Early Sonny Rollins work for Prestige – recorded in the years 1951 and 1953, in a variety of settings! 4 tracks on the album features Rollins blowing with the MJQ, one more has him working with a Miles Davis group, and the last 8 feature a quartet with Kenny Drew, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey. The tunes are shorter than you might be used to hearing Rollins, but there's still plenty of power and imagination in the grooves – very economical solos, crafted with a great deal of imagination. Titles include "Scoops", "Shadrack", "Mambo Bounce", "The Stopper", "I Know", and "No Moe". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweeeeeet groover by Patrice Rushen – her first album for Elektra, and a stunning blend of funky jazz and soul! The record really has Patrice stepping out from her earlier years at Prestige – working in some surprisingly great vocals next to tight lines on Fender Rhodes, synth, and clavinet, handled with a smooth and soulful quality that's wonderful all the way through – a blend of soul and jazz that few other players could do this well – no matter how many others tried to copy her style over the years! Rhythms are as hard and heavy as on the Prestige years, and the keyboards have a great sort of focus too – just the right mix of jazz to offset the vocals – which themselves are a wonderful discovery. The whole album's a gem – and tracks include the great funky classic "Hang It Up", plus "Changes (In Your Life)", "When I Found You", "Play", "Didn't You Know?", and "Music Of The Earth". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by this incredible tenor sax player – a wonderful talent that we only know from a handful of records – all of which we love! This date's got a bold sound that very much lives up to its cover, and Alexander's placement on Prestige's New Jazz label – a vibrant sound that's got elements of the 60s underground of Eric Dolphy or Ken McIntyre, but which also has a more flowing, soulful vibe as well – almost a precursor to later spiritual jazz elements of the 70s. No surprise, the great Marcus Belgrave is in the quintet on trumpet – as is Ronnie Mathews on piano, with rhythm support from Gene Taylor on bass and Clarence Stroman on drums. Almost all tracks are originals – and titles include "I'll Be Around", "Dorman Road", "Lil's Blues", and "Orders To Take Out". LP, Vinyl record album

Kind of an obscure session by Ammons – most likely recorded in that jumble of contracts and conflicting label arrangements in the early 60s – a time when Jug actually did some of his best work! There's no players listed on the notes – which is sometimes typical for these early 60s sides (although not usually the ones on Prestige), and overall, the spirit is in keeping with the "preachin" title – as Jug blows his way over small combo organ backing, in a very churchy kind of soul jazz mode. Titles include "The Prayer", "The Light", "What A Friend", "Sweet Hour", and "Yield Not". LP, Vinyl record album

George Benson's first LP for Columbia – a hard, heavy, soul jazz slammer that bears no resemblance to his overproduced work of the 70s! The album's a real cooker – recorded hot on the heels of Benson's classic work on Prestige with the Jack McDuff group, and sounding a lot like McDuff's hard wailing organ jazz of the same time. George is working with a group that features a young Lonnie Smith on organ, plus Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber on sax, and Charlie Persip on drums – all tightly coming together, and jamming hard on the album's short cooking tracks. Tracks include "Clockwise", "Jaguar", "Hello Birdie", and "Bullfight". LP, Vinyl record album

A soaring spiritual jazz session from Art Blakey – one of his early 70s killers for Prestige Records – all done in a very different mode than his 60s material for Blue Note! The vibe here is more modal and searching than before – maybe no surprise, as the group features Woody Shaw on trumpet, Carter Jefferson on tenor, and Cedar Walton on both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes! Titles include the twelve minute "Anthenagin", plus an instrumental reading of "Along Came Betty", the Cedar Walton tunes "I'm Not So Sure" and "Fantasy In D", and the Woody Shaw cut "Love For The One You Can't Have". LP, Vinyl record album

It's no secret that Don Byas made some of his best recordings in Europe, not America – and this tasty little set is great support of that fact! The set features numbers that Byas cut in Paris at the end of the 40s – working with a mixture of American and Parisian players that includes Billy Taylor, Bernard Peiffer, Bill Coleman, Peanuts Holland, Tyree Glenn, and Hubert Rostaing. Tracks are short, and Byas' sound on the tenor is sublime – right up there with the best Ben Webster work of the time! Titles include "The Mohawk Special", "Body & Soul", "Ain't Misbehavin", "Rosetta", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", and "Working Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most cooking work of the 70s from Dexter Gordon – and that's saying a lot, given all his overseas sessions and late-life work for Columbia Records! The format here is different than both of those, though – in that it's both a sharp hardbop set, with a real back-to-basics vibe – but also one that has much more of an overall group feel, instead of some of the longer-form solo vehicles that Gordon recorded for Steeplechase Records. There's definitely a blowing session vibe – tracks are long, and there's multiple soloists who each get extended time in the spotlight – but there's also a careful sense of structure, brought to the record no doubt by producer Don Schlitten – who'd handled classic dates in the past for Prestige. The group features both Gordon and Al Cohn on tenors, Blue Mitchell and Sam Noto on trumpets, Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – a hell of a lineup that really makes magic on "Lady Bird", "How Deep Is The Ocean", and "True Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most cooking work of the 70s from Dexter Gordon – and that's saying a lot, given all his overseas sessions and late-life work for Columbia Records! The format here is different than both of those, though – in that it's both a sharp hardbop set, with a real back-to-basics vibe – but also one that has much more of an overall group feel, instead of some of the longer-form solo vehicles that Gordon recorded for Steeplechase Records. There's definitely a blowing session vibe – tracks are long, and there's multiple soloists who each get extended time in the spotlight – but there's also a careful sense of structure, brought to the record no doubt by producer Don Schlitten – who'd handled classic dates in the past for Prestige. The group features both Gordon and Al Cohn on tenors, Blue Mitchell and Sam Noto on trumpets, Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – a hell of a lineup that really makes magic on "On The Trail", "Allen's Alley", and "Silver Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

Collection of earlier Miles recordings for Prestige, put together under as a 2LP 70s set, with good notes, and a lot of great material from the days when he was getting longer time for tracks in the studio, and developing a lot more as a player from his earlier sides with Bird and for Blue Note. Players include Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, Tommy Flanagan, Walter Bishop, and Paul Chambers – and titles include "Vierd Blues", "Easy Living", "My Old Flame", "Conception", "No Line", "Serpent's Tooth", and "Compulsion". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work from a sometimes-overlooked chapter in the career of Miles Davis – a time when Sonny Stitt was briefly filling the tenor sax role that was more famously held by John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter! Stitt in any group is always a treat – and here, working with Miles, he turns in some of his most far-reaching solos of the period – very different than the shorter, more economical work of his studio albums – and even different than some of his longer-form material on Prestige to come! Stitt really rises to meet Miles in spirit – maybe in part because of the rest of the group features the famous rhythm trio of Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – moving hard and with a great sense of modal energy, on titles that include "Four", "All Of You", "No Blues", "Two Bass Hit", "Walkin", "Autumn Leaves", "So What", "If I Were A Bell", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

Mid 70's 2LP set that combines fantastic early work from Gil Evans and Tadd Dameron. The Gil Evans tracks are shorter and less ambitious than some of Evans' work on Impulse, but the group is excellent – and even in a shorter format, the conception of the work still contains plenty of rich new ideas. Players include Louis Mucci, John Carisi, Steve Lacy, Willie Ruff, Paul Chambers, Nick Stabulis, and Lee Konitz on alto. Titles include "Ella Speed", "Big Stuff", "Jambangle", "Nobody's Heart", and "Remember". Tadd Dameron's contributions here are from a wonderful modernist session – and one that's especially great because it's filled with fresh themes that get past some of his over-reissued standards! Players here include Clifford Brown and Idrees Sulieman on trumpets, Gigi Gryce on alto, Benny Golson on tenor, and Dameron on piano. Titles include "Philly JJ", "Choose Now", "Theme Of No Repeat", and "Dial B For Beauty". Also included are readings of classic Dameron compositions – like "The Scene Is Clean", "Fontainebleau", and "Delerium" – all played by a great little group that includes Dameron on piano, plus Joe Alexander on tenor, Sahib Shihab on alto, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, and Henry Coker on trombone. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet Atlantic soul groover from Brother Jack McDuff – and a set that has him tightening up his Hammond sound from his earlier years at Prestige Records! The tunes here are short and punched-up – almost instrumental soul numbers in their construction, but still filled with plenty of jazz – thanks to Jack's mad solos on organ, and some killer drums from Joe Dukes and Bernard Purdie! Other players include George Coleman on tenor, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Buddy Lucas on baritone sax – and arrangements are by JJ Jackson and Jack himself. Titles include "Hotcha", "Down In the Valley", "Same Old Same Old", "No Tears", "What'd I Say", "Gonna Hang Me Up A Sign", and "Minha Saudade". LP, Vinyl record album

Twin organs back to back – and a heck of a hard-wailing set from Groove Holmes and Jimmy McGriff! The album cooks from the very first note – and features long tunes that open up with the same sort of solo-heavy approach that you'd get on Holmes' Prestige albums of the 60s – very stretched out, in a way that offers the keyboardists no cover at all, and forces them to keep thinking on their feet to come up with great notes! Bernard Purdie plays some nicely tight drums on the set, and guitar is by George Freeman and O'Donel Levy – both of whom add some nice superdope touches to the set! A winner all the way through, with great solos – and titles that include "Licks A Plenty", "The Squirrel", and "Finger Lickin' Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Gentle genius from the legendary Moondog – a rare album recorded right around the same time as his mindblowing work for Prestige! The style here is very similar to those Prestige albums – very spare and rhythmic – often just using simple acoustic percussion alongside an instrument or two, such as flute, bass, or one of Moondog's own unusual creations! The sound is really otherworldly – at once both cosmic and earthy, with sounds that are light years ahead of most of Moondog's contemporaries. Titles include "Tree Frog", "Oasis", "Suite No 1", "Suite No 2", "Dragon's Teeth", "Rim Shot", and "Why Spend The Dark Night With You?" LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums by this funky Latin combo! The record differs from some of their earlier Prestige albums in that the tracks are longer, more instrumental, and have a hard fuzzy electric groove. The band jams hard in a way that's more like some of the funk combos of the early 70s, than the Latin groups from which they came – and that's no problem by us, because the results are wonderful! Includes two funky numbers written by Sonny Phillips – "The Spokerman" and "Jamilah" – plus a great extended cover of "Cloud Nine". Great horn work from the funky Pazant Brothers, plus Seldon Powell, who also plays flute and tenor on the album – and other jazz funk stars on the album include Bernard Purdie, Billy Butler, and Neal Creque, Pucho's right hand man! LP, Vinyl record album

A nice Prestige 2-fer collecting two early sides Mongo cut for Fantasy in the late 50s. The first, released under the title Mongo, is a no-nonsense batch of Latin jazz tracks, arranged by himself and Francisco Aguabella, who's sort of the co-leader of the group on the set! Players include Emil Richards, Paul Horn, Armando Pereza, Carlos Vidal, and Willie Bobo – and as you can imagine by that lineup, there's plenty of heavy duty percussive action! Jose Chombo Silva plays a bit of tenor – and titles include "Chano Pozo", "Mazacote", "Los Conguitos", and "Afro Blue". Yambu, another of Mongo's great early records, is the second LP of the set. It's got a spooky Afro-Cuban sound, and a great assortment of drummers that includes Francisco Aquabella, Carlos Vidal, Willie Bobo, and Modesto Duran. The overall vibe is much more traditional than Mongo's other albums – and there's none of the pop Latin jazz of his years at Columbia records, or his "Watermelon Man" era at Riverside. Cuts include "Mi Guanguanco", "Timbales & Bongo", "Yeye", and "Columbia", and the sound is nice and raw. LP, Vinyl record album

Masterful funky soul jazz from the mid 70s – and one of the best solo albums recorded by Headhunter Bill Summers – a sunny batch of Bay Area funk that really grooves with the best of Fantasy Records from the time! The set was produced by Skip Scarborough, and has that great bubbling, stepping, soulful groove that was Scarborough's best contribution to jazz funk – a trademark groove that was every bit as important to the 70s as the work of Bob James or Larry Mizell! Summers' work on congas and percussion is excellent and the players are totally top shelf – the core group features drums by Alphonse Mouzon, bass by Paul Jackson, and keyboards by Scarborough – and vocalists on the set include Dianne Reeves, Mikki Morris, and Charles Meeks. Titles include "Drum Suite", "Come Into My Life", "People Know", "Just A Matter Of Time", "No One", "Check It Out", and "Que Sabroso". LP, Vinyl record album

An interesting album for Gene Ammons – one that was issued in the late 60s with a very sexy-looking cover, but which actually features recordings of much earlier vintage! The sides on the set were recorded in 1950, and they've got a sound that's moody, echoey, and which shows the soulfulness that Ammons had at this early period – a rich contribution to the tenor sound at the time – caught by a young Chess Records with plenty of dark overtones that makes the material differ somewhat from Gene's dates of the time for Prestige. Titles include "Once In A While", "It's The Talk Of The Town", "My Foolish Heart", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Can Anyone Explain", and "It's You Or No One". LP, Vinyl record album

The team of Coltrane and Mobley seems like a strange pairing from the perspective of the history books – but at the time, the pair were two of the brightest new stars on the tenor, each with a sound and style that would make them huge, so it was no surprise that they were brought together for a blowing session like this on Prestige. The set's got a nice open ended feel – with 4 long tracks that give the players plenty of solo room, and a group that includes Donald Byrd on trumpet, Elmo Hope on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Titles include "On It", "Weeja", "Avalon", and "Polka Dots & Moonbeams". LP, Vinyl record album

Lloyd Price steps off to the side a bit, and allows his great backing band to really get some time in the spotlight – on this smoking set that was issued on LLoyd's own LL label! The group have this wicked mix of jazz, R&B, and mod soul – and often use sweet Hammond in the lead, in a way that makes the whole thing feel a bit like some of the Jimmy McGriff albums on Sue Records or Veep, or maybe like some of the most soulful Benny Golson arrangements on Prestige, when the horn players step out more in the front! There's a great mod soul groove to the whole thing – a style that's quite different from the vocal material that Price gave us on his own records, with more mof a jukebox-thumping style on cuts that include "Brother Eliajah", "Go Straight Ahead", "Soulful Waltz", "Oh Pee Day", "Number Four", "Trouble (parts 1 & 2)", "No Limit", and "Cool Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

Early Sonny Rollins work for Prestige – recorded in the years 1951 and 1953, in a variety of settings! 4 tracks on the album features Rollins blowing with the MJQ, one more has him working with a Miles Davis group, and the last 8 feature a quartet with Kenny Drew, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey. The tunes are shorter than you might be used to hearing Rollins, but there's still plenty of power and imagination in the grooves – very economical solos, crafted with a great deal of imagination. Titles include "Scoops", "Shadrack", "Mambo Bounce", "The Stopper", "I Know", and "No Moe". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer set from Sonny – recorded in a very stripped down setting that has him blowing over organ lines by Don Patterson and drums by Billy James, with no other accompaniment! Tunes aren't that long, but they do have a freer feel than usual – and titles include "Answering Service", "Night Crawler", "Star Eyes", and "Who Can I Turn To?". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great look at some of the coolest material issued by Motown in the early days of the label – tracks from a brief foray into jazz, from a time when the company was testing the waters with some very hip material from the Detroit scene! The cuts here have a nice sort of grit – very much in the best soul jazz styles that bigger labels that Prestige or Argo/Chess were doing at the time – and the tracks also include some great work by artists caught in the very early days of their careers. Titles include "See You Later" and "I Did" by Johnny Griffith, "El Rig" and "Bobbie" by George Bohannon, "I Did" and "Falling In Love With Love" by Paula Greer, "Exodus" and "I Remember You" by Hank & Carol Diamond, "Opus No 3" and "March Lightly" by Earl Washington, and "Late Freight" and "Mellow In Cali" by Dave Hamilton. LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant early work by Miles Davis – some of his first truly important sessions to appear under his own name – originally issued as singles or 10" LP recordings by Blue Note, and brought together here in a full length set that would help to define the early years of his career! This is work before Miles was able to stretch out on longer sessions for Prestige, but the material already showcases his unique contribution to jazz – shorter tracks that are perhaps more boppish, than you might expect from some of Miles' other 50s work – but in a way that still allows for many moments of lyrical beauty, and that brilliantly cool sound of his which forever changed the sound of jazz trumpet. The set features work from an assortment of players who vary from track to track – including Jimmy Heath on tenor, Jackie McLean on alto, JJ Johnson on trombone, Horace Silver on piano, and Art Blakey on drums. Titles on this second volume include "Weirdo", "Donna", "Ray's Idea (alt)", "Take Off", "Would'n You", "The Leap", "Lazy Suzan", and "Tempus Fugit (alt)". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing later work from Booker Ervin – far more modern and far-reaching than you'd guess from the "Texas" title in the set! Although Ervin first came onto the scene as a strong-voiced tenorist from a Texas tradition, through the course of the 60s he'd really expanded his musical vision – working with Charles Mingus, Jaki Byard, and others to push his already-soulful sound into a freer-thinking mode that was one of the most compelling approaches to tenor at the time. And while this change had been documented on some key sides for Prestige and World Pacific at the time, this rare 1968 session for Blue Note is perhaps one of the best of the bunch – but oddly was somehow never issued at the time, and only made a brief appearance in 1976, as part of a 2LP set. Ervin's working here with a totally hip group – one that has Woody Shaw in the frontline on trumpet, and a rhythm team of Kenny Barron on piano, Jan Arnet on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all grooving with Ervin in styles that recall the modal vamping and soaring energy that Shaw would later bring to his own solo work in the 70s. Tracks are all longish, and filled with a sense of life and exploration that shows that Ervin was growing tremendously in this last stretch of his all-too-short life – never too free, always in control, yet roaming the skies in search of new notes and sounds! Titles include "Gichi", "Den Tex", "Lynn's Tune", "204", and an early version of Shaw's "In A Capricornian Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic split album of bop piano from both coasts – kind of a double-header in jazz, and one that really packs a punch! Hamp Hawes represents the west coast – and unlike his cool jazz contemporaries, he's grooving hard in a quartet that includes Larry Bunker on vibes, Larry Marable on drums, and Clarence Jones on bass. Hawes' playing on the record is some of his best of the 50s – and titles include "Terrible T", "Move", "Fanfare", "Hamp's Paws", and "Buzzy". The east coast side of the set is laid down by Freddie Redd – grooving hard in a rare early set, with a trio that includes John Ore on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums. Redd's titles include "Reddy Freddie", "Lady J Blues", and "Debut". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking album from Sonny Rollins, largely for the extended track "Tenor Madness", which runs on for 13 minutes, and features him and Coltrane blowing head to head – redefining the sound of the tenor sax in jazz through the course of that amazing track! Backing is by the Red Garland/Paul Chambers/Philly Joe Jones group that backed up 'Trane on many of his Prestige sides, and they work equally well with Rollins – especially on the ballads "When Your Lover Has Gone" and "My Reverie", plus the lyrical "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our 50s favorites by Miles Davis – and a record that offers the same twin-sax sound as his classic Kind Of Blue – with both John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley working alongside Miles in the group! Rhythm here is by the Prestige-era trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but it's the two saxophonists who really help Davis shape the feel of the record, pushing things past the initial Coltrane/Davis groove with a really wonderful sense of space and sound! Titles include the classic "Milestones", plus "Two Bass Hit", "Dr Jeckyll", and "Sid's Ahead". LP, Vinyl record album

A late 60s set, but one that recalls the sweet swinging style of Prestige Records' Swingville sessions from the early part of the decade! Illinois Jacquet sounds wonderful here on tenor (and a bit of bassoon on one track!) – blowing with plenty of open space amidst a lineup that includes Tiny Grimes on guitar, Wynton Kelly on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Oliver Jackson on drums. The approach is kind of a mix of Jacquet's mid 60s work for Argo/Cadet, with some of the late 50s non-bop swing sessions issued by Prestige – and titles include "The Galloping Latin", "Still King", "For Once In My Life", and "Every Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A selection of tracks from Illinois Jacquet's late 60s albums for Prestige, featuring Milt Buckner, Barry Harris, and Wynton Kelly on piano, Alan Dawson, Al Foster, Jo Jones, and Oliver Jackson on drums, Frank Foster on tenor, Matthew Gee on trombone, Tiny Grimes, Billy Butler, and Wally Richardson on guitar, Montego Joe on congas, Joe Newman and Ernie Royal on trumpet, and Ben Tucker and Buster Williams on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowingly baroque funk from Brother Jack McDuff – an album that takes the initial Blue Note tripped-out groove of Moon Rappin, and pushes it to a whole new level! Jack's working here with arranger Ray Draper to come up with some tunes that are miles away from the earlier McDuff albums on Prestige – very far-reaching and free-thinking, and using a blend of rock and soul-inspired rhythms to push McDuff's organ work very firmly into the 1970s! The group on the set's a largeish one – filled with hip players that include Joe Beck on guitar, Mike Manieri on percussion, Randy Brecker and Olu Dara on trumpets, Paul Griffin on piano, and Draper himself on percussion and tuba. The set features the tightly-stepping funky number "Who's Pimpin Who", which features some great vocalizations from Ray and Jack; the tripped-out "Classic Funke", which has McDuff really burning up the keyboard; the down-n-dirty "Wank's Thang", which also has some nice vibes; and the cuts "Y'All Remember Boogie", "Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya", and "Who Knows What Tomorrow's Gonna Bring". LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary John Coltrane was a leader on some amazing recordings of the late 50s and 1960s – but right at the start of his career, he also added key contributions to records headed up by other folks too – and some of the best of those moments are collected here in this well-done set! The "other side" isn't really a part of the Coltrane legacy that's different than the rest – but these early tracks show just how important his tenor saxophone stylings were to the transforming sound of jazz at the end of the 50s – taking things past earlier bop expressions, yet still in a straightforward mode – with solos that are sometimes even more stunning than the work of the leaders under whom the records were issued! Most of the tracks here are from the Prestige and Riverside Records catalogs – and titles include "CTA" by Art Taylor, "Monk's Mood" and "Trinkle Trinkle" by Thelonious Monk, "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "Airegin" by Miles Davis, "Soultrane" by Tadd Dameron, "Billie's Bounce" by Red Garland, and "Tenor Madness" by Sonny Rollins. 2LP set features bonus tracks – "Nutty" by Thelonious Monk, and "Birk's Works" by Red Garland. LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant early work by Miles Davis – some of his first truly important sessions to appear under his own name – originally issued as singles or 10" LP recordings by Blue Note, and brought together here in a full length set that would help to define the early years of his career! This is work before Miles was able to stretch out on longer sessions for Prestige, but the material already showcases his unique contribution to jazz – shorter tracks that are perhaps more boppish, than you might expect from some of Miles' other 50s work – but in a way that still allows for many moments of lyrical beauty, and that brilliantly cool sound of his which forever changed the sound of jazz trumpet. The set features work from an assortment of players who vary from track to track – including Jimmy Heath on tenor, Jackie McLean on alto, JJ Johnson on trombone, Gil Coggins on piano, and either Kenny Clarke or Art Blakey on drums – on titles that include "Tempus Fugit", "Kelo", "Enigma", "Ray's Ida", and "CTA". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic early work from Gil Evans – emerging here in this early session as an already far-thinking modernist. The tracks are shorter and less ambitious than some of Evans' work on Impulse, but the group is excellent – and even in a shorter format, the conception of the work still contains plenty of rich new ideas. Players include Louis Mucci, John Carisi, Steve Lacy, Willie Ruff, Paul Chambers, Nick Stabulis, and "Zeke Tolin" on alto, who is certainly a more famous player under a fake name. Titles include "Ella Speed", "Big Stuff", "Jambangle", "Nobody's Heart", and "Remember". LP, Vinyl record album

A great meeting of tenor talents – a collection of some fantastic early material recorded by Jug for Prestige. This collection of great sides, originally issued as 78s, features Ammons and Stitt locking horns on "Blues Up And Down", "You Can Depend On Me", "Easy Glide", "Walkin", "Touch Of The Blues", "Who Threw The Sleeping Pills In Rip Van Winkle's Coffee?" and "Chabootie", with sidemen that include Duke Jordan, Bill Massey, Tommy Potter, Gene Wright, Jo Jones, Art Blakey and Wesley Landers. Classic blowing material! LP, Vinyl record album

A great comeback for tenor legend Gene Ammons – not just in a musical sense, but also because Jug had spent most of the past few years in prison – as part of the usual trumped-up drug charges that were filed against musicians at the time! At the time of this album, Ammons had not recorded since a very successful flurry of sides recorded in 1961, done for a number of labels, and issued slowly during his time off the recording market – a precursor to this fantastic return to form, which has Gene hitting more of a jazz funk mode, in the best Prestige style at the end of the 60s! Case in point is the presence of Bernard Purdie on drums on a number of cuts – in a lineup that also features some organ from Sonny Phillips, piano from Junior Mance, and electric bass from Bob Bushnell – plus congas from Candido for a nice extra kick! Titles include the funky cuts "Tastin' the Jug" and "Jungle Boss" – plus "Madame Queen" and "Feeling Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Gene Ammons' last session – not as funky as earlier work for Prestige, but pretty nice at that! The group's got Gary Bartz on alto, Kenny Drew on piano, Sam Jones on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Nat Adderley on cornet – and they groove together well, in the kind of soul jazz/modal mode that you'd find on some of the better mid 70s sides for the Muse label. The album includes a nice remake of Duke Pearson's "Jeanine", plus the tracks "Out In The Sticks", "Alone Again Naturally", "It Don't Mean A Thing", and "Geru's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Like some of the other issues on Trip, this set brings together some great sides that sort of fell between the cracks in an artist's career. These nice rarer sides by Gene Ammons seem to be recorded by Jug during the early 60's, when he was jumping around his contractual agreements with a number of labels, and recording sessions for just about everybody. The first LP features Jug in the studio with Howard McGhee (the set was briefly issued under his name, on Argo) and a guitarist we're pretty certain is Jake Fisher (from other issues of this material), for a cool laidback soul jazz session that's probably one of Jug's most open-ended from the time. The tracks are all long, with a lot of room for solo space, and a round mellow tone. Titles include "Housewarmin", "Nothin' But Soul", "Jivin Around" and "Jug & McGhee". The second set's a hard-hitting blowing session, cut very much in the mode of Gene's late 50s sides for Prestige – and with a very accomplished group of soul jazzers that includes Nat Adderley, Frank Foster, Bennie Green, and Frank Wess. The groove has a nice raw late night sound – and tracks are pretty long and open-ended. Titles include "Litty Ditty", "Sermonette", "Juggin Around", and "Jim Dog". LP, Vinyl record album

Gritty live work from twin tenor giants Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon – recorded in an open-ended style that's a bit like some of Gordon's famous early work on the Central Avenue scene in LA, or Ammons' famous live "battles" with Sonny Stitt! The date was recorded in Chicago at the North Park Hotel – with sound that's a bit more "live" than some of the other Prestige sessions at the time – and an unusual lineup that features local players Jodie Christian and John Young on piano, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and Steve McCall on drums. The lovely Vi Redd makes a vocal appearance on the track "Lonesome Lover Blues" – and other titles include "The Chase", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and "The Happy Blues" – all nice and long! LP, Vinyl record album

There's nothing too comfy here, as drummer Tim Carman kicks up a gritty groove right from the very first note – working next to the organ of Ken Clark and guitar of Steve Fell – all in a stripped-down style that partly aims for the glory days of Hammond hero work on Prestige Records in the 60s, but which also maybe has a bit of a soul instrumental vibe as well! Tim's drums are nice and tight, leaving Clark's fingers on the keys and feet on the bass to really open things up – flowing and glowing with all these great changes, on titles that include "Cookin With Gran", "Southpaw", "If You've Got It Flaunt It", "First Mind", "Do That Thing", "Dumpty Dumb", and "Chicken Noodle Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Modern Hammond hero Brian Charette gets some great help here – tenor legend George Coleman, whose presence in the group makes an already-solid combo really sound great! Coleman was never a tenor player to work with an organ back in the 60s and 70s – but his work here is really wonderful, and turns that depth of soul that he can bring from the horn into a perfect match with Charette's great sense of phrasing and timing on the Hammond B3 – a pairing that might recall the match of either Booker Ervin or Sonny Stitt with organist Don Patterson back in the Prestige Records heyday. As with those sessions, there's also a great guitarist providing a whole new layer of color here – the mighty Vic Juris – and drums on the set are handled by George Coleman Jr. Titles include "Autumn Leaves", "Stella By Starlight", "On A Misty Night", "Body & Soul", and "Tenor Madness". LP, Vinyl record album

An extremely great session from Eddie Costa and Art Farmer – arguably more so, because the cover and label make you think it's going to be a cheap knockoff! In what is an odd meeting of players, especially for the label, Eddie's piano and vibes meet up with Art's trumpet, the alto of Phil Woods, bass of Teddy Kotick, and drums of Paul Motian – all of whom work together with the fluidity and soulfulness of some of the best Prestige sessions of the time. The horn work is tremendous – and it's hard to remember Woods sounding this great on other albums of the time, really cutting an edge next to Farmer's trumpet – which also has an incredible tone for the album, right up there with his Farmer's Market record. Titles include "Big Ben", "Blues Plus Eight", "Stretch In F", and "Get Out Of The Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album from the wonderful reedman Sonny Criss – one of the first albums in his brief stretch of return to recording in the late 70s – and quite possibly the best! Criss has a sound that's completely amazing, right from the start – every bit as sharp toned as in his early years on Imperial, and as full of all the imagination as on his sides for Prestige – but with much deeper feeling, too – this sense of pain and life that makes even the simplest notes extremely powerful – blowing us away like few others players could do with such understated brilliance. The whole thing's perfect – maybe even more so than the Prestige recordings – and backing is by Barry Harris on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Lenny McBrowne on drums – a really wonderful group! Titles include the amazing "Saturday Morning" – a track that will really make you fall in love with Sonny all over again – plus "Angel Eyes", "Tin Tin Deo", "Jeannie's Knees", "My Heart Stood Still", and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's virtually the blueprint for the sound of Hammond organ and tenor sax in soul jazz– the first of Eddie Lockjaw Davis' great run of cookbook albums for Prestige! The record features Lockjaw's gutsy tenor in a group alongside Jerome Richardson's lighter flute – both dancing wonderfully together over organ lines from a young Shirley Scott – playing here with a style that's a bit earthier and more bluesy than some of her later work. Rhythm is by George Duviver on bass and Arthur Edgehill on drums – and tracks include the classic 12 minute jammer "In The Kitchen", plus shorter tracks "Three Deuces", "The Chef", and "Have Horn, Will Blow". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our 50s favorites by Miles Davis – and a record that offers the same twin-sax sound as his classic Kind Of Blue – with both John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley working alongside Miles in the group! Rhythm here is by the Prestige-era trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but it's the two saxophonists who really help Davis shape the feel of the record, pushing things past the initial Coltrane/Davis groove with a really wonderful sense of space and sound! Titles include the classic "Milestones", plus "Two Bass Hit", "Dr Jeckyll", and "Sid's Ahead". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic set from the young tenorist Klaus Doldinger – hardly jazz made in Germany, as the whole thing has a smoking soul jazz quality to rival the best on Prestige Records at the time! Klaus plays tenor throughout – in a fantastic combo that features Hammond organ from the great Ingfried Hoffman, and drums from Klaus Weiss – who'd later go onto great fame in funk and fusion. Titles include "Signal", "Solar", "Blues For George", and "Bluesy Toosy". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Eric Dolphy's lasting classics – and possibly the ultimate album of "new thing" jazz from the mid 60s! The record's got an even sharper edge than previous Dolphy recordings for Prestige – a really unique combination of instrumentation that includes Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – plus Dolphy on alto sax, flute, and bass clarinet. Although Dolphy's reed playing is as amazing as you'd expect, the real surprise here is Hutcherson, whose vibes ring out with this cold harsh tone that give a perfect edge to the set – bold and metallic, quite different than any work on vibes from previous players. Despite a large number of later recordings, Hutcherson almost never hit this sound again – except perhaps on a few Jackie McLean recordings – and it's his playing that gives the set such a unique sound. Titles include "Straight Up & Down", "Gazzelloni", "Hat & Bread", "Out To Lunch" and "Something Sweet Something Tender". LP, Vinyl record album

An early 60s killer from Lou Donaldson – one that more than lives up to the promise of its great cover and compelling title! The lineup has Lou blowing in an easy, soulful style – working with a combo that includes Herman Foster on piano, Ben Tucker on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – plus additional conga work by Alec Dorsey, which gives the session a wonderfully rolling groove. The tunes lope along with a nice mellow vibe – that midtempo rolling soul jazz mode that Prestige was also handling at the time, with a touch of Latin from the congas – and Lou blows it clean and lean on titles that include "Gravy Train", "Twist Time", "Avalon", and "South Of The Border". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from this hard-blowing St Louis tenorist – a figure who started in more R&B-styled material, but also helped open the door for soul jazz modes in the 60s! The work here predates Jimmy's well-remembered records for Prestige – as the package features early material cut for United Records during the early 50s – tracks that have that amazing tenor sound of Forrest alongside work from Chauncey Locke on trumpet, Bart Dabney on trombone, and either Bunky Parker or Charles Fox on piano. A number of tracks have nice use of congas, making for a mambo jazz mode at times – and titles include Jimmy's classic version of "Night Train" – plus "Calling Dr Jazz", "Mister Goodbeat", "Bolo Blues", "Hey Mrs Jones", and "Coach 13". CD features a number of unissued bonus tracks too! LP, Vinyl record album

Grant's First Stand – and a mighty one at that! The set was recorded when Green was a guitarist fresh on the scene – showing up in New York from St Louis, where he'd been discovered by Lou Donaldson and brought to Blue Note with great acclaim! For this first date, Green's heard in really stripped-down company – just Hammond from Baby Face Willette and drums from Ben Dixon – a spare trio setting that makes for a madly cooking little record, and one without some of the smoother edges of Greens' later years! The set's as raw and soulful as Willette's own Blue Note classics – and is very much in the side of the spectrum that Donaldson was bringing to the label at a time – a much-needed dose of new energy from the Prestige Records side of the tracks. Every track's a winner – and titles include "Blues For Willarene", "Baby's Minor Lope", "Miss Ann's Tempo", and "A Wee Bit O Green". LP, Vinyl record album

A stellar early Johnny Griffin recording for Blue Note, and one that features the young tenor genius from Chicago working alongside the equally fantastic John Coltrane and Hank Mobley – plus some additional trumpet from Lee Morgan, and rock-solid rhythm from Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey! As the "blowing session" title might imply, this set features long tracks that let the players get in plenty of soloing (and, we might add, in a very competitive way!) The record is similar to the Prestige sessions of the same vintage and style, but recorded with a little bit more of the care and rehearsal that Blue Note provided. Cuts include "Ball Bearing", "All The Things You Are", and "Smoke Stack. LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a bit obtuse, but the music is warm and soulful throughout – a really tremendous session that carries on the strong legacy of solo work that Jimmy Heath was doing in the 70s! The feel here is a lot like some of Heath's dates for the Muse or Xanadu labels – and Jimmy's working here with a great rhythm section that includes Larry Willis on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Akira Tana on drums – players who provide a very soulful grounding for the set. Heath blows alto, tenor, and soprano sax – and remaining players include Tom Williams on trumpet and Tony Purrone on guitar. The groove is in a classic Prestige/Riverside mode – not hard hardbop, but soulful, with touches of post-Coltrane blowing, and the mix of lyricism and soul jazz that Heath's always brought to his best work. Titles include "Trane Connections", "Forever Sonny", "You Can See", "I Waited For You", and "Song For Ben Webster". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual date – both for the players, who are normally more at home on Prestige Records – and for the Pacific Jazz label, who were then a cornerstone of west coast cool jazz! That setting doesn't keep the album from being a killer, though – as Gene Ammons wails away on tenor, next to some lean, clean work on Hammond from the young Groove Holmes – who's already at his rhythmic best, and getting help here from Gene Edwards on guitar and Leroy Henderson on drums! Most tracks are nice and long – half recorded live, half in the studio – and titles include "Morris The Minor", "Good Vibrations", "Hey You What's That", and "Groovin' With Jug". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible collaboration from John Coltrane and Milt Jackson – and one that gives Milt one of his sharpest records ever! The setting is relatively straight – tenor from Coltrane, vibes from Jackson – plus rhythm from Hank Jones on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. Yet there's also a sense of openness here that you'd hardly ever expect on other records by Jackson – especially his contemporaneous sides with the Modern Jazz Quartet – and Coltrane's tenor gets as much room to roam here as it did on Prestige – really cutting some beautifully soulful, open, and flowing lines throughout! Titles include "Bags & Trane", "Three Little Words", "Be-Bop", "Late Late Blues", and "The Night We Called It a Day". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from jazz singer Etta Jones – an effort cut around the same time as her better-known records for Prestige, but one that's maybe done with an even hipper sound overall! Etta's nicely laidback, and hits that soulful, singing mood that makes her so great right from the start – a bit offbeat, but in the best way possible – as Jones brings older bluesy inflections into play with more contemporary ideas – all set to wonderful instrumentation from a cool group that features Junior Mance on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Joe Newman on trumpet, Frank Wess on tenor, and Mike Manieri on vibes. The song choices are great – and the balance between steppers and mellow cuts is perfect – on titles that include "Swinging Shepherd Blues", "All Right OK You Win", "Moon Man", "Did I Remember", "Lonely Crowd", and "I Was Telling Him About You". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare early side from Jones, his first album as a leader, originally issued on Debut. Tough Jones would become more well known for the recordings he'd go on to make in larger settings his lyrical playing really shines in these two smaller groups. He plays with an all-star line up of musicians that includes Charles Mingus on bass, John Dennis or Hank Jones on piano, Max Roach or Kenny Clarke on drums and Frank Wess on tenor sax on the quintet sides. The tunes are mostly split between Jones and Mingus originals, and include "One More", "Bitty Ditty", "More Of The Same", "Sombre Intrusion", "Elusive", "I Can't Get Started", "You Don't Know What Love Is", and "Get Out Of Town". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant later set from Lee Konitz – recorded for Blue Note, after many years of Lee's mighty talents being ignored by US labels! Konitz first rose up as a modernist in the postwar years, recorded important records for Atlantic, Verve, Prestige, and other labels – then mostly gave his gifts to the overseas market during the 70s, and especially the 80s. Yet during that time, he grew tremendously as a player – something that's almost hard to imagine given the genius of his youth – and received this excellent showcase courtesy of bassist Charlie Haden, who co-produced with Lee, and plays in the trio alongside pianist Brad Mehldau. The format is open and fluid – never too free, but with that exploratory vibe that Konitz and the rest of the Tristano school opened up in the 50s. Titles include nice long takes on "Alone Together", "The Song Is You", "You Stepped Out Of A Dream", "What Is This Thing Called Love", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

A wickedly cool small combo set from the 60s – featuring reedman John Lemon, who blows both tenor and flute, plus a bit of alto as well – in a combo with Jimmy Scott on organ, Ernest McLean on guitar, and Bobby Brooks on drums! The set's got a great soul jazz vibe – like a Prestige Records session, but produced with a bit more echo – and titles include the originals "Yes Baby", "Chilly Willie", and "Big Mamma" – plus versions of "Watermelon Man" and "Cute". LP, Vinyl record album

A 2LP reissue of very hard to find Hank Mobley sessions from the mid 50's – Mobley's Message, and Mobley's Second Message. The record's filled with damn great hard bop tenor material, with groups that include players like Donald Byrd, Art Taylor, Kenny Dorham, Doug Watkins, and Walter Bishop. All tracks are long, with that good Rudy Van Gelder "roominess" that graced most of the best Prestige albums of the late 50's. With the cuts "Bouncing With Bud", "Alternating Current", "Crazeology", "The Latest", and "Xlento". LP, Vinyl record album