release that stands nicely next to his late 50s Blue Note work! The set's got Bennie grooving hard on trombone, working with a quintet that includes Sonny Clark on piano, Jimmy Forrest on tenor, George Tuker on bass, and Paul Gusman on drums. Tracks are short and heavy-duty – with a very in-the-pocket sort of sound – showing perfectly why Green was one of the most soulful trombonists of his generation, and the kind of player who could make you love jazz trombone, even if you weren't an overall fan of the instrument! Titles include "Been Walkin", "Love At Last", "Hop Skip & Jump", "Blue Mambo", and "Change Up Blues". CD

A killer set from Count Basie – recorded during the height of his years at Roulette! The back cover of the record proclaims that "Basie Is Back Home" – clearly a bit by Birdland to lay claim to being the Count's home address, which is a bit of a challenge to his KC roots! Whatever the back story, though, the set's a nice one – swinging hard in that completely tight 60s mode, with a great lineup that includes Frank Foster and Budd Johnson on tenor, Thad Jones on trumpet, Bennie Powell on trombone, and Freddie Green on guitar – a really great group who definitely make the record a cooker! Tracks include "Good Time Blues", "Segue In C", "Little Pony", "Discommotion", and "Whirly Bird", which has a vocal by Jon Hendricks! CD features 8 more bonus tracks – recorded at the same time, and first issued on the Mosaic set Complete Roulette Live Recordings – titles that include "Easin It", "Corner Pocket", "Discommotion", "Whirly Bird (inst)", "I Needs To Be Bee'd With", and "A Little Tempo Please". CD

Includes tracks from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, The Three Sounds, Jacky Terrasson, Miles Davis, Ike Quebec, Bennie Green, and Joe Lovano. CD

Really classic jazz grooves from the vaults of Prestige Records – the kind of cuts that first broke big on the London scene of the 80s, at a time when diggers were setting fire to the rare groove scene too! The cuts here are proof that some of the best work doesn't need to come from completely obscure groups or super-tiny labels – as the music here is exactly the kind of work that made huge waves in the US jazz scene when first released, then went underground for many years – until later collectors and diggers brought it back to the limelight! The great thing is how many of these cuts are all acoustic – no need for electricity to make things funky – as you'll hear on tracks that include "Hiyo Silver" by Bennie Green, "Grease Monkey" by Kenny Burrell with Jack McDuff, "Mau Mau" by Art Farmer, "Mambo Inn" by Billy Taylor with Candido, "Manteca" by Red Garland, "Blue Stompin" by Hal Singer, "Spider Man" by Freddie McCoy, "Filthy McNasty" by Eddie Jefferson, "Flatjacks" by Willie Rodriguez, "Blue Gator" by Willis Jackson, and "Pedro Stroller" by Johnny Lytle. CD