... CD

A very appropriate title for a very cooking little album – one of Lee Morgan's first efforts as a leader, cut back during his first years of late 50s fame! The style here is a bit less Morgan-esque than some of Lee's later 60s classics – but the record is rock-solid throughout, and proof that Morgan was every bit as great a leader in a hardbop session as Hank Mobley or some of the other emerging heavyweights at Blue Note! The strength of the group really helps keep the fire stoked on the set – and Bobby Timmons turns in some amazing piano work alongside a lineup that includes Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The Adams presence gives the record a bit of the feel of some of Pepper's sessions with Donald Byrd – but the sparkling, soaring sound of Morgan makes the record way more than just a copycat set. Titles include "New-Ma", "Night In Tunisia", "Lover Man", "Just One Of Those Things", and "Heavy Dipper". CD

A very appropriate title for a very cooking little album – one of Lee Morgan's first efforts as a leader, cut back during his first years of late 50s fame! The style here is a bit less Morgan-esque than some of Lee's later 60s classics – but the record is rock-solid throughout, and proof that Morgan was every bit as great a leader in a hardbop session as Hank Mobley or some of the other emerging heavyweights at Blue Note! The strength of the group really helps keep the fire stoked on the set – and Bobby Timmons turns in some amazing piano work alongside a lineup that includes Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The Adams presence gives the record a bit of the feel of some of Pepper's sessions with Donald Byrd – but the sparkling, soaring sound of Morgan makes the record way more than just a copycat set. Titles include "New-Ma", "Night In Tunisia", "Lover Man", "Just One Of Those Things", and "Heavy Dipper". CD

5 albums from Lee Morgan – one of the coolest cats to ever handle a trumpet for Blue Note! First up is Delightfulee – really unique album from the great Lee Morgan – a set that features the trumpeter in two different settings, but in a way that really works well together! Most of the album has Lee blowing in a very cool quintet – with Joe Henderson on tenor, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a group who maybe bring out a slightly hipper vibe that really points the way to the rest of Morgan's direction in the late 60s, when he was really letting some more spiritual currents loose. The other two tracks on the record feature a hip larger band directed by Oliver Nelson – swinging hard in a really soulful style! Nelson's arrangements on these two tracks are great – quite progressive, with a soul jazz big band style that seems to point the way towards the 70s – and the band provides a raging backdrop that lets Lee's trumpet soar over the top in beautiful crystal clear solos. Titles include "Nite Flite", "Delightful Deggie", "Ca-Lee-So", and "Zambia". Also features a few bonus tracks. The Cooker is a very appropriate title for a very cooking little album – one of Lee Morgan's first efforts as a leader, cut back during his first years of late 50s fame! The style here is a bit less Morgan-esque than some of Lee's later 60s classics – but the record is rock-solid throughout, and proof that Morgan was every bit as great a leader in a hardbop session as Hank Mobley or some of the other emerging heavyweights at Blue Note! The strength of the group really helps keep the fire stoked on the set – and Bobby Timmons turns in some amazing piano work alongside a lineup that includes Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The Adams presence gives the record a bit of the feel of some of Pepper's sessions with Donald Byrd – but the sparkling, soaring sound of Morgan makes the record way more than just a copycat set. Titles include "New-Ma", "Night In Tunisia", "Lover Man", "Just One Of Those Things", and "Heavy Dipper". Lee Way is an undisputed masterpiece by Lee Morgan – and one of the first records in which he shed his straight bop sensibility, and began evolving into a soulful genius for the 60s! The album's got 4 long tracks that all build beautifully – really extended numbers that break the format of some of Lee's earlier work, and hint a bit at some of the more complicated touches he'd use on later sessions. All players are great – and include fellow Jazz Messengers Bobby Timmons on piano and Art Blakey on drums, plus Jackie McLean on alto and Paul Chambers on bass. Titles include the sublime "These Are Soulful Days" – a perfect model of soulful lyricism – plus "Midtown Blues", "Nakatini Suite", and "The Lion & The Wolff". Rumproller often gets too easily lumped next to The Sidewinder – because of an obvious title and cover similarity to that hit record – but like that one, the album's far more than jazz cliche – and shows Lee Morgan to be one of the greatest jazz musicians of the 60s. The set starts off with the title cut, "The Rumproller" – hard-wailing soul bop, in the manner of Lee's most popular work – but then it easily flows into more sensitive material that has a freer, lyrical feel – like the great original tune "Eclipso" and Wayne Shorter's "Edda" – both of which are superb. Lee is astounding, as always, on trumpet – and the rest of the group includes the great Ronnie Matthews on piano, plus Joe Henderson, Victor Sproles, and Billy Higgins. Search For The New Land is a brilliant album that proves that even at the height of his success, Lee Morgan was one of the freest thinkers on Blue Note – always coming up with fresh ideas that continued to grow his talents! The first cut on the album is keen poof of that fact – the title track "Search For The New Land" – a beautiful 16 minute exploration of modal jazz themes, with an unusual stop/start device as a means of ushering solos by different bandmates – including Wayne Shorter on tenor, Grant Green on guitar, and Herbie Hancock on piano! The approach is unlike anything that Morgan ever did before – and unlike most of other Blue Note as well – and it also benefits from great rhythmic help from Reggie Workman on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Other tunes are a bit more conventional, but still pretty special – like some of Morgan's inventive work on the Rajah albums – with titles that include "The Joker", "Melancholee", "Mr. Kenyatta" and "Morgan The Pirate". CD

One of THE spoken word classics of the 70s funk years – an amazing album based around the poetry of Camille Yarbrough – set to some amazing funky backings! The sound here is incredibly righteous – almost a more sophisticated version of Betty Davis – done with a stark, spare groove that makes the bass bits and drums really come out in the mix! Camille's got a heck of a lot of personal vision, and really works the album together as a whole – making for a set that's far more than just "poetry plus music" – and instead an audio tapestry with an incredibly deep sound! Includes a heavy rap on the streets that culminates in the great "Little Sally the Super Sex Star" – plus the classic "Take Yo Praise", which was sampled famously by Fatboy Slim – and the cuts "Can I Get A Witness" and "All Hid". CD

A great cooker from the glory days of Ernestine Anderson on Concord Records – a time when the singer was rediscovered, and revamped in a bit of a bluesy mode – reaching a wide new audience at the time! Her vocals really shine at this point in her career, as she lets loose with a bit more personality too – as you'll hear on this swinging set of down home numbers, cut with a combo that includes Red Holloway on tenor, Ray Brown on bass, and Gene Harris on piano! Titles include "Someone Else Is Steppin", "Goin To Chicago Blues", "Alone On My Own", "Mercy Mercy Mercy", and "I Love Being Here With You". CD

George Benson's first LP for Columbia – a hard, heavy, soul jazz slammer that bears no resemblance to his overproduced work of the 70s! The album's a real cooker – recorded hot on the heels of Benson's classic work on Prestige with the Jack McDuff group, and sounding a lot like McDuff's hard wailing organ jazz of the same time. George is working with a group that features a young Lonnie Smith on organ, plus Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber on sax, and Charlie Persip on drums – all tightly coming together, and jamming hard on the album's short cooking tracks. Tracks include "Clockwise", "Jaguar", "Hello Birdie", and "Bullfight". This is the earlier version of the CD – without the bonus tracks on the later reissue. CD

A cool cooker from the great Lou Donaldson – and a record that's ever bit as tasty as its cover! Lou's really hitting his soul jazz stride here – stepping off his 50s bop years, and moving into a more gutbuckety groove that's delivered with wonderful accompaniment from a quartet that features Grant Green on guitar, John Patton on Hammond, and Ben Dixon on drums! The style is loose and open – and tracks are long, with tight solos, especially from Patton and Green, always a winning combination – really stepping out here with an early raw fury! Titles include "Caracas", "Bad John", "Holy Ghost", and "Good Gracious!". Nice cover, too, with a photo of Lou checking out a sexy model, while speaking the title! CD

Tenorist Steve Grossman's a hell of a player in so many different settings – but we're especially fond of the mid 80s stretch in which he made this record – a time when Steve had learned from all of his bolder, more dynamic moments of the 70s – and was able to fold them back into some soulful, old school tenor work that's really amazing! Case in point is this cooker – a record with the simple, subtle title of Standards – and which features Grossman making his way through a host of familiar tunes – yet at a level that's really breathtaking – a classic sense of individual phrasing and interpretation – beholden to none, and maybe all the more revolutionary in the way it's never trying to overstate its own existence. Yet that quality is also what makes it even more exciting – maybe more so than some of Steve's more experimental sessions – and Grossman holds us rapt throughout, in a quartet that also features Fred Henke on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Masahiro Yoshida on drums. Titles include "Time Was", "Just In Time", "Autumn Leaves", "Half Nelson", "Easy Living", and "When I Fall In Love". CD

Forget the "blues" in the title – because the set's as much a soul jazz cooker as any of Groove's classic records for Prestige! The format's a bit different than usual – in that Groove solos on Hammond over large arrangements by Onzy Matthews – in a sweet organ/big band mode that's got plenty of bounce! The tunes are mostly from R&B sources, but done here with a groovy 60s approach – and titles include "Organ Grinder", "Mean Old Frisco Blues", "Your Red Wagon", "In The Dark", and "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town". CD

A smoking funky set from early 70s Stax Records – the only album we've ever seen from Roy Lee Johnson & The Villagers, and a stone cooker all the way through! The sound is hard and heavy on most numbers – with loads of funky 45-styled riffs – and the core group is a nicely self-contained unit, with a lot of focus on the rhythm section – but they also get some great help here from the Memphis Horns, who blow over the top beautifully, and add a nicely soulful vibe to the record! Drums are nice and hard – and titles include the killer "The Dryer (parts 1 & 2)", plus "Razorback Circus", "Robot", "Midnight At Riley's", "Don't Tell Me Nothing About My Woman", "Patch It Up", and "I'll Be Your Doctor Man". CD

The title's a great one for this post-Coltrane cooker from Elvin Jones – as the set really has Elvin exploring some really fresh currents in jazz, with a range of complicated rhythms that really pull the whole session along strongly! Rhythm is really set free on the record – as Elvin works to unlock some tremendous new possibilities in jazz, but all at a level that's quite different than his previous work with his famous leader – a rich tapestry of new spiritual expression that's carried off wonderfully by Joe Farrell on flute, tenor, and English horn – plus George Coleman on tenor, Pepper Adams on baritone, and a bit more flute from Fred Tompkins. There's no piano on the album at all – and Wilbur Little plays some tremendous bass, with some occasional conga work from Candido as well. Titles are all originals by group members – or Mrs Jones – and titles include "Whew", "Agenda", "Agappe Love", "Mr Jones", and "Yes". CD

Not a slow burner, but a real cooker – served up here by a sweet London combo with a great mix of spiritual jazz and sweeter soul! Sean Khan leads the group, and plays some mighty sharp-edged alto and soprano sax – and other instrumentation includes Fender Rhodes, bass, and drums – often used in ways that follow Khan's lead on the instrumental tracks – but with a smoother, warmer feel on some of the numbers that feature female vocals in the lead! These cuts have a soulfulness that takes us back to the best years of the London scene – and they really sound great next to the instrumental numbers, which have a sharper feel overall – making for an album that's got a much richer voice than usual for this type of set. Titles include "Fluxman", "Piny Annie", "What Is Jazz", "El Presidente", "Black Narcissus", and "Castro De Castro". CD

A really cool cooker from The Meters – recorded during their post-Josie run for Warner Brothers, but with this tight vibe that still holds all their funky New Orleans roots intact! The sound is a bit more expanded here – not in a commercial way, but just in a style that has the group trying out more things – some interesting rhythms, offbeat guitar passages, and maybe even more of a vocal presence – although it's clearly the drums and basslines that are still driving the whole thing along! Production is by Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn – again in that great style they were hitting at Warner – and titles include "Soul Island", "Flower Song", "Gettin Funkier All the Time", "Do the Dirt", "Cabbage Alley", and "Stay Away" – plus a version of Neil Young's "Birds"! CD also features the bonus cuts "Chug Chug Chug-a-Lug (Push & Shove)" parts 1 & 2! CD

A hell of a cooker from bassist Red Mitchell – a set that's got a sound that's way more mature and modern than you might guess from the image on the cover! Red's at the helm of a hip combo that also features sharp tenor from Zoot Sims and beautiful work on valve trombone from Bob Brookmeyer – working here at that cool compressed height of his 50s style we love so much. Conte Candoli's in the group on trumpet, giving things a surprising sort of bite – and rhythm is completed by Claude Williamson on piano and Stan Levey on drums – players who can be bold one minute, and carefully quiet the next. Titles include "Kelly Green", "Once In A While", "Bluesology", "Happy Minor", and "Long Ago & Far Away". CD

A hell of a cooker from bassist Red Mitchell – a set that's got a sound that's way more mature and modern than you might guess from the image on the cover! Red's at the helm of a hip combo that also features sharp tenor from Zoot Sims and beautiful work on valve trombone from Bob Brookmeyer – working here at that cool compressed height of his 50s style we love so much. Conte Candoli's in the group on trumpet, giving things a surprising sort of bite – and rhythm is completed by Claude Williamson on piano and Stan Levey on drums – players who can be bold one minute, and carefully quiet the next. Titles include "Kelly Green", "Once In A While", "Bluesology", "Happy Minor", and "Long Ago & Far Away". CD

A stone cooker – and one of the best versions of Porgy & Bess recorded in a jazz format! It's a slightly-forgotten fact that at the time of the big late 50s film version of Porgy & Bess, there was a bit of trouble with the soundtrack – so the market was flooded with other versions of Gershwin's score in a hope to fill the void. This is one of the best of that bunch – a very well-done set of tunes arranged and conducted by Bill Potts, recorded with a strong set of soloists that include Al Cohn, Gene Quill, Zoot Sims, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, Charlie Shavers, Bob Brookmeyer, and Harry Edison. Tracks are the usual batch of Porgy & Bess numbers – "I Loves You Porgy", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "My Man's Gone Now", "A Woman Is A Sometimes Thing", "Summertime" – all woven together wonderfully in a rich tapestry of sound, with some particularly evocative solos. CD

Don't let the title fool you, as the album's hardly an "etcetera" – not some run-on work from Wayne Shorter, but a real lost cooker from his 60s Blue Note years! The record's got a very sharp-edged quartet sound – a bit modern and edgey at times, with sharp tenor lines from Shorter, piano from Herbie Hancock, bass from Cecil McBee, and drums from Joe Chambers. Wayne recorded the date in 1965, but the material wasn't issued by Blue Note until 15 years later – a delay that somehow made the whole thing even more of a gem, especially at a time when Shorter wasn't blowing this strongly on record. Tracks include four originals "Toy Tune", "Penelope", "Etcetera", and "Barracudas" – plus the Gil Evans number "Barracudas (General Assembly)". CD

Don't let the title fool you, as the album's hardly an "etcetera" – not some run-on work from Wayne Shorter, but a real lost cooker from his 60s Blue Note years! The record's got a very sharp-edged quartet sound – a bit modern and edgey at times, with sharp tenor lines from Shorter, piano from Herbie Hancock, bass from Cecil McBee, and drums from Joe Chambers. Wayne recorded the date in 1965, but the material wasn't issued by Blue Note until 15 years later – a delay that somehow made the whole thing even more of a gem, especially at a time when Shorter wasn't blowing this strongly on record. Tracks include four originals "Toy Tune", "Penelope", "Etcetera", and "Indian Song" – plus the Gil Evans number "Barracudas (General Assembly)". CD

One of Stanley Turrentine's few organ-based sessions for Blue Note – recorded in the company of his wife Shirley Scott, a real cooker on the Hammond who holds it down masterfully here – and great band that's filled out by Kenny Burrell on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Otis Finch on drums. The album's sound has the triple strengths of strong interplay between Stanley's tenor sax and Shirley's organ grooves, rhythms as tightly honed or loosed-limbed as duty calls, and Burrell's guitars rolling gracefully from unfussy backing to refined solos. Tracks include "Trouble No 2", "Goin Home", "Ladyfingers", "Something Happens To Me" and "The Hustler". CD

Where it's at with Stanley Turrentine – circa 1962 – a time when the tenorist was really hitting on all burners, and turning out some tremendous work for Blue Note! The album's got Stan working with a special guest – a rare Blue Note appearance from pianist Les McCann, who's also at the height of his early career here – and really brings great energy to a quartet that also includes Herbie Lewis on bass and Otis Finch on drums. Les' piano has a nice bite – and really makes for a great groove alongside Stan's round, warm, raspy tone – a righteous sort of energy that drives the record strongly, in ways that are different than some of Turrentine's other sessions of the time. The whole thing's a cooker – and titles include "Pia", "Smile, Stacey", "Dorene Don't Cry I", and "Light Blue". CD also features a bonus take on "Light Blue". CD

Although "Newport" can often mean "hokey" or "pandering" in the context of live jazz performances – this set is a cooker, one of Tyner's best for Impulse, and a really far-reaching set that has him showing sides he never expressed with Coltrane! The group on the album features Clark Terry, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, and the always-great Charlie Mariano – and it's the influence of players like these (the angular edge of Mariano's alto, the fast rhythmic bounce of Cranshaw and Roker's rhythm) that makes the set so wonderful. Most tunes are jazz standards – including "My Funny Valentine", "Woody N You", and "Monk's Blues" – but the group plays with an open-handed freeness that really makes them sparkle! CD

Surprisingly firey work from pianist Claude Williamson – arguably the better of his albums for Bethlehem, and a real cooker that shows a tremendous command of the keys! Claude's working here with a tight trio that includes Don Prell on bass and Chuck Flores on drums – often leading out the tunes on his own with a bold introduction, then quickly getting some strong support on rhythm. Williamson may well be strongly inspired by Flores' free-flowing energy and ability to melodically create on percussion – as Chuck's presence on the session is nice and strong – never too bold, and always in the pocket! Titles include "I'll Remember April", "June Bug", "Jersey Bounce", "Blue Notoriety", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "Embraceable You". CD

A great live cooker from Phil Woods – long tracks with those excellent solos he could carve out in the 80s – served up in a quartet with Hal Galper on piano, Steve Gilmore on bass, and Bill Goodwin on drums! CD

Amazing sounds from one of the greatest periods in Brazilian music – that heady late 60s/early 70s stretch when it seemed like everything was up for grabs – and new genres, new sounds, and new styles were being created all the time! This cooker of a collection focuses on the unique hybrid of funk and samba that took place at the time – a sound also known as Samba Soul, but served up here with a really well-selected batch of tracks that goes way past the obvious – to really reinscribe a whole new version of this musical generation, pulled together from rare wax of the 70s! The groove is bouncy and upbeat, but often has some cool unexpected twists and turns too – with titles that include "Mister Brown" by Bebeto, "Quem Vem La" by Marisa Rossi, "Turma Do Pole" by Arnaud Rodriguez, "16 Toneladas" by Moriel Vilela, "Sou Negro" by Toni Tornado, and "Tatarue" by Giovana. CD

A great one from this all-star group – an incredibly righteous combo that's given Billy Harper one of his best chances to play in years! As with the previous album by The Cookers, the Harper influence really runs strong – not just in the use of some of his great tracks in the performance, but also in the way the tunes build and work together – that bold, powerful energy that Billy first unleashed on the world in the 70s – driven to new heights here by a lineup that also includes Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Craig Handy on alto sax, George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Hart on drums! But key thanks should also go to trumpeter David Weiss – also in the group, and producer for the record – a great talent for getting these guys to work together so well. Titles include tunes by McBee, Cables, and Hart as well – with tracks that include "Ebony Moonbeams", "Believe For It Is True", "Free For All", "Quest", "But He Knows", "Tight Squeeze", and "Naaj". CD

A brilliant set from The Cookers – a combo that includes the mighty Billy Harper on tenor sax, and who step out here with a soaringly brilliant sound that recalls some of Harper's best material in recent years! Yet Billy's only the tip of the iceberg, as all players are great – truly the cookers promised by the name– including Eddie Henderson and David Weiss on trumpets, Craig Handy on alto sax, George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – plus some key guest work from Azar Lawrence on tenor and soprano sax too! The rhythms are perfect for the record – modally comping, with just the right sort of searching energy to inspire the most spiritual performances from the players – and titles include great versions of Billy Harper's "Cast The First Stone", "Croquet Ballet", and "The Seventh Day", – plus "Think On Me", "Peacemaker", "The Chief", and "Looking For The Light". CD

... CD

Beautiful work from a crack group of jazz legends, together billed as The Cookers – Billy Harper on tenor, Eddie Henderson and David Weiss on trumpet, Craig Handy on alto & flute, George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – kind of a dream lineup, working here with the same sort of spiritual energy you'd expect from a 70s session of this nature! The music is filled with love and joy – and has just the right sort of groove to really make the soloists take off – and titles include Cables's "Spookarella" and "Sweet Rita Suite Part 2: Her Soul", Harper's "Priestess" and Capra Black", McBee's "Close To You Alone", "Ladybugg" and "U Phoria", and an great opening take on Freddie Hubbard's "The Core". CD

One of the greatest groups going in recent years – a strong revival of key soulful jazz talents from previous years, all working under the leadership of trumpeter David Weiss – who's really helped them come together and find a whole new sort of energy! The lineup features tremendous tenor from Billy Harper – sounding at his classic best with The Cookers – especially when the rhythms spin out majestically from George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – often with these dark undercurrents that make the music wonderfully powerful! And in addition to Weiss on trumpet, the frontline also includes Eddie Henderson's trumpet as well, plus the alto of Donald Harrison – and the horns have a great way of folding together and interweaving, before breaking out in these very personal solos. Titles include tracks by almost all members of the group – and tunes include "Slippin & Slidin", "Renada", "Sir Galahad", "Time & Time Again", "Dance Of The Invisible Nymph", "Dance Eternal Spirits Dance", and "Three Fall". CD

A landmark set for Blue Note – one that features Freddie Hubbard working in raw, firey, freewheeling territory – given space that few other players at the label were getting at the time! The two volume set features tracks recorded live at Club La Marchal in Brooklyn – and have Hubbard working with a completely hip group that features Lee Morgan, James Spaulding, Harold Mabern, Larry Ridley, Pete La Roca, and Big Black on conga. The sound is incredible – a full on burner that easily earns the "cookers" status of the title – and which sounds quite different from most other live jazz albums of the time! Each side of the album features one long track – and this 2CD set features both volumes, with 4 extended titles that include – "Pensativa", "Walkin", "Jodo", and "Breaking Point". CD

One of Eric's stone cookers with Charles Earland on Hammond! CD

A wailier! Trombonist Matthew Gee is a lost groover from the hard side – and this album is one of the few that he ever cut under his own name. Far from the sleepier players on the instrument, Gee knows how to cook just like Bennie Green – and his company on this album includes Ernie Henry, Frank Foster, Wilbur Ware, and Art Taylor, all cookers themselves! The record features 3 great originals – "Gee!", "Kingston Lounge", and "The Boys From Brooklyn" – plus some mellower standards, and the nice track "Joram". CD

A really obscure little session from tenorist Johnny Griffin – and one of his few dates from the time cut with an organist – in this case the up-and-coming LA player Paul Bryant! Bryant's probably best known for his cookers with Curtis Amy, and he hits a similar mode here – by bringing a strong R&B inflection to the album, and offering Griffin a setting that's a bit less hardbop than some of his other Riverside albums of the time! The rest of the group features Joe Pass on guitar, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Doug Sides on drums – and titles include "Cherry Float", "These Foolish Things", "63rd Street Theme", "Grab This", and "Offering Time". CD

A later set from tenor legend Red Holloway – but one that really revives the style of his 60s soul jazz classics on Prestige Records! Red gets plenty of old school company on the set – a group that features Frank Wess on additional tenor, Lonnie Smith on Hammond, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Paul Humphrey on drums – all cookers we love from years back, doing a pretty great job of keeping things groovy here. Titles include "Avalon", "3 Steps Up Clark", "Water Jug", "Struttin With Julie", "Good To Go", "Million Dollar Secret", and "Still Groovin". 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". CD

Not sure what they mean by "Ameriachi" in the title – but from the sound of the music, there's definitely a great A&M Records-styled mix of jazz, Latin, and South American modes! The set begins with a set of cookers from drummer Hideo Shiraki – working with an excellent group that features tenorist Hidehiko Matsumoto handling arrangements – often in ways that have this upbeat, swinging, and pretty darn groovy way of moving along – sometimes with a bold Herb Alpert-styled trumpet in the lead – other times with a bit of marimba vibes. Titles include "Ashita Ni Nareba", "Akasaka After Dark", "You & Me", and "Ginza Wa Koi No Jujiro". The second half is handled by Takeshi Inomata & His West Liners Plus All-Stars – a group that has an equally great A&M approach to the groove – thanks to arrangements from pianist Masao Yagi! The whole thing's a great illustration of the way that 60s Japanese jazzmen could also work in some groovy instrumental styles in the right setting – and titles include "One Rainy Night In Tokyo", "Omoide", "Goodbye Mr Tears", "Koi Wa Akaibara", and "Aitakute Aitakute". CD

Two organ/sax cookers back to back – both featuring Don Patterson and Sonny Stitt! First up is the wonderful album Brothers 4 – a mighty pairing of organist Patterson and saxman Stitt – one of Don's grooviest late 60s outings, thanks to an excellent sound from all players involved! Stitt plays Varitone sax on the date, which gives his horn a cool electric feel that really sounds wonderful next to Don's work on Hammond – and Grant Green's also in the group, serving up some great single-line solos that are almost more in his early 60s style than his Blue Note work from this same period. The group's rounded out by Don's regular drummer Billy James – a wonderful player with a great ear for unusual rhythms! Tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Walk On By", "Creepin Home", and "Brothers 4". Donny Brook is a massively funky new groove from organist Don Patterson – done with a sound that's a great link between his early soul jazz years and the funkier Prestige sound to come! The group here is a rock-solid quartet – Sonny Stitt on Varitone tenor, plus a bit of alto sax – as well as Grant Green on guitar and Billy James on drums. The rhythms are great – often with a slight undercurrent of funk in the mix – and Grant lets loose beautifully on his guitar with that soaring, skipping sort of groove he picked up nicely near the end of the 60s. Patterson's Hammond is sgreat as always, and all tracks are nice and long – with plenty of solo room for everyone! Titles include "Mud Turtle", "Good Bait", "St Thomas", "Starry Night", and "Donny Brook". CD

A real killer from Gato Barbieri – part of an excellent run of early 70s sessions for the Flying Dutchman label! The album was recorded live, and it's one of those real cookers that have him sounding a heck of a lot like Pharoah Sanders – blowing with these sharp, soulful tones – and really stretching out in this amazingly spiritual way – quite different than some of his more mainstream playing in later years, and his freer sounds of the 60s. The group features Pretty Purdie on drums, Sonny Morgan and Na-Na on percussion, Chuck Rainey on bass, and Lonnie Liston Smith on piano – and Smith lays out these modal spiraling lines that really work wonders with a groove – and Gato solos over them in searing ripping blasts of sound, never going too far out, but hitting that great soulful mode that made Sanders' best work so great. Titles include "El Pampero", "Mi Buenos Aires Querido", and "El Arreiro" – and all tracks are long. CD

Key recordings from Sonny's breakout year of 1954 – tracks from 2 different sessions, brought together into one album that packs a hell of a punch! The modernist Rollins tenor is at its early peak here – fresh, bold, and highly creative – yet equally concerned with the role of the ensemble as well. And with players like Kenny Dorham, Elmo Hope, Thelonious Monk, and Art Blakey helping things out, the sessions are both cookers all the way through! Titles include 4 by a group with Dorham, Hope, and Blakey – "Solid", "Movin Out", "Swingin For Bumsy", and "Silk N Satin" – plus 1 more by a quartet with Monk, Tommy Potter, and Art Taylor – the longer "More Than You Know". CD

2 live cookers from Cal Tajder – back to back on a single CD! The set begins with Night At The Blackhawk – one of Cal's best late 50s dates for Fantasy Records – thanks to some smoking tenor sax from Jose "Chombo" Silva! The album has Cal working in the very comfortable territory of San Francisco's Blackhawk Nightclub – in a combo that also features familiar players Vince Guaraldi on piano, Al McKibbon on bass, Willie Boby on drums, and Mongo Santamaria on congas – all musicians who'd previously helped Tjader hit some of his best Latin grooves! But the addition of Silva on a few tracks here really makes the set crackle – giving it a gutsy, soulful fee that you don't always get on some of Tjader's other records. Tracks are longish – and titles include the nice original "Bill B", plus jazzy versions of "I Love Paris", "Blue & Sentimental", and "Night In Tunisia". Live & Direct is great live work from Cal Tjader – one of a number of sets but at his home turf of the Blackhawk Nightclub in San Francisco! The album's nicely laidback, with tracks that stretch out a bit more than Tjader's studio work for Fantasy Records – often hitting a slight Latin groove at times, but with a bit more of a straight jazz vibes feel overall! The great Lonnie Hewitt's on the group on piano, coloring in the tunes with some very soulful notes – and in addition to Cal's vibes, the rest of the lineup includes Victor Venegas on bass, and Willie Bobo on drums. Mongo Santamaria on congas and Rolando Lozano on flute join in on the track "Mambo Terrifico" – and other titles include "Racoon Straits", "Bad & The Beautiful", and "You Stepped Out Of A Dream". Note that the CD omits the track "The Continental" from Live & Direct – due to space restrictions. CD

Dancefloor cookers from the prime Northern Soul years – all instrumental numbers on this sharp compilation on Kent – 45 sides from a labels like Money, Villa, Swan, King, Epic and Warner Brothers! For all the wonderful Kent soul compilations we've gotten our dusty fingers on over the years, it's a wonder they're never been one devoted to instrumentals – until now! Rhythms roll along at a tight tempo, the tight guitars punch it up, some strings soar, and a pounding Northern beat keeps it all stomping! Those core elements are key, but others weave in an out, from hand claps on the beat, to organ grooves, bursts of brass and more. 24 tracks in all: "Double Cookin" by Checkerboard Squares, "Make Me Yours" by Arthur Wright & His Orchestra, "Festival Time" by San Remo Golden Strings", "The Sounds Of Lane" by Tracks To Your Mind, "Champion Pt 1" by Willie Mitchell, "The Guys From Uncle" by The Spy, "Stirrin Up Some Soul" by The Mar-Ketts, "Hey America (Sing Along)" by James Brown, "California Montage" by Young-Holt Unlimited and more. CD