Great work from Out To Dinner – an all-star group who certainly weren't out to lunch when this set was recorded – as it's got all the sharp crackle of some of the members' other work on the Posi-Tone label! The lineup is a bit different than the previous record, but every bit as wonderful – theses bold colors from the vibes of Behn Gillece, soulful flow from the tenor of Nicole Glover, well-punctuated trumpet from Giveton Gelin, round bass from Boris Kozlov, and sharply snapping drums from Donald Edwards – joined by the alto sax of Patrick Cornelius on three of the album's thirteen tracks. Tunes are all relatively short – between four and six minutes – but are mostly originals from group members, and really pack a lot of imagination into a short space. Titles include "Asami's Playland", "Random", "The Essential Passion", "Abe Duct", "Something From Nothing", "Rebecca's Dance", and "Into The Shadows". CD

A gem of a record, and one that might be easy to overlook – given the unfamiliar group name and relatively murky cover – yet a set that bristles with all of the energy of some of the best records on the Posi-tone label of late! There's a number of the label's key players here – working as a sharp sextet who manage to really pack a lot into each tune on the set – well-written numbers that are full of personal moments from players who include Markus Howell on alto and soprano, Willie Morris on tenor, Altin Sencalar on trombone, Misha Tsiganov on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Donald Edwards on drums. Sencalar is a great player here – someone we really want to hear more of – and as with the label's best, the work here is mostly original, contributed by the players in the group – a lineup fo tracks that include "Grit", "Niecee", "Here To Stay", "The Path", "Flyover Country", "Seeley Street Song", and "Yasya". CD

With Donald Edwards on drums. CD

Luques Curtis, Mark Przybylowski, and Mike Boone on bass, Mark Allen and Todd Marcus on bass clarinet, Anwar Marshall, Donald Edwards, and Gene Jackson on drums, Jim Holton, Neil Podgurski, and Orrin Evans on piano, Chelsea Baratz, Darryl Yokley, Doug DeHays, Jaleel Shaw, Mark Allen, Ralph Bowen, Rob Landham, Tia Fuller, Tim Warfield, Todd Bashore, Victor North, Wade Dean and Wayne Escoffery on saxophone, Brent White, Ernest Stuart, Frank Lacy, Joe McDonough, and Stafford Hunter on trombone, and Brian Kilpatrick, Curtis Taylor, Daud El-Bakara, Josh Evans, Leon Jordan Jr, Luke Brandon, Tatum Greenblatt, Tim Thompson, and Walter White on trumpet. CD

Composed and directed by Anthony Branker, Walter Smith III on tenor saxophone, Remy Le Boeuf on alto and soprano saxophones, Philip Dizack on trumpet, Pete McCann on guitar, Fabian Almazan on piano, Linda May Han Oh on double and electric bass, Donald Edwards on drums, and Alison Crockett on vocals and spoken word. CD

A fantastic 70s album from the great Sarah Vaughan – maybe one of her best small combo sessions of the decade – and a set that also makes room for some great instrumental contributions too! As you'd guess from the title, the group features the great Jimmy Rowles on piano – having a bit of time in the limelight at this point in his career, and graced with a relaxedly emotive style that's perfect for the similar qualities in Sarah's voice! Yet it's also the whole package on the set that makes things great – as Rowles group features wonderful work on bass from Monty Budwig, maybe some of his best performances on record – plus drums from Donald Bailey, tenor from Teddy Edwards, and trumpet from Al Aarons. These players never get in the way of Sarah, but do a true job of accompanying the singer, while inspiring her to her best with their own top talents – on titles that include "That Face", "Folks Who Live On The Hill", "A House Is Not A Home", "That Sunday That Summer", and "Morning Star". CD

One of the hippest Jimmy Smith albums of the early 70s – a lean and mean, down and dirty, back to basics session for Verve – one that's got plenty of grit in the grooves! L:ike the Root Down album, this set is recorded live with a very stretched out feel – tracks that take Jimmy Smith back to the more open-ended styles of his roots, and get past some of the slicker notes of later years. There's not as much heavy funk as on Root Down, but the sound is still equally great – with plenty of sharp edges on the instrumentation, which includes Jimmy's Hammond alongside bass from Leroy Vinnegar, tenor from Teddy Edwards, guitar from Ray Crawford, drums from Donald Dean, and congas from Victor Pantoja. One title – "Blues For 3 + 1" – hits a great little groove that's almost bossa-funky – and other tracks include "Absolutely Funky", "Lolita", "Bluesmith", and "Mournin Wes". CD