A sweet one! Both sides are recorded during the period when Garland switched from soul to blues – but "IOU" is still a great track, and kind of a heartfelt spoken number that says "thanks to mom!" in a way that only Garland could make us appreciate! Recorded at Muscle Shoals, too. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Obscure mid period material from Garland! "Just Loving You" is a really wonderful number – midtempo, in kind of a Spinners Philly groove, which is a perfect match for Garland's slightly breaking vocals, crackling with that warm honesty that really makes the track sparkle! The flip's nice, too, and features a very tasty spokey bluesy kind of vocal, of the sort that Garland still does in a live show. And if you've heard that voice, you know it's a killer! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Garland Green's great remake of this classic! He sings it with a nice deep Chicago soul style, augmented by some of the slightly modern/southern style production of the Spring label. "You & I Go Good" is even better, though – a sweetly stepping number that follows in the spirit of Garland's Uni classics – crackling vocals sounding wonderful on the top, while an undeniable groove bubbles in the back! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Rare work by Garland – recorded away from Chicago, in Philly, at Sigma Sound, with production and songwriting by Bunny Sigler and Phil Hurtt, and arrangements by Norman Harris and Ronnie Baker. The combination of Green's bluesy vocals with a smooth Philly soul approach works very nicely – especially on "Love Is What We Came Here For", a stretched out, very mellow track that we like a lot! 7-inch, Vinyl record

From the LP "Back In Action". 7-inch, Vinyl record

A 70s 2LP set that brings together two of Miles' seminal mid 50s sessions for Prestige – Musings of Miles and Miles. The albums are united in that they both feature work by the Red Garland Trio on rhythm (Red, Philly Joe Jones, and either Paul Chambers or Oscar Pettiford) – and the later is especially great in that it features an early appearance by Coltrane, then pretty new to Miles' company. Tracks include "Sposin", "Stablemates", "Gal In Calico", "I Didn't", "Will You Still Be Mine", "Green Haze", and "The Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent double-length album that brings together a full session of material by John Coltrane – titles that were initially scattered over a number of different albums, but finally brought back together for this package! The album features Coltrane blowing in a quintet with trumpeter Wilbur Harden – making the set a nice counterpart to the Harden/Coltrane work at Savoy – but done here in a style that's more fully spacious, in keeping with Trane's Prestige work as a leader. Rhythm is by the trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – and tracks were originally issued on the albums Stardust, Standard Coltrane, and Bahia. 8 titles in all – including "I'll Get By", "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Stardust", "Invitation", "Love Thy Neighbor", and "My Ideal". LP, Vinyl record album

An early pairing of Miles Davis & John Coltrane – one of the duo's mid 50s classics for Prestige, as you might guess from the verb in the title! And although "Steamin" might be a word that's a bit too firey to describe the action going on here, the album's got a tremendous sense of presence throughout – as Davis' cooler trumpet is matched with Trane's earthier solo work – all supported by Red Garland trio backing in a style that's as near-classic as it comes for 50s jazz. Titles include "Diane", "Something I Dreamed Last Night", "When I Fall In Love", and "Salt Peanuts". This is a re-pressing of the Steamin With Miles Davis album – given a different cover and a shortened title, for a 1968 repackaging. LP, Vinyl record album

The genius of Phil Woods emerges fully on this rare album from 1957 – an unusually-titled session, and one of the few to really set Phil up in a looser, more intimate setting! The approach is a bit like Woods sublime work for Epic Records, but more soulful too – and very different than some of his chamber jazz work on RCA, or the more blowing-session styled records on Prestige. Here, everything falls into place beautifully – as Phil's razor-sharp tones sparkle strongly on some well-conceived tracks that also feature trumpet work by Ray Copeland – and rhythm from the trio of Red Garland on piano, Teddy Kotick on bass, and Nick Stabulas on drums. The tunes are bop-oriented, but Woods already stretches out way past any cliches – really finding his voice and showing a tremendous amount of growth in just a few years. Titles include "Steeplechase", "Au Prive", "Last Fling", "Sugan", and "Green Pines". LP, Vinyl record album

An album issued in the years after John Coltrane left the Prestige Records label – but a set that includes some very compelling sounds from the early years, really showing the tenorist in a strongly spiritual transition! Coltrane plays tenor throughout, and the record also features the Red Garland trio, with Red on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and either Art Taylor or Jimmy Cobb on drums – but the set also features trumpet from the great Wilbur Harden on half the record – Coltrane's frequent partner over at Savoy Records, who comes into the music here with the sort of searching, open style that works so well with Trane's tenor! The music is partly in the Garland/Coltrane late 50s Prestige mode, but also has some of the deeper spiritual vibe of the Savoy years too – and titles include "I'm A Dreamer Aren't We All", "Something I Dreamed Last Night", "Bahia", and "Goldsboro Express". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice set – despite being kind of a put-together batch of tunes! The album's titled "The Last Trane" because it represents the last material that Prestige Records had in its vault from the time that John Coltrane was recording for the label in the late 50s. Titles were recorded on 3 different dates from 1957 and 1958 – mostly with Red Garland on piano, and also featuring some additional horn work by Donald Byrd on 2 tracks. The album's got a great spare track called "Slowtrane" – one that features Coltrane playing with only bass and drums for accompaniment – and which recalls the genius of some of his sessions for Transition or Imperial. Byrd's blowing alongside the tenor on versions of "Lover" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine" – and the set's rounded up by a nice open-ended track called "By The Numbers", which has a warm bluesy solo by Trane! LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic! This is the kind of soul that we still collect vinyl for! Freddie Hughes is one of the great lost voices of the 60s, and this sparkling album of soulful tunes is a real gem! He's not the same singer as the Freddie Hughes from Chicago – and he hailed from San Francisco, a very unlikely source for such great soul music. The session was recorded with Lonnie Hewitt (Cal Tjader's funky piano player) in SF – but it's got that perfect New York Wand/Scepter "deep soul meets uptown" sound. The tracks are mostly written by Hughes or Hewitt – and they are all pretty amazing, filled with hooks that just don't quit, and some heartbreaking verses that match the work of writers like Curtis Mayfield or Garland Green. Titles include "Send My Baby Back", "He's No Good", "Tonight I'm Gonna See My Baby", and "I Gotta Keep My Bluff In". LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s 2LP set that brings together the albums Cookin and Relaxin – both of them late 50s sessions cut with the Red Garland Trio and tenor work by John Coltrane! The sides are as classic as you can get for both Miles on Prestige and late 50s Trane – handled with an easy groove, and a sound that's both soulful and modern at the same instant. Tracks are classics all the way through – and titles include "Oleo", "Airegin", "Tune Up", "Woody N You", and "Blues By Five". LP, Vinyl record album

It's not really fair to say that Coltrane's playing for lovers on this one, because the album's not a concept project designed to aid bachelors in the success of their romantic endeavors, so much as it is a collection of warm mellow ballads recorded by Trane during the late 50s for Prestige. The album features a number of different groupings of players that include Red Garland, Tadd Dameron, Art Taylor, Jimmy Cobb, and Paul Chambers – and the work is typical of the early recordings he made at the time when he was working with Miles Davis. Titles include "I Love You", "Violets For Your Furs", "On A Misty Night", and "Like Someone In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

2 classic Miles/Coltrane albums are compiled here on a nice double LP set with good extra notes on the sessions. Miles and Trane are backed by the classic Red Garland/Paul Chambers/Philly Joe Jones rhythm section, and the set appears to include a few more tracks than the original LPs (although we're not sure). Titles include "Diane", "The Theme", "Ahmad's Blues", "Four", and "Half Nelson". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record – and the reason to buy rare soul vinyl! This is the kind of balls-out, once-in-a-thousand soul album that you'll dig through racks for years to find – totally solid, no filler, all top-shelf material sung by an amazing under-acknowledged artist with an incredible voice! Jesse hails from the Bay Area, and he's got a style that's unlike anyone else we can think of – partly southern party (ala The Tams), partly Chicago male (ala Garland Green or Gene Chandler), and partly New York uptown (ala Chuck Jackson or Tommy Hunt). But that mix doesn't even begin to describe Jesse's talents – as the record is a killer batch of original tunes, all linked together with some "live" audience noise, with vocals by Jesse that will have you coming back again and again to the record. Truly one of the real gems in our soul collection – a record that we own not just for one track, but for the amazing standout performance that sets it apart from a thousand other albums! Titles include "Green Power", "Thank You Darlin", "Facts Of Life 68", "Believe In Me Baby (parts 1 & 2)", "Bring My Baby Back", and "I'll Always Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer early release on the UK Kent Records – already at the top of their game with their choice in rare soul! The set's overflowing with gems – and features work by Garland Green, Lee Charles, Jeanette Williams, Diane Newby, The Blue Notes, Lenny Welch, Shirley Lawson, The Marriots, Patti Austin, Trends, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

A bold early statement from a young John Coltrane – and an album that really has him expanding his talents as a tenor soloist! Coltrane's working here in open-ended quartet format – with backing from the Red Garland trio that includes Paul Chambers and Art Taylor – on a set of longer tunes that really let the young Trane stretch out on his solos, unobstructed by any other horns in the lineup. There's a nice mix of hardbop ideals, gentle ballads, and personal soul to the set – and titles include Coltrane's classic reading of Tadd Dameron's "Good Bait", plus "I Want To Talk About You", "Russian Lullaby", and "Theme For Ernie". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful little record by Miles Davis – oft overlooked next to some of the better-titled Prestige sessions of the 50s, but a great one nonetheless! The session features Miles working with trio backing from Red Garland on piano, Oscar Pettford on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – often in a mellow mode that fits the "musings" in the title, but which also provides a wonderful showcase for Davis to further intensify his vision on a set of longer tracks. Most tunes are familiar, but they're really transformed here – and titles include "I Did", 'Will You Still Be Mine?", "Green Haze", "I See You Face Before Me", "A Night In Tunisia" and "A Gal In Calico". LP, Vinyl record album