If there's one thing we know about funk legend Dennis Coffey, it's that we can never get enough of his early work – especially when he's working in his trio with the mighty Lyman Woodard on Hammond! The pair together are fantastic – and have this Detroit-bred version of jazz funk that's even grittier than anything coming out on Prestige Records in the 60s – a vibe that reflects the ties both musicians had to the local soul scene, and also hits at Coffey's great wave of records to come on Sussex in the 70s! But the groove here is even deeper and more open – captured live on long tracks that really take off – so that even if the trio is playing familiar songs, they come out completely unique in the hard-jamming style of the group. The mighty Melvin Davis is on drums – and tracks include very long takes on "Eleanor Rigby", "Cissy Strut", and the great Richard Evans' tune "Burning Spear" – plus "Groovin", "It's Your Thing/Union Station", "Big City Lights", "Mindbender", and "I'm A Midnight Mover" – all previously unreleased! CD

An incredible treasure from a lost vocal jazz genius – the little-known Bobby Cole, every bit as great a singer as he was a songwriter, very unusual for the time! Bobby was probably best remembered as the house pianist at Jillys, but at the time of this 1964 recording, he was poised to emerge as a serious vocalist with a rich talent for penning interesting and witty little tunes. The album's got Bobby singing in a style that's halfway between Matt Dennis and Mark Murphy – with the sophisticated talents of both in place, and perhaps a bit of the wit of Bob Dorough or Roy Kral. The original album features Bobby on piano and vocals, with only bass and drums behind him – and the CD features a bonus 6 tracks recorded in more recent years, with larger backings. The core album is completely brilliant – the kind of off-kilter vocal record we die for – and every track's a fresh original by Bobby! Titles include "You Can't Build A Life On A Look", "Heat", "You Could Hear A Pin Drop", "Change Of Scene", "A Perfect Day", "Elegy For Eve", and "Status Quo". CD

A lost jazz treasure from one of the most enigmatic pianists of the 60s – the legendary Hasaan, who recorded famously with Max Roach on Atlantic Records, but who also left behind this rare session that's never seen the light of day until now! Hasaan hails from Philly, where he was a player who'd made huge waves in that city, with a technique that rivaled the modernism of Elmo Hope or Herbie Nichols – but a musician who rarely ever got exposure outside of the city, which is what makes this album so essential! Even more essential is the fact that the set features work from a very young Odean Pope on tenor – really sounding tremendous here next to Hasaan – maybe the Charlie Rouse to his Thelonious Monk, although both musicians work in territory that's even more mindblowing! All titles here are originals by Ali, filled with all these amazing changes and angles – driven forth even more strongly by the work of Art Davis on bass and Kali Madi on drums – on tunes that include "True Train", "Richard May Love Give Powell", "Atlantic Ones", "Viceroy", "El Hasaan", "Epitome", and "Metaphysics". Album also features three shorter alternates of titles on the record. CD

Stunning solo piano work from legendary Philly musician Hasaan – best known for his one Atlantic session with Max Roach, but sounding completely different here on his own! From the very first note of the set, you know that you're in the company of a committed modernist, of the same generation as Herbie Nichols and Elmo Hope – a player with an equally unique, individual conception, and an ability to work a very familiar instrument in all these really unusual ways – often with a quality that makes you feel as if Hasaan is about to step outside and improvise more freely, but always swinging back with an inherent sense of rhythm that's wonderful. The set features both original tunes and reworked standards, pulled from a variety of different tapes recorded in both Philly and New York in the mid 60s – superbly brought back to life here, with a double-length set of selections that include "Off My Back Jack", "Off Minor", "Atlantic Ones", "Mean To Me", "True Train", "Untitled Ballad", "Extemporaneous Prose Poem", "Besame Mucho", "On Green Dolphin Street", and "Arabic Song". CD

Some of the earliest work ever from Jaco Pastorius – rare demo recordings, issued in this format for the first time ever – filled to the brim with the kind of groundbreaking basswork that Jaco helped pioneer! Many tracks are relatively spare, and really give you a great chance to hear the special skills that Pastorius brought to his instrument – that level of soloing that was even more deft than most work on horns, and which pushed the instrument into really amazing territory. Other instrumentation includes Fender Rhodes, drums, steel drums, and some percussion from Don Alias – and titles include "Balloon Song", "Pans #1", "Kuru", "Havona/Continuum", "Time Lapse", and "Opus Pocus". CD

Revelatory work from the great Art Pepper – presented here in a complete package for the first time ever. In Pepper's later years, his live dates were often more mindblowing than his studio sessions – especially when the tape was rolling over a long stretch, as was the case over the three nights of recordings presented here! Art's on alto, in a tight group with George Cables on piano – arguably one of his most sensitive accompanists in these years – plus David Williams on bass and Carl Burnett on drums – a lineup that remains firm through the seven sets of music captured in this collection. The package features 42 performances, including 23 performances that appear here for the first time ever, plus bits of banter and other between-song conversation – all wrapped up in a box with a 44 page booklet of notes. Titles include "For Freddie", "Without A Song", "Road Waltz", "Mambo Koyama", "Allen's Alley", "Begin The Beguine", "Landscape", "Valse Triste", "But Beautiful", "Roadgame", "For Freddie", "Donna Lee", "Samba Mom Mom", "Yours Is My Heart Alone", and "Arthur's Blues". CD

Five tremendous albums from saxophone genius Art Pepper – presented here with a lot of bonus tracks too! First up is So In Love – beautiful late work from Art Pepper – one of his albums recorded for the well-done Artist House label, and a set that's maybe got a different vibe than some of his Galaxy recordings of the time! There's a rock-solid sense of soul to the record – one that comes from the work of two different rhythm trios – one that features George Cables on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a rhythm trio who keep things swinging, but never in a way that's too straight – pushing Art a bit around the edges, but letting him come right down the middle with some fantastic solos on alto – the other with Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Foster on drums. Tunes are a bit shorter than on some other albums of the period, but in a great way that really lets you focus in on Pepper's amazing sound –and titles include "Diane", "Stardust", "Blues For Blanche", and "Straight No Chaser". Artworks is a nicely focused set from the great Art Pepper – a record that features a number of familiar bop and jazz themes, but set to a more open, relaxed, and very soulful style that wonderfully reflects all the greatness of Pepper in his final years! The group on the record is nicely understated, but still very hip – George Cables on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and Art gets plenty of space to step out front and really blow these amazing solos, including one number that features just bass and drums, while Pepper blows a bit of clarinet – which we always love. All other titles feature alto sax – and titles include "Donna Lee", "Anthropology", "You Go To My Head", "Body & Soul", and "Desafinado". Next is a New York Album, but one that was oddly recorded in Burbank – and which has Art Pepper sounding very much at the top of his game! The format here is a bit like the other Artist House Pepper sessions, and those he did for the Japanese Atlas label – tight, focused, often tunes that are older jazz or bop standards – but swing with a great rhythm section, and topped with completely sublime alto solos from the leader! The quartet features Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Foster on drums – but one number is a duo between Carter and Pepper, and another features just piano and alto. Titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Lover Man", "Duo Blues", "My Friend John", and "Straight No Chaser". Stardust is a great little record from Art Pepper – four long tracks that really have him stretching out on alto – but in a way that's maybe a bit different than some of his more burning albums on the Galaxy label at the time! The group here follows from some of the previous Artist House recordings – George Cables on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a rhythm combo that's mighty nice – and which benefits from some great straight basswork from Haden, and Higgins' always compelling sense of rhythm! Titles include "My Friend John", "Stardust", and "Tin Tin Deo" – plus a reading of "In A Mellotone" that has Art on clarinet. CD5 features a full disc of Sessions material, titled as such – alternates, and unusual versions from the recording dates – and all other of the four CDs feature bonus material as well – different takes and alternates! CD

Two albums with a very unusual pedigree – both recorded for the Japanese Yupiteru/Atlas Records label – both as Art Pepper sessions, but with Sonny Stitt in the lead – because Pepper was then under contract to Fantasy Records! Both albums are great, and have Art in some of the sharpest settings of his later years – as Sonny Stit's alto sax seems to bring out an even bolder tone in Pepper's horn – as does the approach of the record label, with is maybe a bit more focused than some of the freewheeling tracks from the Fantasy/Galaxy years. The groups feature Lou Levy or Russ Freeman on piano, John Heard or Chuck DeMonico on bass, and Carl Burnett on drums – and titles include "Walkin", "Wee", "Bernie's Tune", "Atlas Blues", "Lester Leaps In", "Imagination", "Autumn In New York", "My Funny Valentine", and "Lover Man". Also features four bonus alternate takes from the first album! CD

A never-issued live performance from the great Johnny Shines – best known for his work on the Chicago scene in the 50s, but heard here in a fantastic recording that was done in a St Louis chapel during the early 70s! The sound quality is amazing – and although most tracks just feature Shines on vocals and guitar, there's a clarity that's breathtaking – and which may well bring out subtle elements in Johnny's music that were never captured as well by some of his records on bigger labels. Three tracks features added guitar from Leroy Jodie Pierson, but most are solo – and titles include "Seems Like A Million Years", "Cold In Hand Blues", "Have You Ever Loved A Woman", "I'm A Steady Rollin Man", "They're Red Hot", "Ramblin", "Stay High All Day Long", and "It's Nobody's Fault But Mine". CD

A nicely focused set from the great Art Pepper – a record that features a number of familiar bop and jazz themes, but set to a more open, relaxed, and very soulful style that wonderfully reflects all the greatness of Pepper in his final years! The group on the record is nicely understated, but still very hip – George Cables on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and Art gets plenty of space to step out front and really blow these amazing solos, including one number that features just bass and drums, while Pepper blows a bit of clarinet – which we always love. All other titles feature alto sax – and titles include "Donna Lee", "Anthropology", "You Go To My Head", "Body & Soul", and "Desafinado". CD

A New York album, but one that was oddly recorded in Burbank – and which has Art Pepper sounding very much at the top of his game! The format here is a bit like the other Artist House Pepper sessions, and those he did for the Japanese Atlas label – tight, focused, often tunes that are older jazz or bop standards – but swing with a great rhythm section, and topped with completely sublime alto solos from the leader! The quartet features Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Foster on drums – but one number is a duo between Carter and Pepper, and another features just piano and alto. Titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Lover Man", "Duo Blues", "My Friend John", and "Straight No Chaser". CD features bonus tracks – a version of "Lover Man" with clarinet, the tune "Johnny's Blues", and three more alternate takes from the album! CD

Philadelphia has always had a strong legacy of amazing jazz musicians – so much so, that sometimes really great players sometimes get overlooked! That's definitely the case with the young DB Shrier here, a tenorist who's got a fresh modern sound that's all his own – not free jazz, but different than earlier modern styles too – stretched out with a new sense of space, and done with a very cool group of equally hip younger players too! Probably the biggest name in the group is bassist Tyrone Brown – a player who'd go on to do a number of great records over the years – and the rest of the lineup features William Roye on drums and Mike Michaels on piano. Michaels contributed a very cool Indian-inspired tune to the set, titled "Raveesh" – and other titles include Brown's "East", plus versions of "Blue Lights", "These Foolish Things", and "All Blues". CD features bonus material – "Steeplechase", "Opus #3", "Indiana", "Helene", and "Just You Just Me". CD