Hardbop godfather Art Blakey cut some fantastic work in the studio with his Jazz Messengers group – but in a live setting, the group sometimes sound even more amazing than on record – and that's definitely the case with this unreleased live date from the early 60s! Art has a really seminal version of the group here, with three key young stars in the lead – Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano – all players who, along with bassist Jymie Merritt, helped Blakey craft some of the most memorable albums in the Blue Note catalog at the time. Yet here, as things are live, the tunes are even more stretched out – which means a lot more work from Art on the drum kit, in solos that are totally mindblowing, and really get at the complexity he can bring to his percussion – plus more pronounced work from Merritt, who's always been a hell of a bassist, but never fully gets his doe. The whole thing is fantastic – a double-length set with great sound, rescued from the vaults – with tunes that include "Now's The Time", "Blues March", "Moanin", "Dat Dere", "Night In Tunisia", "Round Midnight", and two takes on "The Theme". CD

A fantastic live set from Art Blakey – recorded in Paris in 1960, with a version of the Jazz Messengers that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Walter Davis Jr on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass! Best of all, though, is that the group is joined by two Paris jazz giants on two tracks – the great saxophonist Barney Wilen on tenor, and American ex-patriot Bud Powell – who was doing some of his best work in Paris at the time, and sits in on the keys instead of Davis. Wilen's incredible tone sounds great next to Shorter's horn – and all the tracks are long enough to give all soloists plenty of room to move around. Titles include "The Midget", "Bouncing With Bud", and "Dance of The Infidels". CD

A landmark concert from the mid 80s – one held to honor the resurrection of the Blue Note label, featuring a wealth of some of the best players for the label – from the 80s back to the 50s bebop years. This is the third of 4 LPs, issued both separately and in a box set format. This volume features an all-star line-up with Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Curtis Fuller, Walter Davis Jr., Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Lou Donaldson, Kenny Burrell, Reggie Workman, Grady Tate, and Grover Washington Jr. Tracks include "Moanin'", "A Child Is Born", "The Jumpin' Blues", "Summertime", "I'm Glad There Is You", and "Medley: Blues Walk/Getting' Sentimental Over You". CD

Four fantastic albums from Bobby Bland – all brought together in a single package for the first time! First up is Come Fly With Me – great work from Bobby Blue Bland – one of the few artists to rise up at the end of the 50s, and still find a way to chart their own path forward in soul with fresh material like this! Bobby's voice is still incredible here, and he works with production from Al Bell and Monk Higgins, the latter of whom arranged – in this cool style that's a bit like some of the territory that Tyrone Davis was taking on at Columbia Records during the second half of the 70s – fuller arrangements that bring some sophisticated soul touches to the music, but in ways that never lose the core of Bobby's genius! Titles include "Lady Lonely", "Night Games", "You Can Count On Me", "Love To See You Smile", "Come Fly With Me", and "To Be Friends". The next album is I Feel Good I Feel Fine – and Bobby Bland sounds pretty good too – thanks to arrangements from the great Monk Higgins, who does a perfect job of mixing Bland's trademark vocals with some sweet late 70s arrangements! The sound is upbeat, but never in a cliched disco mode – more in the territory that you'd hear Johnnie Taylor using over at Columbia Records – maybe a good comparison, given the Memphis roots that both artists shared – as both also evolved a lot to shift their sound with the changing modes of the time. And as with Johnnie, Bobby never loses the core that makes him great – as you'll hear on titles that include "Tit For Tat", "Soon As The Weather Breaks", "In His Eyes", "Someone To Belong To", "I Feel Good I Feel Fine", and "Little Mama". Sweet Vibrations is a real gem from the start of the 80s – arranged by Monk Higgins, who co-produced the set with Al Bell – a duo who'd already given Bobby some great records before, but who really knock it out of the park with this one. There's an extra-special quality going on here – maybe a slight reintroduction of blues roots, but still with a very contemporary spirit – set up to superb backings throughout. Titles include "Soul With A Flavor", "Hollywood Woman", "You'd Be A Millionaire", "Sweet Vibrator", "Special Kind Of Fool", and "A Real Woman Is What It Takes". Try Me I'm Real is record with a title that certainly fits the bill – as the amazing voice of Bobby Bland is as real here as it ever was, and blended with superbly soulful backings that take the singer's sound forward for a whole new generation! Some of Bobby's contemporaries were content to just stick in a straight blues mode – but Bland really grew and developed a lot as an artist, thanks in part to Monk Higgins and Al Bell – who are both at the production helm of the record, and balance the bluesy roots of Bobby with some richer soul backings that really knock the whole thing out of the park! We love Bobby Blue Bland during his early Duke Records years – but we love him equally as much for music like this, on titles that include "But I Do", "What A Difference A Day Makes", "Givin Up The Streets For Love", "A Song For You My Son", "Just You Just Me", and "Love Is Where It's At". CD

A record with a title that certainly fits the bill – as the amazing voice of Bobby Bland is as real here as it ever was, and blended with superbly soulful backings that take the singer's sound forward for a whole new generation! Some of Bobby's contemporaries were content to just stick in a straight blues mode – but Bland really grew and developed a lot as an artist, thanks in part to Monk Higgins and Al Bell – who are both at the production helm of the record, and balance the bluesy roots of Bobby with some richer soul backings that really knock the whole thing out of the park! We love Bobby Blue Bland during his early Duke Records years – but we love him equally as much for music like this, on titles that include "But I Do", "What A Difference A Day Makes", "Givin Up The Streets For Love", "A Song For You My Son", "Just You Just Me", and "Love Is Where It's At". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer work from this funky Finnish combo – a group who celebrate a strong decade in music with this really wonderful set! The Blassics bring in all the right sort of influences from African funk of years back, especially Ethiopian music – and they spin out tracks that are often nice and long, and which feature some tremendous jazzy solos from the horn section – players stepping out from the ensemble for individual expressions, and not just vamping with the rhythms! The rest of the instrumentation is great too – well-crafted, and shaded with all sorts of tones that really deepen the music in personal ways, and don't just echo styles of the past. Titles include "Afrohustler", "Special Occasion", "Ruff Strut", "West Side Glory", "Swazi Funk", "Yeketema Set", and "Hagerun Geleba". CD

Collected work by Blo – a hip Nigerian funk ensemble from the mid 70s! The group have a more complicated sound than some of their contemporaries – adding in dubbier stylings and bits of psychedelic guitar to the more common Afro-Funk percussion – in a mode that almost sounds like it's got traces of Can or other proggish groups, as you might hear on some of Tony Allen's more recent work, or on some of the early 70s Brit post-colonial crossover bands, like Assagai or Cymande. It all makes for a very interesting sound – marking the group as one of the most unique of their generation! Titles include "Blo", "It's Gonna Be A Good Day", "Number One", "Trace of Suicide", "Atide", "Don't Take Her Away From Me", and "Miss Sagit". CD

Here's a record we wish they would have used for the soundtrack to Happy Days – Blowfly cashing in on the 50s craze in the 70s, and offering up his own off-color version of a number of classic oldies! The sound is pretty darn goofy, but also has links to Blow's roots as singer Clarence Reid – as his vocals are really out front in the mix, and belting things out with a surprisingly soulful quality – even while cracking wise about sex and related topics! Titles include "My Sex Life Was Through", "In The Still", "Get A Blow Job", "Silly Bitch", "Suck Around The Clock", and "So Funky". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover looks all sort of soft and dreamy, but the record has a bite from the very first second – beginning with an old school news report about gang violence in LA, then serving up a gritty set of rhymes from Blu that really live up to the glory days of west coast hardcore hip hop! Shafiq Husayn serves up production that really fits the mode well – some of the heavy, hard elements that would have fit such modes years back – but with more sonic complexity that reflects all the production advancements of the past 20 years. We're not entirely sure if the album's supposed to be a commentary on older gangsta modes, or just fully embraces them – but in either case, the whole thing's a hell of a ride – with cuts that include "Red White & Me", "The Joy", "We Bang", "LA Summer", "In Living Color", "CA All Day", "Out Of The Blue", "Roll Up", "West Coast", and "We Originals". CD

The cover looks all sort of soft and dreamy, but the record has a bite from the very first second – beginning with an old school news report about gang violence in LA, then serving up a gritty set of rhymes from Blu that really live up to the glory days of west coast hardcore hip hop! Shafiq Husayn serves up production that really fits the mode well – some of the heavy, hard elements that would have fit such modes years back – but with more sonic complexity that reflects all the production advancements of the past 20 years. We're not entirely sure if the album's supposed to be a commentary on older gangsta modes, or just fully embraces them – but in either case, the whole thing's a hell of a ride – with cuts that include "Red White & Me", "The Joy", "We Bang", "LA Summer", "In Living Color", "CA All Day", "Out Of The Blue", "Roll Up", "West Coast", and "We Originals". LP, Vinyl record album

Four lost albums from David Blue – a really compelling singer/songwriter, ripe for rediscovery! First up is These 23 Days In September, recorded for Reprise – a really moody little record from David Blue – a folksy singer who's got a style that definitely lives up to the melancholy promise of his name! Blue's definitely an artist with a difference – working in the familiar mode of vocals and acoustic guitar, but with an edge and distinctness that really sets him apart from the folkies of a few year before – that sense of different that really set apart a new wave of contemporaries, like Leonard Cohen, Fred Neill, or Tom Rapp. Titles include "These 23 Days In September", "The Sailor's Lament", "Scales For A Window Thief", "You Will Come Back Again", "Slow & Easy", and "The Grand Hotel". Stories is an overlooked early set on Asylum – the kind of really special singer/songwriter material that really set the label apart at the start of the 70s! David Blue has this compelling vocal style that's moody, but down to earth – inflected here and there with guitar contributions from Ry Cooder, who's understated, but really brings out some special qualities in the tunes. Jack Nitzsche adds in some light strings at points – but overall, things are pretty spare and personal – and titles include "Looking For A Friend", "Another One Like Me", "Sister Rose", "The Blues", "Come On John", "Marianne", and "Fire In The Morning". Nice Baby & The Angel shows David Blue really starting to get some star power in his mix – a fuller set, produced by Graham Nash – with work from Nash on guitar, plus more guitar from Dave Mason and David Lindley – in a nice mix of roots elements, but which never overwhelm that unique sense of songwriting and vocals that set David Blue apart from the rest. Titles include "Darlin Jenny", "Troubadour Song", "Train To Anaheim", "True To You", "On Sunday Any Sunday", and "Outlaw Man". On the cover of Cupid's Arrow, David Blue might look a bit cheesy, what with his open shirt and all – but he's definitely the real deal, and very down to earth in his singer/songwriter approach – with a quality that's only underscored by the lineup on the set – a group that features Levon Helm on drums, Jesse Ed Davis on guitar, David Lindley on mandolin and slide, and Barry Goldberg on piano and organ, and also handling production of the album too. The shift from David's roots is a bit like that taken by other contemporaries who once started in more folksy territory, then found a new way to grow in the west coast singer/songwriter scene – and that means that things are more electrified, but still quite far from mainstream music – with original tunes from Blue throughout, and titles that include "I Feel Bad", "Maria Maria", "Primeval Tune", She's Got You", "Tom's Song", and "Run Run Run". CD

A prog classic from the Czech scene at the start of the 70s – music from a moment when things were really pushing the cultural barriers in the new freedoms of the time! Blue Effect blend core jamming with some larger arrangements that appear from time to time – all given a sense of power and majesty that really transcends the boundaries of language, soaring out with a vibe that's right up there with the best non-English work on the Euro scene at the time! The set was issued with translated lyrics in some territories, but this is the original album – with titles that include "Osamela Ulice", "Kamenne Blues", "Destivy Den", "Kde Je Ma Hvezda", "Fenix", and "Pamet Lasky". CD features 5 bonus tracks – including "Grave Of The Sun", "Life", and "Gray Hair". CD

A brilliant celebration of Blue Note Records – one that features some key songs from the label's classic years, interpreted by a sharp-edged group of younger players! The lineup here is wonderful – Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Steve Wilson on alto and flute, Ravi Coltrane on tenor, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and rhythm from Bill Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums – all players who are great in their own right, but who really come together with a classic sort of sound here – a vibe that really respects the Blue Note leaders of years past, and which really gets their energy right! The rhythms are tremendous – no surprise, given how great Nash and Washington can be – and the tunes have a soulful, soaring quality that draws on all the joy Blue Note's given the world over the years – proclaimed boldly by the horn solos in the set. Titles include "Little B's Poem", "Inner Urge", "Mosaic", "Dolphin Dance", "Criss Cross", "Search For Peace", "The Outlaw", and "Idle Moments". Limited Japanese pressing contains a bonus CD – featuring the 8 original versions of the tunes by Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Grant Green, Horace Silver, and others! CD

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There's a really hypnotic blend of sounds going on here – the always-strong alto work of Arthur Blythe, whose solos are a key part of the strength of the set – matched with a super-strong lineup that includes Hamiet Bluiett on baritone sax, Kelvin Bell on guitar, Gust William Tsilis on vibes, Arto Tuncboyaci on percussion, and Famoudou Don Moye on drums! There's a slight crackle of electricity at times, but never in a way that dampens the soul, especially that of a leader – and while earlier efforts of this sort might have gotten mired in too much criss-crossing of modes, this set comes off perfectly – a fresh entry in Blythe's wonderfully storied career. Titles include "Miss Eugie", "Hipmotism", "My Son Ra", "Bush Baby", "Dear Dessa", "Cousin Sidney", "Shadows", and "Dance Benita Dance". CD

A great showcase for the alto talents of Arthur Blythe – a set that's maybe a bit more stripped-down than some of his bigger label albums of the 80s, but in a way that really lets you focus on his strength of tone and phrasing! The group's a quartet, working in an open live setting – John Hicks on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Bobby Battle on drums – and while all players certainly know how to go inside, they keep things swinging and relatively straight at the core – while Blythe waxes beautifully on the alto, with these sharp edges that mix nicely with more lyrical moments. Titles include "Jana's Delight", "JB Blues", "Lenox Avenue Breakdown", "Faceless Woman", and "Peacemaker". CD

Late 60s psyche pop on Atco from Bo Grumpus – a Boston group who only ever cut this one LP that we know of – and it's a groovy one! The sound has kind of tight pop combo groove with catchy melodies – fleshed out into trippier territory with some keys, trumpet, and overall bigger arrangements – some of which was done by Felix Pappalardi, who would go onto to bigger things with Mountain! Titles include "Sparrow Tune", "Think Twice", "Yesterday's Street", "The Breath O'Love", "A Knowing Young Touch", "Ragtimey Love", "Travelin In The Dark", "Brooklyn", "The Moon Will Rise" and "If I Came To You". LP, Vinyl record album

It's been quite a few years since Bombino's previous record – and in that time, it almost feels as if he's locked himself up somewhere and learned how to be even more amazing on guitar! His sense of sound, tone, and timing is incredible – and the record's one of those Tuareg sets that can easily stand next to Anglo greats from the years of psych and hard rock – but with that special sub-Saharan quality that also makes a player like Bombino so unique – as he spins out long lines of freedom and fuzz over plenty of driving rhythms! Titles include "Darfuq", "Alwane", "Tazidert", "Aitma", Si Chilan", "Mes Amis", "Ayes Sachen", and "Nik Sant Awanha". LP, Vinyl record album

It's been quite a few years since Bombino's previous record – and in that time, it almost feels as if he's locked himself up somewhere and learned how to be even more amazing on guitar! His sense of sound, tone, and timing is incredible – and the record's one of those Tuareg sets that can easily stand next to Anglo greats from the years of psych and hard rock – but with that special sub-Saharan quality that also makes a player like Bombino so unique – as he spins out long lines of freedom and fuzz over plenty of driving rhythms! Titles include "Darfuq", "Alwane", "Tazidert", "Aitma", Si Chilan", "Mes Amis", "Ayes Sachen", and "Nik Sant Awanha". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio that really lives up to its name – given that the lineup features three of the most dynamic figures in free jazz over the past few decades! The set was recorded in Chicago, and has a sound that really lives up to that city's embrace of a power trio like this – with completely frenetic work on reeds by Mars Williams, next to tumultuous drums from Paal Nilssen-Love, and some boldly propulsive bass from Kent Kessler – all spun out here over the course of three very long, freely-improvised tracks! Williams plays a few toy instruments, and Nilssen-Love handles some percussion too – both of which make for some slightly more introspective passages, which are soon balanced by more dynamic energy. Titles include "Miakoda", "Lovin The Buzz", and "Echo Clang". CD