One of the most compelling albums we've ever heard from Ornette Coleman – and a set that's very different than some of his other work for different labels – particularly his better-known material for Blue Note and Atlantic! The album's got a righteous feel that's right up there in the best spirit of the Flying Dutchman label of the early 70s – a mode that's still on the far reaches of avant jazz that Ornette explored on earlier sessions – but which also has a warmer, almost more spiritual quality at times too. The core group features legendary partners Charlie Haden on bass, Dewey Redman on tenor, and Ed Blackwell on drums – but part of the record features an unnamed group of "Friends & Neighbors", who join in on the title cut with this collaborative spirit that really sets the tone for the whole record. Coleman plays trumpet and violin in addition to his usual alto sax – and titles include the mindblowing two part "Friends & Neighbors", plus "Let's Play", "Long Time No See", "Forgotten Songs", and "Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album

Tomorrow may be the question, but the record screams "today!" – and even this many years after its recording, this early set by Ornette Coleman has an energy and presence that cannot be denied! The sound here is kind of a rougher take on the mode that would gel more strongly on Ornette's Atlantic albums – but even so, it's still incredibly fresh, and well worth seeking out – especially as an example of the sharper edges that were bursting forth from the once-cool west coast scene! Coleman's on alto sax and Don Cherry is on trumpet – but they're not joined by their more familiar associates, and are instead working with a more conventional rhythm team that includes either Percy Heath or Red Mitchell on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums – all clearly trying to make a bit of sense of Ornette's approach here, but in a way that also creates a great sense of tension on the record! Tracks are shortish, with great solos by Ornette and Cherry – and titles include "Tomorrow Is The Question", "Endless", "Rejoicing", "Lorraine", "Turnaround", "Tears Inside", and "Giggin". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums of all time from the legendary saxophonist Ornette Coleman – an essential showcase for his early harmelodic concepts, but with a vibe that's maybe more pulsatingly rhythmic than on other albums from the time! Ornette plays his incredible plastic alto sax, which has a bracing sound that really gives the record a sense of urgency – and the rest of the quartet features Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – working here with a lively dancing sound on the kit, one that works perfectly for Ornette's jaunty compositions. The chopped-up modal groove is in full effect here – making the record a treasure trove of angular, highly rhythmic numbers that are easily some of Coleman's best-remembered tunes! Titles include the surprisingly modal classics "Ramblin" and "Una Muy Bonita" – performed in original early versions – plus "Free", "The Face Of The Bass", "Bird Food", and "Change Of The Century". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous package of work from Ornette Coleman – five albums issued under his own name, and one collaboration with Jackie McLean too! First up are At The Golden Circle Vols 1 & 2 – important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Snowflakes & Sunshine", "Morning Song", "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", "Dawn", "The Riddle", and "Antiques". Next is Empty Foxhole – one of our favorite Ornette Coleman albums of the post-Atlantic 60s years – a set that still hangs onto some of the bold rhythmic conception of his previous records, but also points the way towards his freer jazz modes to come! The group's a trio – with really tremendous work from Charlie Haden on bass, able to match Coleman's energy with effortless ease, and really getting a lot of room to leave his mark on the music – plus the very young (10!) Denardo Coleman, who plays drums here with this stark, simple style that's not only completely unique, but which also leaves a lot of open room left for Haden and Ornette to really stretch out. Ornette plays his usual alto, plus trumpet and violin – and titles include "Good Old Days", "The Empty Foxhole", "Zig Zag", and "Freeway Express". Next is New York Is Now – a pretty bold statement from saxophonist Ornette Coleman, but one that definitely shows his shift in role – from a major force on the LA underground of the early 60s, to an artist who was helping pave the way for a huge wave of growth on the New York downtown scene in years to come! Ornette's at his most late 60s unbridled here – freer than before, and working with a lineup that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – still no piano at all – plus great work from Dewey Redman on tenor, who really burst into new prominence with this album. Ornette plays a bit of violin alongside alto sax – and tracks include "Toy Dance", "Round Trip", "Broad Way Blues", and "We Now Interrupt For A Commercial". Then comes Love Call – a really great late 60s session from Ornette Coleman – one that shows is increasing expansion in sounds and styles, and which also offers a bridge between avant jazz generations too! That bridge comes in the presence of Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – a surprising Coltrane rhythm duo, working here with Ornette's mindblowing work on alto sax, and tenor from a young Dewey Redman – already a crucially intense player here next to Coleman, as both are set free in a group without any piano – that Ornette melding of rhythm and melody, but with a very different vibe than the Atlantic years! Coleman blows trumpet on one tune – and titles include "Love Call", "Airborne", "Check Out Time", and "Open To The Public". The set also includes the album New & Old Gospel – one of Jackie McLean's last "new thing" albums for Blue Note – and a very unique record that features Ornette Coleman on trumpet! The sound here is stark and hard – slight hints of the soulfulness that the "gospel" in the title might imply, mixed with the angular exploratory sound that McLean had been forging at Blue Note during the mid 60s – a wonderful balance that really gives the record a lot of bite! The album's easily one of the most "out" that McLean ever recorded, and the group also includes Lamont Johnson on piano, Scott Holt on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all pushing themselves in the company of the avant jazz giants. Tracks include the extended "Lifeline" suite, which takes up all of side one – plus "Old Gospel" and "Strange As It Seems". LP, Vinyl record album

An early treasure from the legendary Music De Wolfe sound library in London – a project that mixes all the incredible ear for sound possessed by composer Basil Kirchin with some groovier touches from John Coleman – all at a level that may well make the album one of the most compelling that Basil ever recorded! Make no mistake, we love Kirchin in all of his modes – but there's also a more upbeat, swinging, and jazzy vibe to this record than some of his others – yet still handled with this incredible ear for tones, timings, colors, and phrasing that go way beyond the usual – served up with shifting instrumentation that includes guitar, flute, vibes, and plenty more too! Titles include "A Gentle Yearning", "The Hustle", "Chrysalis", "Club Date", "Ticking Over", "Where To Go", "Mind On The Run", "The Scene Around", and "Paranoia". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Paul Bley played famously with Ornette Coleman in his earliest years – and here, he gives a nod to that special time in his career, while also working in a style that's very much his own! All tracks are famous originals penned by Ornette, but delivered in very different trio readings by Bley, along with help from Jay Anderson on bass and Jeff Hirshfield on drums – in readings that are neither the harmelodic territory of Coleman during his classic years, nor some of the airy modernism you might know from Bley either. There's a surprising amount of lyrical beauty in the performances, as Paul opens up great new currents in these tunes – titles that include "Crossroads", "Turnaround", "Compassion", "When Will The Blues Leave", and "Lorraine". LP, Vinyl record album

A set recorded very early in the career of drummer Terri Lyne Carrington – an album that's tight, and full of fantastic work from both the leader and the all-star quartet on the date! Terri's already amazing on drums – shining through here in a more soaring, familiar jazz mode than on some of her later dates – unadorned, and with a great ear for both arrangements and work as a leader – guiding a group that features superb work from Kenny Barron on piano, George Coleman on tenor, and Buster Williams on bass. Sonny Carrington plays guest tenor on "Sonnymoon For Two" – and other cuts include "La Bonita", "St Thomas", "Seven Steps To Heaven", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording – one of a handful of early documents of the avant garde LA scene, featuring a nimble quartet headed up by the inventive frontline of John Carter on reeds and Bobby Bradford on trumpet, over the fluid rhythm team of Tom Williamson on bass and Chicago expatriate Bruz Freeman on drums! Carter and Bradford's energetic approach followed its own line of development, much in the way that other small cells of improvisers were developing their own take on the "new thing" in the post-Coltrane/Coleman environment of the late 60s and early 70s throughout the country. The compositions unfold in a way that implies both multi-linear improvisation and composed events, but blurs the line between the two, all the while played with a great deal of fire and few of the intellectual abstractions of other free players! Titles include "The Sunday Afternoon Jazz Blues Society", "The Eye Of The Storm", "Loneliness", and "Encounter". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-issued work from Don Cherry – and a really key piece of the puzzle in the career of this legendary trumpeter! The recordings were done for Swedish Radio, with great fidelity – more than just live tracks captured in a club, and instead some really thoughtful material that marks an early pairing of Cherry's talents with the Swedish scene that he would soon call home! Don plays cornet, and the music is maybe a bit inside compared to some of his later Swedish experiments – but still pretty amazing, and a great bridge from his work with Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins. Players include Mogens Bollerup on tenor, Atli Bjorn on piano, Benny Nielsen on bass, and Simon Koppel on drums – and titles include the Cherry originals "Priceless", "Nigeria", and "The Ambassador From Greenland" – plus a reading of "You Took Advantage Of Me". 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

Eddie Lockjaw Davis is one of those players who was always sneaking in slyly great records like this in his later years – albums that never had the full-on bite of his early presence, but which more than made up for that in Eddie's mature mastery of his tone and timing! As with Coleman Hawkins in his later years, Lockjaw almost seemed to know that less was more – especially if he wanted to make an unusual twist, sharp an edge, or surprise the listener with a subtle expression of modernity – all while keeping things swinging in an old school way. Those qualities really come through here – as Davis blows with a quartet that features Kenny Drew on piano, Jesper Lundgaard on bass, and Sven Erik Norregaard on drums – on titles that include "Four", "I Only Have Eyes For You", "Coming Home Baby", "That's All", and "Funky Fluke". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic material from the legendary Polish pianist Krzystof Komeda – best-known as the soundtrack composer on most of the early films of Roman Polanski, including Rosemary's Baby – but also a hell of a jazz modernist in his own right! This live performance captures Komeda right at a time when he was taking off – stretching out with fresh modern ideas of his own, and working with a key group of young associates – all at a level that rivals some of the freshest modern jazz experiments of contemporaries like Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, or Joe Harriott! The group's a quintet – with Michal Urbaniak on tenor and Tomasz Stanko on trumpet – and all tracks are long, and include "Knife In Water", "Roman Two", and "What's Up Mr Basie". LP, Vinyl record album

The first ever career-spanning look at the music of legendary vocalist Asha Puthli – a singer who's maybe best known for her 70s club work on the European scene, but who also has a much wider range of expression – which you'll discover here! There's definitely some of the soul-based work that's made Asha a favorite with the rare groove scene over the years – but the set also includes early work with rock bands, and even a few experimental jazz numbers that predate her recordings for the discos! The double-length set is a delight throughout – a package that's really opened our eyes to sides of Asha's music we never knew – and titles include performances with Ornette Coleman on "What Reason Could I Give" and "All My Life", work with Charlie Mariano on "Mirror", vocals with The Surfers on "Sound Of Silence" and "Sunny", and with The Savages on "Pain" – plus solo tracks that include "Lies", "Right Down Here", "We're Gonna Bury The Rock", "Mister Moonlight", "1001 Nights Of Love (reprise)", "Music Machine", "Peek A Boo Boogie", "Devil Is Loose", "Space Talk", "I'm Gonna Dance", and "One Night Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning document of culture in and around the Texas scene of the postwar years – never-heard recordings done by blues enthusiast Robert Mack McCormick, who also photographed most of his subjects as well – a lost legacy that finally gets exposure to the world at large here in a big box set that includes both music and a big book that includes 128 pages of rare photos and other blues artifacts! The whole thing is like discovering a lost side room in the world of postwar field recordings of blues – material from the generation of similar projects by Alan Lomax, Chris Strachwitz, and George Mitchell, but which has never been tapped until now – brought out with a great level of care by the Smithsonian, who currently house McCormick's life's work. The package is almost worth it alone for the book – but you also get 6LPs with 68 tracks in all – music by Bongo Joe Coleman, Lightnin Hopkins, Hop Wilson, Jimmy Womack, Walter Britten, Buster Pickens, Andrew Everett, James Tisdom, Doc Webster, Mance Lipscomb, Leroy Country Johnson, RC Forest, Billy Bizor, and many others. LP, Vinyl record album

The only album ever cut as a leader by tenor saxophonist Charles Brackeen during his early years – and a real standout in the catalog of the legendary Strata East label! The set's got an unusual history – in that it's part of the Dolphy Series, recorded before the label started by Clifford Jordan – as a way of giving a strong showcase to so many new ideas that were bursting in jazz during the late 60s! Here, Brackeen's tenor is set up with a trio of musicians most familiarly associated with Ornette Coleman – Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums – a unit that's completely on fire, and freer than before – yet each graced with such strong individuality, every aspect of the record is a complete delight. Brackeen is amazing (why the hell didn't he record more like this at the time?) – but the bass, trumpet, and drums are all very distinct too – the perfect power of free improvisation when it's done right. Titles include "Rhythm X", "Hour Glass", "CB Blues", and "Charles Concept". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible early work from one of Germany's greatest modernists – one of the key records that showed the world that German jazz was way more than just a rehashing of American modes in the postwar years! This rare 1963 recording features the quintet of trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – a groundbreaking unit that includes tenorist Heinz Sauer, altoist Gunter Kronberg, bassist Gunter Lenz, and drummer Ralf Hubner – a fantastic combo that comes together in a stark modernist groove that's right up there with the best work of Ornette Coleman or Joe Harriott from the time – very rhythmic, in ways that offset the freedom of the horn solos beautifully – letting the saxes and trombones soar, while the bass and drums lock into a tight groove. The no-piano, three-horn frontline is incredibly strong – bracing and powerful, but never in a way that's too cold or modern, thanks to an inherent sense of soul in allt he players. Titles include "Varie", "Ballade Fur Jessica Rose", "Club Trois", "Set Em Up", and "Tension". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those fantastic later albums that really had Abbey Lincoln finding a whole new sound and spirit – a style that offers up a mature take on all that righteous energy of her younger days – nicely focused, and set up here with some superb arrangements put together by Abbey herself! Lincoln's clearly got an ear for the kind of tones that suit the spirit of the tunes just right – and works here with a great lineup that features a core trio with Marc Cary on piano, plus guest work throughout the set from a variety of giants – including Steve Coleman, Oliver Lake, and Frank Morgan on alto saxes – plus Graham Haynes on cornet, Julien Lourau on tenor, and Rodney Kendrick on piano on one track. Titles include "The River", "When Autumn Sings", "Who Used To Dance", "Love Has Gone Away", "I Sing A Song", and "Love What You Doin". LP, Vinyl record album

A set of incredible records from Charles Mingus – all presented together in one mighty nice package! First up is Mingus Moves – a fantastic fresh new chapter in the career of Charles Mingus – a set that features the addition of two key players who would really shape his sound in the 70s – Don Pullen on piano and George Adams on tenor, both completely wonderful here! The group also features excellent trumpet from Roland Hampton, a player we don't know from many other settings – and the set also features some really nice vocal work from Honi Gordon and Doug Hammond. Titles include "Canon", "Moves", "Wee", "Flowers For A Lady", "Opus 3", and "Newcomer". CD also features bonus tracks – "Big Alice" and "The Call". Changes is key 70s work from Charles Mingus – an album that was recorded over the course of three days of creative activity at the end of 1974, but somehow split into two different albums under the Changes name! The lineup here is prime 70s Mingus – George Adams on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Don Pullen on piano – young players who really give a fresh voice to Mingus' musical ideas, and help him find this beautiful late life sense of color, tone, and timing that's completely sublime! Titles on this second volume include "Sue's Changes", "Devil Blues", "Remember Rockefeller At Attica", "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA", "Black Bats & Poles", "For Harry Carney", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love" – which features a guest appearance by Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and Jackie Paris on vocals. On 3 Or 4 Shades Of Blues, Charles Mingus is returning to the soulful gospel-influenced mode he swung big in the early 60s! The record's something of a later predecessor of the classics Blues & Roots for Atlantic and Mingus (x5) for Impulse – and the style is slightly less dramatic, but still quite steeped in soulful explorations that feature plenty of notes from the bluer side of the spectrum! Players include George Coleman and Ricky Ford on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Larry Coryell on guitar – and titles include new takes on "Better Git Hit In Your Soul" and "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" – plus"Nobody Knows", "Noddin Ya Head Blues", and "Three Or Four Shades Of Blues". Next is Cumbia & Jazz Fusion – one of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". Me Myself An Eye is complicated later work from Charles Mingus – a great illustration of the way his power to command a large ensemble never wavered as the years went on! The album features two different large groups of players – filled with modernists young and old – including Ricky Ford, George Coleman, and Michael Brecker on tenors; Ronni Cuber and Pepper Adams on baritone; Randy Brecker and Jack Walrath on trumpets; Lee Konitz on alto, Larry Coryell on guitar, Slide Hampton on trombone, and Eddie Gomez on bass. Side one features the 30 minute track "Three Worlds Of Drums", and side two contains a remake of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting", plus "Devil Woman" and "Carolyn Keki Mingus". Something Like A Bird is one of the last albums Charles Mingus ever gave us – before departing this planet way way too soon! The set shows the increasing sophistication of Mingus' music in these later years – a mode that almost echoes the path that Duke Ellington would take in his final decade – a move towards some larger-form material that still holds onto all the raw energy of the early days, but finds a way to not only bridge larger musical ideas – but musical generations as well! As part of this, the set's got a wonderful lineup – with Lee Konitz on alto, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, George Coleman on tenor, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and titles include the long title track, "Something Like A Bird", split up over 2 sides of the LP, plus "Farewell Farwell". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums as a leader from tenorist George Coleman – an artist who we feel often never gave us enough with himself in the lead as well! George brings in that great edge he used on earlier sessions with other leaders, while still also really establishing himself as one of the most expressive tenorists of the 70s in a mainstream mode – almost that balance between straighter swing and sharper corners that Joe Henderson brought to key recordings at the time. The group here are very fluid, and able to shift wonderfully with George's lead – Hilton Ruiz on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a masterful lineup who make magic throughout, on titles that include "Amsterdam After Dark", "New Arrival", "Lo-Joe", "Autumn In New York", "Apache Dance", and "Blondie's Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful session of 60s Hammond jazz – a record that was somewhat overlooked at the time, but which has really gotten the attention it deserves over the years! The album's one of a rare few cut by organist Gloria Coleman – an obscure east coast player who was also the wife of tenorist George Coleman, and who follows wonderfully in a strong tradition of female organists that includes Trudy Pitts and Shirley Scott. Even hipper is the fact that Gloria's quartet has a female drummer – the fiery Pola Roberts, who's got a light touch on the kit that makes the cuts dance nicely. And even still hipper is the fact that that group is completed by Grant Green on guitar and Leo Wright on alto – both of whom groove in a totally tight soul jazz mode that resembles their best work from the early 60s. The session's a wonderful burner, of the sort that you'd proudly display in a collection of 60s soul jazz – and it's filled with excellent original cuts like "Que Baby", "Hey Sonny Red", "Melba's Minor", and "Funky Bob". LP, Vinyl record album