... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Don Grusin on piano, keyboards and vocoder, Gary Herbig on saxophone, Oscar Castro-Neves, Lee Ritenour and Michael Sembello on guitar, Michael Boddicker on synth, Abraham Laboriel and Nathan East on bass, Alex Acuna on drums, and Efrain Toro and Steve Forman on percussion with Kate Markowitz on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

With Lewis on clarinet, Ewell on piano, Jim Robinson on trombone, and Cie Frazier on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A definitely burning session from tenorist Don Menza – recorded with a hip big band that includes Bobby Shew, Don Rader, Jo Romano, Ray Reed, Frank Strazzeri, and other west coast luminaries from the time! The style shows the roots of all players in bigger groups, but has a nicely crafted sound of its own – a real respect for solo moments, and a quality that allows plenty of space into the arrangements – in that great post-Kenton mode that showed up on the west coast as the 60s moved on. Arrangements are bold, but not bombastic – and surprisingly soulful throughout – with titles include "New Spanish Boots", "Relaxin", "Tonawada Fats", "Dizzyland", and "Burnin". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest groups of the second generation of ECM – a post-Ornette Coleman quartet that features Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell – all exploring space in a way that's quite different than their work with Ornette! The sound here is much freer, and atmospheric – in keeping with Cherry's work of the 70s, and the overall ECM sound of the time – and although unified, there's less of an emphasis on group dynamics than in the Coleman years, and more of a recognition of the role of the individual. Titles include unique reworkings of Ornette's "Lonely Woman" and "Open Or Close" – plus Blackwell's "Togo", Cherry's "Guinea", Redman's "Orbit Of La-Ba", and Charlie Haden's "Song For The Whales". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange and beautiful album from the late Don Pullen! The record is almost a funk album at times, but it's really more of an electrically-tinged session that brings Pullen's lively keyboards into play with some strident groupings that include George Adams, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, and Roland Prince. The whole thing's got a really sweet mellow feel – with lots of nice work on Fender Rhodes and clavinet by Pullen. There's even some electronic accompaniment provided on a couple of numbers by Ilhan Mimaroglu. Tracks include "Big Alice", "Poodie Pie", "Last Year's Lies & Tomorrow's Promises", and the Latin-tinged "Kadji". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet groover from Don Randi – one of his great 70s sides with the Baked Potato group, and a combination of soulful piano jazz and added percussion – a slightly Latinized approach that makes for some great skipping grooves, almost like Monty Alexander's best work from the time. Tracks include "Leah Rose" and "Tubesteak" – both of which are originals, and very nice groovers. Also features versions of "Mercy Mercy", "Samba De Orfeo", "2001", and "I Found Gold". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A serious later session from Don Sebesky – one that shows that he's still capable of plenty of darkness in his music, even after scoring some smoother sets in the 70s! The album's definitely got something of a "jazz orchestra" feel – with a full orchestra that initiates the proceedings, and sets the scene with a low-toned, rumbling sort of style – before the album then opens up into some much more jazz solo-based work that has a much more redemptive feel! Players include Alex Foster on tenor, Jon Faddis on trumpet, Gordon Beck on piano, Richard Davis on guitar, and Joe Beck on guitar – all of whom get some nice space to state their cases as the album rolls on – on three long tracks that include "Bird & Bela In B", "Rite Of Spring", and "Sebastian's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious albums on CTI – a very large project in which Don Sebesky seems to work with just about everyone else who recorded for the label! The Giant Box title is apt – as the record originally came packaged in a cardboard box – room enough to hold the 2 records that comprised it, all the long tunes on the set, and the huge array of cast who helped out on the project. Players include Sebesky on organ, piano, and electric piano – plus Baws, Joe Farrell, Paul Desmond, and many others. There's some sweet vocal backgrounds on the set – by Jackie & Roy, Lani Groves, and Tasha Thomas – and titles include "Vocalise", "Semi Tough", "Firebird/Birds Of Fire", "Free As A Bird", and "Song To A Seagul". Great stuff – with bits of funk, jazz, and ambitious arrangements – all filtered into the cool CTI sound! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A rare meeting of these two American giants of the tenor sax – brought together at the end of the 60s in Europe, both recording late in their careers, but with a laidback and open approach that's really wonderful! The format here is quite loose – a bit like some of the late hours, swing-based sides on Prestige at the end of the 50s – with longish tracks that let both players state their solos in clean, well-recorded phrasings – with gentle support from a trio that includes Tete Montoliu on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums. There's a few faltering moments at times, but they also add a nice degree of humanity to the record – kind of a dimming genius that might not have been allowed on an American session by either player, but which speaks volumes here for the time and distance both players had travelled! Titles include "Caravan", "Sundae", "Blues For Dottie Mae", and "Perdido". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever made as a leader by tenorist Don Wilkerson – a hell of a talent who was usually working in the background of the Ray Charles band, but got this chance to step out as a leader for Blue Note – in a session that's also one of the rarest on the label! Brother Don plays lean and mean, in a nice tight group that features Grant Green on guitar, Sonny Clark on piano, and Billy Higgins on drums – all of whom give Wilkerson a freer setting than he ever got working with Ray Charles – a groove that's right in the best soul jazz pocket of early 60s Blue Note! The groove has a freer edge than on some of Wilkerson's few other albums, with touches that almost reach a Latin sound at times – an influence most likely from Green's exotic work on guitar, and Higgins' wonderfully free rhythms. Titles include "Pigeon Peas", "Camp Meetin", "Jeanie Weanie", and "Dem Tamborines". LP, Vinyl record album

Shoutin is right – as the album's a wailer all the way through, one of the few jazz albums cut by Texas tenor giant Don Wilkerson – best known to crowds at the time for his work with the Ray Charles group, but really stepping out here in a different way for Blue Note! The album has Don blowing in a freely gutsy style – working with a crack soul jazz quartet that includes Grant Green on guitar, John Patton on organ, and Ben Dixon on drums – all key players that help Wilkerson get past any of the hoke of the Ray Charles sound, and into a groove that's made the record a standout Blue Note classic for years! Tracks are all longish, and titles include "Blues For J", "Cookin With Clarence", "Movin Out", "Happy John", and "Sweet Cakes". LP, Vinyl record album

Features music by Billy May. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic French work from this American tenor giant – with players who include John Garnieri on piano, Eddie Safranski on bass, and JC Heard or Cozy Cole on drums – plus a bit of trumpet from either Buck Clayton or Joe Thomas! LP, Vinyl record album

It's no secret that Don Byas made some of his best recordings in Europe, not America – and this tasty little set is great support of that fact! The set features numbers that Byas cut in Paris at the end of the 40s – working with a mixture of American and Parisian players that includes Billy Taylor, Bernard Peiffer, Bill Coleman, Peanuts Holland, Tyree Glenn, and Hubert Rostaing. Tracks are short, and Byas' sound on the tenor is sublime – right up there with the best Ben Webster work of the time! Titles include "The Mohawk Special", "Body & Soul", "Ain't Misbehavin", "Rosetta", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", and "Working Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing music from the great Don Cherry – quite a statement, given how much fantastic sounds Cherry had already given us by this point in his career! In the years before this set, Don had worked in some very free, avant modes – and also explored a fair bit of global styles too – yet this set has this great electric vibe – one that mixes the freedom of Cherry's trumpet with spacey instrumentation and really great production – almost even funky at points! Players include Ricky Cherry on electric and acoustic piano, Charlie Haden on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Frank Lowe on tenor – and one cut has Bunchie Fox on electric bongos and Verna Gillis on voice. All tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Degi Degi", "Brown Rice", "Malkauns", and "Chenrezig". LP, Vinyl record album

The third meeting of this world jazz ensemble, with Colin Walcott of Oregon on sitar, tabla and hammered dulcimer, Don Cherry on trumpet, organ and doussn'gouni and Nana Vasconcelos on berimbau and percussion. All three players have always had a very wide reaching approach to playing, even incorporating international elements in their less overtly "world music" projects, and this set finds them once again vibing well off each other. The tunes feature a wide open approach with improvised excursions on traditional and contemporary themes, with 7 tracks in all: "Goshakabuchi", "Hey Da Ba Doom", "Travel By Night", "Lullaby", "Trayra Boia", "Clicky Clacky" and "Inner Organs". LP, Vinyl record album

Sensitive solo work from Don Pullen – just the kind of record that demonstrates why he was one of the few free players of his generation who could also grab a bit slice of mainstream ears as well! Some moments on the set are quite unbridled, but never without a sense of structure – kind of a soulful undercurrent that really balances out nicely with Pullen's bolder notes – and which creates a strong bridge to some of the mellower, more introspective moments that round out the record wonderfully – almost with a Jaki Byard-like sense of timelessness. Titles include "Evidence Of Things Unseen", "Victory Dance", "In The Beginning", "Perseverance", and "Rejoice". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Don Pullen's best-known albums, and for good reason too – a well-recorded document of a Montreux performance that helped put Don's piano talents in the spotlight for the rest of the 70s! The record's got a sense of freedom that's quite unusual for Atlantic Records at the time – as each side features one long track, played at a level that's very spontaneous, and often quite outside – at least at some points. Side one features an extended version of Muhal Richard Abrams' "Richard's Tune", done with a trio that features electric bass by Jeff Berlin and drums by Steve Jordan – and side two features the even more beautiful Pullen original, "Dialogue Between Malcolm & Betty" – which adds in some great Latin percussion to the trio! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of classic 60s soul from Atlantic Records – served up in a cover that's almost iconic! There's two tracks here by each of the greats recording for the label at the time – with tunes that include Solomon Burke "Got To Get You Off My Mind" and "Just Out Of Reach", Wilson Pickett "Don't Fight It" and "In The Midnight Hour", Joe Tex "I Want To (Do Everything For You)" and "Hold What You've Got", Don Covay "See Saw" and "Mercy, Mercy", Ben E King "Don't Play That Song" and "Stand By Me", and Otis Redding "Mr Pitiful" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long". LP, Vinyl record album

If you've ever needed a record to convince you of the genius of Don Byas, this is it – because the set sparkles with warmth and tone that's simply amazing – a sound that will grab you from the very first note! The focus of the album is clearly Byas' tenor – not just because that's the way the title bills it, but also because the other players really lay back, and let Don start the tune, set the tone, and keep things going strongly throughout. Most titles are ballads, blown beautifully – and titles include "Cynthia's In Love", "London Donnie", "September Song", "To Each His Own", "Living My Life For You", and "They Say It's Wonderful". LP, Vinyl record album

A really back to basics album from trumpeter Don Cherry – or maybe a set that goes back to basics that Don didn't even have, given that most folks initially heard him in the freewheeling group of Ornette Coleman! The album's straighter than his work with Ornette, and also different than his 70s experiments with world cultures and fusion – as the record has a tight, acoustic vibe – Cherry blowing these great solos on pocket trumpet, in the company of a swinging lineup that also features James Clay on tenor, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums! The lack of piano is definitely a nod to Don's roots, and there's certainly an open vibe to the record at times – but things are mostly straight and swinging, in a way that opens up another level in Cherry's long and varied career. Titles include "Art Deco", 'When Will The Blues Leave", "Body & Soul", "Bemsha Swing", "Maffy", "Folk Medley", "The Blessing", "Passing", "I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face", and "Compute". LP, Vinyl record album

One of two great records that Cherry cut for the Sonet label while working in Sweden. The album features Cherry in the company of Swedish players like Bernt Rosengren, Agneta Arnstrom, and Bengt Berger – all of whom play in a very world jazz vibe, adding in lots of strange percussion, gongs, pianos, and other percussive instruments to the mix. Cherry even vocalizes a bit on one track, and he plays no trumpet at all on the recording – which shows an even greater commitment to exploring new modes of expression than you might expect. Titles include "Tibet", "Moving Pictures For The Ear", "Love Train", and "Gamla Stan – The Old Town By Night". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album by this wonderful world jazz ensemble – a trio featuring sitar, tabla, and vocals by Colin Wolcott; trumpet, melodica, and percussion by Cherry; and assorted percussion and voice from Nana Vasconcelos. The tracks are mostly atmospheric and exploratory, but work in a style that's better than other examples of this sort of session – and which have made the Codona records stand longer than some other world jazz sessions from the time. Titles include "Walking On Eggs", "Malinye", "Que Faser", "Drip Dry", and "Again & Again Again". LP, Vinyl record album

A real lost chapter in the career of the great Don Covay – material done after his original funky soul on 60s Atlantic Records, and before his return to fame in the early 70s on Mercury – done in a raw vibe that has a lot more grit than you might expect! There's touches of psychedelic blues in the instrumentation, which was recorded both in Memphis and Muscle Shoals – even though the record comes across with a vibe that's unlike any of the big hits recorded in those scenes at the time! Definitely a standout in the world of soul in the early 70s – with titles that include "Standing In the Grits Line", "Sweet Thang", "Stop By", "Bad Luck", "Hitching a Ride", and "What's In the Headlines". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of the most modern recordings made by pianist Don Friedman in his early years – a set of forward-thinking numbers done with a quartet that includes guitar Atilla Zoller! As with Zoller's own work from the time, there's a freewheeling approach here that slides effortlessly between melody and rhythm – in a way that often has the guitar and piano flying freely, while the bass from Dick Kniss and drums from Dick Berk take off into sound patterns and tunes of their own. The approach isn't totally out, nor totally free – but it's certainly moreso than the usual album on Riverside from the time! Titles include "Israel", "Episodes", "Exploration", "Blizzard", and "Park Row". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from the Melbourne scene – a record that's got kind of a "jazz plus" vibe – in that it mixes live jazz instrumentation with some work on edits and a few electric touches – all in a style that's very much like some of our favorite London work in recent years! Don Glori heads the group on bass and keyboards – but the sound is served up in a really well-crafted blend of saxophones, Fender Rhodes, and lots of great percussion – sometimes with vocals, but often used more like an instrument than a lyrical delivery system – on tracks that are nice and long, and resonate with a mix of soulful and spiritual touches! Titles include "Voyager", "Fly Low, "Dawn Calling", "Pachinko King", and "After Hours". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of a few albums recorded by trumpeter Don Goldie for the Argo label in the early 60s – and probably the best of the bunch! This set has Goldie blowing with a group that includes Eddie Higgons on piano, Richard Evans on bass, and Fred Rundquist on guitar – gently grooving in a small combo early 60s Chicago mode. Goldie's style is a bit bright – as you might guess from the title – but there's enough soul in the rhythm section to keep things solid, even on the shorter tracks. Titles include "Soon", "I'll Be Around", "Look For The Silver Lining", "Toy Trumpet", and "Tis Autumn". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic longform work from organist Don Patterson – exactly the kind of record that shows why Don's approach was so different than Jimmy Smith or Jimmy McGriff! Patterson works here in a trio – with frequent partner Billy James on drums, and the more surprising Jerry Byrd on guitar – and the tunes really open up and take the right time to find their groove – and open up nicely with solos from Don on the Hammond. Cuts include "Satisfaction", "Walkin", and "Bowl Full of Yok". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive pairing of the tenor of Booker Ervin and Hammond of Don Patterson – a record that's got a very famous cover image, and which marks for one of the greatest meetings of soul and modernism at mid-60s Prestige Records! There's no bass at all on the set – just lots of quick, tight rhythm lines from Patterson on the pedals of the Hammond – mixed with drums from Billy James, and served up with plenty of space for Ervin to open up on tenor – blowing with more soul than on some of his modernist sides of the time! The title cut – "Hip Cake Walk" – is a 16 minute groover, and other tracks include "Rosetta", "Sister Ruth", and "Donald Duck". Very cool cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A great groover from organist Don Patterson – cut in a trio format, with an open-ended style that lets the players kick back and play, in the sort of free and easy setting you'd hear in a hip small club. Patterson's organ is backed by his usual drummer Billy James, and 4 of the album's 5 tracks feature tenor work, either by Booker Ervin or Sonny Stitt. The last track, "Theme For Dee", is a spare mellow ballad that features mostly just organ by Patterson, with some subtle drum fills by James. The other tracks groove a bit harder, and include "Love Me With All Your Heart", "42639", and "Sentimental Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent session of exotica-tinged Latin jazz – put together by pianist Don Ralke, and featuring some great work from flute player Buddy Collette – in a spirit that's very similar to Collette's own classic Jazz Heat Bongo Beat album! The set's also got some great bongo work by Jack "Bongo" Burger – plus congas from Tom Wofford – and although both players aren't the most autentico of Latin percussionists from the west coast scene at the time, they've got a really evocative approach here that makes for a great little set. Colette's flute is wonderful too – really shading in some great tones and colors –a nd titles are all fresh originals that include "Afro Mambo Alegre", "Mgombo", "Pasion Calienta", "Bembe Negro", "Calypso Cubano", and "Afro Bop". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The debut of a legendary British jazz group – one who not only gave that nation's scene a fresh voice in music, but who also really set the tone for many other acts to come! After a stretch when the London scene was doing a great job of matching American efforts in bop and swing, players like Don Rendell and Ian Carr found a way to really carve out some bold space of their own – here, by matching their own strong sense of writing and arranging, always filled with beautiful tone and color, with some of the more modern phrasing and styles that were just creeping up around town. The set's not nearly as experimental as the work of Joe Harriott, but has all the hallmarks of that generation's openness to new ways of expression – often given a surprisingly soulful swing, and captured perfectly as one of the early entries in the famous Lansdowne Series recordings. The rest of the group is equally great – and in addition to Rendell on tenor and soprano sax, and Carr on trumpet and flugelhorn – the combo includes Colin Purbrook on piano, Dave Green on bass, and Trevor Tompkin on drums. Titles include "Garrison 64", "Blue Mosque", "Just Blue", "Latin Blue", "Sailin", and "Big City Strut". LP, Vinyl record album

Conducted and arranged by Sebesky, with featured soloists including Edddie Daniels, Alex Foster, Ken Sebesky, Jimmy Pugh, Sue Evans, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Late work by Webster and Byas – playing here with backing by a European rhythm section that includes Tete Montoliu on piano and Peter Trunk on bass, plus American Albert Heath on drums. The tracks are mostly long and open – with the main focus on letting the two tenor giants solo as much as possible. Tracks include "Caravan", "Sundae", "Blues For Dottie Mae", and "Perdido". LP, Vinyl record album

A strong outing from this key post-Mingus collaboration – and a record that really shows both Don Pullen and George Adams really coming into their own! Pullen's piano can have plenty of edges, as can Adams' tenor – but there's also some warmer, lyrical moments that really round things out – kind of a balance between righteous energy and deeper quietude that the musicians might have learned during their time with Charles Mingus – taken to a logical small group extension here. Adams also plays a bit of flute, which is especially nice – and the group also includes Cameron Brown on bass and Dannie Richmond on drums. Titles include "The Great Escape Or Run John Henry Run", "Seriously Speaking", "Soft Seas", and "Protection". LP, Vinyl record album

A cheapo package, but some really great material! Side one features two long cuts recorded live – with Gato Barbieri on tenor, Don Cherry on trumpet, and Karl Berger on vibes – on "OCDC" and "Third Movement". Next is another live track – Albert Ayler's tenor on a version of "Ghosts" with Norman Howard on trumpet, Earle Henderson and Henry Grimes on basses, and Sonny Murray on drums. Last is a side-long take of "If Only We Knew" – led by John Handy on alto – with Michael Sampson on violin, George Tucker on bass, and Bobby Fuhlrodt on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the Billboard top 20 hit, "I Wanna Be A Cowboy". LP, Vinyl record album

The mighty Don Bryant never got the chance to record much back in the day – save for one fantastic album and a set of singles on Hi Records – but he's really returned to form lately, and gets the chance to show the world his Memphis soul pedigree in all of its glory! Scott Bomar produced the set, plays bass, and gives the record some of those funky soul styles that made his work with the Bo-Keys so great – in a group that's heavy on organ lines and riffing guitars, and which also features backup singers behind Don on a number of the tracks. Yet the whole thing is clearly Don's showcase – with great vocals on titles that include "Your Love Is Too Late", "99 Pounds", "Is It Over", "Your Love Is To Blame", "I'll Go Crazy", "Cracked Up Over You", and "Walk All Over God's Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of Parisian sessions from Don Byas – tracks recorded in the city that gave Don his warmest welcome of the postwar years, and which provided him with wonderful players to work with! The first 6 numbers feature a quartet with Byas on tenor and Mary Lou Williams on piano – working here with Don in a surprisingly soulful, straight way – really adding a lot to the set with her own original tunes "OW", "Mary's Waltz", "NME", and "Why". The next 3 numbers feature Byas working with pianist Beryl Booker, who also sings a bit too – on a version of "I Should Care" – alongside instrumental versions of "Makin Whoopee" and "Bery Booker's Byas-ed Blues". Last up are 3 tracks by Don Byas Et Ses Rhythmes – a cool combo with the great Fats Sadi on vibes and Maurice Vander on piano – on titles that include "Jordu", "Anatole", and "Lover Come Back To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent overseas material from Don Byas – the sort of late life magic we love so much! That "slows" in the title is a reference to ballads – a great set of moody late night tenor from Don Byas – a rare French-only album with Hubert Rostaing on alto sax, Billy Taylor on piano, and Peanuts Holland on trumpet! LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably the best of Cherry's albums for Blue Note – and a real masterpiece of soulful avant playing! The group features Cherry on cornet, Gato Barbieri on tenor (and he's incredible, by the way!), Henry Grimes on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums. Grimes and Blackwell are more than just timekeepers – and deliver a lot of the melody of the session, yet still never lose their sense of swing. Barbieri's fragile raw tone proves to be a good one to work with Cherry, even if there are a few touches of Ornette in his playing. The album's divided up into 2 long suites – "Complete Communion" and "Elephantasy" – both of which are excellent. A real treat – with no sloppiness, lots of fresh ideas, and a good sense of both freedom and control! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Don Cherry's most hypnotic albums ever – a full album-length performance that features one of his first experiments with mixing jazz and global elements! The set was captured at the 1968 Berlin Jazz Festival – and mixes Cherry's amazing work on cornet, flute, and a myriad of world instruments with key contributions from European improvisers who include Eje Thelin on trombone, Bernt Rosengren on tenor and oboe, Karl Berger on vibes, Joachim Kuhn on piano and prepared piano, and Albert Mangelsdorf on trombone! There's even a bit of gamelon elements in some of the music, and Sonny Sharrock plays guitar too – and although free at times, the music comes together with an amazing sense of cohesion by the end – a vision that would inspire others to move into new territory in the decade to come. LP, Vinyl record album

Important 70s work from Don Cherry – one of the first albums to bring his overseas experiments to a larger US audience! The set builds nicely off of styles that Don forged earlier in France and Scandinavia – a freer style of music than his work with Ornette Coleman, and a richly organic groove that builds up strongly from the bottom, often with elements of world music settled in alongside the jazz – but there's also some funkier moments here too, a bit like the Brown Rice album, but looser overall! The groups on most numbers are relatively large and spiritual – almost like Alice Coltrane at times, but a bit more electric and funky at others – and players include Collin Walcott on sitar, Michael Brecker on saxes, Cliff Carter on keyboards, Lenny White and Tony Williams on drums, Lois Colin on harp, and Raphael Cruz on percussion. Cherry himself plays conch shells, bells, and flute in addition to his usual trumpet – and he even sings a bit on a few numbers, in a soulful, scatting sort of groove. Narada Michael Walden produced, and the whole set's got a very righteous feel – with tracks that include "Universal Mother", "Buddah's Blues", "Eagle Eye", "Mahakali", "Karmapa Chenno", "Surrender Rose", and "Journey Of Milarepa". LP, Vinyl record album

Don Cherry really breaks out here on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. Titles on this second part include "Bamboo Night", "The Mysticism Of My Sound", "Psycho Drama", "Smiling Faces Going Places", "Teo Teo Can", and "Dollar Brand/Spontaneous Composing/Exert Man On The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first truly important records from Don Cherry as a leader – and an amazingly well-crafted session that brings together ideas from his early years with Ornette, and expands them with some of the freedoms he was learning from the European scene! The record boasts a format and lineup that's quite unusual for Blue Note at the time – 2 side-long "suite" tracks, performed by a group that features Cherry on cornet, Pharoah Sanders on tenor and piccolo, Karl Berger on vibes and piano, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Ed Blackwell on drums, and both Jean-Francois Jenny- Clark and Henry Grimes on bass! There's a fair bit of room for creative improvising on the session, but the overall album's a bit more structured than contemporary free jazz outings – and clearly shows the mark of Cherry's interpolation of styles at the time. Two long suites are entitled "Symphony For Improvisers" and "Manhattan Cry" – with shorter passages that include "Nu Creative Love", "Infant Happiness", "Manhattan Cry", and "Lunatic". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of the most powerful albums ever cut by Don Cherry – a searing set of tracks done for Blue Note in the late 60s – and featuring some tremendous tenor work by Pharoah Sanders! There's a tightness and level of energy here that surpasses even Cherry's other excellent Blue Note sessions – a rawness that recalls the style forged often on key ESP albums of the 60s, but honed here into a slightly tighter mode. Sanders' horn is especially well-placed in the set – and pushes Cherry past the spacier notes of other recordings, in a way that unlocks fire from the years with Ornette – but which opens up into a much freer groove. The rest of the group includes Henry Grimes on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums – both a perfect match for the quartet – and titles include the 17 minute "Unite", plus "There Is A Bomb", "Awake Nu", "Taste Maker", and "The Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

One of a handful of documents from the late 50s of an early incarnation of Ornette's group, that still featured piano, before he decided to pursue the more limitless possibilities of a keyless harmelodic group. Paul Bley joins Ornette, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins in this seminal recording, which offers an altogether different perspective on Coleman's formative years developing the free concept. 4 numbers in all: "Klactoveesedstene", "I Remember Harlem", "The Blessing" and "Free". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful meeting of two major talents from the left end of jazz – recorded in the early 60's when both were working for Atlantic! Despite the "avant garde" title, this set is straighter than you'd expect – very much in the spirit of Coltrane's work for the label, but with perhaps some of the more angular styles that Cherry was laying down with Ornette Coleman at the time. The session has Coltrane joining Ornette's group of Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell – save for a few numbers that feature Percy Heath on bass instead of Haden. The set includes great readings of Ornette's "The Blessing", "The Invisible", and "Focus On Sanity", and Coltrane plays both soprano sax and tenor! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A killer classic from grooveman Don Downing – the kind of indie disco record that really broke big in the 70s – but which hardly ever got the longer-term fame it deserved! The grooves here are straight and simple – the best early east coast club modes of the mid 70s – more tight funk than commercial disco, especially when topped by some of the deeper soul moments of Don Downing – who can come across like Johnny Taylor on his Columbia cuts in a similar setting! Backings are great – handled by studio giants like Pat Rebillot on keyboards, Bad Bascomb on bass, and Jimmy Maelen on congas – and titles include "Dream World", "Sugar & Spice", "Doctor Boogie", "Love Doctor", and "Half Past Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Don Elliott puts down his mellophone and starts to sing – and the results are a surprisingly strong set that's one of his standouts of the 50s! Don's got a limited range, but more than makes up for it with his sense of personality – a mode that's a bit like Jackie Paris or Matt Dennis at the time, with qualities that are quite far from mainstream male pop vocals of the period! Backing is by a core cool combo that includes Billy Byers on trombone and Hal McKusick on alto and flute – and the tunes have a sweet modern quality that's mighty fresh. Titles include "Ooh Baby It Scares Me", "I Hadn't Anyone Til You", "Every Time", "Let's Fall In Love", "Whatever Happened To You", and "Looking For A Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty nice set of "mood jazz in hi fi" – featuring Don on the mellophone, trumpet, and vibes – working with a surprisingly hip group that features Bill Evans, Hal McKusick, Paul Motian, and Barry Galbraith. A number of tunes feature backings by a vocal choir of 6 voices – dreamily setting a field of sound for the main soloists to work through – creating a style that actually works better here than some of Elliott's straighter jazz sides of the time. Titles include "A Waltz", "Blue Waltz", "Poinciana", "Summer Scene", "Tired Of Me", and "A Million Dreams Ago". Quite nice, with some dark and modern edges that you wouldn't expect! LP, Vinyl record album

With Herbie Mann on flute and tenor, Joe Puma on guitar, and Al Cohn on baritone sax; with arrangements by Quincy Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

An album of explosive power and imagination from Don Ellis – a set that shows him very firmly shaking off the more academic mode of earlier years, and heading into hipper, more youth-oriented directions! The group's still a bit band on most numbers – but it's one with a lean, well-crafted sound that's not really big band jazz, and which also features some elements of later soundtrack scoring. Players on the date are all great – and include Frank Strozier, John Klemmer, and Ira Schulman on saxes – plus Pete Robinson on clavinet, piano, and electric piano! The set begins with the beautiful extended "Variations For Trumpet" – a suite-type number that has plenty of great colors from Ellis, plus loads of other horn work too. Other titles include "Indian Lady", "Pussy Wiggle Stomp", "Scratt & Fluggs", and "Child Of Ecstasy". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky madness at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium – and a searing set of tracks that rivals the best studio work from trumpeter Don Ellis! The feel here is really open, spontaneous, and inventive – and tunes are a lot more extended than on most of Don's studio sides from the time – with not only more room for solos, but also a seemingly greater focus on rhythms, which are often upbeat, firey, and very grooving on most numbers. There's a really great mix of trumpet and electronics on the record – including ring modulator and Fender Rhodes – and possibly inspired by the Fillmore setting, Don really opens up on all burners, spacing out with a really hip little groove. Titles include "Pussy Wiggle Stomp", "Salvatore Sam", "Rock Odyssey", "Final Analysis", "Excursion II", and "Antea". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking early work from drummer Milford Graves and pianist Don Pullen – a set of long, free improvisations that were originally issued on Graves' Self-Reliance Productions label! The music is even more striking than sounds from the time on the ESP label – and also really predates some of the freer work of this type from the European scene – as Graves is a monster on the drum kit and a range of percussion, reaching out with this scope of sound and deft command of his hands that's simply breathtaking – matched by energy from Pullen that really surpasses some of his later work too – almost Cecil Taylor-like vibes at points, mixed with other elements that are in a more familiar mode for the pianist. The set features two long tracks – "PG 1" and "PG 2". LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking early work from drummer Milford Graves and pianist Don Pullen – a set of long, free improvisations that were originally issued on Graves' Self-Reliance Productions label! The music is even more striking than sounds from the time on the ESP label – and also really predates some of the freer work of this type from the European scene – as Graves is a monster on the drum kit and a range of percussion, reaching out with this scope of sound and deft command of his hands that's simply breathtaking – matched by energy from Pullen that really surpasses some of his later work too – almost Cecil Taylor-like vibes at points, mixed with other elements that are in a more familiar mode for the pianist. LP, Vinyl record album

A tripped-out batch of funk rock tracks – one of the biggest crossover successes of the MPS lable! Don Harris sings and plays violin – and he gets some very heavy backing by a trio that includes Harvey Mandel on guitar, wailing away with those slow choppy riffs that made him the west coast equivalent of Dennis Coffey's east of the Mississippi fuzzed-out guitar groove. Features the slow funk classic "The Pig's Eye", plus "No Inspiration", "The Buzzard's Cousin", and "Eleanor Rigby". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Remixes by Frankie Knuckles and Hex Hector. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

1988 remix by Peter Slaghuis. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Cozy Cole's All Stars are Cole on drums, Coleman Hawkins and Walter "Foots" Thomas on saxes, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, Clyde Hart on piano, Hank D'Amico on clarinet and Slam Stewart on bass. 78 RPM, Vinyl record