A long-overdue look at the early work of Fats Sadi – a really great player on the European scene during the postwar years, and one who's best known for his 60s material on MPS/Saba, including recordings with the Clarke Boland Big Band! Here, though, Sadi's working in earlier years, and already sounding pretty darn great – a real modernist on his instrument, and working with a great array of really wonderful players – including a fair bit of material with the great Bobby Jaspar on flute and tenor, in groups led by both Fats and Bobby on a set of different recordings! The package also features work from Jimmy Deuchar on trumpet, Rene Thomas and Jimmy Gourley on guitar, Maurice Vander on piano, Nat Peck on trombone, and Francy Boland on piano and arrangements – especially great work on one seven track batch of material in the set. As with the other historical collections like this from Fresh Sounds, the package is overflowing with notes and images – and pulls together 23 tracks from releases that include the 10" albums New Sound Of Belgium No 4, Fats Sadi's Combo, Bobby Jaspar New Jazz Vol 2, and Bobby Jaspar Quartet – and the 7" EP releases Sadi Quartet and Sadi's Vibes. Titles include "Hittin The Road", "Hegor", "Gigi's Pad", "Ridin In", "Early Wake", "Big Balcony", "Sadisme", "Ad Libitum", "Laguna Leap", "Jeux De Quartes", "Doxology", "Le Jamf", and "Karin". CD

One of the hippest albums ever from the team of Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland – a unique small combo session that's even groovier than their famous big band work! The setting is wonderful – Clarke on drums, Boland on piano, and a sextet lineup that includes Sahib Shihab on flute, Fats Sadi on vibes, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Joe Harris on percussion – all players who know each other well, and groove together as one amazing unit on the set! The tunes here are lyrical and lively, modal and moving, and still some of the freshest jazz cut on the European scene of the 60s – music that's having a huge impact these days in the club jazz underground. Shihab's flute work is sublime, especially next to Sadi's vibes – and Harris' added percussion gives a number of the cuts a bit of a Latin kick that's totally great! There's a bit of vocals on the set, and titles include "Ebony Samba", "Tin Tin Deo", "Potter's Crossing", "Wives & Lovers", "Ensadinado", "Lorraine", "Day By Day", "Love Hungry", and "Please Don't Leave". CD

Great work by this legendary hard swinging band – an early 60s American album issued on Atlantic Records, in the years before the Clark Boland Band's legendary run on MPS! Despite the early date, the album's got all the core elements of the band's sound in place – soaring rhythms, sharp-edged frontlines, and some great solo work by players who include Benny Bailey, Derek Humble, Jimmy Woode, Shahib Shihab, Idrees Sulieman, and Fats Sadi – coming together in a brilliant trans-Atlantic meeting of jazz talents! Tracks include "Long Note Blues", "Speedy Reeds", "Sonor", and "Om Mani Padme Hum". CD

2 lesser-known sides of Blossom Dearie – both recorded in Paris in the 50s! The first 8 tracks on the set are from a rare 10" session recorded in 1955 – one that features Blossom only at the piano, not singing, but swinging in a solid trio format. Tracks on that session include "The Boy Next Door", "Down In The Depths Of The 90th Floor", "April In Paris", and "Blue Moon". The other 4 tracks on the set are from a 45rpm ep by Blossom's famous vocal group, The Blue Stars. The ensemble featured vocalese performances by young singers that included Christine Legrand, Jeanine De Waleyne, and Fats Sadi – and was the virtual blueprint for later jazz vocal groups, like Les Double Six or The Swingle Singers. Titles from that group include "Toute Ma Joie", "Embrasse Moi Bien", and "Toute Ma Joie". CD

A really special album from Belgian reedman Bobby Jaspar – a rare late 50s record that features some of his best work of the decade on flute! The session's got Bobby playing with great backings on vibes by Fats Sadi and Michel Hausser – both of whom use the instrument in ways that resonate strongly with the modern tones in Jaspar's phrasing – and the great Kenny Clarke is on drums, with bass from either Paul Rovere or Jimmy Merrit, plus additional percussion from Humberto Canto. There's a light groove on most numbers – kind of a lyrical swing that's perfect for the flute and vibes! Titles include "Le JAMF", "Speak Low", "Doxology", "Jeux De Quartes", "Chasing The Bird", and "Misterioso". CD

Excellent vocal jazz from postwar Paris! The Blue Stars were a legendary combo that were led by Blossom Dearie, and which featured a host of great vocal talents that would later go onto form groups like Les Double Six or The Swingle Singers, including Mimi Perrin and Christine Legrand, as well as instrumental jazz artists like Fats Sadi and Roger Guerin, who are doing some rare vocalization here. The first 4 tracks on the set are pulled from a 1956 ep – and it features the group on the tracks "Jumpin At The Woodside", "C'est La Vie", "Broadway At Basin Street", and "Grapevine". The next 12 tracks are from the Pardon My English LP – which has the group down to a sextet, working without Dearie, in a groovy accented English vocal style that's a direct precursor of the vocalese grooving of Les Double Six. Titles on that set include "Small Talk", "Move", "Did You Close Your Eyes?", and "Promises & Lies". The last 3 tracks on the set are a bit different – featuring vocals and guitar by Henri Salvador, with backing on bass and drums. The style of Salvador's work is still similar, though – way more vocalese than the "blues" in the title would make you expect – and the tracks are lifted from a rare Fontana ep-only release that was recorded in the same year. Titles include "Don't Blame Me", "Salvador Plays The Blues", and "Stompin At The Savoy". CD