A new star is right – because with the strength of this set, Jimmy Smith set a whole new tone for the way that the organ was used in jazz! The album's got a raw, earthy power that grabs us right away – and even though the tunes themselves are mostly familiar numbers, Jimmy's early Hammond work is simply amazing – cooking the grooves up in a way that differs a lot from the way other players, like Wild Bill Davis, were using the instrument at the time. The vibrato's still on at a relatively high level, but Jimmy's own lines are lean and clean – and made even more so by accompaniment from Thornel Schwartz on guitar and Bay Perry on drums. Titles include "The Way You Look Tonight", "Joy", "The Preacher", "High & The Mighty", "Midnight Sun", and "You Get 'Cha". CD

A classic Blue Note meeting of two of the label's top talents in the early 60s – Hammond hero Jimmy Smith, and the up-and-rising Stanley Turrentine on tenor! Turrentine's simply great at this point – playing with a raspy edge on the bottom of his tone, sounding dark and mysterious – not nearly as sweet as in later years – and Smith is wonderful too – still with traces of the rough experimental approach to the Hammond that he used in his first few Blue Note sides, but with a bit more of a defined and swinging sound – all given a nice kick by the drums of Donald Bailey and guitar of Quentin Warren. Titles include "Stone Cold Dead in the Market", "Red Top", "Prayer Meetin", "I Almost Lost My Mind", and "Picknickin'". CD features 2 bonus tracks! CD

A pair of near perfect soulful jazz organ sets from Jimmy Smith – 1967's Respect and 1968's Livin' It Up – plus the rare non album single "Mickey Mouse" as bonus track for the first time on CD! Respect is really nice jazz album from Jimmy, although one that got hidden in the years of Jimmy's more "concept" oriented sessions for Verve. Most of the material is quartet stuff, with players like Bernard Purdie, Eric Gale, and Ron Carter backing up Jimmy's soulful organ. The tracks are longer than usual too, with lots of nice soloing going on, and a stone easy soul groove. Includes a tasty loping version of "Get Out Of My Life", with a very different drum groove than usual, plus "Funky Broadway", "T Bone Steak", and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy". Livin' It Up is a straight up stunner – and quite possibly one of his greatest records for Verve! The set has Jimmy working with arranger Oliver Nelson – in a setting that's got big band backings, but done in a style that's cool enough to cut through all the BS of similar sessions. There's no hoke at all – just a lean and soulful approach that has Nelson serving up a powerhouse jazzy groove underneath – and Jimmy soloing madly over the top! The album's filled with great tunes too – including a fab cover of "Mission Impossible", the original "Big Boss Man", a version of Richard Evans' "Burning Spear", a great takes on "Valley Of The Dolls" and "The Gentle Rain". Great stuff throughout! CD

38 tracks over four CDs. CD

One of the most famous early albums from Hammond organ giant Jimmy Smith – and for good reason too, as he was using the instrument to pioneer a whole new field in jazz! Before Jimmy, others had used the organ on short tracks, usually for a bit of color – but here, Smith explodes as a master soloist on very long tracks – allowing strong jam session interplay with an all-star group that also includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, George Coleman and Lou Donaldson on altos, Tina Brooks on tenor, Kenny Burrell and Eddie McFadden on guitars, and Donald Bailey and Art Blakey on drums. The set features three long tracks – "The Sermon", "JOS", and "Flamingo" – with a hard-wailing, jam session feel all the way through! This early CD reissue collects material from the Sermon & House Party sessions, with a slightly different track list than the original album, or the RVG remaster – includes "The Sermon", "Flamingo", plus "S Wonderful", "Blue Room", "Lover Man", "Confirmation", & "Au Private". CD

Material recorded early in the Blue Note career of Jimmy Smith – but not issued until the mid 60s, and often overlooked at the time! The record's still in the spare trio mode of the early Jimmy Smith years – but is a bit lighter and more lyrical than before – a nice change from the harder tones of Jimmy's early trio records, and a hint and the expansive lines he'd take on later recordings! The lineup features mostly Kenny Burrell on guitar and Philly Joe Jones on drums – plus a few additional tracks that use Eddie McFadden on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – and titles include "These Foolish Things", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "One For Philly Joe", and a nice version of Monk's "Hackensack". CD features 4 bonus tracks – "Willow Weep For Me", "Ain't No Use", "Angel Eyes", and "Ain't That Love" – all with vocals by Bill Henderson! CD

Material recorded early in the Blue Note career of Jimmy Smith – but not issued until the mid 60s, and often overlooked at the time! The record's still in the spare trio mode of the early Jimmy Smith years – but is a bit lighter and more lyrical than before – a nice change from the harder tones of Jimmy's early trio records, and a hint and the expansive lines he'd take on later recordings! The lineup features mostly Kenny Burrell on guitar and Philly Joe Jones on drums – plus a few additional tracks that use Eddie McFadden on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – and titles include "These Foolish Things", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "One For Philly Joe", and a nice version of Monk's "Hackensack". CD features 4 bonus tracks – "Willow Weep For Me", "Ain't No Use", "Angel Eyes", and "Ain't That Love" – all with vocals by Bill Henderson! CD

Features "Blues For 3+1", "Ode To Billie Joe", "Organ Grinder's Swing", "Ape Woman", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Funky Broadway", "Mellow Mood", "Burning Spear", "One Mint Julep", "Hobo Flats", "Groove Drops", "TNT", "Blues In The Night", and "the Sermon". CD

A really wonderful album in the Verve Records catalog of the 60s – a set that's not only a fantastic meeting between two superstar jazz musicians, with Jimmy Smith on Hammond and Wes Montgomery on guitar – but one that also takes things in a whole groovy new dimension, thanks to the arrangements of Oliver Nelson! Nelson is at his soulful best here – working on hard-swinging charts that almost seem to liberate Jimmy and Wes to do even more with their solos – really stretching out, with an especially great sound from Smith on the organ – maybe at a level that makes the record one of his best of all time for Verve! Titles include "James & Wes", "Night Train", "13 (Death March)", and "Down By The Riverside". CD

A Japanese-only album that features rare material recorded by Jimmy's trio in the late 50s – with a guest appearance by Lou Donaldson on alto sax! Apart from one track – "Cha Cha J", which was issued as a 45 – the material on the set was never issued before this release, which is a shame, because it's every bit as great as you'd imagine. Lou had blown with Jimmy on some other "jam session" albums – but this set lets him open up in a more intimate mode, working well with Jimmy's organ technique on tunes like "Star Eyes", "Soft Winds", 'Hollerin & Screamin", and "Round Midnight". CD

A surprisingly great meeting between Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith – and a set that's one of Jimmy's standout small combo sessions for Verve! The feel here is much more Jimmy Smith at Blue Note than some of the bigger group Verve dates of the 60s – and Kenny Burrell's sensitive guitar lines provide wonderful company for Smith on the date – shading in his Hammond lines with a nice sense of color, in ways that really fit the late nite setting of the record. Other players on the date include either Bill English or Mel Lewis on drums, George Duvivier or Milt Hinton on bass, Vince Gambella on guitar, and Art Marotti on percussion – and titles include "Kenny's Sound", "Blues For Del", "Blue Bash", "Travelin", and "Soft Winds". CD

Features Jimmy Smith on organ, Mark Turner, Ron Blake, and Tim Warfield on tenor sax, Abraham Burton on alto, Nicholas Payton and Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Christian McBride on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. CD

Although he was the consummate high-class hipster at the start of his career, for some reason Jimmy Smith seemed to hit a forced sort of rootsy style about halfway through his years at Verve. The style worked well for him, even if it sometimes languished in bluesy tones that seemed a bit forced – and on this album, his basic trio of Grady Tate and Kenny Burrell are augmented by arrangements by Oliver Nelson. Nelson keeps things from getting too hokey, and Jimmy's organ lines are free and sharp on the best cuts. Titles include "Mustard Greens", "Hobson's Hop", "Got My Mojo Workin", and "High Heel Sneakers". Jimmy pays tribute to an earlier generation of R&B – in a hard-wailing set of soul jazz, done with backings from the legendary Oliver Nelson! A few tracks feature vocals by Jimmy, in a rough bluesy style, and others have some harmonica by Buddy Lucas – in a raspy, hard-wailing mode that still fits in nicely with the jazzier style of the album. Jimmy's organ is right up front on most numbers – recorded with that full, dynamic sound that makes so many of his Verve albums a treasure – and the best numbers have a more contemporary 60s groove alongside the older bluesy roots. Grady Tate plays drums – surprisingly funky at times – and other players include Melba Liston and Tom McIntosh on trombones, Billy Butler on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on Fender bass, and Joe Newman on trumpet. Titles include "Hi Heel Sneakers", "TNT", "Boom Boom", "Ain't That Just Like A Woman", and "One Mint Julep". CD

One of those hard-wailing all-star sessions that Jimmy did so well for Blue Note! The album features an amazing array of top-line players – like Tina Brooks, Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Lou Donaldson, Art Blakey, and Kenny Burrell – and they all play with Smith in differing combinations, all of which have an open-ended groove that sounds very nice, and very much like the kind of material that Smith would have laid down at some small club in the late 50s. Titles include "Blues After All", "Au Private", and "Lover Man". CD includes bonus track, "Confirmation"! CD

Material that was never released at the time that it was recorded – half came out on a late 70s album, and the other half is here for the first time! CD

A great pairing, and one that didn't even happen back in the 60s – Jimmy Smith on Hammond, Eddie Harris on tenor, and Kenny Dixon on drums! CD

A really wonderful album in the Verve Records catalog of the 60s – a set that's not only a fantastic meeting between two superstar jazz musicians, with Jimmy Smith on Hammond and Wes Montgomery on guitar – but one that also takes things in a whole groovy new dimension, thanks to the arrangements of Oliver Nelson! Nelson is at his soulful best here – working on hard-swinging charts that almost seem to liberate Jimmy and Wes to do even more with their solos – really stretching out, with an especially great sound from Smith on the organ – maybe at a level that makes the record one of his best of all time for Verve! Titles include "James & Wes", "Night Train", "13 (Death March)", and "Down By The Riverside". CD

Jimmy Smith on organ with Christian McBride on bass, Gregory Hutchinson on drums, Mark Whitfield on guitar and Nicholas Payton and Roy Hargrove on trumpet. CD

Jimmy Smith serves up a bucket of soul here – on an album that's one of his last for Blue Note, and still very much in the strong trio mode that launched his work for the label! The group's that super-sharp early 60s combo of Jimmy's – with Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – both players who have a groove that's maybe a bit under-stated at times, but which really lets Smith dominate the record – on both the keys of the Hammond, and the great work he brings to the bass pedals too. The tracks are short, but very groovy – with a tighter sound than on some of Smith's early Blue Note trio albums, and the same kind of in-the-pocket sound that made his Crazy Baby album a big hit. Includes a very groovy remake of "John Brown's Body", the original groovers "Bucket" and "Sassy Mae", and a nice modal tune called "3 for 4". CD reissue also features previously unissued bonus tracks "Trouble In Mind" and "Sassy Mae", done in an alternate take! CD

Prime Jimmy Smith material from his earliest years at Blue Note – hidden here under some more modern 70s cover art! The work here is very much in the best long-blown, open-ended style of Smith's jam session sides for the label – and the album features Jimmy's Hammond in the company of two different groups – one with George Coleman on tenor, Lee Morgan on trumpet, and Curtis Fuller on trombone – the other with Lou Donaldson on alto, Tina Brooks on tenor, and Morgan on trumpet! Kenny Burrell plays guitar, and all tracks are nice and long, with plenty of room for solos! Titles include "Cherokee", "What Is This Thing Called Love", and "Confirmation". CD

Forget the "pretty" in the title here – as this stuff's not glossy or fancy – just wonderfully stripped-down Hammond work from Jimmy, performed with a trio that includes Eddie McFadden on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. The title should probably read "mellow" instead of "pretty" – as the groove is very laidback and late-nite, with Jimmy hitting some of those really cool "unbridled" notes that are the best part of his early Blue Note sound. Titles include "East Of The Sun", "The Very Thought Of You", "Penthouse Serenade", and "Old Devil Moon". CD

One of the most famous early albums from Hammond organ giant Jimmy Smith – and for good reason too, as he was using the instrument to pioneer a whole new field in jazz! Before Jimmy, others had used the organ on short tracks, usually for a bit of color – but here, Smith explodes as a master soloist on very long tracks – allowing strong jam session interplay with an all-star group that also includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, George Coleman and Lou Donaldson on altos, Tina Brooks on tenor, Kenny Burrell and Eddie McFadden on guitars, and Donald Bailey and Art Blakey on drums. The set features three long tracks – "The Sermon", "JOS", and "Flamingo" – with a hard-wailing, jam session feel all the way through! CD

Some of the greatest albums that Hammond organist Jimmy Smith issued at the start of the 60s – all records that completely cemented the role of the organ in jazz – and took the instrument out of the realm of back rooms and jukeboxes! That's not to say that the music here wouldn't play great on a jukebox, as some of the cuts here were issued by Blue Note as 45rpm singles, and went on to get a fair bit of organ play – but they're also mixed with longer cuts that really have Smith opening up on the Hammond – showing the world why his skills on the keys were so different than most that came before him! All the records here feature tight small combo backing – not the larger arrangements that Jimmy would later use at the Verve label – and the set features all albums in original artwork, in LP-styled sleeves – and includes the records Home Cookin, Crazy Baby, Midnight Special, Back At The Chicken Shack, and Softly As In A Summer Breeze! CD

It's great to see groovy Jimmy Smith albums coming out on reissue – after years of the US reissue market only focusing on his more straight jazz material! Sessions like this are proof that Jimmy was one of the most fantastic organ players ever – as his work with large arrangements (supplied here by Claus Ogerman) always seems to groove better than his work with small combos. His sound is impeccable, and he soars ahead of the rest of the orchestra with hard biting soulful solos that are just amazing. Titles include "The Ape Woman", "Any Number Can Win", "G'Won Train", "Tubs", and "Ruby". Packaged in a nice groovy gatefold, too! CD

One of the hippest Jimmy Smith albums of the early 70s – a lean and mean, down and dirty, back to basics session for Verve – one that's got plenty of grit in the grooves! L:ike the Root Down album, this set is recorded live with a very stretched out feel – tracks that take Jimmy Smith back to the more open-ended styles of his roots, and get past some of the slicker notes of later years. There's not as much heavy funk as on Root Down, but the sound is still equally great – with plenty of sharp edges on the instrumentation, which includes Jimmy's Hammond alongside bass from Leroy Vinnegar, tenor from Teddy Edwards, guitar from Ray Crawford, drums from Donald Dean, and congas from Victor Pantoja. One title – "Blues For 3 + 1" – hits a great little groove that's almost bossa-funky – and other tracks include "Absolutely Funky", "Lolita", "Bluesmith", and "Mournin Wes". CD

Tracks include "Walk On The Wild Side", "The Cat", "Blues In The Night", " James & Wes", "Ol' Man River", and "Got My Mojo Workin". CD

Features Kenny Burrell on guitar, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, and Buster Williams on bass! CD

One of the key classics from the Jimmy Smith years at Blue Note Records – a really groundbreaking time for the Hammond organ in jazz, as Jimmy helped take it from backrooms in bars to center stage of jazz with a record like this! The album's about as iconic as you can get for Jimmy at the label – from the fantastic cover image, to the well-crafted tunes – many of which are shorter than some of Smith's earlier jam session-styled work, and help forge a bridge between soul jazz and the emerging soul instrumental sound of the early 60s. The album features some excellent work from the obscure Percy France on tenor on most of the tracks – a player we only know from a handful of dates – next to other quartet members who include Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. Titles include "Sugar Hill", "I Got A Woman", "Motoring Along", "Gracie", and "Messin Around". CD features 5 previously unissued bonus tracks! CD

CD features 5 bonus tracks too – alternate takes of 2 tracks on the album, plus "Apostrophe", "Groanin", and "Since I Fell For You". CD

A great little trio session – one of Jimmy's hippest, featuring Grant Green on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. The talents of Green are quite welcome here – as his lighter touch on the strings makes Jimmy open up a bit more than with some of his other compatriots in this format – creating a groove that's less bluesy, with slight modal touches. The set includes a nice long original called "Back Talk", plus the cuts "T'Ain't No Use", "I'm Movin On", and "Hotel Happiness". Cool cover, too, with Jimmy posed in front of the wheel of a Jaguar! CD

A very nice groover from Jimmy – and a session that was recorded earlier, but not issued by Blue Note until the end of the 60s. The format is hard-wailing sextet – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ike Quebec on tenor, and Jackie McLean on alto. Jimmy's usual trio at the time holds the fort on the rhythm department, and all players groove very nicely on a set of 4 long tracks that includes "Big Fat Mama", "Plain Talk", and "Time After Time". CD

A classic Blue Note meeting of two of the label's top talents in the early 60s – Hammond hero Jimmy Smith, and the up-and-rising Stanley Turrentine on tenor! Turrentine's simply great at this point – playing with a raspy edge on the bottom of his tone, sounding dark and mysterious – not nearly as sweet as in later years – and Smith is wonderful too – still with traces of the rough experimental approach to the Hammond that he used in his first few Blue Note sides, but with a bit more of a defined and swinging sound – all given a nice kick by the drums of Donald Bailey and guitar of Quentin Warren. Titles include "Stone Cold Dead in the Market", "Red Top", "Prayer Meetin", "I Almost Lost My Mind", and "Picknickin'". Two bonus tracks, too: "Lonesome Road" and "Smith Walk"! CD

Once an overlooked late Verve album, now a solid classic – and easily one of the funkiest albums ever from organist Jimmy Smith! The groove here is far different than the more familiar Jimmy Smith Verve sessions of the 60s – and the tracks open up in a really extended mode – vamping and jamming with a definite influence from funk, as Jimmy and the combo explore some of the hippest corners of their sound! Players include Paul Humphrey on drums, Wilton Felder on bass, and Arthur Adams on guitar – plus a bit of harmonica from Steve Williams – and there's almost lessons learned here from some of the Latin funk going on in the LA scene of the time. The set was recorded live, and features the great title cut – "Root Down" – a long drawn out groover with a slow funk feel that was made famous by a Beastie Boys sample years back – and other great cuts include "Slow Down Sagg", "Sagg Shootin His Arrow", and "Let's Stay Together". The CD features a nice amount of bonus material – including full unedited performances of "Sagg Shootin' His Arrow", "Slow Down Sagg", and "Root Down", plus the cuts "For Everyone Under The Sun" and "Let's Stay Together". CD

Titles include "Walk On The Wild Side", "Blues For J", "The Cat", "Trouble In My Mind", "The Champ", "Kenny's Sound", "The Boss", "Groove Drops", "Ritual", and more – 25 tracks total! CD

Jimmy Smith on organ, Russell Malone on guitar, Reggie McBride on bass, and Harvey Mason on drums – plus guest vocals from Etta James and Dr. John, as well as guitar and vocals from BB King and Taj Mahal. CD

A surprisingly nice little album – a Jimmy Smith Blue Note session dedicated to Fats Waller, one of the first jazz musicians to work out his skills on the organ! Jimmy's working with a tight trio that includes Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – and although Waller never wowed anybody on the instrument in the same way that Smith did, he did come up with a nice way of getting a good sound out of the instrument – one that Jimmy rightly acknowledges here, then takes to the next level! The album features familiar tunes from the Waller songbook, but the performance is definitely prime Jimmy Smith on Blue Note – a set with titles that include "Lulu's Back In Town", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin", "I've Found A New Baby", "Ain't She Sweet", and "Squeeze Me". CD

A great return to form for Hammond giant Jimmy Smith – heard here on an early 90s date for Blue Note, done in the same style as Jimmy's classic work for the label! The set's a live one, recorded in Japan – and the tracks have this open flow that's mighty nice – proof that Smith's talents on the keys hadn't dimmed at all over the years, recorded alongside some tremendous guitar work from Kenny Burrell – who's got that same sense of wide tone with a lean groove that made earlier collaborations with Jimmy so great. The similarly-named Jimmie Smith is on drums in the trio – and tracks include "The Cat", "The Preacher", "All Day Long", "Chittlins Con Carne", and "The Organ Grinder's Swing". CD

Material that was recorded in the early 60s, but not issued by Blue Note until later in the decade – when they were pulling out any Jimmy Smith session they had, in order to compete with the bigger hits on Verve. The record features 8 extended tracks, with an all-star jam session lineup that includes Blue Mitchell, Jackie McLean, and Ike Quebec. Down and dirty organ jazz, played in the open jam style that Blue Note was using with Jimmy after the initial trio sides. Titles include "Sista Rebecca", "Open House", "Plain Talk", "Time After Time", and "Old Folks". CD

Fantastic studio material from Jimmy's best period on Blue Note! The CD features 6 unreleased tracks – all recorded in 1958, but never issued until now, for some insanely stupid reason! The tracks feature Jimmy's usual organ/guitar/drums trio approach, augmented with some great baritone work by Cecil Payne. Payne was a fantastic player at this point, and his gutsy baritone really opens up the band's soulful grooves in a great way. Kenny Burrell handles guitar, and drums are by either Art Blakey or Donald Bailey. The set includes 4 untitled tracks listed as "Blues No 1", "Blues No 2", etc – plus covers of "St Louis Blues" and "Swing Shepherd Blues". Excellent solo work by Jimmy throughout, with that deep raw sound that he was really laying on heavy in these late 50s recordings! CD

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A really wonderful album in the Verve Records catalog of the 60s – a set that's not only a fantastic meeting between two superstar jazz musicians, with Jimmy Smith on Hammond and Wes Montgomery on guitar – but one that also takes things in a whole groovy new dimension, thanks to the arrangements of Oliver Nelson! Nelson is at his soulful best here – working on hard-swinging charts that almost seem to liberate Jimmy and Wes to do even more with their solos – really stretching out, with an especially great sound from Smith on the organ – maybe at a level that makes the record one of his best of all time for Verve! Titles include "James & Wes", "Night Train", "13 (Death March)", and "Down By The Riverside". CD

One of the deepest albums that Count Basie ever recorded – thanks to some great arrangements and backings by Oliver Nelson! Nelson's working in the same groovy mode he used with Jimmy Smith's excellent Verve sessions – and although the record doesn't have the same sort of star soloist in the lead, the Basie band members do a great job of trading off solos over the enigmatic backings crafted by Nelson. A number of the tracks have a Latin flair – and work on electric bass grooves that push the set farther than the usual Basie outing of the time – with a flavor that's right up there with the hippest Nelson sessions for Flying Dutchman, and maybe even a bit like spiritual ensemble material too. Titles include versions of Albert Ayler's "Love Flower" and Pharoah Sanders' "Japan", plus originals by Nelson like "Afrique", "Kilimanjaro", and "African Sunrise". CD

One of the deepest albums that Count Basie ever recorded – thanks to some great arrangements and backings by Oliver Nelson! Nelson's working in the same groovy mode he used with Jimmy Smith's excellent Verve sessions – and although the record doesn't have the same sort of star soloist in the lead, the Basie band members do a great job of trading off solos over the enigmatic backings crafted by Nelson. A number of the tracks have a Latin flair – and work on electric bass grooves that push the set farther than the usual Basie outing of the time – with a flavor that's right up there with the hippest Nelson sessions for Flying Dutchman, and maybe even a bit like spiritual ensemble material too. Titles include versions of Albert Ayler's "Love Flower" and Pharoah Sanders' "Japan", plus originals by Nelson like "Afrique", "Kilimanjaro", and "African Sunrise". CD

The funky Root Down EP by the Beastie Boys – riding high on a mid 90s creative peak! Root Down featuring a trio of versions of the title track and Ill Communication album standout, based on the Jimmy Smith's classic of the same name – and in hindsight, you really have to hand it to the Beasties, not only sampling and celebrating classic early 70s jazz funk, but for their earnest wish to introduce Jimmy Smith to the pop culture kids of the 90s – including a killer remix by the mighty Prince Paul. Also includes some live recordings from the time of classic Beasties tracks like"Time For Livin", "The Maestro", "Somethin's Got To Give", Time To Get Ill", thier punky "Heart Attack Man", "Sabrosa" and "Flute Loop". CD

Includes tracks with John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, Jimmy Smith and many more! CD

A massive little record, and a real turning point for alto genius Lou Donaldson – as he uses the set to move from the tight bop of earlier years into a whole new spectrum of funky grooves! Key to this project is drummer Idris Muhammad – who's on the kit, already kicking it up in the way that would make him a jazz funk legend as the 70s began – but so young here, he's working under his original name of Leo Morris! The rest of the group is equally great – with the up-and-coming Lonnie Smith on Hammond and Jimmy Ponder on guitar – plus tight trumpet from Blue Mitchell, who's really hitting his most soulful sound of the 60s. Titles include Donaldson's fantastic funky reworking of "Ode To Billie Joe" – a very famous sample cut over the years – plus the soulful groovers "The Humpback", "Peepin", "The Kid", and a nice take on "The Shadow Of Your Smile". CD

Collects 25 tracks – including the entire Smokin' At The Half Note album – and features work with Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Smith, Oliver Nelson, and others. CD

Music from Huey Smith, Frankie Ford, Joe Tex and Jimmy Clanton – 14 tracks in all. CD

Mighty High features sweet and slow-burning organ from the great Milt Buckner – a really simple session overall, but one with lots of magical touches! Milt plays with a tone that's much lighter than a lot of his contemporaries on the Hammond – not as many tricks as Jimmy Smith, and perhaps more integrated into a group sound than the usual organ soloist. The album features lots of short tracks, played by a quintet with Buckner on organ, Jimmy Campbell on alto sax, and Kenny Burrell on guitar. Titles include "DTs", "Burnt Out", "Castle Rock", "Haunting Me", "After Hours", "Two Flights Up", and "Teach Me Tonight". The liner notes describe Midnight Mood as "music for squares, for hippies and for square hippies" and it has "mood pattern after mood pattern". Milt Buckner plays the organ and is joined by Johhny Pate on bass and Maurice Sinclaire on drums. Tracks include "Almost Lost My Mind", "If I Should Lose You", "Love Is The Thing", "Bouncing At Dawn", "Little White Lies", "One For My Baby", and "Baby Baby All The Time". CD

Quite an unusual Lou Donaldson album for Blue Note – much more open-ended than his other sets, with a really hard-jamming sort of sound! Unlike some of Donaldson's tighter dates of the time, which feature more bop-based, song-based shorter tunes – this one's more of a long-form blowing session, much more of the date you'd expect to hear from Prestige in the late 50s – and a bit like some of the work that Lou did on some of Jimmy Smith's all-star blowing dates from the same time. The group's a great one – a sextet with Donaldson on alto, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Sonny Clark on piano, Jamil Nasser on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – the last of whom is very much at home in the setting, and does a great job of directing the energy of the group. The album's only got four long tracks – and titles include "Sputnik", "Dewey Square", "Groovin High", and "Strollin In". CD

Essential early work by Stan – a 3 CD collection of his early 50s recordings for the Roost label, either under his own name and group, or with guitarist Johnny Smith. The Smith sides only make up a very small portion of the package – as most of the work are by Getz's quartet or quintet, the groundbreaking assemblage that featured Jimmy Raney on guitar, whose icy clear tone was a perfect counterpart for Getz's sweet breathy work on the tenor. The quality of the material is really great – and the package does a great job of presenting the work freshly, without an overload of alternate takes or tunes you don't want to hear. There's a total of 59 tracks in all – and titles include "Potter's Luck", "Tenderly", "Budo", "Signal", "Fools Rush In", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Yvette", "Melody Express", "Split Kick", "Hershey Bar", and "Penny". CD

A set of incredible records from Charles Mingus – all presented together in one mighty nice package! First up is Mingus Moves – a fantastic fresh new chapter in the career of Charles Mingus – a set that features the addition of two key players who would really shape his sound in the 70s – Don Pullen on piano and George Adams on tenor, both completely wonderful here! The group also features excellent trumpet from Roland Hampton, a player we don't know from many other settings – and the set also features some really nice vocal work from Honi Gordon and Doug Hammond. Titles include "Canon", "Moves", "Wee", "Flowers For A Lady", "Opus 3", and "Newcomer". CD also features bonus tracks – "Big Alice" and "The Call". Changes is key 70s work from Charles Mingus – an album that was recorded over the course of three days of creative activity at the end of 1974, but somehow split into two different albums under the Changes name! The lineup here is prime 70s Mingus – George Adams on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Don Pullen on piano – young players who really give a fresh voice to Mingus' musical ideas, and help him find this beautiful late life sense of color, tone, and timing that's completely sublime! Titles on this second volume include "Sue's Changes", "Devil Blues", "Remember Rockefeller At Attica", "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA", "Black Bats & Poles", "For Harry Carney", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love" – which features a guest appearance by Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and Jackie Paris on vocals. On 3 Or 4 Shades Of Blues, Charles Mingus is returning to the soulful gospel-influenced mode he swung big in the early 60s! The record's something of a later predecessor of the classics Blues & Roots for Atlantic and Mingus (x5) for Impulse – and the style is slightly less dramatic, but still quite steeped in soulful explorations that feature plenty of notes from the bluer side of the spectrum! Players include George Coleman and Ricky Ford on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Larry Coryell on guitar – and titles include new takes on "Better Git Hit In Your Soul" and "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" – plus"Nobody Knows", "Noddin Ya Head Blues", and "Three Or Four Shades Of Blues". Next is Cumbia & Jazz Fusion – one of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". Me Myself An Eye is complicated later work from Charles Mingus – a great illustration of the way his power to command a large ensemble never wavered as the years went on! The album features two different large groups of players – filled with modernists young and old – including Ricky Ford, George Coleman, and Michael Brecker on tenors; Ronni Cuber and Pepper Adams on baritone; Randy Brecker and Jack Walrath on trumpets; Lee Konitz on alto, Larry Coryell on guitar, Slide Hampton on trombone, and Eddie Gomez on bass. Side one features the 30 minute track "Three Worlds Of Drums", and side two contains a remake of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting", plus "Devil Woman" and "Carolyn Keki Mingus". Something Like A Bird is one of the last albums Charles Mingus ever gave us – before departing this planet way way too soon! The set shows the increasing sophistication of Mingus' music in these later years – a mode that almost echoes the path that Duke Ellington would take in his final decade – a move towards some larger-form material that still holds onto all the raw energy of the early days, but finds a way to not only bridge larger musical ideas – but musical generations as well! As part of this, the set's got a wonderful lineup – with Lee Konitz on alto, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, George Coleman on tenor, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and titles include the long title track, "Something Like A Bird", split up over 2 sides of the LP, plus "Farewell Farwell". CD

A very cool little set – not a hokey album of big band music, but instead a set that has Hammond hero Shirley Scott taking on some of the same territory as Jimmy Smith on Verve Records! By that, we mean that she teams with arranger Oliver Nelson – who gives Shirley a very cool groove, and 60s updates of older tunes that turn out to be a perfect setting for her soaring solos on the organ! Titles include "Tippin In", "Roll 'Em", "For Dancers Only", "Little Brown Jug", "Sophisticated Swing", and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". CD

An early classic from organist Larry Young – cut before his groundbreaking Blue Note work, in a style that's more straightforward soul jazz, but still pretty darn great! Larry's working in a group that features Jimmy Smith's frequent partner, Thornel Schwartz, on guitar – plus bass by Wendell Marshall, and drums by Jimmy Smith (a different musician than the organist!) Although there's less of the modal grooving of Larry's later years, the tracks still have a nicely off-center feel – with some great angular playing, and a great way of constructing the solos that pushes Larry away from other heavier organists of the time. Tracks include "African Blues", "Nica's Dream", "Minor Dream", and "Midnight Angel". Nice stuff! CD

The fantastic and nicely expanded Ace Story Vol 2 – the seminal series of one time vinyl only Ace Records compilations of standout late 50s/early 60s New Orleans R&B, with a bit of rock & roll & blues! Like Vol 1 of the CD revisit/revival, the 12 tracks from the original vinyl compilation are fleshed out with an addition dozen tracks that are just as great! It's steeped heavily is fantastic late 50s Crescent City R&B, jump blues and more – great stuff from Eddie Bo, Little Shelton, Jimmy Clanton, Huey Piano Smith, Earl King, Gene & Al's Spacemen, Big Boy Myles and more! 24 tracks in all: "Blow Wind Blow" by Junior Gordon, "Roberta" by Frankie Ford, "Sea Cruise" by Little Shelton, "Chickee Wah-Wah" by Bobby Marchan, "Curiousity" by Joe & Ann, "Teen Age Rock" by Little Booker, "Little Girl" by Earl King, "New Orleans" by Big Boy Myles, "Looped" by Joe Dyson with Johnny Collins and many more. CD

Music from Jimmy Smith, Billy Eckstine, Curtis Mayfield, BB King, Herbie Mann, Les McCann and Roberta Flack. CD

A treasure trove of great 78 rpm recordings from Albert Ammons, Pinetop Smith, Clarence Lofton and Red Nelson, Jimmy Blythe, Pete Johnson, Speckled Red, Jimmy Yancey, Montana Taylor, Bob Zurke, Hersal Thomas, and more. CD

A really great collection of work that sets the scene for the London Underground of the 60s – that heady cultural scene that was about to burst forth and shower the world with a huge range of new music that would influence listeners for decades to come! This package isn't that music – in that most of the artists here are American, mixed with contributions from a few key Brit talents too – and the whole thing works together to showcase the sorts of sounds that were a bit inspiration on the generation that would then inspire many others to come – a mad mix of modern jazz, electronic music, avant classical, groovy vocal, and even some compelling beat/poetry recordings too – all packaged together in an overstuffed 3CD set that makes for a hell of a journey in music! Artists include Ornette Coleman, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Charles Mingus, Daphne Oram, Modern Jazz Quartet, Aldous Huxley, Cecil Taylor, John Cage, Eric Dolphy, Annie Ross, Sun Ra, Gyorgy Ligeti, Allen Ginsberg, Jimmy Smith, Luciano Berio, John Coltrane, Chico Hamilton, Alexis Korner, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Albert Ayler, Joe Harriott, and many others. CD

R&B, gritty blues, and some killer tenor talents – a wicked collection of vintage masters from legendary indie United Records! Musically, the package is very much on a par with Ace/Kent collections of this type – the sort that might feature material from King or Modern/RPM Records from the same vintage – and our hat's off to Delmark for doing such a great job of bringing back these crucially overlooked sounds from Chicago! Titles include "Cool Leo" by Leo Parker", "Cut That Out (alt)" by Junior Wells, "Organ Grinder" by Jimmy Coe, "Walking Home" by JT Brown, "Let's Get High" by Morris Pejoe, "Crazy Walk" by Tab Smith, "In The Dark" by Grant Jones, "Nona" by Paul Bascomb, "Goodbye" by The Pastels, "Tiny's Boogie" by Tiny Grimes, "Sophisticated Lady (alt)" by Jimmy Forrest, and "Come In The Room" by Robert Anderson. CD