A 70s classic from bassist Henri Texier – a musician who's been a key part of the French jazz scene for decades, and already had a very unusual approach in his early years! Texier is fantastic here on acoustic bass – but he's also already opening up in so many other ways too – sometimes vocalizing wordlessly alongside his instrument, sometimes going electric, and always avoiding the temptation to get too moody that he'd forget to swing – which sometimes happened with other 70s bass pioneers. A number of cuts even have a cool global jazz component – but not in a hokey way at all – as Texier mixes oud alongside the bass, and also uses a bit of flute, cello, and percussion. Titles include "Homme Rouge", "Quand Tout S'Arrete", "Les Korrigans", "Amir", and "Le Sage Le Singe Et Les Petits Enfants". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album of funky electric jazz – and possibly the best one that Phil Woods cut with his European group! The quartet's a very hip group that's way hipper than its clunky name – with Gordon Beck on electric piano and organ, Daniel Humair on percussion and drums, and Henri Texier on bass, flute, and African percussion – all instrumentalists who dip heavily into the deep bag of their mighty talents for the date, helping to push Phil's music into some very cool new territory! The album cooks a lot harder than Woods' previous MGM date with the Rhythm Machine group in Europe – and has a really freewheeling vibe, and a sound that's almost outside at points. All tracks are long, with a modal electric approach that's very nice – and funky in the best parts – and titles include "Chromatic Banana", "Ultimate Choice", "The Last Page", and "The Day When The World". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunner of an album – light years ahead of Phil's earlier work in America – a bit funky at times, with some really open-ended modern sounds! The album features Phil with his incredible European Rhythm Machine – a group that includes Gordon Beck on electric piano, Henri Texier on bass, and Daniel Humair on drums – and the fat basslines of Texier are a wonderful match for the keyboards of Beck – both perfectly balancing things out on the groove! Tracks are long, and a mix of hard out soloing with some nice rhythmic grooving – almost in a modal fusion mode, but not quite – and titles include "Josua", "The Meeting", "Freedom Jazz Dance", and "Ode A Jean-Louis". LP, Vinyl record album

What happens when Art Farmer and Phil Woods get together? Some pretty magical music – and a set that's quite different than most of their other 60s recordings! The session is a special date – put together by Clarke-Boland Band impresario Gigi Campi – with Farmer's flugelhorn and Woods' alto backed by a very cool French rhythm trio – which features Martial Solal on piano, Henri Texier on bass, and Daniel Humair on the drums! The group's a bit more modern than some of Art's usual combos, which makes for really surprising results, and often a much harder sound – one that matches the growing intensity of Woods during this part in his career. The tracks are long and openly grooving – and titles include "Blue Bossa", "Watch What Happens", "Blue Lights", "Sunrise Sunset", and "The Day After". LP, Vinyl record album