One of the best of Donald Byrd's early Blue Note albums – a sparkling set of hardbop tunes with a really souful edge! The album's one of a few that feature Byrd working with baritonist Pepper Adams – a frequent partner on his best recording dates of the late 50s, of which this set is one of the best. The rest of the group includes a rhythm section of Walter Davis, Sam Jones, and Art Taylor – all grooving nice and hard – plus tenor work by the great Charlie Rouse, whose raspy tone really gives the set a tremendous amount of depth. Tracks are a good blend of originals by Byrd and Davis, swinging with the lyrical beauty of a Horace Silver set of tracks – and titles include "Devil Whip", "Bronze Dance", "Clarion Calls", and "The Injuns". CD

Titles include "Oh Oh Cheri" "Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles", "La Temps De L'Amor", and "J'Suis D'Accord". CD

A Capitol classic from Dakota Staton – and the record that made her a real leading lady at the label in the years before Nancy Wilson's rise! The set's got a wonderfully laidback feel that's in keeping with the title, yet it also swings nicely too – kind of a new level of soul in jazz vocals that really points the way towards 60s recordings by Gloria Lynne, Etta Jones, and others. Backings are by Van Alexander, and include solos from Hank Jones on piano and Jonah Jones on trumpet – plus some great un-credited vibes and guitar – and titles include "The Late Late Show", "Give Me The Simple Life", "Moonray", "Ain't No Use", "Misty", "Summertime", and "What Do You See In Her". CD

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Great stuff – recorded in Mingus' classic period! Mingus leads a sharp small group here – a wonderful quintet that features Booker Ervin on tenor, John Handy on alto, and Richard Wyands on piano – with longtime musical partner Dannie Richmond on drums! The session was recorded live at the Nonagon Gallery in New York, and has that sort of arch-modernist groove that was Mingus' hallmark in these key late 50's years. Ervin, as always, is amazing, and John Handy, who makes his recording debut here, demonstrates the genius that Mingus had for spotting brilliant young players as he plays with the sort of imagination and intensity that he only ever managed to hit again on one or two of his own records as a leader. The record's got four long tracks, including long takes of "Nostalgia In Times Square", "Alice's Wonderland", and "No Private Income Blues". CD

That's Antonio Neves wielding a trombone on the cover – but the set's got elements that move way past his great work on that horn – drawn from very collaborative contributions from different members of the contemporary scene in Rio! The record's got a jazz basis at the core, but quickly explodes into a real style-shifting approach – that legacy of easily mixing modes that has been the hallmark of some of the most creative work from Brazil in recent decades – guided perfectly here by Neves on drums as well as trombone! Antonio sings on one track, and the record also features vocals at points from Leda, Alice Caymmi, Ana Frango Eletrico, and Marcos Esgulera – amidst a whole host of guest musicians too, including Edu Neves on flute, Leo Gandelman on alto, and Hamilton De Holanda on mandolin. Titles include "Lamento De Um Perplexo", "Forte Apache", "Simba", "A Pegada Agora E Essa", "Noite De Temporal", and "Jongo No Feudo". CD

One of the first bold statements to come from Chicago's AACM underground of the 60s – a tremendous debut effort from the young Roscoe Mitchell! The album's got a "sense of the new" feel that's as gripping as anything recorded by ESP or Impulse around the same time – a rule-breaking, freely-creative approach to jazz that builds strongly off the changes already wrought by Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and Archie Shepp! The format is somewhat like the Art Ensemble Of Chicago at times – with measured horn work from Mitchell on alto, clarinet, and recorder, Maurice McIntyre on tenor, Lester Bowie on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Lester Lashley on trombone (as well as a bit of cello). Some tracks – like the brilliant "Sound" – offer a slow-building exploration of tones and textures – while others, like the blues-joke "Little Suite", or the harmelodic "Ornette", show a wry sense of humor that would become a Chicago avant hallmark as the years went on! CD also features bonus alternate takes of "Sound" and "Ornette". CD

A mid 90s set from REM, and one that marks a slight and nice shift for the band – working here with textures that are different than most of their music of the previous decade, including moments that have some of the moodiness you might expect from the stark black and white image on the cover! Michael Stipe is still at the top of his game, vocally – and songs definitely bear the hallmark of his songwriting strengths – on titles that include "How The West Was Won & Where It Got Us", "Two", "E-Bow The Letter", "Departure", "Electrolite", "Bittersweet Me", "New Test Leper", "The Wake Up Bomb", and "Low Desert". CD

The starkest, sparest ever by Bruce Springsteen – sans accompaniment for the most part, having famously opted to release the haunting guitar, voice and harmonica demos as the actual album – and it's devastatingly strong to this day! The hallmark facet is that it's a largely solo acoustic record, the the great thing about that is how distinctively Springsteen sounding it is – with the all the earnestness of his more anthemic material, and more – just done with a sometimes somber, always intimate approach. One of those records that deserves all of the loft praise! Includes "Nebraska", "Atlantic City", "Mansion On The Hill", "Johnny 99", "State Trooper", "Used Cars", "Open All Night", "My Father's House" and "Reason To Believe".. CD

An excellent second set from Hour Glass – the pre-Allman Brothers Band that featured both Duane and Gregg Allman, the latter of whom is really coming into his own on the record! Unlike the group's debut, this one features a lot more original material by Gregg – and guitars that start to crackle in that sweetly cresting style that would become the group's hallmark, and which would have an undeniable influence on the sound of rock in the 70s. At some level, the whole thing's an early southern effort to answer the sounds of the Bay Area scene – and comes off beautifully, thanks to titles that include "To Things Before", "I'm Not Afraid", "Home For The Summer", "Down In Texas", "Now Is The Time", and "Going Nowhere". CD

The starkest, sparest ever by Bruce Springsteen – sans accompaniment for the most part, having famously opted to release the haunting guitar, voice and harmonica demos as the actual album – and it's devastatingly strong to this day! The hallmark facet is that it's a largely solo acoustic record, the the great thing about that is how distinctively Springsteen sounding it is – with the all the earnestness of his more anthemic material, and more – just done with a sometimes somber, always intimate approach. One of those records that deserves all of the lofty praise! Includes "Nebraska", "Atlantic City", "Mansion On The Hill", "Johnny 99", "State Trooper", "Used Cars", "Open All Night", "My Father's House" and "Reason To Believe".. CD

A great early album from Junior Wells – and one that really opens up that more soulful side of his talents that was becoming a Chicago hallmark at the time! The set was produced by Samuel Charters, but has none of the rootsy vibe of his earlier work on Folkways – and instead matches the harmonica and raw vocals of Wells with a bit of horn backings on a few tunes by the great Ed Bland (of previous Sun Ra cinema fame, and later funk arrangements) – blown by the unlikely mix of Tom McIntosh on trombone, with trumpets by Clark Terry, Wallace Davenport, and Jimmy Owens! The core group has the mighty Buddy Guy on guitar, with Walter Williams on rhythm guitar and Douglas Fagan on tenor – and Junior knocks it out of the park, on tunes that include "So Sad This Morning", "When My Baby Left Me", "Stop Breakin Down", "Somebody's Tippin In", "You Don't Love Me", "Little By Little", and "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man". CD

Includes 20 tracks on 2 CDs and features work with Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Airto Moreira, George Mraz, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, and others. CD

A righteous cover, a righteous title, and a righteous little session that features one long song that spans the entire length of the album! "Black Unity" may well be Pharoah Sanders' freest expression on record to date – but it's also still got all the hallmarks of his best moments on Impulse – especially the tighter rhythmic focus that always makes his work so compelling – and which has kept his legacy fresh for generations and generations of new jazz listeners! The group here is wonderfully put together – with Joe Bonner on piano, Carlos Garnett on tenor, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, Cecil McBee and Stanley Clarke on basses, and Norman Connors and Billy Hart on drums – all with plenty of space to stretch out, open up, and really do their thing! In contrast to some of the totally free work coming out of the European scene during the same stretch – especially that by American players overseas – the album's a great reminder that rhythm in jazz is always a key component – as Pharoah finds a way to make things swing, even at unexpected moments! CD

A single disc collection of all of the Carter's output for RCA and Decca from their peak years. The stark beauty of those high lonesome harmonies, and Maybelle's fluid picking will always give us goosebumps. The way these tales can stand up as both sad and proud – and fully encapsulate the misty, pine scented mountain lifestyle of the early half of the previous century and still bury themselves so deeply in our hearts today makes the Carters one of the true musical hallmarks. These 25 beautiful mono recordings probably sound as great as they possibly could on CD, and include "Wildwood Flower", "Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow", "Little Log Cabin By the Sea", ""River Of Jordan", "Sweet Fern", "Lulu Walls", "Foggy Mountain Top", "My Clinch Mountain Home", "Carter's Blues", and the amazing "John Hardy Was A Desperate Man". CD

Some of the greatest British jazz of the 60s – two early albums by the groundbreaking Ian Carr/Don Rendell quintet! Shades Of Blue is 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". Dusk Fire has a great group getting even better – as the legendary pairing of tenorist Don Rendell and trumpeter Ian Carr is joined by pianist Michael Garrick – who was really helping to shape the sound of British jazz at the time! The album's only the second from the Rendell/Carr Quintet, but it's already moving strongly forward – with this sense of composition and focus that's really amazing – served up in original tunes by all three creative forces in the lead – often with this great balance between soulful swing and modern ideas that makes the whole thing a dream all the way through! Don plays tenor, soprano sax, flute, and clarinet; Carr plays trumpet and flugelhorn; Garrick is on piano, Dave Green is on bass, and Trevor Tomkin is on drums – on titles that include "Prayer", "Dusk Fire", "Hot Rod", "Spooks", "Jubal", and "Tan Samfu". CD

One of the coolest, grooviest 60s albums from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one that has him really reaching out for a hip new sound, but in ways that are different than most of his other material at the time! Key on the date is the placement of electric piano from Duke Pearson – played in this open, flowing style that has all the best hallmarks of Pearson's own work on the instrument for his sessions – yet balanced nicely with the bolder punch of Byrd's trumpet as well. Donald's quite far from any Miles Davis cliches on this one – no too-dark electric modes at all – and instead, the album's got this sense of lyrical soulfulness that we've maybe never heard this strongly again on any of Byrd's other albums. Other players include Frank Foster on tenor, Jerry Dodgion and Lew Tabackin on flute, Julian Priester on trombone, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, and either Idris Muhammad or Joe Chambers on drums. All tracks are nice and long, and very fresh – and include "Weasil", "I Love the Girl", "Fancy Free", and "The Uptowner". CD

One of the first albums ever from the team of Jackie Caine and Roy Kral – and one of the best, too! The album's got a relaxed, open-ended approach to jazz vocals that already carries all the hallmarks of the Jackie & Roy style – wordless scatting on some tunes, playful lyrical interplay on others, and a focus on Jackie's ballad talents on some of the gentler numbers – all wrapped up in small combo backing that's sensitive, creative, and modern – yet never in a way that overwhelms the vocals. It's hard to match the poise, class, and cleverness of this one – and the album easily set a new standard for vocal jazz in the 50s! Titles include a few great early tunes by Tommy Wolf – the songwriter who would become so important for the pair – and backing is by Roy on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. Titles include "Let's Take A Walk Around The Block", "You Smell So Good", "Listen Little Girl", "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most", "Bill's Bit", "Dahuud", "I Wish I Were In Love Again", and "Lover". CD

An underground classic from Karen Dalton – a record that's almost out of time, given its early 70s release – as Karen sings with spare backings that are almost in a Folkway Records mode at points, but with all these headier currents that are also indicative of the Bay Area generation too! Dalton's voice is completely unique too – unlike anything you'll ever hear – phrasing that almost hearkens back both to vintage jazz and Appalachian folk, but a style that's more long hair – as are some of the backings too. The set was recorded upstate in Bearsville – and really has all the hallmarks of the freedoms of that scene at the time – summed up beautifully on material that includes "Something On Your Mind", "In A Station", "Take Me", "Same Old Man", Are You Leaving For The Country", "Katie Cruel", and "How Sweet It Is". CD

An underground classic from Karen Dalton – a record that's almost out of time, given its early 70s release – as Karen sings with spare backings that are almost in a Folkway Records mode at points, but with all these headier currents that are also indicative of the Bay Area generation too! Dalton's voice is completely unique too – unlike anything you'll ever hear – phrasing that almost hearkens back both to vintage jazz and Appalachian folk, but a style that's more long hair – as are some of the backings too. The set was recorded upstate in Bearsville – and really has all the hallmarks of the freedoms of that scene at the time – summed up beautifully on material that includes "Something On Your Mind", "In A Station", "Take Me", "Same Old Man", Are You Leaving For The Country", "Katie Cruel", and "How Sweet It Is". Features a huge amount of bonus material – three alternate takes from the album sessions, and six more live tracks from 1971! CD

The complete recorded legacy of Idle Race – an incredible pre-ELO group that featured some amazing work from a young Jeff Lynne! In a way, the work here is almost more ELO than some of the earliest albums issued by the band a few years later – more of the pop-styled groove that Lynne would bring to the group during their mighty mid 70s run – with a great flair for catchy hooks, and a style of production that was in the same flanged-out, cross-speaker compressed mode that would become the Jeff Lynne trademark in years to come. And in fact, even though the last album on the set was done at a time when Lynne had left the group, it still retains many of his hallmarks – and has a wickedly clever approach to pop that's somewhat fuzzy, but never too trippy or self-indulgent. 2CD set features a whopping 47 tracks in all – the complete albums Birthday Party, Idle Race, and Time Is – plus 13 more non-album tracks and unreleased alternate versions! Titles include "Mr Crow & Sir Norman", "Sea Of Dreams", "Someone Knocking", "A Better Life", "End Of The Road", "The Lady Who Said She Could Fly", "Happy Birthday", "I Like My Toys", "Here We Go Round The Lemon Tree", "In The Summertime", "Alcatraz", "By The Sun", "We Want It All", "Bitter Green", "Sad O'Sad", and "Lucky Man". CD

A righteous cover, a righteous title, and a righteous little session that features one long song that spans the entire length of the album! "Black Unity" may well be Pharoah Sanders' freest expression on record to date – but it's also still got all the hallmarks of his best moments on Impulse – especially the tighter rhythmic focus that always makes his work so compelling – and which has kept his legacy fresh for generations and generations of new jazz listeners! The group here is wonderfully put together – with Joe Bonner on piano, Carlos Garnett on tenor, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, Cecil McBee and Stanley Clarke on basses, and Norman Connors and Billy Hart on drums – all with plenty of space to stretch out, open up, and really do their thing! In contrast to some of the totally free work coming out of the European scene during the same stretch – especially that by American players overseas – the album's a great reminder that rhythm in jazz is always a key component – as Pharoah finds a way to make things swing, even at unexpected moments! CD

A tremendous live session from 1969 – a bit rough on the recording quality, but completely wonderful in terms of playing! The unique date features Woody Shaw playing in a group with Art Blakey – a few years before Shaw formally joined the Jazz Messengers, and in a looser, freer mode that's got all the best hallmarks of the groundbreaking New Jersey scene of the time! Blakey's usual tightness as a drummer is really let up for the set – which features him cascading and withdrawing as fits the needs of the players – breaking down the structure of the tunes to allow for very long solo work by Shaw, tenorist Carlos Garnett, and pianist George Cables. Scotty Holt keeps some massively soulful time on bass, and Garnett's searing solo work is worth the price of the album alone – almost topping the best of his own recordings from later, more famous years. Titles include a reading of "Night In Tunisia", plus the fantastic "Original Theme" by Shaw. And as we say, the recording quality's a bit rough, but the solo work is great! CD

A true revolution in Cuban music – not the familiar cha cha and pachanga modes of the pre-Castro years, but instead the huge wave of fresh styles and combinations that sprung up in the years to come! The tracks here aren't the kind of Cuban sounds that are locked in time by the all-star representations of the scene that circle widely – and instead, this music represents the younger, more experimental side of the scene – continually creating new styles and hybrids during the 70s and 80s, even at a time when most of the records weren't making it out to the world at large! Make no mistake, there's certainly elements of older Afro Latin rhythms, and Latin jazz instrumentation – but those are blended with new approaches to rhythm, instrumentation, and the overall role of the musicians and singers – on tracks that will really open up your ears. Gilles Peterson helped put the package together for Soul Jazz – and the whole thing's got the same hybrid hallmarks as his more recent recording forays in Havana – with cuts that include "Cancion Con Todos" by Grupo De Experimentacion Sonora Del Icaic, "Hast Las Cuantas" by Grupo Monumental, "Luna Wanestain" by Emiliano Salvador, "Te Quiero Porque Te Quiero" by Pablo Milanes, "Un Lamento Heco Cancion" by Los Reyes 73, "Dacapo" by Raul Gomez, "La Patica" by Paquito D'Rivera, "Rompe Cocorioco" by Juan Pablo Torres, "Mi Ritmo Caliente" by Juan Formell & Los Van Van, "Chequere Son" by Grupo Irakere, "El Son Del Campeon" by Conjunto Rubavana, and "Con Cadencia Y Con Dulzura" by Las D'Aida. CD

The Drive-In here is located in Texas, but seems to host a set of groups from the Florida scene – coming together in a set that's overflowing with the kind of cool underground energy that was flowing out of the 60s scene in the south! There's a few echoes of British Invasion styles here, mixed with more garagey moments – and all the tracks here are pretty darn obscure, originally issued only as small label singles. Includes work by The Surftones, Mixed Emotions, Offbeats, Katie Froelich, The Hallmarks, Deadbeats, and Bytel Lums – 14 tracks in all! CD