A key second chapter in the long and wonderful career of Joni Mitchell – a set that brings together the four albums she recorded for the Asylum label in the mid 70s – a post-Blue period that really had Joni opening up and exploring a lot in her music – including a jazzier side of the spectrum that never showed up as strongly before! First up is For The Roses – a sometimes-overlooked album in the career of Joni Mitchell – but a set that's every bit as great as the two huge hits that bracket it! Joni's really finding a great way forward, sounding more mature, and bringing some jazzier currents into her music – thanks in part to help from reedman Tom Scott and bassist Wilton Felder of The Crusaders – and a style of songwriting that's sometimes more fluid than before, and often a lot more biting too! Titles include "Woman Of Heart & Mind", "You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", "For The Roses", "Barbangrill", "Cold Blue Steel & Sweet Fire", "Let The Wind Carry Me", "Lesson In Survival", and "Judgement Of The Moon & Stars". Court & Spark is a key record in the second chapter of Joni Mitchell on record – a set that has both her vocals and her overall music style flowing with all these amazing touches you might not have heard a few years before – jazzier currents in her music that really set the album apart from earlier work in Joni's career! Mitchell responds to the music with soaring vocals that are completely wonderful, and nicely changed up in character from tune to tune – given backing by a host of great jazz and studio players who include Tom Scott on reeds and Joe Sample on keyboards! Titles include her classic version of "Twisted" – a redone version of the old Annie Ross track – plus the classic hit "Help Me", and "Just Like This Train", "Car On A Hill", "Court & Spark", "Down To You", "Free Man In Paris", and "People's Parties". Miles Of Aisles is the first-ever live album from Joni Mitchell – and a record that sounds a fair bit different than a concert set might have during the Reprise years – as Joni's got plenty of help from Tom Scott & The LA Express, who bring a tight yet intimate vibe to the proceedings! Joni's definitely a superstar at this point – as you might guess from the size of the amphitheater on the cover – but she's also got an even stronger ability to come across with a personal, pointed style – one that's very different than the overblown hype of so many other 70s live albums. The set includes a few tracks not yet on albums, and a nice mix of material – including the live version of "Big Yellow Taxi" that ended up as a hit single – and the cuts"You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", "Blue", "Woman Of Heart & Mind", "Both Sides Now", "Real Good For Free", "Jericho", "Circle Game", "Cactus Tree", "The Last Time I Saw Richard", "People's Parties", and "Woodstock". Hissing Of Summer Lawns is a further step forward in the career of Joni Mitchell – a record that not only continues the jazzier currents she explored in the 70s, but also brings in a whole bunch of different modes as well – so much so, it's almost as if Joni's daring anyone to still call her a folk singer with the album! The themes are wonderfully sophisticated, as is the songwriting – the king of material that would keep Mitchell strong for decades, while so many of her contemporaries faltered – as you'll hear on the tracks "In France They Kiss On Main Street", "Sweet Bird", "Shadows & Light", "The Boho Dance", "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow", "The Jungle Line", and "Edith & The Kingpin". CD

Drummer Roy Haynes always brings something great to the table for any album he does as a leader – and this record is no exception! Here, the "added something" is the presence of Roland Kirk on reeds – offered a key early chance to express his most modern ideas in the freedom of Haynes' group – working alongside Tommy Flanagan on piano and Henry Grimes on bass, in what was easily one of the hippest groups to record for Impulse in the early 60s! The record's filled with wonderful material – and a mix of originals and standards done with a very twisted edge – all with great interplay between Kirk's quirky sax work and Roy Haynes' amazing drumming – often changing up timings and rhythms with ease, and really matching Kirk's quirky energy for the set. Titles include "Moon Ray", "Raoul", "Snap Crackle", and "Long Wharf". CD

A record with a really beautiful title – and a sound that definitely lives up to the "Sailing Ice" on the cover! The music is very much in the best post-Coltrane mode – played by a group led by the great Japanese drummer Motohiko Hino, and featuring Mabumi Yamaguchi on tenor and Yasuaki Shimizu on soprano and tenor – two reed players who really express themselves with a great sense of spirituality, and lots of searching energy throughout. The tracks are mostly originals (save for a version of "Soultrane") – served up in freewheeling modal grooves, and peppered with sharp, soulful solos that search out bold new territory, but which never get too free and sloppy. The set was recorded live, but the recording quality is excellent – and titles include "Sailing Ice", "New Moon", and "Soultrane". CD features bonus tracks "Rio Rome" and "Milky Shade". CD

Life after Peter Gabriel – with Phil Collins doing a surprisingly great job on vocals – free from all the tripe of later years! The group are still very much in the mode of their early prog years, but balance things out with a few catchier tunes – a mode that's a bit like the Selling England By The Pound album, sans Gabriel. Collins is learning how to express himself soulfully, but not in a commercial way – and the few off moments are more than balanced with some wonderfully tight instrumental work – on tracks that include "Dance On A Volcano", "Robbery Assault & Battery", "Ripples", "Trick Of The Tail", and "Mad Man Moon". CD

A classic set in the best Verve Records mode – as these two mature giants of the tenor sax get lots of room to open up and solo with a great rhythm section at the core! Both Hawkins and Webster have a fantastic sense of tone and timing – and the space of the record really lets you hear the charms of both in equal measure – with backing from Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Alvin Stoller on drums. The best tracks have lots of room – plenty of space so that the tenors aren't "encountering" each other in too close of quarters, with space to express themselves freely – and titles include "Blues For Yolande", "Rosita", "Shine On Harvest Moon", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". CD

Drummer Roy Haynes always brings something great to the table for any album he does as a leader – and this record is no exception! Here, the "added something" is the presence of Roland Kirk on reeds – offered a key early chance to express his most modern ideas in the freedom of Haynes' group – working alongside Tommy Flanagan on piano and Henry Grimes on bass, in what was easily one of the hippest groups to record for Impulse in the early 60s! The record's filled with wonderful material – and a mix of originals and standards done with a very twisted edge – all with great interplay between Kirk's quirky sax work and Roy Haynes' amazing drumming – often changing up timings and rhythms with ease, and really matching Kirk's quirky energy for the set. Titles include "Moon Ray", "Raoul", "Snap Crackle", and "Long Wharf". CD

A record with a really beautiful title – and a sound that definitely lives up to the "Sailing Ice" on the cover! The music is very much in the best post-Coltrane mode – played by a group led by the great Japanese drummer Motohiko Hino, and featuring Mabumi Yamaguchi on tenor and Yasuaki Shimizu on soprano and tenor – two reed players who really express themselves with a great sense of spirituality, and lots of searching energy throughout. The tracks are mostly originals (save for a version of "Soultrane") – served up in freewheeling modal grooves, and peppered with sharp, soulful solos that search out bold new territory, but which never get too free and sloppy. The set was recorded live, but the recording quality is excellent – and titles include "Rio Rome", "Sailing Ice", "Milky Shade", and "New Moon". CD

Crazy stuff – and a very fitting compilation of tracks designed to accompany the excellent Songs In The Key of Z book by Irwin Chusid. Chusid's book looks at the history of "outsider music" in the US – the odd fringes of the underground, where conventional expectations about music are thrown away in the mad vision of adventurous artists with a mission to create and express as never before. There's a few familiar names on here, but there's a lot more wild stuff that we've never ever heard before – and although the styles are a real mixup, the tracks are all united by their uniqueness and by Chusid's thoughtful production of the package. Titles include "Walking On The Moon" by Lucia Pamela, "Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" by Peter Grudzien, "Virgin Child Of The Universe" by Song-Poem, "In Canada" by BJ Snowden, "Cousin Mosquito #1" by Congresswoman Malinda Jackson Parker, "At The Grass Roots" by Sri Darwin Gross, and "They Told Me I Was A Fool" by Jandek. 20 tracks in all. CD

A pivotal set from Cassanda Wilson – and a record that firmly established her as one of the freshest new singers in jazz at the time! The album's awash in rootsy, dusky tones – and has an earthiness that's clearly inspired by older blues, but expressed by Cassandra in voicings that are more clearly jazz-based. Titles include an unusual range of covers – used in this way many years before the Starbucks generation of vocalists made it common place – with covers that include "Last Train To Clarksville", "Harvest Moon", "Skylark", and "Love Is Blindness" – alongside originals that include "Until", "A Little Warm Death", "Find Him", "Solomon Sang", and "Memphis". CD

One of the coolest collections of work we've ever heard from the great Mort Garson – a selection of tracks that were done during the same years as his famous album releases in the world of moog and analog synth, but done for much more obscure sources that include television, film, and other avenues of expression! The title's a reference to a cut here that was used during a 1969 broadcast of the moon landing – but there's so much more here too, and as always with Garson, there's a blend of electronic experimentation and tunefulness that make the whole thing pretty darn groovy – and not just a trip on the farther reaches of experimental electronics. Titles include "Moon Journey", "Zoos Of The World", "Music For Advertising #8", "Love Is A Garden", "The D-Bee's Cat Boogie", "Black Eye", "Western Dragon (part 3)", "Captain DJ Disco UFO", and "The Big Game Hunters See The Cheetah". CD

A pivotal set from Cassanda Wilson – and a record that firmly established her as one of the freshest new singers in jazz at the time! The album's awash in rootsy, dusky tones – and has an earthiness that's clearly inspired by older blues, but expressed by Cassandra in voicings that are more clearly jazz-based. Titles include an unusual range of covers – used in this way many years before the Starbucks generation of vocalists made it common place – with covers that include "Last Train To Clarksville", "Harvest Moon", "Skylark", and "Love Is Blindness" – alongside originals that include "Until", "A Little Warm Death", "Find Him", "Solomon Song", and "Memphis". CD

Dianne Reeves – as lovely as ever, perhaps even more so – as the set's a nicely stripped-down session that really showcases her best side! The tunes are spare and simple small combo numbers – mostly with piano trio backing, but also including a bit of occasional trumpet and guitar. Dianne performs wonderfully on a mix of standards served up with a heck of a lot more soul and expression than we're used to hearing from the tunes – and production on the set is by Arif Mardin, showing the same simple elegance that he brought to classic work by Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan. Titles include "I'm All Smiles", "Loads Of Love", "Skylark", "We'll Be Together Again", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", and "Reflections". CD

Gregory Porter is a really hip singer – the type that only comes around once in a blue moon! Like Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, or Kurt Elling – all perfect references for Porter's style – Greg has a wonderful way of coming up with his own lyrics for a tune – making him way more than just a singer of standards, and instead a richly expressive voice that has every bit to offer as you might get from a jazz instrumentalist! The arrangements are great, too – handled by Porter with help from pianist Chip Crawford and producer Kamau Kenyatta – bold, soulful, and soaring on the best tracks – all in beautiful declaration of Gregory's rich power and presence. Titles include a great version of Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile", and the original tracks "1960 What", "Lonely One", "Water", "Pretty", "Illusion", and "Magic Cup". CD

Gregory Porter is a really hip singer – the type that only comes around once in a blue moon! Like Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, or Kurt Elling – all perfect references for Porter's style – Greg has a wonderful way of coming up with his own lyrics for a tune – making him way more than just a singer of standards, and instead a richly expressive voice that has every bit to offer as you might get from a jazz instrumentalist! The arrangements are great, too – handled by Porter with help from pianist Chip Crawford and producer Kamau Kenyatta – bold, soulful, and soaring on the best tracks – all in beautiful declaration of Gregory's rich power and presence. Titles include a great version of Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile", and the original tracks "1960 What", "Lonely One", "Water", "Pretty", "Illusion", and "Magic Cup". CD

Don't let the "broadway" or the "blues" or the "ballads" in the title put you off – because this album's way more than any of those – one of those key 60s records that have Nina Simone taking familiar material and investing it with a new sort of righteous power of her own – almost transforming the songs in the process, and really opening them up past any sort of easy expectations! Arrangements include a bit of work from Nina, plus more by Horace Ott and Hal Mooney – and throughout, the singer shifts modes and moods with effortless ease, turning songs from ordinary tunes into fierce expressions of righteous soul. Titles include "The Laziest Gal In Town", "Nobody", "I Am Blessed", "Of This I'm Sure", "See Line Woman", "Last Rose Of Summer", and "How Can I". CD

Don't let the "broadway" or the "blues" or the "ballads" in the title put you off – because this album's way more than any of those – one of those key 60s records that have Nina Simone taking familiar material and investing it with a new sort of righteous power of her own – almost transforming the songs in the process, and really opening them up past any sort of easy expectations! Arrangements include a bit of work from Nina, plus more by Horace Ott and Hal Mooney – and throughout, the singer shifts modes and moods with effortless ease, turning songs from ordinary tunes into fierce expressions of righteous soul. Titles include "The Laziest Gal In Town", "Nobody", "I Am Blessed", "Of This I'm Sure", "See Line Woman", "Last Rose Of Summer", and "How Can I". CD

Very long, very spiritual improvisations from a really wonderful group – the Fire Into Music quartet of trombonist Steve Swell, a group with superb work from Hamid Drake on drums, William Parker on bass, and the late Jemeel Moondoc on alto saxophone! As you'd guess from the title, the album is something of a tribute to Moondoc, who left the planet in 2021 – and who was really one of the standard bearers of more spiritual jazz expression at the time of these recordings, when the style had fallen out of favor with some of the underground. Yet the rest of the group is equally amazing – and the pairing of Parker and Drake is completely sublime on its own, especially given the open space they are allowed in the very long tracks that make up the set. Swell is great too – both as a leader and a very sly sound-shaper on trombone – and the set features a full 55 minute improvised performance from the El Dorado Ballroom in Houston – plus six more slightly shorter tracks recorded in Marfa and Guelph – on titles that include "Box Set", "Junka Nu", "Space Cowboys", and "Swimming In A Galaxy Of Goodwill & Sorrow". CD

Sparkling piano from Bruce Barth – set up nicely in a group that also features Steve Nelson on vibes and Terell Stafford on trumpet and flugelhorn! Both players bring in some darker edges that round out the sound nicely – mixing with Barth's lyrical lines on keys, which dance magically to rhythmic accompaniment from Vincente Archer on bass and Montez Coleman on drums. Nelson's especially expressive here – and although he drops out for three of the album's ten tracks, he still really helps shape the overall vibe of the record. Titles include "Vamonos", "Moon Shadows", "Brasilia", "Daybreak", "Triste", "Tuesday's Blues", and "In The Still Of The Night". CD

Lezlie Harrison's a great singer, and she sounds especially wonderful here next to the Hammond B3 of Ben Paterson – a player who really seems to click with Lezlie's great approach! There's a slight current of soul in Harrison's music, but the music is definitely jazz – as she's got a richness of expression, and way of using her voice that we'd rank right up there with vocalists like Carmen Lundy or Dee Alexander – given plenty of space to open up and soar here in a small combo setting, with work also from Matt Chertkoff on guitar and Pete Zimmer on drums. The approach is great – very different than some straight old school Hammond/vocal session – as Harrison's take on the tunes is very fresh, with more contemporary approach to arrangements – on titles that include "Love Won't Let Me Wait", "Let Them Talk", "A Lover Is Forever", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "Fly Like An Eagle", and "Close Your Eyes". CD

The first ever career-spanning look at the music of legendary vocalist Asha Puthli – a singer who's maybe best known for her 70s club work on the European scene, but who also has a much wider range of expression – which you'll discover here! There's definitely some of the soul-based work that's made Asha a favorite with the rare groove scene over the years – but the set also includes early work with rock bands, and even a few experimental jazz numbers that predate her recordings for the discos! The double-length set is a delight throughout – a package that's really opened our eyes to sides of Asha's music we never knew – and titles include performances with Ornette Coleman on "What Reason Could I Give" and "All My Life", work with Charlie Mariano on "Mirror", vocals with The Surfers on "Sound Of Silence" and "Sunny", and with The Savages on "Pain" – plus solo tracks that include "Lies", "Right Down Here", "We're Gonna Bury The Rock", "Mister Moonlight", "1001 Nights Of Love (reprise)", "Music Machine", "Peek A Boo Boogie", "Devil Is Loose", "Space Talk", "I'm Gonna Dance", and "One Night Affair". CD

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! Features great bonus tracks – unreleased demos of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Lady Stardust" – plus the unreleased "Sweet Head", the b-side "Velvet Goldmine", and an unreleased mix of "John I'm Only Dancing". CD

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to come out in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that includes "Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD

Lezlie Harrison's a great singer, and she sounds especially wonderful here next to the Hammond B3 of Ben Paterson – a player who really seems to click with Lezlie's great approach! There's a slight current of soul in Harrison's music, but the music is definitely jazz – as she's got a richness of expression, and way of using her voice that we'd rank right up there with vocalists like Carmen Lundy or Dee Alexander – given plenty of space to open up and soar here in a small combo setting, with work also from Matt Chertkoff on guitar and Pete Zimmer on drums. The approach is great – very different than some straight old school Hammond/vocal session – as Harrison's take on the tunes is very fresh, with more contemporary approach to arrangements – on titles that include "Love Won't Let Me Wait", "Let Them Talk", "A Lover Is Forever", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "Fly Like An Eagle", and "Close Your Eyes". CD

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to comeout in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that include s"Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD

A treasure trove of harmony soul gems – and a package that's overflowing with great numbers from a time when small group soul really sparkled in the funky 45 underground! Most of the cuts here have never appeared on CD before, and a handful are previously unreleased – and together, the set really showcases the sublime style of singing that emerged in the second half of the 60s – a new approach to harmonizing that was different from jazz, gospel, or doo wop groups in previous years – with tremendous interplay between the lead and backup parts of the group, in charts that were continually inventive and richly expressive at a level that still sounds completely great all these many years later! If you only know Motown male groups, or bigger names like The Impressions or Stylistics, you'll find plenty here to discover – a really rich tapestry of tunes that includes "Strange Voice" by The Imaginations, "Baby" by The Joneses, "Boom A Rang" by Dynamic Soul Machine, "By Your Side" by Moon & Mars, "Can't Get You Off My Mind" by Brothers Of Soul, "Waiting For Your Love" by The Love Experience, "Linda" by Salt & Pepper, "Need Someone To Love" by The Symphonies, "Take Your Time" by The Festivals, "That Day When She Needed Me" by The Performers, "We Can Make It Baby" by The Reputations, "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" by The Four Sonics, and "I'll Be Waiting" by The Lovettes. CD

A full package of work from the mighty Bill Holman – 2CDs worth of music – including three full albums plus bonus tracks! First up is material from the 1957 Coral album The Fabulous Bill Holman – a record that's got a maturity of expression that pushes Holman way past his Kenton years! The tracks are all larger ensemble ones, arranged and partially written by Bill, and played by the group in a broad chromatic style that's very nice – certainly Kenton-esque, but with a style that's somehow a bit more personal. Players include Charlie Mariano, Herb Geller, Richie Kamuca, Conte Cantoli, Stu Williamson, and Holman himself – and titles include "Evil Eyes", "You & I", "Bright Eyes", and the extended "The Big Street" – a great 17 minute tune! Next Is In A Jazz Orbit – a set that has Holman in a great mode that bridges the large group styles of the swing years and the changes in big band sounds that would take place in the 60s – and he's almost prefacing the style of the Clarke Boland Big Band by writing charts here that pack a real punch on the ensemble passages, yet which also rely very strongly on breakaway horn solos to tear up the tunes! The strength of the players is a key factor in the success of the album – as soloists include Frank Rosolino, Jack Sheldon, Herb Geller, Richie Kamuca, and Holman himself – on titles that include "Kissin Bug", "You Go To My Head", "Far Down Below", "Aura", "Theme & Variation #2", and "No Heat". Bill Holman's Great Big Band is a session from 1960 that has Bill Holman still sitting nicely at the top of the west coast large group format from the 50s! As with previous dates of this nature, Holman's got a way around the charts that few can match – a way of swinging the whole ensemble strongly, yet never in ways that are cloying, commercial, or cliched. All the right players find a space for expression – and the lineup includes Richie Kamuca and Bill Perkins on tenor sax, Frank Rosolino on trombone, and Conte Candoli on trumpet – all players who really sparkle nicely when they step out from the larger group. Titles include "Stereoso", "Shadrack", "Quickstep", "Aura", "The Moon Is Blue", "June Is Busting Out All Over", and "Spinuet". CD features 10 more bonus tracks – tunes from Holman's Kenton Presents sessions for Capitol in 1954 – octet material done with Don Fagerquist, Bob Eneveldsen, and Stu Williamson providing full brass support on trumpet and trombones – while Holman, Herb Geller, and Bob Gordon cut some broader lines themselves on saxes. Tunes are all great originals by Holman – extremely inventive in both melody and structure – with titles that include "Sparkle", "Tanglefoot", "Song Without Words", "Cousin Jack", "Back To Minors", and "Jughaid". CD

Beautiful work from the great Earl Klugh, and a set that's exactly what's promised in the title – a solo guitar outing that shows an entirely new side of Earl's many talents! Klugh's acoustic playing on other albums was always great – but here, it really comes to the forefront, with a sound that's rich enough to sum up so many different modes of guitar expression at once – from gypsy swing phrasing, to Spanish flourishes, to some straighter jazz swing – but always with that warmth that's made Earl way more than just another fusion artist on his instrument. Most tracks are standards, done in nicely personal versions – and titles include "Emily", "Once Upon A Summertime", "It's Only A Paper Moon", "So Many Stars", "Love Is Here To Stay", and "The Way You Look Tonight". CD

A fantastic new chapter in music from Cecile McLorin Salvant – a singer who's only been with us for a little more than a decade, has already gotten a Grammy and a MacArthur Genius Grant – yet hasn't let that stop her from being even more creative than ever! Cecile's still very much a jazz singer at the core, but there's also an expressive range here that we might never have guessed on her earlier records – and that's saying a lot, as those albums really blew us away! The singer's really breaking out of just the world of jazz vocals here – rising with star power, ala Gregory Porter or Esperanza Spaulding – but also maybe going deeper at the same time too. Titles include a surprising remake of "Wuthering Heights", plus "Thunderclouds", "Unquiet Grae", "Moon Song", "Trail Mix", "The World Is Mean", "Obligation", "Optimistic Voices/No Love Dying", "I Lost My Mind", and "Dead Popular". CD