Key early work from trumpeter Jack Sheldon – a set that captures his talents at their most basic and most stripped-down – very much in the spirit of the best LA jazz coming out on the Pacific Jazz label at the time! If the cover makes the set look a bit like a Chet Baker album, that's because there's a bit of the Baker approach here – one that's simple and focused, with a strongly melodic style that comes through beautifully on Sheldon's shimmering horn. But there's also a bit more of an edge, too – thanks to bold piano work from Walter Norris, and the addition of Zoot Sims on a number of tracks – and unlike Baker (or Sheldon on later records), there's no vocals here at all – just a strong instrumental groove. Titles include "Beach-Wise", "Groovus Mentus", "Dozo", "Jack Departs", and "Palermo Walk". CD

A tight, old school set of jazz from the Dutch American All Stars – a group that features trumpeter John Marshall, pianist Hod O'Brien, bassist Jacques Schols, and drummer Peter Ypma – all playing here in very relaxed, familiar company! There's nothing too fancy or overdone with these tunes – and they spin out with that easygoing feel we love in any album that has O'Brien on piano – a mature mode of jazz that never tries too hard to overstate its case, but gets plenty of greatness done along the way. Marshall's horn has all the sparkling tones we love in other Blue Jack Jazz recordings, and the basswork from Schols really adds a nice undercurrent of soul to the set. Titles include "Joop's Lope", "Forecast", "Quasimodo", "Frisky", "Milestones", and "Zanzibar". CD

Slide Hampton's not on every track here, but his presence really makes the album sparkle – blowing with his usual strong, soulful vibe in the company of two younger tenor players! The album's a live one, recorded in Holland with a Dutch quintet that features the great Cees Slinger on piano, and both Sjoerd Dijkhuizen and Simon Rigter on tenors – blowing in tight formation on all numbers, but sounding their best when Hampton joins the group on 6 of the album's 9 tracks! As with so many Hampton dates overseas, there seems to be a little something extra in the rhythms – a bounce, or a balance between force and lyricism, that really pushes his tunes in a fresh sort of way – skippingly soulful, just as we first came to love in Slide's music so many decades ago. Titles include "Lament", "Griffin", "Invitation", "Sandra", "The Loner", "Sallitwhachawana", and "The Eternal Triangle". CD

A tight, old school set of jazz from the Dutch American All Stars – a group that features trumpeter John Marshall, pianist Hod O'Brien, bassist Jacques Schols, and drummer Peter Ypma – all playing here in very relaxed, familiar company! There's nothing too fancy or overdone with these tunes – and they spin out with that easygoing feel we love in any album that has O'Brien on piano – a mature mode of jazz that never tries too hard to overstate its case, but gets plenty of greatness done along the way. Marshall's horn has all the sparkling tones we love in other Blue Jack Jazz recordings, and the basswork from Schols really adds a nice undercurrent of soul to the set. Titles include "Joop's Lope", "Forecast", "Quasimodo", "Frisky", "Milestones", and "Zanzibar". CD

Forget the hokey kangaroo picture on the cover, because the record's a mighty sweet set of 50s modern jazz – played by some key musicians from Australian who were working in the US at the time! The record's got a style that's somewhere between the hippest sessions of LA and Sweden at the time – all the coolness of both scenes, but a sense of playful expression that really comes through on some of the more unusual passages. The core group features Errol Buddle and Dick Healey on reeds, Bryce Rhode on piano, and Jack Brokensha on vibes – with added work from John Fawcett or Jimmy Gannon on bass, and Nick Stabulas on drums. Titles include "Loose Walk", "Like Someone In Love", "Music For Walkin", "Fascinating Rhythm", "A Foggy Day", and "Little Girl Blue". CD

A great early CTI session by George Benson, and one of the most stripped-down, straight-ahead funky records he did for the label! There's a sharpness here that's different than the larger feel of some of Benson 's later records – a sound that almost links back to his soul jazz roots in the 60s – played by a tight combo that features Benson on guitar, Clarence Palmer on organ, Ron Carter on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – plus percussion from Michael Cameron and Albert Nicholson. There's a version of "So What" on here that's got to be one of the best funky takes of that standard ever – with great hard grooves on the intro – and on other cuts, the real genius is in the way the simple tracks are arranged to shift between darkly chromatic passages and slight bits of funk. Titles include "All Clear", "Ode To A Kudu", and "Somewhere In The East". Plus, the CD features 3 bonus tracks – alternate versions of "Ode To A Kudu", "Somewhere In The East", and "All Clear". CD

A killer diller of a live set from Brother Jack McDuff – a cut that burns with energy that almost beats his studio 60s classics for Prestige! The group is one of Jack's best ever – a lineup that includes the twin tenors of Red Holloway and Harold Vick, plus incredibly sharp guitar from a young George Benson, and some of the most unique soul jazz drum work you'll ever hear – courtesy of the amazing Joe Dukes. Despite their individual strengths, which might make this whole thing an ego-fest – all players fit perfectly into place on the album's hard wailing batch of groovers, and groove together with a sympathetic energy that's simply amazing! Titles include a great remake of "Jive Samba", plus "Dink's Blues", "Grease Monkey", "Passing Through", and "Vas Dis". This is the kind of thing live recording equipment was made for! LP, Vinyl record album

Monk doing his thing at the '64 Monterey Jazz Festival – backed by his core group of Charlie Rouse on tenor, Steve Swallow on bass and Ben Riley on drums – plus additional backing by the Monterey Workshop crew on a couple – a recording released now for the first time ever! Monk's playing here with space and nuance, but still kicks up the energy in spots – incorporating the accompanying players on the closing 2 tracks – which included Buddy Collette on sax & flute, Lou Blackburn on trombone, Jack Nimitz on baritone, and Bobby Bryant & Melvin more on trumpets. The takes all run north of 8 minutes, and titles include "Blue Monk", "Evidence", "Bright Mississippi", "Rhythm-A-Ning", plus "Think Of One" and the immortal "Straight No Chaser" – fleshed out with the bigger band! CD

A sublime album by one of our favorite talents in 60s jazz – pianist Jack Wilson, making his second Blue Note appearance here amidst a group of other more likely label players that include Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, and Billy Higgins on drums! Despite the presence of those superstars, though, the album's still very much Wilson's own – featuring 4 tracks penned and played in his modally soulful vision, plus a great version of one tune by Frank Strozier – a player we'd find to be a very good companion to Wilson's style! The group's also noteworthy in that it features some excellent work from trombonist Garnett Brown – a player with a deeply soulful approach that adds in new dimensions to the tunes, and offsets the lightly lyrical touch of Wilson on the keys. The whole set's great – and titles include "Do It", "On Children", "Easterly Winds", "Nirvana", and "Frank's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime album by one of our favorite talents in 60s jazz – pianist Jack Wilson, making his second Blue Note appearance here amidst a group of other more likely label players that include Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, and Billy Higgins on drums! Despite the presence of those superstars, though, the album's still very much Wilson's own – featuring 4 tracks penned and played in his modally soulful vision, plus a great version of one tune by Frank Strozier – a player we'd find to be a very good companion to Wilson's style! The group's also noteworthy in that it features some excellent work from trombonist Garnett Brown – a player with a deeply soulful approach that adds in new dimensions to the tunes, and offsets the lightly lyrical touch of Wilson on the keys. The whole set's great – and titles include "Do It", "On Children", "Easterly Winds", "Nirvana", and "Frank's Tune". CD

A beautiful set of modal jazz tracks – recorded by the great LA pianist Jack Wilson with a young Roy Ayers! The set is amazing, and features haunting piano and vibes interplay between Ayers and Wilson – in a style that could best be summed up as LA modern modal, but which is also embellished by lots warm, lyrical twists by both of the soloists. The title cut is a totally groovy workout on Ornette Coleman's "Ramblin", and the rest of the set includes Coltrane's "Impressions", Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments", Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder", and a great 3-part reading of "The Sandpiper". One of our favorite albums from the 60's, and a beautiful document of one of the lesser-known streams of jazz that was coming out of the west coast during the time – and it's key proof that Ayers was an incredible jazz player in his years before moving to soul music! LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite compilations of all time – a smoking batch of soulful jazz from the 60s, with a slight bit of funk and blues thrown in as well! The set's exactly what's promised in the title – jazz cuts, but with an ultra-cool mod vibe – the kind of soulful sounds that played big with the younger London crowd digging American music in the mid 60s – and also the kind of music you'd be likely to find blasting out of a backroom jukebox on the west side of Chicago! There's loads of rare single mixes of LP tracks on the set, and a number of smoking 45s from artists you might know better from more mainstream work – really hitting hard here, alongside a few special numbers from the indie underground too. Tracks are cool enough for old school hipsters – but appealing enough to bring in a new listener too – and as proof of that, we've given this one away for many years as a Christmas present. The collection features 25 tracks in all – non-stop pleasure throughout – with titles that include "Soul Shoutin" by Shirley Scott, "Tengo Tango" by Cannonball Adderley Sextet, "Whip It On Me" by Billy Hawks, "Yeh Yeh" by Mongo Santamaria, "Black Talk" by Charles Earland, "I'm Ready" by Otis Spann, "Mama Rufus" by Merced Blue Notes, "Theme From NYPD" by Johnny Hammond, "Step Out & Get It" by The Nomos, "Why Don't You Do Right" by Mark Murphy, "Collard Greens" by Freddie McCoy, "Theme From The Carpetbaggers" by Jack McDuff, "Filthy McNasty" by Eddie Jefferson, "Evil Ways" by Cal Tjader, "Kenny's Theme" by Kenny Burrell, and "Games" by Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record – the kind of album that no fan of funky jazz should be without! This album is far and away one of the greatest ever cut by Brother Jack McDuff – and it's a baroquely complicated batch of funky jazz cuts that's still light years ahead of any other record! The tracks are much longer than you'll find on Jack's other work – and the group plays these lines that are laidback and trippy, yet which still have a tremendous amount of funk in them. Guitar sets the tone, spacing out over the drums of the great Joe Dukes; electric bass rumbles at all the low, dark spots; flute and tenor sax cut some sharp edges in the void; and the organ of Brother Jack comes in over the top, and soars with cosmic lines of sound! The album includes the monster cut "Oblighetto", sampled by Tribe Called Quest years back – plus other amazing groovers, like "Flat Backin", "Moon Rappin", and "Loose Foot". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful stuff from Brother Jack McDuff – very hip, with a mixture of soul jazz and 60s grooving that's hard to beat! The album's also one of Jack's harder to find numbers on Prestige – and it features tenor work by Red Holloway and Harold Ousely, guitar by Pat Azzara, drums by Joe Dukes, and some occasional bigger arrangements by Benny Golson, who always gave Jack the hippest sound around! Includes a sublime mellow cover of "Walk On By", plus the tracks "Song Of The Soul", "Too Many Fish In The Sea", "For Those Who Choose", "Talkin Bout My Woman", and "Around The Corner". LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of great soul jazz numbers here from the glory days of Prestige – all nice and long! Titles include "Blue Hymn" with Gene Ammons on tenor, Jerome Richardson on flute, and Mal Waldron on piano; "The Rev" with Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor, Richardson on flute, and Shirley Scott on organ; "Cool Grits" with Willis Jackson on tenor, Jack McDuff on organ, and Bill Jennings on guitar; and "Enough Said" with both McDuff and Jennings! LP, Vinyl record album

A great early CTI session by George Benson, and one of the most stripped-down, straight-ahead funky records he did for the label! There's a sharpness here that's different than the larger feel of some of Benson 's later records – a sound that almost links back to his soul jazz roots in the 60s – played by a tight combo that features Benson on guitar, Clarence Palmer on organ, Ron Carter on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – plus percussion from Michael Cameron and Albert Nicholson. There's a version of "So What" on here that's got to be one of the best funky takes of that standard ever – with great hard grooves on the intro – and on other cuts, the real genius is in the way the simple tracks are arranged to shift between darkly chromatic passages and slight bits of funk. Titles include "All Clear", "Ode To A Kudu", and "Somewhere In The East". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album ever cut by George Benson as a leader – a cooker of a soul jazz set, recorded back when George was the guitarist in Jack McDuff's classic 60s quartet! The album's almost a McDuff Quartet one – since Jack's on Hammond and Red Holloway is on tenor – but the group's slightly different too, with the surprising additions of Montego Joe on drums, and Ronnie Boykins on bass! Benson's guitar is amazing throughout – sharp-edged and played with a tightness that's quite different than most of his later work – and titles include "Shadow Dancers", "The Sweet Alice Blues", "Just Another Sunday", "Easy Living", and "Rock A Bye". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal west coast recordings by Clifford Brown – recorded in LA in 1954, with a mixture of hard bop and lyricism, in that sparkling mode that Brownie left as his indelible imprint on the west coast scene of the 50s! Players include Bob Gordon on baritone, Stu Williamson on trombone, Zoot Sims on tenor, and Russ Freeman on piano – and Jack Montrose arranged the set. Titles include "Tiny Capers", "Bones For Jones", "Joy Spring", "Finders Keepers", and "Daahoud". CD

Kenny Burrell joins the quartet of Hammond hero Brother Jack McDuff – in a session that's not only a classic Prestige cooker from the 60s, but also one of Kenny's most hard grooving albums of the decade! Jack's tight group really seem to push Burrell into some great new territory – a different groove than his Blue Note or Verve sides, with a bit more grit overall – although still plenty of those perfectly-chosen notes on his solos. Harold Vick's tenor sax is the main reed element here, although Eric Dixon also plays flute on one track – and remaining players include Joe Dukes on drums and Ray Barreto on congas, a player who didn't often work with Jack, but who's very welcome here. Tracks are longish, with an open-ended soul jazz feel – not really blowing session numbers, given McDuff's tight sense of rhythm, but a nice change from the usual. Titles include "Grease Monkey", "Nica's Dream", "Love Walked In", and "We'll Be Together Again". CD

A massive early Prestige set from tenorist Willis Jackson – and just the kind of record that set him firmly in the soul jazz camp for the 60s! By the time of the set, Jackson had already won plenty of fame for his R&B-tinged work – but here, he stretches out a bit more, and really gets creative on his solos – working with a very hip group that includes Jack McDuff on organ and Wild Bill Jennings on guitar – both players making a similar shift in their music at the time. The tracks are lively, recorded with a bold, loud tone, and have lots of those great open-mouthed tones from Jackson – quite possibly a good reason for his "Gator" nickname! Tracks include "Blue Gator", "East Breeze", "The Gator Jumps", and "Try A Little Tenderness". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set of soul jazz tracks from Gator Tail and Brother Jack McDuff – recorded in a raw grooving style, very similar to that used on some of their live recordings from the same time. The core of the group features Bill Jennings on guitar and Wendell Marshall on bass, but some of the rhythm players change up over the course of the tracks, and Buck Clarke adds some nice conga on side 2! Includes the nice 10 minute groover "This'll Get To Ya", plus "Glad A See Ya", "Three Little Words", and "To' Gether". LP, Vinyl record album

Almost a primer on the sound of "new thing" jazz at Blue Note – that magical moment when players on the label were mixing avant expression with a brand new sense of arrangement – as the alto of Jackie McLean is joined by players who include Lee Morgan and Charles Tolliver on trumpets, Herbie Hancock and Larry Willis on piano, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! Includes material from It's Time, Right Now, Action, Consequences, and the 2LP Jacknife set! CD

More of what you buy Blue Note for – funky jazz tunes with a kick! This set pulls together 13 cuts from the label's classic late 60s/early 70s years – a time that was once lost to the sands of time, thanks to snobbery against use of electric instrumentation on the label, but which is now being rediscovered again, thanks to hip hoppers, the acid jazz crowd, and groovers worldwide! This great package features plenty of rare numbers that best sum up the funky side of Blue Note – including "Who Dun It" by Blue Mitchell, "Down Home Funk" by Groove Holmes, "Tic Tac Toe" by Candido, "Cissy Strut" by John Patton, "Ease Back" by Grant Green, "Bambu" by Reuben Wilson, "Family Affair" by Bobby Hutcherson, "Don't Knock My Love" by Ronnie Foster, "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothin" by Grant Green, "Cantaloupe Woman" by Grant Green, "If There's A Hell Below" by Lou Donaldson, and "Hunk O Funk" by Jack McDuff. 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

An overlooked late 60s treasure on Blue Note – 2 rare albums by Kenny Cox & The Contemporary Jazz Quintet – one of the few new groups to work on the label at the time, and an up-and-coming modern combo from Detroit! The first album's quite unique for a number of reasons – not just because the group was a little-known new signing to the label, but also because the work is quite far-reaching at times – some of the most free-thinking jazz recorded for Blue Note during the time, with a sense of boldness that almost stretches back to Jackie McLean's first few records of the new thing years, or a sense of lyrical invention that's a bit like Wayne Shorter when he made a shift towards the outside. Some numbers are awash in fast colors and changes, while others are a bit more in the pocket, with echoes of soul jazz – but the whole thing's incredibly fresh and free, a wonderful little record that only gets better and better over the years! The group features pianist Kenny Cox as the leader, plus Charles Moore on trumpet, Leon Henderson on tenor, Ron Brooks on bass, and Danny Spencer on drums. Titles include "Mystique", "You", "Trance Dance", "Eclipse", and "Number Four". The CD also features the group's second Blue Note album, Multidirection – a session of work that builds strongly on the colors and changes explored by Miles Davis earlier in the 60s, but which takes things off into a whole new direction! (A Multidirection?) The horns on the record have incredible interplay – trumpet by Charles Moore and tenor from Leon Henderson, playing together with a sense of dexterity that may even beat the team of Davis and Wayne Shorter – angular one moment, softly lyrical the next, and always in pursuit of fresh tones and righteous sounds. Kenny Cox's piano is great too – an exercise in understatement at times – getting as much done with one note as other players would with five – as he slowly guides the group along, and grounds their freer expressions with a good sense of humanity. Titles include "What Other One", "Gravity Point", "Spellbound", "Snuck In", and "Sojourn". CD

Early King Records material by Champion Jack Dupree – a hell of a pianist, and a heck of a great singer too – working almost as a raconteur on some of the best songs on this collection! The music has deep roots in New Orleans, where Jack must have really honed his piano skills – but there's also a more northern, more urban presentation of the music on these cuts – a strong current of wit that comes in the way that Jack puts over a tune, and a great mix of jazzy phrasing in both his piano and the electric guitar that sometimes provides strong accompaniment. Jack's vocals are almost more commentary than traditional lyrics – often with an undercurrent of raunch – and titles include "That's My Pa", "Failing Health Blues", "Big Leg Emma's", "Two Below Zero", "Camille", "Me & My Mule", "She Cooks Me Cabbage", and "Silent Partner". CD

Wicked early work from Milt Jackson – a record that's got a lot more of an edge than some of his later work with the Modern Jazz Quartet – a near-perfect modernist bop sound that's every bit the best side of Blue Note in the early 50s! The groups here are really great – one a quintet that features Jackson's partners in the MJQ – John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums (who was in the first rendition of the quartet) – the group's also joined by Lou Donaldson on alto sax, who blows with this boppish edge that really deepens the sound! And the other quintet is even better – with Thelonious Monk on piano and Sahib Shihab on alto sax. Milt's vibes ring out in this boldly chromatic way – clearly a sense of discovery in process during the session – and titles include "Bag's Groove", "On The Scene", "Willow Weep For Me", "Criss Cross", "Eronel", "Tahiti", and "What's New". LP, Vinyl record album

A triple-action classic from alto genius Jackie McLean – and one of those key records from the years when he stunned the world by moving from hardbop into the more experimental modes of the "new thing" generation! The approach here is very formative – not just for some of Jackie's spiritual expressions in the 70s, but also for the way that more creative jazz moved forward in years to come – as McLean is working alongside key players who include Charles Tolliver on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums! Higgins' lyrical playing is a perfect complement to the more avant tones of the others – giving the album a free dancing soul, but also never letting things get too out of hand to lose the jazz basis of McLean's best work. The album includes an early recording of Tolliver's classic tune "Plight", plus the tracks "Wrong Handle", "Action", and "Hootnan". LP, Vinyl record album

A modernist classic from 60s Blue Note! The album's one of Jackie McLean's greatest from the time – and one of his seminal "new thing" sessions cut with young modernists Grachan Moncur III on trombone and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes – both young players who were really finding the sharper edges of their sound at the time! Three of the four long tracks on the record were written by Moncur, and have a similar approach to his own recordings for Blue Note – moody and introspective, in a style that's as concerned with sound and space as it is jazz and rhythm – and Hutcherson's vibes are beyond compare here, with have a sinister metallic quality that he only used briefly in his early career! The whole record's a gem, and one not to pass up! Titles include "Kahlil The Prophet", "Riff Raff", and "Love & Hate". LP, Vinyl record album

A modernist classic from 60s Blue Note! The album's one of Jackie McLean's greatest from the time – and one of his seminal "new thing" sessions cut with young modernists Grachan Moncur III on trombone and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes – both young players who were really finding the sharper edges of their sound at the time! Three of the four long tracks on the record were written by Moncur, and have a similar approach to his own recordings for Blue Note – moody and introspective, in a style that's as concerned with sound and space as it is jazz and rhythm – and Hutcherson's vibes are beyond compare here, with have a sinister metallic quality that he only used briefly in his early career! The whole record's a gem, and one not to pass up! Titles include "Kahlil The Prophet", "Riff Raff", and "Love & Hate". CD

A modernist classic from 60s Blue Note! The album's one of Jackie McLean's greatest from the time – and one of his seminal "new thing" sessions cut with young modernists Grachan Moncur III on trombone and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes – both young players who were really finding the sharper edges of their sound at the time! Three of the four long tracks on the record were written by Moncur, and have a similar approach to his own recordings for Blue Note – moody and introspective, in a style that's as concerned with sound and space as it is jazz and rhythm – and Hutcherson's vibes are beyond compare here, with have a sinister metallic quality that he only used briefly in his early career! The whole record's a gem, and one not to pass up! Titles include "Kahlil The Prophet", "Riff Raff", and "Love & Hate". CD

Two key albums from a young Jackie McLean – both very early entries in the "new thing" mode of the 60s! First up is Let Freedom Ring a record that features a young Jackie McLean at the height of his powers – really stretching out here, but never going too far out – a perfect balance between his modern bop of previous records, and his groundbreaking "new thing" jazz to come! The group is a relatively straight ahead one – with Walter Davis on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – but the tracks are all quite long, and have this really arch sensibility on Jackie's horn – this edge, this cry he didn't have a few years before – easily one of the freshest voices in alto sax at the time, yearning here to break free with new ideas and new modes of expression. The vibe is perfectly balanced – like McLean's classic A Fickle Sonance – and titles include the classic "Melody For Melonae", plus "Rene", "I'll Keep Loving You", and "Omega". Destination Out is a modernist classic from 60s Blue Note! The album's one of Jackie McLean's greatest from the time – and one of his seminal "new thing" sessions cut with young modernists Grachan Moncur III on trombone and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes – both young players who were really finding the sharper edges of their sound at the time! Three of the four long tracks on the record were written by Moncur, and have a similar approach to his own recordings for Blue Note – moody and introspective, in a style that's as concerned with sound and space as it is jazz and rhythm – and Hutcherson's vibes are beyond compare here, with have a sinister metallic quality that he only used briefly in his early career! The whole record's a gem, and one not to pass up! Titles include "Kahlil The Prophet", "Riff Raff", and "Love & Hate". CD

A set of incredible records from Charles Mingus – all presented together in one mighty nice package! First up is Mingus Moves – a fantastic fresh new chapter in the career of Charles Mingus – a set that features the addition of two key players who would really shape his sound in the 70s – Don Pullen on piano and George Adams on tenor, both completely wonderful here! The group also features excellent trumpet from Roland Hampton, a player we don't know from many other settings – and the set also features some really nice vocal work from Honi Gordon and Doug Hammond. Titles include "Canon", "Moves", "Wee", "Flowers For A Lady", "Opus 3", and "Newcomer". CD also features bonus tracks – "Big Alice" and "The Call". Changes is key 70s work from Charles Mingus – an album that was recorded over the course of three days of creative activity at the end of 1974, but somehow split into two different albums under the Changes name! The lineup here is prime 70s Mingus – George Adams on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Don Pullen on piano – young players who really give a fresh voice to Mingus' musical ideas, and help him find this beautiful late life sense of color, tone, and timing that's completely sublime! Titles on this second volume include "Sue's Changes", "Devil Blues", "Remember Rockefeller At Attica", "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA", "Black Bats & Poles", "For Harry Carney", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love" – which features a guest appearance by Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and Jackie Paris on vocals. On 3 Or 4 Shades Of Blues, Charles Mingus is returning to the soulful gospel-influenced mode he swung big in the early 60s! The record's something of a later predecessor of the classics Blues & Roots for Atlantic and Mingus (x5) for Impulse – and the style is slightly less dramatic, but still quite steeped in soulful explorations that feature plenty of notes from the bluer side of the spectrum! Players include George Coleman and Ricky Ford on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Larry Coryell on guitar – and titles include new takes on "Better Git Hit In Your Soul" and "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" – plus"Nobody Knows", "Noddin Ya Head Blues", and "Three Or Four Shades Of Blues". Next is Cumbia & Jazz Fusion – one of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". Me Myself An Eye is complicated later work from Charles Mingus – a great illustration of the way his power to command a large ensemble never wavered as the years went on! The album features two different large groups of players – filled with modernists young and old – including Ricky Ford, George Coleman, and Michael Brecker on tenors; Ronni Cuber and Pepper Adams on baritone; Randy Brecker and Jack Walrath on trumpets; Lee Konitz on alto, Larry Coryell on guitar, Slide Hampton on trombone, and Eddie Gomez on bass. Side one features the 30 minute track "Three Worlds Of Drums", and side two contains a remake of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting", plus "Devil Woman" and "Carolyn Keki Mingus". Something Like A Bird is one of the last albums Charles Mingus ever gave us – before departing this planet way way too soon! The set shows the increasing sophistication of Mingus' music in these later years – a mode that almost echoes the path that Duke Ellington would take in his final decade – a move towards some larger-form material that still holds onto all the raw energy of the early days, but finds a way to not only bridge larger musical ideas – but musical generations as well! As part of this, the set's got a wonderful lineup – with Lee Konitz on alto, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, George Coleman on tenor, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and titles include the long title track, "Something Like A Bird", split up over 2 sides of the LP, plus "Farewell Farwell". CD

Bernard Purdie takes a trip down 40 years of soul jazz history – starting with late 50s jazz experiments by Art Blakey, Cannonball Adderley, and others – and working his way up through 60s soul and 70s funk! The set's got a slightly polished feel, but still plenty of nice moments – with soloists that include Michael and Randy Brecker, Eddie Harris, and Nils Landgren, plus larger arrangements by the WDR Big Band, conducted by Gil Goldstein. Titles include "Moanin", "Superstition", "Iko Iko", "Senor Blues", "Sidewinder", "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Work Song", "Land Of 1000 Dances", and "Brother Where Are You". CD

Includes music by Wallace Roney, Sonny Criss, Woody Shaw, Sonny Stitt, Johnny Lyttle, Richie Cole, David Fathead Newman, Willis Jackson, and Richard Groove Holmes. CD

A classic! This is one of the rarest of the rare of all Blue Note albums – and it's the only-ever session cut as a leader by the great tenor player Fred Jackson! The album's a really heavy burner – an all-out organ/tenor assault with the kind of gutbuckety soul groove that only peaked on a rare few Blue Note sessions! Earl Van Dyke plays organ on the session, and it's one of the few jazz albums he appears on, apart from the "soul instrumental" sessions he cut later for Motown. The whole thing's down-n-dirty and mighty nasty – with a feel that's much more like some of the Prestige soul jazz cookers of the time than the usual Blue Note set! Tracks include "Preach Brother", "Dippin In the Bag", "Hootin N Tootin", and "Easin' On Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Wicked early work from Milt Jackson – a record that's got a lot more of an edge than some of his later work with the Modern Jazz Quartet – a near-perfect modernist bop sound that's every bit the best side of Blue Note in the early 50s! The package brings together material from a few different sessions – some originally on 10" LPs – and the core of the material features Jackson in the company of pianist Thelonious Monk, on some tracks that also feature Sahib Shihab on alto sax! John Lewis plays piano on another batch of tracks that are essentially the early MJQ lineup, but with Lou Donaldson on alto too – so they swing with a bit more soul than you might expect. Titles include "Bag's Groove", "On The Scene", "Willow Weep For Me", "Criss Cross", "Evidence", "Tahiti", "Misterioso", "Four In One", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A triple-action classic from alto genius Jackie McLean – and one of those key records from the years when he stunned the world by moving from hardbop into the more experimental modes of the "new thing" generation! The approach here is very formative – not just for some of Jackie's spiritual expressions in the 70s, but also for the way that more creative jazz moved forward in years to come – as McLean is working alongside key players who include Charles Tolliver on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums! Higgins' lyrical playing is a perfect complement to the more avant tones of the others – giving the album a free dancing soul, but also never letting things get too out of hand to lose the jazz basis of McLean's best work. The album includes an early recording of Tolliver's classic tune "Plight", plus the tracks "Wrong Handle", "Action", and "Hootnan". CD

2 albums recorded by Esther in the years before she broke into big fame on the Kudu label. Burnin is a stunning live set that marked Esther's move from being a loud young R&B singer into an older, more mature interpreter of material in a more jazzy style. She's backed here by a good group that includes Jack Wilson on piano, Richard Tee on organ, Chuck Rainey on bass, and Cornell Dupree on guitar – and she moves through a heartbreaking set of material that heralds her later 70's recordings for Kudu. Tracks include "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", "And I Love Him", "Shangri-La", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". Confessin points back at Esther's earlier career in R&B, but has a nice jazzy finish – thanks to players like Sonny Criss, Teddy Edwards, and Herb Ellis – and the record also features a few more sides from the Burnin sessions at Freddie Jett's Nightclub in LA. Titles include "Romance In The Dark", "I Wonder", "I'm Getting Long Alright", "In The Evenin", and "I Love Paris". Due to time limit restrictions, the CD excludes the cuts "I'm Getting Long Alright" and "It Could Happen To You" from the LPs. CD

Purdie follows up his first Soul To Jazz set – with a style and lineup that's even hipper than the first! This one was recorded in New York, and has a tighter, leaner feel overall. Purdie plays with jazz luminaries that include Hank Crawford, Stanley Turrentine, Vincent Herring, Junior Mance, and Cornell Dupree – in a style that's a bit more stripped down than the first session. Includes versions of "New Orleans Strutt", "Mr Magic", "Jubilation", "Shaft", "Amen", and "Nobody Knows". CD