An amazing document of a unique musical moment – an entire jazz festival, virtually dedicated to Peter Brotzmann himself! The legendary Brotzmann not only curated the festival – filling it with some of his key collaborators and musical contemporaries – but he also plays on a fair bit of the titles here, too – in different groupings that reflect not only his long history in the European avant scene, but also his ties to Chicago, and his work with Japanese improvisers too! The package is wonderful – the next best thing to being at this exclusive event in person – and the set features 5CDs worth of music from the festival, with performances by Sonore (with Brotzmann, Ken Vandermark, & Mats Gustafsson), Chicago Tentet with John Tchicai, solo work by Jeiji Haino, the Hairy Bones quartet with Brotzmann and Toshinori Kondo, the Full Blast Trio, the DKV Trio, Caspar Brotzmann Massaker, and various other groupings with players who include Jeb Bishop, Joe McPhee, Mars Williams, Jason Adasiewicz, Nasheet Waits, Masahiko Satoh, Bill Laswell, and many others. CD

Amazing work from John Carpenter – still a dedicated soundtrack composer long into his film career – and always a master of spare, spooky electronics! The instrumentation here is a bit evolved from some of his earliest classics – different keyboards and electronics developed during the 80s – but the overall approach is still very similar, and co-performed with Allan Howarth, who always gives Carpenter's music the right sort of careful balance! Carpenter does a lot with just a little – never making things overblown, especially in the way that some of his contemporaries might do – and titles include "Transient Hotel", "Wake Up", "Underground", "A Message", "Return To Church", and "The Siege Of Justiceville". CD

A landmark album of vocal jazz – and one of the few sessions that John Coltrane ever cut with a singer! In a way, the album's more Hartman's than it is Coltrane's – given that Johnny's warm, mellow style of singing isn't as free and open as Trane at his most adventurous – but at another level, the album's got a great approach to Coltrane's gentler side, one that wasn't showing up on a lot of his Impulse albums of the time. Overall, the album's got an extremely haunting quality, and McCoy Tyner's piano adds as much to Hartman's hip voice as Coltrane's mellow tenor. Titles include some well-chosen moody standards – including "Lush Life", "Dedicated To You", and "Autumn Serenade". CD

Solo work from the great pianist Stanley Cowell, and a set that may well offer up some of his most focused performance in the format! The album's one long suite dedicated to the African-American fight for freedom – named after the "Juneteenth" date that's used to celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation, and following the struggle through different modes up through the Civil Rights era. The music is some of Cowell's most expressive in years – served up in a variety of colors and styles, but always with a focused, unified approach that's completely compelling – especially given the very strong recording quality of the album. The music is supported by a 40 page booklet featuring vintage images as an archival documentary – with photos from 1865 through the early 20th Century – and titles include "Proclamation", "Nostalgia For Homelands", "Commentary On Strange Fruit", "Reality Dreams Echoes", and "Anticipation Of The Coming Of Freedom". CD

Brilliant work from Tim Hardin – two albums recorded for Columbia after his years on Verve, showing him still growing tremendously as an artist, moving past the short folksy style of early hits, into a broadly-expressed singer/songwriter mode, one that shows traces of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and other folk rock luminaries of the time. Suite For Susan Moore is especially great – a full suite of tracks dedicated to wife Susan (aka The Lady Came From Baltimore) and Hardin's new son Damion. The piece has a shaky brilliance – as Hardin unsurely expresses his joy and insecurity at the thought of having a family. There's a pain in the work that runs deeper than that in most of Hardin's earlier work – possibly because of his own personal trouble at the time, possibly because the depth of his emotions runs greater than in earlier love songs. Whatever the case, the album's a tremendous one – and it's well-matched here with Bird On A Wire, a record that features shorter tracks, a few covers, and others that show Hardin still capable of proudly expressed tunes in a more conventional mode. Titles include "First Love Song", "Everything Good Become More True", "Loneliness She Knows", "Magician", "Susan", "Love Hymn", "Andre Johray", "If I Knew", and "Soft Summer Breeze". CD

A fantastic session by this groundbreaking modernist – essentially a piano trio album, but recorded with two bass players – Richard Davis and Eddie Kahn – one of whom plays rhythm, the other who solos along with Hill – which makes for a really amazing sound – especially when you realize that the great Roy Haynes is on drums! The result is one of Hill's darkest piano outings, brought even deeper by the bass accompaniment, and the lack of any other horns to support the set – the kind of standout session that somehow made every one of his Blue Note albums so distinct from each other – even though they are so fantastic when considered as a whole – a key moment in jazz during the 60s. The album includes Hill's brilliant "Ode to Von", dedicated to Von Freeman, one of his early teachers – plus the tracks "Verne", "Not So", "Wailing Wall", and "The Day After". CD

A wonderful illustration of the inherent sense of beauty in Keith Jarrett's early work – an approach to piano that was simple, straightforward, and marked by a ringing sense of tone that's evident in the very first note of the set! Jarrett here isn't trying to break any rules in jazz piano, nor is he trying to go out of his way to make the world known of his presence – and instead, he's got a simple, subtle approach to the keys that's filled with tenderness and gentle tones – but not in a way that's hokey or overly sentimental. There's certainly echoes here of 60s work by Steve Kuhn, and of earlier records by Vince Guaraldi – but Jarrett also hints at a bold power underneath that seems likely to break out at every turn. The album's a live recording, with Charlie Haden on bass and Paul Motian on drums – and titles include "A Moment For Tears", "Pout's Over", "My Back Pages", "Pretty Ballad", "Moving Soon", "Old Rag", and "Dedicated To You". CD

Sweet electric magic from Ramsey Lewis – four 70s albums in a single collection! First up is Don't It Feel Good – massive keyboard work from the great Ramsey Lewis – easily one of his best records ever, thanks to some spaciously funky production by Charles Stepney! Stepney plays keyboards here along with Ramsey, and the twin-keys approach makes for a sound that's extra-special – one that sums up all the earlier soulful creativity of both artists in their late 60s Cadet Records years, and hones it down to an even sweeter groove for the 70s! A number of tracks have some sort of vocal component, but usually in a chorus mode that soon drops out when the keyboards hit home – and the record features a few great short "interlude" tracks that are almost as great as the longer numbers! Titles include the classic "Juaacklyn", a cover of Earth Wind & Fire's "That's The Way Of The World", and the tracks "I Dig You", "Fish Bite", "Don't It Feel Good", "Something About You", and "Can't Function". Salongo is a tremendous little record, and one of the funky 70s sets that Ramsey Lewis recorded with Earth Wind & Fire! Well, not Earth Wind & Fire entirely – but the Kalimba Productions team of Maurice White and Charles Stepney that gave the group its sound – plus a nice sprinkling of other players that were often associated with sessions by the group! Ramsey's own combo here includes Steve Cobb on drums and vocals, and Derf Reklaw on reeds and vocals as well – and the overall sound has bits of African and Brazilian influences, worked into a soulful fusion groove that sounds a lot like the instrumental backings EWF were using at the time. Titles include "Brazilica", "Slick", "Rubato", "Salongo", and "Seventh Fold". Tequila Mockingbird is an overlooked gem from the Columbia Records years, filled with loads of great grooves, and some pretty mighty keyboards! Part of the record has Ramsey working with Larry Dunn of Kalimba Productions – getting plenty of the Earth Wind & Fire groove that made so much of his Columbia sessions sparkle – while the rest of the set has the great Bert DeCoteaux handling things, and giving Lewis just the right mix of sophistication and soul he was using with other Columbia acts at the time. The album's a perfect example of the way that Ramsey stepped way ahead of the pack during this time in his career – using keyboards and grooves together in ways that so many artists today are still trying to match – but never hit it this right! Titles include "Camino El Bueno", "Caring For You", "Intimacy", "That Ole Bach Music", "Skippin", "Tequila Mockingbird", and "Wandering Rose" – that cool cut by Neal Creque! Love Notes is a great little album of mid 70s funk from Ramsey Lewis – very much in the mode of his Earth, Wind, & Fire related work – no surprise, since the album's dedicated to Charles Stepney, whose influence was such a key part of the sound of the group, and of some of Ramsey's other Kalimba-produced albums from a few years before! Ramsey plays Fender Rhodes, mini moog, and Arp – and he gets help on keyboards from Stevie Wonder and Derf Reklaw, who also plays saxes and percussion on the set. Features versions of Wonder's "Love Notes" and "Spring High", plus Reklaw's "Chili Today Hot Tamale", "Shining", and "Stash Dash". CD

One of the most striking projects we've heard from Ken Vandermark in years – work with a younger group with a sound that seems equally balanced between free jazz, post-punk, and no wave energy – heard here on a set of live material, and a full session recorded in the studio! The quintet features two guitarists – Andrew Clinkman and Steve Marquette, one in each channel of the recording – alongside Macie Stewart on keyboards and violin, Phil Sudderberg on drums, and Ken Vandermark on reeds – all playing together at a level that bristles with the combination of electric and acoustic energy. The studio material is as intense as the live set – and as usual with Vandermark, there's some really surprising influences going into the songs – the live set is dedicated to Elza Soares, the studio one to Robert Bresson. Titles include "Key For 23", "Alphaville #2", "Trance", "L'Argent", "Roulette", "Two Or Three", "Baal", and "Porto". CD

The title really gets things right here – as Joe McPhee is in some of his most sonic territory – really working sometimes at a level that's way beyond music, yet still managing to bring a strong sense of soul to the set too! The album begins with "Episode One", dedicated to Don Cherry – and really featuring some incredible pocket trumpet work from McPhee – blown at a level that's very subtle in shape and texture, but which gains power as the track moves on. "Episode Two" is dedicated to Ornette Coleman, and features much more dynamic alto sax – handled at a level that's more tenor-like than Coleman ever would have done – with a free-flowing vibe that's really wonderful! CD

Gerry Mulligan meets up with a great array of 50s modernists here – in specially setting dedicated to all Mulligan-penned compositions! Although a radical player himself on the baritone sax, Gerry also added something strong to the 50s jazz catalog with his great tunes from the early days – gently modern numbers that slowly became standards over the years, thanks to respect from other players. The best of these tracks are showcased here – played by Mulligan with a sax section that includes Zoot Sims on alto and tenor, Al Cohn on tenor and baritone, Lee Konitz on alto, and Allan Eager on alto and tenor. Rhythm is by the piano-less section of Freddie Green on guitar, Henry Grimes on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – and titles include "Venus De Milo", "Revelation", "Sextet", "Turnstyle", "Four & One More", "Crazy Day", and "Disc Jockey Jump". CD also features 4 bonus tracks, too! CD

Mark Murphy's classic set of tracks dedicated to Kerouac, with Richie Cole filling the role of Bird on alto, and Murphy singing vocalese versions of Parker's tunes, and reading from some of Kerouac's writings. Tracks include "Parker's Mood", "Boplicity", "Bongo Beep", "You Better Go Now", "The Bad & The Beautiful", "Down St thomas Way" and "Goodbye Porkpie Hat". CD

One of the most beautiful, most sophisticated, and most fully-realized sessions from trumpeter Hannibal Marvin Peterson – and a record that features some incredible larger backings from David Amram! The set's a haunting suite dedicated to the children of Vietnam – one that starts out in a darkly brooding mode, but which opens up with some extremely redemptive moments as the set moves on – done in a very spiritual approach to soul jazz that's strongly in the Alice Coltrane tradition! Instrumentation includes a small string group, plus added percussion – and musicians on the set include Art Webb on flute, Richard Davis on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Michael Cochran on piano, and Hannibal himself on both trumpet and koto. The lovely Alpha Johnson sings on a few of the album's tracks, and the whole thing is very warm and deep, and has a lot of variance in tempo and mood, with a strong spiritual feel similar to that of some of the more ambitious Strata East recordings from the time! Titles include "Forest Sunrise", "The Bombing", "Prayer", "Aftermath", and "Finale". CD

One of the most ambitious works ever by Marvin Hannibal Peterson – a larger work dedicated to the 20 African-American children murdered by a serial killer in Atlanta, performed here with a mix of choral voices and jazz instrumentation! The piece follows strongly in a legacy of that format started by Max Roach and continued by Billy Harper – and Peterson works here with players that include George Adams on tenor, Kenny Barron on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Dierde Murray on cello – plus the voices of The Harlem Boys Choir, and lead vocals by Pat Peterson. The whole thing's wonderful – soaring and spiritual without sounding hokey at all – and titles include "The Angels Of Atlanta", "The Story Teller", "The Inner Voice", "Mothers Land", and "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". CD

Don't be fooled by the cover – as Trevor Watts and Liam Genockey may look like a pair of aging hippies, but have an intensity of sound that's right up there with some of the best loft jazz experiments of the 70s! These improvisations were recorded in 1989, unissued at the time, and have a very ageless feel – as Watts is as tremendous here on alto and soprano as he was back in the day – endless imagination that really seems to be set fire by the drum work of Genockey, a player who's got a touch on the kit that's both subtle and powerful – rhythmic enough overall, but nicely loose too! The whole thing's great – and the set features three long tracks, titled "Rhythmic Variants", "Echoes Of Bird", and "Dedicated To Eric D". CD

A very tight early session by the great organist Larry Young! The album's quite different than Young's later Blue Note work – more in-the-pocket soul jazz, but filled with the expansive sensibility that would later have him take off for the heavens. The biggest example of this tendency is the track "Talking Bout JC" – a cut dedicated to John Coltrane (who Young used to jam with, although sadly never on record!), recorded more famously later on Blue Note, but still sounding pretty hip here in an early take. The group on the set is a quartet that includes guitarist Thornel Schwartz and tenorist Bill Leslie (with whom he cut an album for Argo, under the name of Lawrence Olds) – and other tracks include "Gettin' Into It" (which is 15 minutes long) and "Groove Street". CD

A brilliant batch of James Brown funky covers! This is one of the best compilations we've ever seen on the Harmless label – a collection of obscure version of tracks by James Brown or dedicated to James Brown, all with a funky sound that would make The Godfather himself pretty darn proud! Titles include "Hot Pants" by St Vincent Latinaires, "Mother Popcorn" by Dillard Crume & The Soul Rockers, "Cold Sweat" by Bernard Purdie, "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose" by The Daktaris, "James Brown" by The Last Poets, "Money Won't Change You" by Aretha Franklin, "There Was A Time" by Jerry O, "Ain't It Funky Now" by Grant Green, "Lickin Stick" by Larry Willis, "I Got The Feeling" by Chollo Rivera & The Latin Soul Drives, and "Calm & Cool" by James Brown himself! CD

One of the few albums ever cut as a leader by pianist Tony Aless – an unsung hero of the big band years, especially in the Woody Herman group – and a great arranger too! This set's an all-original outing – a suite of tracks dedicated to Long Island, and played by a very hip group that has tenorist Seldon Powell in the lead – serving up work that's every bit as great here as on his own albums for Roost from the time! The record's got a slightly largish group – a tentet that's stuffed with great players – including Billy Bauer on guitar, JJ Johnson and Kai Winding on trombones, and Nick Travis on trumpet – all modernists who really bring in the sound you'd expect. Titles include "Fire Island", "Valley Stream", "Levittown", and "Massapequa". CD

Long overdue reissue of this classic FMP recording by Brotzmann – dedicated to Johnny Dyani, and featuring a group that includes Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Fred Van Hove, Paul Rutherford, Willem Breuker, and Brotzmann himself. The track's politics are stated very clearly in the title – and it's got the same sort of 1968 blast of raw power that Brotzmann first made heard around the world in "Machine Gun". Not surprisingly, a rare unreleased live version of that track – recorded in 1968 – is added to the CD as a bonus cut! CD

Damn! These guys just keep getting better and better with each new release – to the point where they're way more than just a combo dedicated to classic soundtrack modes – and instead have found a fuzzy funky space that's all their own! Both the instrumentation and rhythms are sharper than ever – very hard-hitting, on the rockier side of 70s sound library styles – and topped with some fierce guitar work that makes nearly every cut bristle with a newfound sense of power – matched by mighty sweet lines on keyboards that include Fender Rhodes, clavinet, mellotron, dulcitone, and eko tiger! Vocals are almost nonexistent – leaving the most room for instrumentals that ring out boldly – and titles include "You Filthy Bastards", "The Butcher's Bride", "Mescaline 6", "Stainless Steel", "Two Pills In The Pocket", and "Traitors". CD

A landmark album of vocal jazz – and one of the few sessions that John Coltrane ever cut with a singer! In a way, the album's more Hartman's than it is Coltrane's – given that Johnny's warm, mellow style of singing isn't as free and open as Trane at his most adventurous – but at another level, the album's got a great approach to Coltrane's gentler side, one that wasn't showing up on a lot of his Impulse albums of the time. Overall, the album's got an extremely haunting quality, and McCoy Tyner's piano adds as much to Hartman's hip voice as Coltrane's mellow tenor. Titles include some well-chosen moody standards – including "Lush Life", "Dedicated To You", and "Autumn Serenade". CD

A nicely rootsy session from Don Covay – one that has him getting past the straighter AM pop of his Superdude I set, and going for a sound that's much more down home and southern! The album reunites Covay with his Jefferson Lemon band – and was recorded in Muscle Shoals, but with production by Don that gets way past the more obvious cliches that were already creeping into the scene at the time. Overall, the sound is surprisingly light and personal – almost intimate at times, with Covay moving into a bit more country soul than on any of his other records. The album also includes a few funkier numbers – like "Rumble In the Jungle", dedicated to the Ali/Frazier fight, and "Gangster Strut" – and other tracks include "Sexy Lady", "Hot Blood", "We Can't Make It No More", "A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste", and "It's Better To Have (And Don't Need)". CD features the bonus track "Dungeon Number 3". CD

The biggest-label release ever cut by 70s funk legend Betty Davis – but a set that's every bit as hard and heavy as the indie dates that preceded it! Davis is at the top of her form here – bad-stepping amidst the heavy drums and freaked-out guitars that easily made her one of the funkiest folks working in the 70s – an artist who was definitely very much into her own bag, and who's only finally getting her due all these many years later! In a way, the groove is even leaner than before – especially the drums, which are turbocharged with energy, and set a badass vibe for the record throughout – mixing up equal parts of rock, funk, and soul – almost with the genre-busting modes that wouldn't really show up on the New York scene until a number of years later. The whole thing kicks ass – and titles include "Nasty Gal", "Talkin' Trash", "Dedicated To The Press", "FUNK", "Getting Kicked Off Havin Fun", "Shut Off The Light", "This Is It", "The Lone Ranger", and "Feelins". Great new pressing of the classic – with a 32 page booklet that includes liner notes, lyrics, and lots of cool photos! CD

Mindblowing work from Navasha Daya – a singer you might know for her key role in the group Fertile Ground many years back – still one of the most important contemporary acts we've ever stocked at Dusty Groove! Here, Navasha returns as a tremendous soul star on her own – working on these incredible songs of righteous power – in a full concept album dedicated to black families and their quest for freedom in America! Some of the songs are quite topical, others are very universal – and the musical approach here is a mix of deep funk, contemporary soul, and even some surprising 60s and 70s elements – all composed and produced by Fanon Hill, who's Daya's key musical partner on the album. There's still all the jazziness and warmth that we love in the music of Fertile Ground, but the style is also nicely different – and the whole thing is a tremendous statement of power from this always-compelling singer. Titles include "I Am Because We Are", "Operation 666 Poverty", "I Too Dream Of Things Beautiful", "Better Than This", "It's Still About Freedom", "Baltimore Stand Strong", and "Whose Child". CD

The title here is very apt – as this fantastic quartet seem to set a different kind of fire on every one of the CDs in the set – six different performances, recorded over the space of two months – in Paris, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Poland! The group should be well-known to lovers of improvised music from earlier Okka Disk recordings in the 90s – and the passage of two decades has only made them sharper and more intense – especially when the tenor and pocket trumpet of Joe McPhee joins the lineup of Ken Vandermark on reeds, Kent Kessler on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums. The set of recordings is dedicated to James Baldwin – which you might have guessed from the title – and the whole thing is a fitting tribute to the transformation of ideas about freedom and identity over the passage of time. CD

A bold statement from the Free Music Ensemble – not a large group, but instead a searing power trio that features Ken Vandermark on reeds, Nate McBride on bass, and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums! The group work in a full-on mode that recalls the early power of the FMP scene, or some of the most striking work on ESP from the 60s – but given Vandermark's influence, they've also got a more open sensibility – clear in the shift from passage to passage of the album's numbered tracks, dedicated to influential heroes that include Peter Brotzmann, Paul Lytton, Joe Morris, and Joe McPhee – all contemporary heroes that are given great due here, but in a way that still has the trio retaining a very strong identity of their own. CD

A huge step forward in music for saxophonist Jimmy Greene – an artist who's still reeling from the loss of his daughter, who was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 – but who's turning his grief and sorrow into some of the richest music he's ever recorded! The feel here is even deeper than the first volume dedicated to Green's daughter – original songs that burst out with so much life and energy, we're held rapt right from the very first note – almost never mired in the sort of melancholy you might expect from such an experience, and instead ready to set a new fire to light the way ahead! Greene plays tenor, soprano, alto, and baritone – and other musicians include Kevin Hayes on Rhodes and piano, Mike Moreno on guitar, Renee Rosnes on piano, Ben Williams and John Patitucci on bass, and Jeff Tain Watts and Otis Brown III on drums. Titles include "Fun Circuits", "Second Breakfast", "Flowers", "Stanky Leg", "Big Guy", "Amantes", and "Thirty Two". CD

It's late in the career of Jackie & Roy, but the pair haven't faltered a bit – working here on two different mid 80s albums that are both surprisingly great! Bogie is a live set from 1986 – a dozen songs dedicated to Humphrey Bogart, either from his films, or written in honor of them – performed by Jackie & Roy in a style that's without schmaltz or hoke – and which features some great lyrical twists that are very much in the "smart" Hollywood mode of the postwar years, which was fading strongly by the time of this session. Full Circle is a more straight ahead session – but equally great – with a larger group that includes Conte Candoli, Bill Watrous, Bill Perkins, and Bob Cooper, all of whom give the best tracks a swinging west coast groove. Titles include "Am I Blue", "Bogie", "As Time Goes By", "Sleigh Ride In July", "Never In A Single Year", "Full Circle", and "Line For Lyons". CD

A wonderful illustration of the inherent sense of beauty in Keith Jarrett's early work – an approach to piano that was simple, straightforward, and marked by a ringing sense of tone that's evident in the very first note of the set! Jarrett here isn't trying to break any rules in jazz piano, nor is he trying to go out of his way to make the world known of his presence – and instead, he's got a simple, subtle approach to the keys that's filled with tenderness and gentle tones – but not in a way that's hokey or overly sentimental. There's certainly echoes here of 60s work by Steve Kuhn, and of earlier records by Vince Guaraldi – but Jarrett also hints at a bold power underneath that seems likely to break out at every turn. The album's a live recording, with Charlie Haden on bass and Paul Motian on drums – and titles include "A Moment For Tears", "Pout's Over", "My Back Pages", "Pretty Ballad", "Moving Soon", "Old Rag", and "Dedicated To You". CD

Keith Jarrett on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Tracks include "All Of You", "Just In Time", "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing", "Dedicated To You", and "I Hear A Rhapsody". CD

A great set of samba soul tracks – new, but with a classic feel, and dedicated to soul legend Tim Maia! The record's led by singer/percussionist Dom Mita – and features work by members of Banda Black Rio, Os Devaneios, and others. The production's a bit modern – but the record's got the same jazzy approach to soul that you'll find in later work by Band Black Rio or some of the other Brazilian funk groups of their generation, touched with some of the later modern soul of Tim Maia's work at the end of the 70s. Titles include "O Som Do Tim", "Menina Do Corao", "Que Sorte A Minha", "Libra", "Te Amo Demais", "Rio Sem Voce", and "No Pique Do Amor". CD

Gerry Mulligan meets up with a great array of 50s modernists here – in specially setting dedicated to all Mulligan-penned compositions! Although a radical player himself on the baritone sax, Gerry also added something strong to the 50s jazz catalog with his great tunes from the early days – gently modern numbers that slowly became standards over the years, thanks to respect from other players. The best of these tracks are showcased here – played by Mulligan with a sax section that includes Zoot Sims on alto and tenor, Al Cohn on tenor and baritone, Lee Konitz on alto, and Allan Eager on alto and tenor. Rhythm is by the piano-less section of Freddie Green on guitar, Henry Grimes on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – and titles include "Venus De Milo", "Revelation", "Sextet", "Turnstyle", "Four & One More", "Crazy Day", and "Disc Jockey Jump". CD also features 4 bonus tracks, too! CD

An unusual album from Mark Murphy – recorded at a time when he was maybe better-respected overseas, and forgotten a bit here on the US market! As part of that, the record features a great groover – the tune "Dingwalls", dedicated to the London club that Giles Peterson and Patrick Forge helped turn into a jazz dance palace on Sunday afternoons in the late 80s, and which is done as sort of a beat/scat sort of number. Other titles include "Saxophone Joe", "Clown In My Window", "Jamaica", "All My Tomorrows", and "I Fall In Love Too Easily". CD

Gil Shaham is superb on his reading of Arvo Part's "Fratres" – a piece dedicated to Gideon Kremer, and played here with as much deftness and edge as we find in Kremer's own best work of the time. The larger orchestra fills in amidst the strings with growing force as the piece moves on – and Roger Carlsson provides some percussion as well. Part's "Tabula Rasa" is given an especially beautiful reading, too – with twin violins from Shaham and Adele Anthony, really unlocking the tunefulness of the work – which also includes prepared piano by Erik Risberg. The second half of the album features "Symphony No 3" – a fully orchestral work, conducted by Neeme Jarvi with the Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra. CD

An album dedicated to the great Django Reinhardt – but one that also comes across with plenty of west coast touches too – just what you'd expect for the meeting of the young Joe Pass and the Pacific Jazz label! The format is somewhat Django-esque – with lead guitar work from Joe Pass, plus rhythm guitar support from John Pisano – creating some of the guitar interplay you'd have in a gypsy swing record – but the groove's also a bit more modern than some of Django's classics, and there's a lighter, breezier approach here that's very much in the mode of other Pass records from the 60s – at least the small group ones! The whole thing makes for a very unique set from Pass – with the quartet rounded out with Jim Hughart on bass and Colin Bailey on drums – on titles that include "Django", "For Django", "Fluer D'Ennui", "Django's Castle", and "Nuages". CD

A double-length live set from Art Pepper – recorded quite late in his all-too-short life, but a really wonderful batch of material that shows he was still burning strong near the end! As with other Pepper material of this vintage, the tracks are all nice and long – very open and spacious, and dominated with the kind of soloing that Art Pepper hardly would have managed a few decades before – searing, searching lines that almost make the alto sound more like a tenor – with rhythm support from Milcho Leviv on piano, Bob Magnusson on bass, and Carl Burnett on drums. Titles include "Ophelia", "Blues For Blanche", "Mambo De La Pinta", "Patricia", "Cherokee", "Goodbye", and "Dedicated". CD

One of Flora Purim's most ambitious albums of the 70s – recorded with larger backings than usual, and some occasional additional vocal help from Urszula Dudziak and Googie Coppola! The "encounter" of the title is a reference to the added players on the set – as Flora's groove is expanded by a host of well-chosen players – some familiar from other Purim records, some making a strong initial appearance here. George Duke plays a host of keyboards on the set, and other musicians include Joe Henderson on tenor, Hermeto Pascoal on keyboards and vocals, Ron Carter on acoustic bass, Alphonso Johnson on electric bass, Ngugu Chancler on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, and of course the ever-present Airto on percussion! Flora's vocals are as lovely as ever, and if anything seem to reach even farther to the heavens in a setting like this. Titles include "Windows", "Black Narcissus", "Dedicated To Bruce", "Tomara", and "Latinas". CD

Loads of late 60s classics from the Rolling Stones – served up in a special set dedicated to the late Brian Jones! The music here really shows the darkening side of the Stones' sound – and titles include "Paint It Black", "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby Standing In The Shadow", "2000 Light Years From Home", "Mother's Little Helper", "She's A Rainbow", "Let's Spend The Night Together", and "Street Fighting Man". CD

Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith works here with a hell of a lineup – Henry Threadgill on alto and flutes, John Lindberg on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – all soaring free on a double-length set of work dedicated to the great lakes! Despite the "suite" in the title, the work feels very loose and free – much more improvised than compositional – which is an especially nice setting for the reedwork of Threadgill, who somehow seems even more expressive than usual. DeJohnette is great too – and the album's a great reminder that he can still play with a hell of an edge, but in ways that also can have the soulfulness of his roots – and maybe not some of the more "arch" styles of some of his other recent work. Smith adds an extra lake to the lineup for the recording – and titles include "Lake Michigan", "Lake Ontario", "Lake Superior", "Lake Huron", "Lake Erie", and "Lake St Clair". CD

Really mind-expanding work from British singer Julie Tippetts – an artist who's come a long way from the straighter soul sounds she was doing with Brian Auger in the late 60s! The album shows the same evolution expressed by many of Julie's British jazz rock contemporaries – a progressive, expanded sound that's brought in influences from different 70s strands in jazz and rock, and which exhibits a penchant for longer tunes that have a free interplay – yet one that's still pretty dedicated to rhythmic progression – ala mid 70s Soft Machine or solo work by Robert Wyatt! Keith Tippet plays piano on the session – which also has work from Elton Dean on reeds, Brian Godding on guitar, and Louis Moholo on drums – on tracks that include "Sunset Glow", "Mind Of A Child", "Lilies", and "What Is Living". CD

A great take on the music of Charles Mingus – played by a combo with a nicely different flavor than the originals! The combo has a soulful, hardbop sort of energy – yet still also manages all the sharp changes, twists, and turns that make Mingus' music so great – a wonderful blend that almost feels like a 60s Blue Note session dedicated to Charles' music – although oddly, few artists were ever doing sets like that at the time! The lineup features killer trumpet from Jukka Eskola – a player we already love – plus alto and baritone from Mikko Innanen, tenor from Jussi Kannaste, drums from Andre Sumelius, and Hammond from Mikko Heleva. Obviously, the use of organ with Mingus compositions is quite a twist – but a great one too, and it really makes the tunes come alive in new ways! Titles include "Ecclusiastics", "Jump Monk", "Pithecanthropus Erectus", "What Love", "Jelly Roll", and "Fables Of Faubus". CD

The intensity of this group keeps on growing with each release – and this one is a blinding array of influences, tributes, and incredibly tight musicianship. The recording differs from earlier ones in that it's got a strongly pronounced guitar, played by Jeb Bishop, who also doubles on trombone. Vandermark is flawless, as usual, and his reed work alone is worth the price of admission. And with tracks dedicated to the likes of Glen Spearmann, Jack Montrose, Frank Rosolino, John Carter, and Curtis Counce – how could you miss? CD

A concept album that pays homage to the San Francisco Bay Area with songs dedicated to Vince Guaraladi, Clint Eastwood and David Lynch amoung others. CD

Fantastic sounds from 1967 – a year in which mainstream music saw plenty of heady changes – as you might guess from the title! The set's a wonderful follow-up to the 1966 set by Jon Savage – and like that one, it features a superb selection of tracks from this important year – served up in all the different strands and styles that were popping into place – soul, early funk, psych, hard rock, and lots more – in a blistering array of songs that steps beautifully between well-known classics and underground gems! The feel of the set is way different than the usual oldies package with a date on the front – as Jon Savage dedicated the whole thing to the groundbreaking mix of music he enjoyed from pirate radio at the time – and included his own fantastic writing in the notes to help explain what makes the music so great. Titles include "You Keep Running Away" by The Four Tops, "Lazy Life" by William E, "At The Third Stroke" by The Picadilly Line, "Try It" by The Attack, "I'm A Man" by Spencer Davis Group, "Western Union" by The Searchers, "So You Say You Lost Your Baby" by Gene Clark, "Feelin Reelin Squeelin" by Soft Machine, "So Sharp" by Dyke & The Blazers, "Mr Soul" by Buffalo Springfield, "Vacuum Cleaner" by Tintern Abbey, "Garden Of My Mind" by The Mickey Finn, "Love Power" by The Sandpebbles, "Look At Me I'm You" by The Blossom Toes, and "Psyche Rock" by Les Yper Sound. 48 tracks in all! CD

An incredible musical moment – the piano of Cecil Taylor joining the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – all in a tribute to the late Thelonious Monk! The style, though, is far from simple Monk tributes that you'll hear from other artists – as many of the tunes here are originals, delivered in a style that owes plenty to both Cecil and the Art Ensemble – almost more as sound paintings dedicated to Monk's influence than simple Monkish copies themselves! There are a few key tunes from Theo – versions of "Round Midnight" and "Nutty" – but we're much more compelled by the originals on the date, which include "Caseworks", "Excerpt From Fifteen Part 3A", and "Intro To Fifteen". Taylor plays piano, percussion, and also vocalizes a bit – and the Art Ensemble, as usual, handles a mad range of instruments – with many moods and many feelings! CD

The title's an apt one, as Roscoe Mitchell's working here in a rich flowing style – stepping off of a series of performances dedicated to the music of John Coltrane, but taking Coltrane's inspiration into an area of sound and space that's distinctly Mitchell-like! The title composition – "The Flow Of Things" – is presented in three variations, each slightly different, but all elliptically shaped, with an interweaving play of improvisation that's wonderful. The set's completed by the sparer "Cards For Quartet" – and the recording features Mitchell on alto and soprano sax, in a quartet with Jodie Christian on piano, Malachi Favors on bass, and Steve McCall on drums. CD

A surprisingly nice little album – a Jimmy Smith Blue Note session dedicated to Fats Waller, one of the first jazz musicians to work out his skills on the organ! Jimmy's working with a tight trio that includes Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – and although Waller never wowed anybody on the instrument in the same way that Smith did, he did come up with a nice way of getting a good sound out of the instrument – one that Jimmy rightly acknowledges here, then takes to the next level! The album features familiar tunes from the Waller songbook, but the performance is definitely prime Jimmy Smith on Blue Note – a set with titles that include "Lulu's Back In Town", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin", "I've Found A New Baby", "Ain't She Sweet", and "Squeeze Me". CD

Bluesy piano, but with plenty of jazz roots too – vintage material recorded in Chicago during the early years of Atlantic Records, at a time when the label was almost more dedicated to preserving old styles than pushing new ones! Yancey's piano is sublime – recorded better here than on most of his older dates – and half the tracks feature vocals from Mama Yancey, who definitely brings up the blues quotient in the music. Israel Crosby backs Jimmy on bass – a surprising, yet great choice for the date – given some of his modern inflections – and titles include "How Long Blues", "Make Me A Pallet On the Floor", "Mournful Blues", and "Shave 'Em Dry". CD