"Country Preacher" was the title track to the album of the same name, but the real winner here is "Hummin"! The cut's an amazing groover by Nat Adderley – with a funky riff on the intro, nice drums, and a cool electric horn sound that's prime Cannon all the way! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The title's a bit of a mouthful, but a good description of the way Cannonball was presented in the years before his soul jazz groove firmly kicked in! The "hi fi" is a bit overstated – as the album's pretty much of a straight jazz record, featuring Cannon blowing lead solos in a large group arranged and directed by Ernie Wilkins. Bother Nat's on cornet, and other players include Jerome Richardson, Junior Mance, and Jimmy Cleveland. Titles include "Junior's Tune", "Blues For Bohemia", "Dog My Cats", "T's Tune", and "Casa De Marcel". LP, Vinyl record album

2 early experiments by Cannonball Adderley – both of which feature him as the main soloists in front of larger backings! Jump For Joy is an interesting early side by Cannonball that captures him before he'd really found his voice – and when the folks at Mercury still didn't really know what to do with him. The record's a tightly arranged set of tracks from Duke Ellington's musical "Jump For Joy" – with arrangements by Bill Russo, and small group playing that includes Emmett Berry, Bill Evans, Barry Gabraith, Jimmy Cobb, and a small string section. The sound's actually quite haunting – and Cannon's alto solos remind us more of some of the best "with strings" soloing heard on Verve in the early 50s than they do his later soul jazz classics on Riverside or Capitol. That's ok with us, though – because the session's still got a lot to offer in that respect, and Cannonball handles the solos wonderfully! Titles include "Bli Blip", "Just Squeeze Me", "Nothin", and "The Tune Of The Hickory Stick". Cannonball & Strings features Adderley's beautifully edgey alto sliding nicely through a set of standards conducted by Richard Hayman. The album's not as strikingly emotive as other Verve "with strings"outings – such as the Charlie Parker & Strings sessions – but it is a great platform for the youthful Cannonball to do more than wail in a soul jazz kind of way, and it unlocks a much more thoughtful, introspective side of his playing not usually heard on record. A nice divergence from the usual – with titles that include "I Cover The Waterfront", "Two Sleepy People", "I'll Never Stop Loving You", and "Street Of Dreams". CD features 22 titles in all. CD

Beautiful early work from Cannonball Adderley – and a record that's quite different than most of his better known sets from the time! The album's more spare and stripped-down than usual – with Cannon's alto in a quartet alongside Bill Evans on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. The style is almost more that of Evans than it is Cannonball – lightly lyrical, with a good sense of space – in a way that has Adderley playing out front very strongly, cutting some beautiful lines with his solos, in a really unfettered way! Titles include versions of two of Evans' tracks – "Waltz For Debby" and "Know What I Mean?" – plus nice moody takes on other material, like John Lewis' "Venice", Clifford Jordan's "Toy", and Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early work from Cannonball Adderley – and a record that's quite different than most of his better known sets from the time! The album's more spare and stripped-down than usual – with Cannon's alto in a quartet alongside Bill Evans on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. The style is almost more that of Evans than it is Cannonball – lightly lyrical, with a good sense of space – in a way that has Adderley playing out front very strongly, cutting some beautiful lines with his solos, in a really unfettered way! Titles include versions of two of Evans' tracks – "Waltz For Debby" and "Know What I Mean?" – plus nice moody takes on other material, like John Lewis' "Venice", Clifford Jordan's "Toy", and Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye". CD features 2 bonus tracks too. CD

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If the 60's ever had a "hit" jazz record, it was probably this one! The album's a sparkling live session featuring the trademark soul jazz sounds of the Cannonball Adderley group with Joe Zawinul on acoustic and electric piano, and brother Nat Adderley on cornet. The tracks have a long soulful groove, with gutbucket solos from the 3 above-mentioned players, and tight live production by a young David Axelrod. Titles include "Sticks", "Hippodelphia", "Sack O Woe", and the classic "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" – a jazz theme that you'll recognize instantly! CD

A great lost slice of Cannonball Adderley from the 60s – material recorded live in Chicago in 1966, but never issued at the time! The performance on the set is a real corker – right up there with any of Cannonball's other live albums for Capitol at the time, and featuring a similar group that includes Nat Adderley on cornet and Joe Zawinul on piano – grooving along with Cannon in a set of long, loping numbers that mix together equal parts modal and soul jazz! A few of the tunes were briefly issued as 45s in the 60s – chopped down to very edited versions – but these takes are all nice and long, with many tracks that run close to ten minutes! Titles include "Money In The Pocket", "Introduction To A Samba", "Hear Me Talkin To Ya", "Requiem For A Jazz Musician", "Fiddler On The Roof", "The Sticks", and "Cannon's Theme". CD

A swingin' Japanese concert by one of Cannonball's best groups from the 60's. Joe Zawinul's on piano, brother Nat's on cornet, Sam Jones is on bass, and Louis Hayes is on drums. But the real treat here is Yusef Lateef, who does some excellent reed work on tenor, flute, and oboe – and who's playing at this point with that great mix of soul jazz and out-sounds that he was cooking up at the time. There's some great long cuts, including an excellent 12 minute reading of Lateef's "Brother John", plus the title track, "Come Sunday", "Tengo Tango", "Easy To Love" and "The Weaver". LP, Vinyl record album

A swingin' Japanese concert by one of Cannonball's best groups from the 60's. Joe Zawinul's on piano, brother Nat's on cornet, Sam Jones is on bass, and Louis Hayes is on drums. But the real treat here is Yusef Lateef, who does some excellent reed work on tenor, flute, and oboe – and who's playing at this point with that great mix of soul jazz and out-sounds that he was cooking up at the time. There's some great long cuts, including an excellent 12 minute reading of Lateef's "Brother John", plus the title track, "Come Sunday", "Tengo Tango", "Easy To Love" and "The Weaver". CD features the bonus track "Work Song". CD

Sweet funky 70s work from Cannonball Adderley – a record that has him revisiting older tunes from his early soul jazz years – but in ways that give them a whole new electric vibe overall! The album's actually Cannonball's last full studio set, but it's also one of his greatest too – a very hip little record that features arrangements that are slightly bigger than before – almost a CTI sort of mode, with a similar CTI sense of space, sound, and timing! There's some great keyboards on the set – courtesy of George Duke and Mike Wolff – and other players include Nat Adderley on cornet, Airto on percussion, Sam Jones and Walter Booker on bass, and Louis Hayes and Roy McCurdy on drums. The keyboards lead off most numbers, but they're followed strongly by Cannon and Nat – both of whom open up wonderfully in the magical setting of the record! Titles include great new takes on "Sack O Woe", "Work Song", "Jive Samba", "74 Miles Away", "Walk Tall/Mercy Mercy Mercy", "Country Preacher", "Domination", and "This Here" – plus "Hi Fly" and "Hamba Nami". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the massive electric years of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet – one of the group's last records to feature the keyboards of Joe Zawinul – and also one of the heaviest from the time! The set's a double-length gem that presents the group in an open live setting – one that really displays the full charm of their approach at the time, and that wonderfully crowd-winning mode that made Cannon a key act at this time for rock and soul audiences too! Adderley raps a bit at key points, and brings some righteous energy to the concert – while the rest of the group follow up with performances that really send the whole thing home – Nat Adderley on cornet, Zawinul on Fender Rhodes and piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums. Cannon plays some soprano sax, in addition to his familiar alto – and titles include "Alto Sex", "Lonesome Stranger", "Wild Cat Pee", "Soul Virgo", "Painted Desert", "Directions", "Pra Dizer Adeus", "Rumplestiltskin", "Price You Got To Pay To Be Free", "Esquisition", "Get Up Off Your Knees", "Down In Black Bottom", and "The Scene". Produced by David Axelrod too! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album – even if it was the only session that Cannonball Adderley ever cut for Blue Note! The album was recorded at a time when Adderley was working with Miles Davis – and as such, the session features a group that includes Miles, blowing in a cool tone that's a perfect offset to Cannonball's more soulful style. The rest of the group includes Hank Jones, Sam Jones, and Art Blakey – and like John Coltrane's Blue Train, the record's more of an "special session" than the usual Blue Note album, but the strength of the players make it one of the more memorable records of its day! Titles include "Somethin' Else", "One For Daddy-O", and a nice moody take on "Dancing In The Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that definitely lives up to its title – given the great change and evolution in the style of Cannonball Adderley's music – definitely pointed towards the soul jazz fame to come in the 60s! The group here has Adderley's alto in the company of some all-stars who may not be his regular group, but who definitely help keep the whole thing at a top-shelf level throughout – a quintet that features Milt Jackson on vibes, Wynton Kelly on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. There's still a few echoes of Cannon's earlier bop recordings, but the sound is also moving towards the new modes to come – especially on the classic title cut "Things Are Getting Better". Other cuts include "Just One Of Those Things", "Sounds For Sid", "Groovin High", "Serves Me Right", and "Blues Oriental". CD features bonus tracks – the spoken "A Few Words" – plus alternate takes of "Serves Me Right" and "The Sidewalks Of New York". CD

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A real treat for Cannonball Adderley fans in the years after his passing – vintage live material recorded in 1960, right at a time when Adderley was really finding his groove! The lineup here features a classic quintet – with brother Nat on cornet, Victor Feldman on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – rolling out in a heavy soul jazz groove that's right up there with Cannon's best Riverside albums from the time! The tracks are longish, given the live setting – with energy to match his Live In San Francisco or Japan albums – and titles include "Big P", "One For Daddy O", "The Chant", "Azule Serape", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". CD

A tribute to the greatness of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet of the early 60s – and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and altoist Jim Snidero take things back to the style of Cannon and brother Nat! Yet the sound here is also nicely different – older tunes, handled in a soul jazz mode, but also swung with a bit more of a contemporary vibe – one that comes from the bright, bold piano lines of David Hazeltine, given a nice rhythmic kick from Nat Reeves on bass and Billy Drummond on drums! Pelt and Snidero are also very much their own men too – not slavishly recreating the phrasing of the Adderley brothers, but instead shaping things with a very different spirit – especially Pelt, whose sense of sparkle is always appreciated. Titles include "Del Sasser", "Wabash", "Sack O Woe", "Ball's 90th", "Work Song", "Party Time", and "Saudade". CD

Includes performances by Cannonball Adderley, Kenny Burrell, Modern Jazz Quartet, Charlie Parker, Kenny Clarke, Art Pepper and many more. 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

A pretty great collection – filled with early R&B, jump blues, and vocal group material on Mercury Records! Includes work by The Penguins, Joe Liggins, Buddy Johnson, Louis Jordan, Eddie Chamblee, Arthur Prysock, Ruth Brown, Clyde McPhatter, Cannonball Adderley, Billy Eckstine, Jimmy McCracklin, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 11 tracks from Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, and more. CD

This one was kind of Motown's answer to the Wattstax albums – a double live set, recorded in Chicago during the Push Expo, headed by Jesse Jackson. The tracks here are more of a mixed bag than some of those on the deeper soul Wattstax albums, but there are some nice moments overall, buried in the large mix of music and artists – many of whom didn't normally record for Motown. The tunes are familiar, but they're presented here in some nicely different live takes. Titles include "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers, "Country Preacher" by Cannonball Adderley, "This Child Of Mine" by Zulema, "Everybody Plays The Fool" by Main Ingredient, "Give Me Your Love" by Curtis Mayfield, "I've Gotta Be Me" by Sammy Davis Jr, "I Wanna Be Where You Are" by The Jackson 5, "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, "Close To You" by Jerry Butler & Brenda Lee Eager, "On A Clear Day/Killer Joe" by Roberta Flack & Quincy Jones, and "Sunshine" by The O'Jays. Also features some dialogue by Jesse Jackson. LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just a typical collection of rare funk and soul – as the selections here not only meet the stunningly high standards of the BGP label – but they've also been sampled in more recent years for hip hop records and other contemporary recordings! Essentially, you've got the best of both worlds – vintage funk from the late 60s and early 70s – brought together in a great collection – and work that's gone onto form the blueprint for contemporary urban sounds as well – which means you'll probably recognize some or part of most of these songs from their use in more contemporary recordings. Nearly every cut's been sampled at least more than once – and titles include "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Chick A Boom" by Pazant Brothers, "Eva" by Jean Jacques Perry, "Walk Tall" by Cannonball Adderley, "Baby Let Me Take You In My Arms" by Detroit Emeralds, "Bouncy Lady" by Pleasure, "Tramp" by Lowell Fulson, "Take Yo Praise" by Camille Yarbrough, "Thinking Single" by The Counts, "Different Strokes" by Syl Johnson, "Ike's Mood" by Isaac Hayes, "What A Man" by Linda Lynell, and "Smokey Joe's La La" by Googie Rene. Funky funky! LP, Vinyl record album

One of a handful of amazing albums recorded by David Axelrod towards the end of the 60s – really stunning, genre-breaking music that was years ahead of its time – and which has only finally been getting its due in more recent decades! At the time of the record, Axelrod was a house producer at Capitol Records – where he'd created big hits for Lou Rawls and Cannonball Adderley – and he'd also been experimenting a bit with studio techniques for other rock groups. But here, the Axe brings all his experience into play – then sends things soaring to the skies – with music based on the work of poet William Blake, but delivered in this totally groovy west coast 60s mode. The core of the instrumentation features funky drums from Earl Palmer and bass from Carole Kaye – both of whom really keep things rock-solid amidst the larger mix of strings and instruments directed by the great Don Randi – who himself is pretty darn wonderful too. The music has nice snatches of fuzz and organ throughout – jazzy moments, funky passages, and lots more too – served up on tunes that include much-sampled song "Holy Thursday" – plus "The Smile", "A Dream", "Song Of Innocence", and "The Mental Traveler". William Blake never sounded so funky! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever by studio genius David Axelrod! The album's one of Axelrod's first on his own – cut for Capitol Records at a time when he was working with some of the label's biggest selling soul acts – like Cannonball Adderley and Lou Rawls – turning their already-successful sounds into super-hit material by adding some nice funky touches, and excellent baroque production. This album lets Axelrod fully explore his talents for larger studio arrangements, and complex yet soulful instrumentation. The record is subtitled "an anthology of awareness after birth, based on the 18th century poems of William Blake" – and it features incredible arrangements conducted by Don Randi, played by a host of excellent LA jazz and studio players. The overall sound is spacey and dark, with nice touches of funk, and plenty of cool instrumental passages that have been sampled over the years by hip hoppers and other producers. Titles include "London", "The Fly", "The Human Abstract", "A Divine Image", and "The Sick Rose". CD

One of the greatest albums ever by studio genius David Axelrod! The album's one of Axelrod's first on his own – cut for Capitol Records at a time when he was working with some of the label's biggest selling soul acts – like Cannonball Adderley and Lou Rawls – turning their already-successful sounds into super-hit material by adding some nice funky touches, and excellent baroque production. This album lets Axelrod fully explore his talents for larger studio arrangements, and complex yet soulful instrumentation. The record is subtitled "an anthology of awareness after birth, based on the 18th century poems of William Blake" – and it features incredible arrangements conducted by Don Randi, played by a host of excellent LA jazz and studio players. The overall sound is spacey and dark, with nice touches of funk, and plenty of cool instrumental passages that have been sampled over the years by hip hoppers and other producers. Titles include "London", "The Fly", "The Human Abstract", "A Divine Image", and "The Sick Rose". Reissued with the original gatefold cover, and everything! LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the greatest Miles Davis material ever recorded – and not really ever officially issued as an album until this collection! The recordings are from the magical year of 1958, a time when Miles was working in the Kind Of Blue mode – on the album of the same name, one of his all-time standout classics. The work on this set is in a very similar spirit – recorded by a sextet that includes the rhythm section of Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, and a young Bill Evans, who brings a magically modal feel to the album that really gives it an edge. Added to that are the saxophones of John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, blowing together in two ends of the soul spectrum, really stretching the color palette from Miles' usual work. Miles himself seems very inspired by the company, and works with plenty of space to allow the saxophonists to stretch out in wonderful solos – and Evans himself is simply amazing, working wonderfully in the setting, making us wish he'd recorded more group dates like this one! The first 3 tracks on the set were briefly issued on the flipside of the Jazz Track album (an obscure Columbia LP that also included 10 songs from the soundtrack to Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud), and a few others on later live LPs – but this is the first time the material from that group has appeared together as a full album. Includes stellar versions of "Stella By Starlight", "Green Dolphin Street", "Fran Dance", "Little Melonae", and "Love For Sale". CD

An excellent set that spans the gamut of Miles' work on Columbia – from his early hardbop sides to his later experimental ones! All of the material on the 2LP set was unreleased until the time of this release in 1979 – and the album features Miles in the company of a wide variety of players that include George Benson, Cannonball Adderley, Bennie Maupin, Hank Mobley, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Red Garland, and Joe Beck. Titles include "Teo's Bag", "Side Car (1 & 2)", "Sanctuary", "Guinnevere", "Circle In The Round", and "Two Bass Hit". LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". CD

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". CD

One of our 50s favorites by Miles Davis – and a record that offers the same twin-sax sound as his classic Kind Of Blue – with both John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley working alongside Miles in the group! Rhythm here is by the Prestige-era trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but it's the two saxophonists who really help Davis shape the feel of the record, pushing things past the initial Coltrane/Davis groove with a really wonderful sense of space and sound! Titles include the classic "Milestones", plus "Two Bass Hit", "Dr Jeckyll", and "Sid's Ahead". LP, Vinyl record album

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". LP, Vinyl record album

Yusef Lateef's one and only album for the Charlie Parker label – cut during a period when he's been making real waves in the jazz scene with work on Prestige and Savoy! The set's a bit more straight ahead than some of Lateef's more exotic sides of the time – focusing on his work on tenor, and going for a soulful hardbop approach that relatively upbeat and swinging, with traces of the work that Lateef was doing in the Cannonball Adderley group of the time. Players on the album include Vincent Pitts on trumpet, John Horman on piano, Ray McKinny on bass, and either George Scott or Clifford Jarvis on drums – and all tunes save two are originals, with titles that include "Outside Blues", "Blue Rocky", "Introlude", "Train Stomp", and "Trudy's Delight". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout set from Bobby Timmons – one of his few non-trio sessions as a leader, and a record that crackles with the same sort of energy he brought to his work with the Jazz Messengers! Of course, that's no surprise – as the quartet on the set includes Bobby's boss at the time, drummer Art Blakey – as well as always-great bassist Sam Jones (who Bobby worked with in the Cannonball Adderley group), and trumpeter Blue Mitchell, stepping out nicely on top to give the album a well-rounded and soulful spirit. The set includes some great originals, too – the kind of rolling Timmons' numbers that made him one of the freshest writers of his generation – as you'll hear on "So Tired", "Soul Time", "Stella B", and "One Mo'". Hard to find, too! CD

An incredible album that has Cleanhead moving way past his usual bag! Sure, he's normally known as an R&B vocalist and alto player, but here, in one of those great Riverside "Cannonball Adderley Presents" sessions, Vinson gets into a whole new bag on some cuts. Includes "Bright Lights Big City", "This Time", "Hold It", "Back Door Blues" and "Audrey". 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the nice records made by Joe during his funky comeback of the late 60s/early 70s. He's singing here in a setting that's decidedly hipper than on earlier albums – with the early 70s Nat/Cannonball Adderley collective that includes George Duke on piano, Carol Kaye on bass, and production work by David Axelrod. Titles include "Heritage", "Sad Song", "Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow", and "Who She Do". CD

A beautiful fusion of Joe Zawinul's roots in the groups of Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley – a set with some of the far-reaching jazz ideas of the former, and much of the soulful subtleties of the latter! The album features Joe on electric piano throughout, playing alongside Herbie Hancock in a twin-piano style that's quite spacious, and filled with slow-building, long-flowing lines! Other players include Woody Shaw on trumpet, Earl Turbington on soprano sax, George Davis on flute, Miroslav Vitous and Walter Booker on drums, and Joe Chambers, Billy Hart, and David Lee on a range of percussion. All these elements are used slowly, and sparingly – brought in with a style that's modern, but in a gentle sort of way – not as over the top as some of the work that Joe cut with Miles at the end of the 60s – and almost a more sensitive, compositional approach to the same territory of music. Titles include "Arrival In New York", "Doctor Honoris Causa", "In A Silent Way", "His Last Journey", and "Double Image". CD

A legendary set – filled with 3 albums' worth of unreleased material from the Blue Note vaults – appearing here for the first time ever. Some tracks later appeared as CD bonus tracks, but this package is still pretty special – only issued in Japan – and includes work by Bud Powell, Tadd Dameron, Lou Donaldson, Jutta Hipp, Herbie Nichols, Bennie Green, Louis Smith, Lee Morgan, Cannonball Adderley, Kenny Burrell, Kenny Dorham, Johnny Griffin, and Paul Chambers! LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album from German keyboard giant Wolfgang Dauner – and maybe one of the few to perfectly balance both his soul jazz roots and his later trippier style! The music here is very groovy – much more in the mode of MPS Records electric jazz sets of the time than you'd guess from the album's placement on Brain Records – and the lineup features incredible work from Sigi Schwab on guitar – who can be open and spacious at some points, but then really jam with a groove at others! Likewise, the bassist Eberhard Weber can provide a lot of propulsion when needed, but also lay back and bow his cello in a more ECM-like way – and the album's two drummers, Fred Braceful and Roland Wittich, both show an equally deft ability to change up the groove! The real superstar, though, is the mighty Dauner – who plays piano, organ, and keyboards, plus a sweet bit of flute too – on tracks that include "Reading Machine", "Kamasutram", "Blues Far Out", "Flute Woman", and a freaky fuzzy take on Cannonball Adderley's "Jive Samba". LP, Vinyl record album

A special package that brings together the first three volumes in this landmark series – one that had the Blue Note label digging back in their catalog and completely re-thinking their approach to reissues – given the new popularity of jazz in the hip hop sample world! As you'd guess from the title, the music here is very strongly oriented in the mode of "breaks", or tracks that were sampled for later hip hop and club recordings – classic jazz tunes from the glory days of Blue Note that have gone onto live again, thanks to the keen ears and inventive work of more contemporary DJs and producers. After all these years, The Blue Breakbeats series still stands as one of the best illustrations of the funkier side of the label – and titles include "Blue Juice" by Jimmy McGriff, "Groovin For Mr G" by Richard Groove Holmes, "Street Lady" by Donald Byrd, "Jasper Country Man" by Bobbi Humphrey, "Higga Boom" by Gene Harris, "Walk Tall" by Cannonball Adderley, "Howlin For Judy" by Jeremy Steig, "Sho Nuff Mellow" by Rueben Wilson, "Ode To Billie Joe" by Lou Donaldson, "Don't Call Me N*gger Whitey" by Gene Harris, "Mystic Brew" by Ronnie Foster, "Ground Hog" by Duke Pearson, "Ummh" by Bobby Hutcherson, "Ain't It Funky Now" by Grant Green, "Your Love Is Just Too Much" by Gene Harris, "Kudu" by Eddie Henderson, "The Weasil" by Donald Byrd, "It's Your Thing" by Lou Donaldson, "The Worm" by Jimmy McGriff, "Orange Peel" by Reuben Wilson, "The Kumquat Kids" by Eddie Henderson, "Good Humor Man" by Blue Mitchell, "Viva Tirado" by Gerald Wilson, "Turtle Walk" by Lou Donaldson, "Final Comedown" by Grant Green, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by Joe Williams, "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Lou Rawls, and "Oliloqui Valley" by Herbie Hancock. CD

An excellent hardbop session from the glory days of the Savoy label – easily one of the label's key 50s classics! Drummer Kenny Clarke's at the front of the group – but all players are great, and the set features work by Cannonball Adderley on alto, Jerome Richardson on tenor, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Nat Adderley on cornet, Hank Jones or Horace Silver on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass. The Adderley brothers sound especially great – and the young Cannonball has a quality here that's more soulful and sharp-edged than his work on Mercury – much more in a Prestige blowing session style! Titles include "Late Entry", "Chasm", "Bohemia After Dark", and "Hear Me Talkin To Ya". CD

One of the best albums that Lou Rawls cut with the team of HB Barnum and David Axelrod – that incredible duo who made some of his 60s Capitol albums so great! The style here is wonderful – upbeat grooves from Barnum – who brings more soul into Lou's music than before – recorded by Axelrod with the right sort of sharpness and punch – that special quality he brought to Cannonball Adderley's 60s soul classics too! Rawls is really at home in the setting – stepping out in some points with these hip monologue passages that are as great as his singing – maybe even better, too – as they show a whole new side of Lou's personality – that badass, totally hip quality that people might never have expected from the early days. One of the best of these is the excellent "Old Man's Memories", about a guy sitting on a bench in Washington Park on the south side of Chicago, which then rolls into an amazing version of "It Was A Very Good Year". Other tunes have a great mix of soul and jazz – and titles include "Love Is A Hurtin Thing", "A Whole Lotta Woman", "Don't Explain", "Old Folks", and "Breaking My Back (Instead Of Using My Mind)". LP, Vinyl record album

The Latin side of Blue Note Records – and the Brazilian one, too – served up here in a series that brought together classic work from the label in a special sort of groove – tunes that are maybe more influenced by south of the border rhythms than you'd expect from the soul jazz and hardbop artists who originally made the records! There's a bit of bossa here, but the rhythms open up into a fair bit more, too – and it's great to hear the difference in these musicians as they change things up from straighter bop modes, and use the new grooves to open up their solos and rework their phrasing too! This side of Blue Note was sometimes buried in a world of collectors looking for more familiar hardbop, but it really lives again, thanks tot he Blue Bossa collection. 3CD set features 41 tracks in all – including "Afreaka" by Lee Morgan, "Avila & Tequila" by Hank Mobley, "Chitlins Con Carne" by Kenny Burrell, "Congalegre" by Horace Parlan, "Back Down To The Tropics" by Charlie Rouse, "Latona" by Big John Patton, "Girl From Ipanema" by Lou Rawls, "La Fiesta" by Stanley Turrentine, "Headin South" by Horace Parlan, "La Malanga" by Bobby Hutcherson, "Mama Inez" by Grant Green, "Swingin The Samba" by Horace Silver, "Upa Neguinho" by Duke Pearson, "Mambo Inn" by Grant Green, "Ghana" by Donald Byrd, "Love For Sale" by Dexter Gordon, "Samba De Orfeu" by Charlie Rouse, "Afrodisia" by Kenny Dorham, "Sambop" by Cannonball Adderley with Bossa Rio, "Loi" by Ike Quebec, "Sandalia Dela" by Duke Pearson, "Congo Lament" by Ike Quebec, "Corcovado" by Grant Green, "Tin Tin Deo" by James Moody, "El Gaucho" by Wayne Shorter, and "Stormy" by Duke Pearson. CD