The first-ever album from Joshua Redman to feature vocals, yet a set that also has plenty of his own great tenor sax as well – all set up in a very unusual format wrapped around different scenes and cities in the US! The record's a bit of a statement on the America of the 21st Century, as even older songs are transformed in the setting, and mixed with some especially nice originals by the group – delivered by a lineup that features Gabrielle Cavassa on vocals, Aaron Parks on piano, Joe Sanders on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. The album also features guest work from Joel Ross on vibes, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Peter Bernstein on guitars, and Nicholas Payton on trumpets – and titles include "After Minneapolis", "Chicago Blues", "Manhattan", "That's New England", "Alabama", "Where Are You", and "My Heart In San Francisco". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost classic that needs to be in every hip rock collection! Terry Reid is one of those talents who never got his due when his albums first came out – like Tim Buckley, Nick Drake, Billy Nichols, Colin Blunstone, Curt Boettcher, and countless others that are all getting the "I'm sorry, forgive me, I'll love you forever" treatment from the rock cognoscenti. And even though Terry's style is a bit harder and more rocking than all of the above, his place in the music is similar – in that he had a really unique way of putting things together, kind of a blend of tight pop, blue-eyed soul, and some trippy influences – all wrapped up in some very tight production that makes the album sparkle like a lost pop gem. Titles include strong originals like "Erica", "Tinker Taylor", "Without Expression", "Sweater", and "When I Get Home" – plus covers of "Season Of The Witch" and "Bang Bang". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy stuff! We'd never say a bad word about Buddy (or else he'd sock us one!), but this album is particularly nice – as it features Rich's swinging late 60s group doing some pop/jazz covers of groovy 60s tunes, plus some very tasty originals! All tracks are pretty short, and the band plays with a tight fire that reminds us of some of the best moments on the Blue Juice compilations. Includes covers of "Hello, I Love You", "Soul Kitchen", "Comin Home Baby", and "Love And Peace" – plus tasty originals like "Wonderbag", and "Soul Lady". CD

Dannie Richmond is Charles Mingus' longtime drummer – working here in a rare set as a leader, leading a group with a number of other from Mingus alumni, including Don Pullen on piano, George Adams on tenor, and Jack Walrath on trumpet – along with Billy Harper's bassist, David Friesen. Side two has a long beautiful Richmond original called "I Told You So", and side one features three more originals – "Waltz for Tamia", "April Denise", and "Neata Babe Boogie". One of the better sides issued on Horo, and not easy to find! LP, Vinyl record album

A corker of a set from tenorist Diego Rivera – a player who's been around for a bit, but who really seems to find his groove in this Posi-Tone setting! The album's got Diego working with some great labelmates – including trombonist Michael Dease on all cuts, a name that's worth us checking out the album alone – plus work on various tracks by Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, Markus Howell on alto, and Behn Gillece on vibes! The core quintet also includes Luther Allison on piano, Andea Owens on bass, and Jason Tiemann on drums – all playing nice and tight, so Rivera and Dease can really soar on their solos – taking off on tunes that include the Rivera originals "Connections", "Ties That Bind", "Nueva York", "O Moderno", and "Mother's Nature" – plus Dease's "Seiko Time", and a nice bold-voiced version of "Naima" – done very differently than usual! CD

Diego Rivera's a hell of a tenorist – and he plays a bit of soprano too – packing a heck of a lot into just a little bit of space, almost with the mix of hardbop and soul jazz we'd hear from 60s favorites like Benny Golson or Jerome Richardson! As with both of those artists, Rivera's got a way of making his presence known right from the start – but then never needs to overstate himself – as his playing is always right on the money, with just the right notes along the way – supported here by a crack quartet that features Helen Sung on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Donald Edwards on drums – plus trumpet from Etienne Charles on three of the album's twelve tracks. Many tunes are originals by Diego – just the right material for his balance of expression – and titles include "Indigenous", "Sombras Del Pasado", "Secret Life Of Plants", "Melina Maria", "BLM Plaza", "Shir Lashalom", and "Purpose". CD

Rich-voiced tenor work from Diego Rivera, a player who just seems to get better and better with each new album as a leader! The set follows strongly on Diego's previous – and as with that one, features that top-shelf Posi-tone presentation – with a focus on original material, a strong group of sidemen, and a nicely unified vibe! Other players include Art Hirihara on piano, Luques Curtis on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums – plus Pete Rodriguez on trumpet, also adding in some percussion at points that have a slightly Latin vibe. Titles include the originals "With Just A Word", "Tinte Latino", "Machete", and "Dignified Response". CD

A seminal set from Max Roach – the start of his more righteous stretch in jazz, as you might guess from the title of the album! At some level, the record's got a bit of the feel of the post-Clifford Brown Mercury years from Roach – but at another, it's stretching out towards the directions Max would explore fully on the Candid, Impulse, and Fantasy labels in the 60s – an approach to hardbop that often really pushes its limits – not content to simply set up solos for the players, and instead moving with a much more forceful energy overall! Group members include Booker Little on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor, Ray Draper on tuba, and Art Davis on bass – and the lack of a piano makes for a very exciting sound! The album's got 2 great originals by Bill Lee – "Jodie's Cha-Cha" and "Deeds Not Words" – plus Draper's classic "Filide", and the groundbreaking "Conversation" – a very cool solo by Roach on the drums! LP, Vinyl record album

Previously unreleased work from the legendary group of Clifford Brown and Max Roach – recorded back in the 50s, when Mainstream producer Bob Shad was working on the Brown/Roach dates for Mercury – but not issued until this set in the 70s, when Shad had his own label! The music here is right up there with the best 50s classics by the pair – really showcasing that amazing trumpet style that made Brownie a genius right from the start – next to some of the burning energy he forged with Roach in the group. Every player's tremendous – Harold Land on tenor, Richie Powell on piano, and George Morrow on bass – and titles include two Clifford Brown originals – "Daahoud" and "Joyspring" – plus Roach's "Mildama", plus the standards "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You". CD

About as classic as you can get for late 60s Miracles! Smokey's vocals are in perfect form, and the group still has that 60s falsetto harmony sound, with lots of fragile bits and strong group backing. Includes the huge hit "Tears Of A Clown", plus a motherlode of great originals that make this a no-filler set! Titles include "The Soulful Shack", "My Love Is Your Love", "Don't Think It's Me", "I'm On The Outside (Looking In)", "More Love", and "It's A Good Feeling". LP, Vinyl record album

A great follow-up to Claudio Roditi's Braziliance record – and like that set, a record that's filled with a similarly warm and breezy groove! There's a range of bossa and post-bossa elements at work in the mix, plus some slight Latin jazz touches too – and Roditi's horn sounds wonderful in the setting, really stretching out with these well-blown lines over work from a group that includes Romero Lubambo on guitar, Michael Dease on trombone, Helio Alves on piano, John Lee on bass, and Duduka Da Fonseca on drums. All songs are originals by Roditi – and titles include "Slow Fire", "Piccolo Blues", "A Dream For Kristen", "Blues For Ronni", "Vida Nova", "Winter Dreams", and "Spring Samba". CD

Bassist Marlene Rosenberg leads a hell of a trio here – one that features Kenny Barron on piano and Lewis Nash on drums – both tremendous players who sound even better in the round, rich company of Rosenberg's bass! Most titles are trio numbers, but driven as much by the bass as by the always-wonderful work of Barron – and the tunes include many originals by Marlene – instrumentals, but with a current of the more righteous energy promised by the title. One exception is the great "Not The Song I Wanna Sing" – a number that has Rosenberg on vocals while Christian McBride handles the bass – alongside other vocal contributions from Thomas Burrell and Robert Irving III – which help make the song the most political number on the set. Titles include "The Line Between", "American Violet", "Togetherness", "And Still we Rise", "Visions", "The Barron", "Rain", "Love's In Need Of Love Today", and "Not The Song I Wanna Sing". CD

One of the first albums ever cut as a leader by trombonist Frank Rosolino – a hip set issued under the Stan Kenton Presents banner for Capitol in the mid 50s – but done in a smaller combo mode than you'd hear with Stan! The setting provides a great showcase for the emerging solo talents of Rosolino on trombone – a player with a soulful swing that get way past his goofy image on the cover – and which is set up here in the company of some great collaborators who include Charlie Mariano on alto sax – playing so strongly, the album might well include him as a co-leader – plus piano from either Claude Williamson or Pete Jolly, trumpet from Sam Noto, bass from Max Bennett or Curtis Counce, and drums from Mel Lewis or Stan Levey. There's not only a lot of Kenton influence in the players, but a lot of Bethlehem Records styles as well – a reference that definitely shapes the sound of this set, and makes it a strong one for any fan of 50s work on that label – or Mode Records as well. Titles are a mix of standards and originals – and include "Ragamuffin", "Linda", "Carioca", "Besame Mucho", "Yo Yo", and "Freckles". LP, Vinyl record album

On the one hand, our jazz snob side wonders why Diana Ross would be picked to star as Billie Holiday, but on the other, it makes perfect sense, as this soundtrack to the film was made during the early 70s, when she was at the top of her career, and one of the highest profile female soul singers. And she acquits herself quite well, with a solid performance that's more than respectable, helped along the way by sympathetic orchestral arrangements from Benny Golson and Oliver Nelson. While we may not turn to this recording over any of Billie's originals, it's a pretty remarkable turning point for Diana, establishing her "diva" status and helping to launch her solo career to new heights. 34 numbers in all, though many of them are dialogue or musical bits lifted from the film. Includes "All Of Me", "the Man I Love", "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do", "Fine & Mellow", "You've Changed", "My Man", "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless The Child". LP, Vinyl record album

The music of vibist Joel Ross just keeps getting better and better with each new release – and on this set, he showcases a strong balance of sounds – really able to push the edges at some points, while also managing a soulful swing at others too! There's some key work on the album from labelmate Immanuel Wilkins, whose alto sax has a sharpness that's a great counterpart to the warmer, more chromatic elements from Ross' vibes – and other members of the core group include Kanoa Mendenhall on bass, Jeremy Corren on piano, and Jeremy Dutton on drums – mostly working together throughout, although joined by the flute of Gabrielle Garo on a few tracks too. Titles include great remakes of the Coltrane tunes "Equinox" and "Central Park West", plus the originals "Early", "Nublues", "Mellowdee", "Chant", "Ya Know", and "What Am I Waiting For". CD

The music of vibist Joel Ross just keeps getting better and better with each new release – and on this set, he showcases a strong balance of sounds – really able to push the edges at some points, while also managing a soulful swing at others too! There's some key work on the album from labelmate Immanuel Wilkins, whose alto sax has a sharpness that's a great counterpart to the warmer, more chromatic elements from Ross' vibes – and other members of the core group include Kanoa Mendenhall on bass, Jeremy Corren on piano, and Jeremy Dutton on drums – mostly working together throughout, although joined by the flute of Gabrielle Garo on a few tracks too. Titles include great remakes of the Coltrane tunes "Equinox" and "Central Park West", plus the originals "Early", "Nublues", "Mellowdee", "Chant", "Ya Know", and "What Am I Waiting For". LP, Vinyl record album

George Russell was always committed to exploring new territory – as he proves well on this hard to find album cut for Riverside during the early 60s! Russell's surrounded himself here with some great younger and lesser-known players – including trumpeter Don Ellis, trombonist Garnett Brown, tenorist Paul Plummer, bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Pete LaRoca – as well as vocalist Sheila Jordan, who joins the group on a strange extended version of "You Are My Sunshine". The set contains 2 other loopy originals by Russell – "The Outer View" and "DC Divertimento" – as well as versions of Carla Bley's "Zig Zag" and Charlie Parker's "Au Prive". CD

Leon Russell at the height of his powers – really firmly on his own in the lead, after so many years in the background – and working with a confidence that makes the whole thing completely charming right from the get-go! Like a rare few – a short list that might include Mose Allison, Dr John, or Georgie Fame – Russell is able to reference roots without any sort of hoke, and easily make them into a sound and style that's all his own – in this case with some mod touches of the jazz promised in the title, but also touches of Texas, New Orleans, and maybe a bit of his Tusla home turf too. Titles include versions of "If I Were A Carpenter", "Smashed", "Wild Horses", and "The Ballad Of Hollis Brown" – plus the originals "Stop All That Jazz", "Mona Lisa Please", "Working Girl", and "Time For Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that will blow your mind – way different than you might expect from the cover! Sure, Pee Wee was a bit of a traditionalist on his instrument – the clarinet – but he's working here in a starkly modern way that almost recalls some of the best 50s work of Jimmy Guiffre, or some of the earlier sides by Steve Lacy. There's still a swing-based approach to the tunes, but they're handled in a spare style that features equal interplay between Russell, trombonist Marshall Brown, bassist Russell George, and drummer Ronnie Bedford – a great player who really makes the album sparkle! The tracks include a couple of Thelonious Monk titles – "Ask Me Now!" and "Hackensack" as well as a couple of Marshall Brown originals – "Licorice Stick" and "Calypso Walk". Other titles are Ornette Coleman's "Turnaround", Coltrane's "Some Other Blues" and Ellington's "Prelude To A Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album

Cameron Pfiffner and Pat Millinger on saxophones and flutes, Pete Benson on Hammond B3, and Ted Sirota on drums. Tracks include "Mary Anne", "Odd Couple", "China Cat Sunflower", the originals "Dr. Midnight" and "Tetemetearri". CD

The debut album of the legendary pianist Masahiko Sato – a musician who's got a way with a piano that's unlike anyone else we can think of – almost creating these sinister moments at times, which are balanced by occasional moments of warmth, amidst a very groundbreaking sense of freedom! At this point in his career, Sato is so different than American or European avant pianists – and there's a clarity to the performance here that really demonstrates his unique approach – supported by superb work from Yasuo Arakawa on bass and Masahiko Togashi on drums – both players who have these deeper, organic qualities that balance the sharper edges of the piano. All titles are originals – save for an unusual version of "Michelle" – and tracks include "Der Zweig Von Salzburg", "Palladium", and "Closing". LP, Vinyl record album

Dave Scott has a wonderfully sensitive sound here – a quality that almost reflects the image on the front, which seems to have him listening to the trumpet he holds in his hands – a photo that really gets at the special sort of ear that Scott has for crafting these beautiful tones on his instrument! The music isn't familiar hardbop, even though the lineup might make you think that – but it's also not free jazz either – as Scott instead has this way of composing original material that's as much about the texture of the tunes as it is the individual voices, at a level that sounds especially strong as his instrument is matched with the tenor of Rich Perry and piano of Gary Versace – the latter of whom has a wonderfully diverse set of styles here. Other group members include Johannes Weidenmuller on bass and Mark Ferber on drums – and tunes, as mentioned, are all originals – with titles that include "KC Swingin", "Ralph Retired", "Song For Alice", "Indifference", and "Venus At Dusk". CD

Early work from reedman Tony Scott – recorded in the years when he was much more of a regular on the New York scene – before he started working in trippier styles for the 60s! The album features Scott in a host of different settings – from quartet, to tentet, to orchestra grooving – in a mix of modes that embraces both modern jazz inventions and some of the previous styles of the swing generation – both of which Scott handles very well on clarinet, with the same sort of generation-spanning confidence you'd get from Buddy DeFranco at the same time. Bill Evans plays piano on most tracks – a notable early date as a sideman, and one of his excellent pairings with Scott – and Gigi Gryce plays alto on some of the large group tracks. Originals mix with standards in the lineup – and titles include "Vanilla Frosting On A Beef Pie", "Poinciana", "Walkin On Air", "Round Midnight", "My Old Flame", "Moon Walks", and "Rock Me But Don't Roll Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A really tremendous album from the legendary Gil Scott-Heron – and a set that stands as one of his greatest statements from the 70s! The record is a wonderful example of Gil's work in two different styles – sweet mellow jazzy soul, and harder heavier protest poetry – the latter from his roots as a writer in touch with the streets, and the former part of a brilliant new direction that he was taking on the Flying Dutchman label. Side one features classic jazzy tracks recorded with Brian Jackson – like "Free Will", "The Middle Of Your Days", "Speed Kills", and "Did You Hear What They Said?". Side two moves over to a much sparer sound – and has Gil reciting some of his poetry with very heavy percussion, and a very righteous approach. The wisdom and knowledge of those pieces is a perfect example of the kinds of issues that were haunting black America in the early 70s – especially on the tracks "No Knock", "The King Alfred Plan", and "Sex Education: Ghetto Style". CD version features 8 bonus tracks – alternate versions of some of the heavier-duty tunes on the album, some of which are quite different than the originals! Also includes new notes and photos! CD

Tracks include "Lift Off", "For The Bees", "One Note", and "Slow Motion" – 8 tracks total, all originals by drummer and leader Mark Segger. CD

We've always loved the music of pianist Bernie Senesky – a Canadian musician with a richly lyrical, expressive style – one that doesn't always get the recognition it deserves on our side of the border! And we've also always loved the tenor of Eric Alexander – a player we've been following since his start, and who has had some amazing moments of growth in recent years – one of them on this record with Bernie, a player who seems to bring out all this warmer, more sensitive elements in Alexander's horn – as the two of them work together in a very unexpected pairing, but one that we'd love to hear more of on future recordings! Other players on the date include Kieren Overs on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums on most tracks, save for two, which feature Morgan Childs on drums and Dave Young on bass. Titles include the originals "Blues For EJ", Alexander's Realtime Band", "Stand Pat", and "Make Believe" – plus a nice take on "Matchmaker". CD

The start of a fantastic tradition – the first-ever recording of the SF Jazz Collective, a kickoff to a series that would give us amazing records for years to come! This time around, the group work through a series of Ornette Coleman tunes, re-arranged by Gil Goldstein for the octet – which features an all-star lineup that includes Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Joshua Redman on tenor, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Miguel Zenon on alto, Josh Roseman on trombone, Renee Rosnes on piano, Robert Hurst on bass, and Brian Blade on drums – all strong leaders on their own, but doing a remarkable job here of putting aside egos and working together as a whole! Coleman tunes include "Una Muy Bonita", "Lonely Woman", "School Work", "Happy House", and "When Will The Blues Leave" – and originals include "Of This Day's Journey", "Wages", "March Madness", and "Rise & Fall". CD

An amazing record – bold, proud, and soulful – a set that we'd easily rank with any classic early 60s session on Blue Note – and for good reason too! This rare date is the debut as a leader for trumpeter Gene Shaw – also known as Clarence Shaw in an earlier history of work with Charles Mingus – and it's an incredible blend of hardbop grooving with sharper-edged modern jazz ideals – an incredible blend that comes off beautifully on every track in the set! Shaw's probably best known for his late 50s work on the Charles Mingus albums Tijuana Moods, East Coasting, and Modern Jazz Symposium Of Music & Poetry – but after a famous fight with Mingus, Clarence "hid out" in Chicago and worked under the name of Gene – but soon made big waves on his own with tremendous work like this. (In the liner notes to the 1963 release of Tijuana Moods, in which Mingus says that he loved Shaw, but can't get in touch with him anymore!) Every aspect of the record is superb – from the writing, to the rhythm section, to the incredibly well blown solos from trumpeter Shaw and tenorist Sherman Morrison – who himself is another vastly-overlooked talent in jazz. The rest of the group features James Taylor on piano, Sidney Robinson on bass, and Bernard Martin on drums – a totally crackling rhythm section who give most tunes a snapping sort of groove! Most tracks are originals, and titles include "Autum Walk", "Six Bits", "The Thing", "It's A Long Way", "AD's Blues", "Marj", and "Our Tune". CD

A great tribute to the genius of Alan Shorter – has classic late 60s album, plus a bonus track too! The core of the record is the album Orgasm, a record as striking as its title – and one of the few recorded performances of trumpeter Alan Shorter – brother of Wayne Shorter, and an equally powerful force in avant jazz in the 60s when he got a chance! And although Alan hardly recorded much, this album's a masterpiece – a set that bridges the "new thing" moment of jazz in the mid 60s with some of the freer improvisations that were taking over on both the New York and European scenes – a balance of modes that's similar to some of the Don Cherry albums for Blue Note in the late 60s, and delivered here with a stunning lineup that includes superb early modern tenor work from Gato Barbieri, bass from either Charlie Haden or Reggie Johnson, and drums from either Muhammad Ali or Rashied Ali. Tracks are all originals – and titles include "Parabola", "Straits Of Blagellan", "Outeroids", and "Orgasm". CD also features another key performance by Alan Shorter from a few years earlier – the track "Mephistopheles" from the Wayne Shorter album All Seeing Eye – with Wayne on tenor, James Spaulding on alto, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur III on trombone, and Herbie Hancock on piano. CD

Don't let the title fool you, as the album's hardly an "etcetera" – not some run-on work from Wayne Shorter, but a real lost cooker from his 60s Blue Note years! The record's got a very sharp-edged quartet sound – a bit modern and edgey at times, with sharp tenor lines from Shorter, piano from Herbie Hancock, bass from Cecil McBee, and drums from Joe Chambers. Wayne recorded the date in 1965, but the material wasn't issued by Blue Note until 15 years later – a delay that somehow made the whole thing even more of a gem, especially at a time when Shorter wasn't blowing this strongly on record. Tracks include four originals "Toy Tune", "Penelope", "Etcetera", and "Barracudas" – plus the Gil Evans number "Barracudas (General Assembly)". CD

Don't let the title fool you, as the album's hardly an "etcetera" – not some run-on work from Wayne Shorter, but a real lost cooker from his 60s Blue Note years! The record's got a very sharp-edged quartet sound – a bit modern and edgey at times, with sharp tenor lines from Shorter, piano from Herbie Hancock, bass from Cecil McBee, and drums from Joe Chambers. Wayne recorded the date in 1965, but the material wasn't issued by Blue Note until 15 years later – a delay that somehow made the whole thing even more of a gem, especially at a time when Shorter wasn't blowing this strongly on record. Tracks include four originals "Toy Tune", "Penelope", "Etcetera", and "Indian Song" – plus the Gil Evans number "Barracudas (General Assembly)". CD

Easily the best-remembered album by Labi Siffre – thanks to some well-used sample tracks over the years! But over and above the fame of the funky tunes "The Vulture" and "I Got The", the record's a key part of Siffre's 70s catalog – a record that's as great for its complex songwriting and deeply personal lyrics as it is for its Fender Rhodes lines, and tight musical backings from the combo of Big Jim Sullivan. All titles here are originals, and even when the groove slows down there's a depth that clearly marks Labi as one of the best singer/songwriters of the 70s – a talent who's been finally rediscovered in recent years, although sometimes only remembered for a few jazzy hooks from these tunes, and not the strength of the whole magilla! Here's your chance to dip into the Siffre sound at its fullest – on tracks that include "The Vulture", "I Got The", "Another Year", "Down", "Old Time Song", "Sadie & The Devil", "Remember My Song", and "Turn On Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fantastic Horace Silver albums from the 50s – a set of complicated tunes that really lives up to its "further explorations" title! The session's a perfect example of the way that Silver was mixing hard bop sensibilities with more exotic styles of arranging in the late 50s – pushing past the straighter bop of his Jazz Messengers years, and moving into a territory that can only be described as "Silver-esque", and which went onto have a strong impact on many other players in years to come. And although not as well known as some of Silver's other classics from the time, the album's got some key tracks that show his talents at their best – like the genius "Moon Rays", or other originals that include "The Outlaw", "Melancholy Mood", "Pyramid", and "Safari". The group, which features Clifford Jordan on tenor and Art Farmer on trumpet, has an emotional maturity that you don't always get on Blue Note sessions from these days – and the album is a hauntingly lyrical batch of tracks that is among some of Silver's finest recorded work! CD

One of the most fantastic Horace Silver albums from the 50s – a set of complicated tunes that really lives up to its "further explorations" title! The session's a perfect example of the way that Silver was mixing hard bop sensibilities with more exotic styles of arranging in the late 50s – pushing past the straighter bop of his Jazz Messengers years, and moving into a territory that can only be described as "Silver-esque", and which went onto have a strong impact on many other players in years to come. And although not as well known as some of Silver's other classics from the time, the album's got some key tracks that show his talents at their best – like the genius "Moon Rays", or other originals that include "The Outlaw", "Melancholy Mood", "Pyramid", and "Safari". The group, which features Clifford Jordan on tenor and Art Farmer on trumpet, has an emotional maturity that you don't always get on Blue Note sessions from these days – and the album is a hauntingly lyrical batch of tracks that is among some of Silver's finest recorded work! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fantastic Horace Silver albums from the 50s – a set of complicated tunes that really lives up to its "further explorations" title! The session's a perfect example of the way that Silver was mixing hard bop sensibilities with more exotic styles of arranging in the late 50s – pushing past the straighter bop of his Jazz Messengers years, and moving into a territory that can only be described as "Silver-esque", and which went onto have a strong impact on many other players in years to come. And although not as well known as some of Silver's other classics from the time, the album's got some key tracks that show his talents at their best – like the genius "Moon Rays", or other originals that include "The Outlaw", "Melancholy Mood", "Pyramid", and "Safari". The group, which features Clifford Jordan on tenor and Art Farmer on trumpet, has an emotional maturity that you don't always get on Blue Note sessions from these days – and the album is a hauntingly lyrical batch of tracks that is among some of Silver's finest recorded work! CD

Killer early work from Horace Silver – and a rare non-Blue Note session from the 50s! The album's Horace's only date for Columbia, and it's got a feel that's similar to some of the Jazz Messengers' hardbop recordings for the label at the time – cooking with a soulful intensity at the bottom, yet taking off with some tremendously well-carved solos on the top! The group's an all-star ensemble that includes some of the best harbop players of the time – Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Donald Byrd and Joe Gordon on trumpet, Doug Watkins on bass, and Kenny Clarke and Art Taylor on drums – all grooving together with Horace as if they'd been backing him up for years. Titles include great originals "Silver's Beat", "Shoutin' Out", and "Hank's Tune – plus versions of "I'll Know" and "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Warm and mellow soul from Janet Silvera – a set that's a bit lovers rock, but with touches of American mainstream soul of the late 70s – especially the more laidback, easygoing styles! Familiar hits are mixed with originals in a nice way, and at a few spots, there's even some slight trace of clubby modes, which makes for a reggae disco style that almost seems to have Janet at her best! Production is by Peter Gordon Martin, and titles include "Small Talk", "It Wasn't Real", "Oh If I Should Lose Your Love", "Waiting In Vain", "Dancing To My Own Heartbeat", and "Say You Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Another classic in the Lee Hazelwood/Billy Strange mode, featuring some lusty dusky production that gets a lot better work from Nancy than she could ever do on her own! Lots of Hazelwood originals, including "How Does that Grab You, Darlin?", "My Baby Cried All Night Long", "Not the Loving Kind", and "Sand". CD

A rare second meeting between Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra – recorded for RCA a few years after their initial outing for Reprise, and done with a style that's even moodier than the first! Given that Nancy's less of a star at this point, Lee really dominates the album – and casts Sinatra in a space that's filled with his own dark themes of loneliness, pride, responsibility, and forbidden adult love. Backings are rich and large, but the voices are always upfront in the mix – and arrangers Larry Muhoberac and Clark Gassman really do a great job of getting the Hazlewood vision down perfectly. Most of the tracks are originals, and titles include "Got It Together", "Back On The Road", "Arkansas Coal Suite", "Congratulations", "Paris Summer", "Friendship Train", and "Tippy Toes". Also features two great bonus tracks – "Machine Gun Kelly" and "Think I'm Coming Down". LP, Vinyl record album

The live anthology of punk pioneers The Slits – featuring raucous London recordings from as early as '77 up to their last gig in Paris, 1981! The recording and performance quality from track-to-track may not be representative of the group at it's best. What the set does do, inarguably, is provide a solid snapshot of the Slits' growth over the years from sneering punkers to far more stylistically ambitious dark dub & funk influenced originals. Includes "Vindictive", "A Boring Life", "Slime", "Love & Romance", "Shoplifting", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Typical Girls", "Fade Away" and "In The Beginning". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone killer from organist Lonnie Smith – one of his completely cooking early albums for Blue Note, and a hard-burner all the way through! Smith's working here with a really great group that includes Idris Muhammad on drums and Melvin Sparks on guitar – both of whom give the album a really heavy bottom, and almost make the set feel like one of those classic Prestige jammers from the same time. But added to them is a great horn section of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Julian Preister on trombone, and Bennie Maupin on tenor – all of whom give the record a slightly hipper, more modern feel – in keeping with the Blue Note groove of the time. Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include the originals "Turning Point" and "Slow High" – plus versions of "See Saw", "People Sure Act Funny", and "Eleanor Rigby". CD

A stone killer from organist Lonnie Smith – one of his completely cooking early albums for Blue Note, and a hard-burner all the way through! Smith's working here with a really great group that includes Idris Muhammad on drums and Melvin Sparks on guitar – both of whom give the album a really heavy bottom, and almost make the set feel like one of those classic Prestige jammers from the same time. But added to them is a great horn section of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Julian Preister on trombone, and Bennie Maupin on tenor – all of whom give the record a slightly hipper, more modern feel – in keeping with the Blue Note groove of the time. Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include the originals "Turning Point" and "Slow High" – plus versions of "See Saw", "People Sure Act Funny", and "Eleanor Rigby". CD

A killer batch of modern spiritual soul jazz – with a classic sound that reminds us a lot of the 70s work on labels like Tribe or Strata East! The New Composers Ensemble is led by vibist Paris Smith, an underground Chicago jazz artist who cut a few very enigmatic albums on his own – and he's working here with a group that includes guitar, piano, percussion, and bass. All the tracks on the album are originals written by the players on the record – and most of them are strong modal grooves, with a spiraling, soaring sound that's filled with joy and life, but also a hint of darkness. The interplay of the instruments is unlike anything we've heard elsewhere, and it's the kind of underground treasure that you'd die to find on a rare 70s album – somehow even cooler that it's cut by an obscure group who are working in our generation! A few tracks have a vocalist that's a bit off-beat – and she also reminds us of some of the more spiritual contraltos that would show up on the Strata sets from the 70s – but her contribution to the record also kind of grows on you nicely after a while. Titles include "Tommy Tones", "Sonny's Song", "Lilith Came", "Introspection", "Psalm 37", and "53rd Street Ghost", dedicated to the street in Chicago where Dusty Groove was born! CD

Great duets between Wadada Leo Smith and Jack DeJohnette – two artists who both share roots in Chicago, united here for one of their most powerful recordings in recent years! DeJohnette's drums are really set free here – as melodic as they are rhythmic, and providing great counterpoint to Smith's well-blown lines on trumpet and flugelhorn – very focused and evocative, with a proud, full sound that really lives up to the title of the record. All tunes are originals by Smith, and titles include "America (parts 1, 2, & 3)", "Rabia's Unconditional Love", "Ed Blackwell The Blue Mountain Sun Drummer", "John Brown's Fort", and "Red Trumpet". CD

Really early genius from The Sonics – and the kind of music that reminds us why the legendary group still continue to sound so wonderful after all these years! The Sonics had an edge that was different than most of their contemporaries – definitely honed on plenty of influences from earlier rock and R&B, but also letting loose with a kind of frenzy that not only made them one of the most stunning acts of the early garage psych years, but which continued to get the group plenty of interest once punk rolled in too. The highlights here might well be the group's standout originals – "The Witch", "Psycho", and "Strychnine" – worth the price of admission alone – but laid out here next to other great cuts that include "Do You Love Me", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Boss Hoss", "Money", "Walking The Dog", Nighttime Is The Right Time", and "Dirty Robber". LP, Vinyl record album

Ken Vandermark and crew take a funkier turn – working off the style of their last album (a tribute to Sun Ra & George Clinton), moving into tunes that are tributes to soul and funk heroes of the past 30 years. Most tunes are originals by Vandermark – played by the trio that includes Ken on reeds, Nate McBride on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums – and titles include "Clocked", "Back Of A Cab", "Reasonable Hour", "Size Large", "Journeyman", "She Just Got Here", "All Frequencies", and "Force At A Distance". CD

The first, and perhaps the most conventional album by Spanky & Our Gang – but still pretty darn insane! The group are a strange mix of 60s styles – with bits of We Five, bits of Harpers Bizarre, bits of The Association – but a totally strange and totally fun approach to pop that's very much their own. Cuts on the album are a mix of originals and covers – and highlights include the incredible "5 Definitions Of Love" by Bob Dorough, "Distance" by Joe Renzetti, "Commercial" by the band, and the track "It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue". Great groovy stuff – and with arrangements by Renzetti, Dorough, and Stuart Scharf. LP, Vinyl record album

Four albums from this wonderful group – all brought together in a single set! First up is the self-titled Spanky & Our Gang – the first, and perhaps the most conventional album by the group, but still pretty darn insane! Spanky & Our Gang are a strange mix of 60s styles – with bits of We Five, bits of Harpers Bizarre, bits of The Association – but a totally strange and totally fun approach to pop that's very much their own. Cuts on the album are a mix of originals and covers – and highlights include the incredible "5 Definitions Of Love" by Bob Dorough, "Distance" by Joe Renzetti, "Commercial" by the band, and the track "It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue". Great groovy stuff – and with arrangements by Renzetti, Dorough, and Stuart Scharf. Like To Get To Know You is a tiny little pop masterpiece was produced and arranged by Stuart Scharf and the great Bob Dorough, and is filled with one of the grooviest approaches to pop we've heard in ages. The album includes the sublime hit "Like To Get To Know You", set in a very different LP setting – plus great versions of "Suzanne" and "Everybody's Talkin", and the cuts "Stardust", "The Swingin Gate", and "My Bill". Anything You Choose is the third movement in the fantastic pop symphony that is Spanky & Our Gang! The record's perhaps their oddest to date – and mixes groovy vocal stylings with some fairly advanced production approaches that work perfectly with the incredible songs written by Stuart Scharf and Bob Dorough. The voices swirl about in a mad rush – interweaving lines of melody and poetry, punctuated by strange sounds, spacey airy instrumentation, and wonderful little rhythms. Titles include "Anything You Choose", "1-3-5-8", "Without Rhyme Or Reason", "Give A Damn", and "Nowhere To Go". Live is an unusual album from this groovy group – especially given that most of their famous work was in the studio – and done with really inventive arrangements and production! Yet those qualities still come through here, even in a live setting – as the record's got this stripped-down approach that shows just how much of the group's own inventive vocal interplay and harmonies were part of their fantastically groovy style! Titles include "Wasn't It You", "Dirty Old Man", "The Klan", "Nagasaki", "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight", and "That's What You Get For Lovin Me". CD

A trippy little combo with a distinct post-Coltrane feel – stretching out here wonderfully, on a hip little session on a homegrown label! The group hail from the unlikely spot of Las Vegas – but they've got a deeply spiritual sound that rivals the best work on the coasts in the early 70s – a very searching, righteous sort of groove – crafted beautifully from the tenor sax lines of Rick Davis, and the sweet Fender Rhodes of Ron Feuer! The album's filled with long, exploratory tracks – tunes that are free, but never too much so – and the mixture of electric keys and tenor works nicely throughout – giving the album a really unique and unified feel that sets it apart from other small jazz sets of its type. All tunes are originals by the group – and titles include "Vibrations", "Starship", "Spirit Free", and "Isis Unveiled". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Horizon", "Starship (alt)", and "Dear Latin Friend". CD

A rawly beautiful set from Mavis Staples – produced by Jeff Tweedy, and we think it's her best of the past decade! There's a roomy, lived in vibe that's achingly effective on this one – the core group is her road band, with additional players including Tweedy, Patrick Sansone, Mark Greenberg, Richard Parenti, and the angelic backing vocals of Kelly Hogan and Nora O'Connor. Includes a pair of new originals written for Mavis by Jeff Tweedy – the soulful and spirited "You Are Not Alone" and the sly, swaggery "Only The Lord Knows" – plus roosty soul reworkings of traditionals "In Christ There Is No East Or West", "Creep Along Moses" and "Wonderful Savoir", the Roebuck Staples gems "Don't Knock" and "Downward Road, Allen Toussaint's "Last Train", the Rev. Gary Davis penned "I Belong To The Band" and more. CD

One of the most tripped-out albums of funk you'll ever buy – a rare treasure with a very unusual history! The Stark Reality were a cool little combo formed to work on public television in Boston in the late 60s – and the combo featured some heavy guitars, fuzzed-up vibes, and some monster percussion laid out in tight bass and drum rhythms that were years ahead of their time! The group recorded one rare album – ostensibly a children's record, but based around old compositions by Hoagy Carmichael, completely pulled apart, sliced up, overly harmonized, and spat out into wild funky tunes that bear no resemblance to their originals! John Abercrombie handles the guitar, Monty Stark delivers the vibes and vocals – and titles include "Rocket Ship", "Shooting Star", "Bustin Out Of Doors", "Comrades", "Swing High", "Cooking", "Grandfather Clock", "The Old Prospector", "The Whale", "Junkman's Song", and "Merry Go Round". LP, Vinyl record album

Sonny Stitt makes Oscar Peterson sit up and groove! The record's a great one, and uses the Peterson Trio as a perfect rhythm section for Sonny's confidently blown solos of the late 50s – in a way that pushes the combo past their usual safe area, and into more freewheeling territory to keep up with Stitt's sense of power and invention! The tunes on the set are every bit as great as those on Sonny's own albums as a leader for Verve – crisp, clear, and perfectly blown – a masterpiece of subtle creativity and one of the greatest tones to ever emerge from the saxophone! Titles include "Au Privave", "Scrapple From The Apple", "Moten Swing", and "Easy Does It". CD

One of those lost 60s nuggets that should have been huge – the only album ever cut by this excellent Arizona band, and a record done with a quality that matches mid 60s Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, or any other big names from the LA scene! There's a tunefulness here that really comes through – worked especially well with acoustic elements next to the electric guitars and bass – all with a sense of focus and charm that should have catapulted these guys to superstardom with a record this great! All tracks are originals – and titles include "Crazy Town", "People In The Street", "What's The Hurry", "The Other Sidewalk", "It's Raining", "Day & Night", and "My Place". LP, Vinyl record album

The guitar genius of Gabor Szabo – set to magnificent arrangements by Gary McFarland! The set's one of the most sophisticated albums Szabo ever cut – and has a slow-building style that steps off of his Impulse years with a deeper, broader vision of music. By the time of the set, McFarland himself was hitting a more contemplative style in his own music – and you can hear that shift in this album as well, especially in the moodier, mellower moments. Instrumentation includes violin, cello, and French Horn – all used sparingly to augment Szabo's small combo with piano by McFarland! Titles include lots of originals – "The Fortune Teller", "Half The Day Is Night", "Galatea's Guitar", and "Lady In the Moon". CD features bonus tracks – single edits of "Fire Dance" and "Ferris Wheel". CD

The album's a heck of a great ride with tenorist Tom Tallitsch – a player who's stepped in traditional tones and phrasing, but who can also push things forward with his own personal agenda as well! Tallitsch has a really old school depth to his instrument – a quality that reminds us a bit of Eric Alexander at his best, as does the flowing sense of rhythm the album gets from Art Hirahara on piano, Peter Brendler on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums – a rhythm trio that fits together very well and provides a rock-solid and soulful swing on the album's best numbers. Michael Dease blows some tight trombone throughout too, and most tunes are originals – with titles that include "Ride", "Rubbernecker", "Rain", "The Giving Tree", "El Luchador", and "Turtle" – but the album also features two surprising ballad remakes, of David Bowie's "Life On Mars" and Led Zepplin's "Ten Years Gone". CD

Moody genius from the great Horace Tapscott – a solo piano session from 1983, but one that's played with all the pride and power of his larger group recordings! The tunes are a mixture of familiar jazz standards and Tapscott originals – taken in readings that are spare and thoughtful, yet which are shorter and a bit more economical than those on some of the other Tapscott solo sessions. The recording quality is extremely beautiful – as Horace's work on the keys echoes out with a sense of poise and grace that is immediately captivating. Titles include "It Never Happened Before", "Afro Blue", "Love In Bloom", "Strollin", "Whisper Not", and "Anwar". CD

Solo recordings with a side's worth of originals and standards on the flipside. LP, Vinyl record album

A lost set of modernist piano jazz from the British scene of the late 60s – very much in the mode of the best American work of the time by pianists like Steve Kuhn or Don Friedman! Taylor's got an incredible touch on the keys – a post-Bill Evans mode that uses space as much a sound, and which paints in broad colors and tones that seem to glisten in their own unique place in the musical spectrum. The sound is free, but never too "out" – and the trio performs a number of strong originals like "Just A Blues", "Two Autumns", "Guru", and "Abena" – plus completely transformed versions of "Stella By Starlight" and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Soulful reedman Tenderlonious plays flute this time around – but as always, it's the overall sound that makes the record so great – not just the solo bits on flute, but all the keyboards, basslines, and beats – stretched out in this cool 21st Century take on funky fusion! The music is jazz at the core, but more electrified too – with a straightforward funky groove on some numbers, and some more enigmatic modes on others – all a great blend of keyboards and flutes, which often share the same tonal range. Titles include "Dale's Corner", "Autumn Leaves", "Ghana", "Odeo Bushi", "In A Sentimental Mood", and "Song For My Father" – and the three tunes with familiar titles are actually originals by the man himself. LP, Vinyl record album

Clark Terry's breezy trumpet is paired with Don Butterfield's tuba for a real "top and bottom" session of brassy jazz. The two of them are backed by a sharp rhythm section that includes Jimmy Jones on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The set's got a lot of nice originals, and despite what you might think, this is actually one of Terry's harder sessions. Cuts include "Top N Bottom", "Mardi Gras Waltz", "Blues For Etta", and "Mili-Terry". CD

Rare material by the legendary Three Sounds – recorded in the early 60s by Gene Harris and combo, but never issued at the time! The work follows very strongly in the best spirit of the Three Sounds' more famous albums from the time – a unique blend of soul jazz piano with some of the more sprightly pianistics that had been showing up on trio records in the 50s – never too over the top, but with enough creativity to make the group a key crowd-pleasing act at the time! Harris' work on the keys is extremely magical, and there's some tunes on the set that give the album a slightly different feel than usual. Highlights include great readings of Randy Weston's "Babe's Blues", Nat Adderley's Work Song", and Frank Rosolino's "Blue Daniel" – plus the originals "Wait A Minute" and "Lazy Cat". LP, Vinyl record album

Go out of the world with The Three Sounds on this sweet little set for Blue Note – as the trio are at their early best, and working with a care of craft that you won't find on other 60s albums for labels like Verve or Mercury! The mighty Gene Harris is in the lead on piano, moving between a great blend of lyrical and more soul-based styles – given great accompaniment from Bill Dowdy on drums and Andy Simpkins on bass – the latter of whom is an overlooked genius, with this round tone and solid touch that really holds the group together! Titles are a nice mix of exotic standards and gutbuckety originals – and tunes include "My Silent Love", "Just In Time", "Out Of this World", "Out Of the Past", "Sanctified Sue", and "Girl Of My Dreams". CD

A stunner of a set from legendary trumpeter Charles Tolliver – and a record that shows that he's lost none of his brilliance since the years of his 70s recordings for the Strata East label! The format here is a bit like those – long tracks by a small group, with an outward appearance of familiarity – but a clearly resonant sense of individuality right from the very first note! All tracks are originals by Charles, and have that soaring quality that's always made him one of the most righteous talents in jazz – working with a group here that features Jesse Davis on alto, Keith Brown on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Lenny White on drums. The group's also joined by the great Binker Moses on tenor on two tracks – and titles include "Suspicion", "Copasetic", "Emperor March", and "Blue Soul". CD

A stunner of a set from legendary trumpeter Charles Tolliver – and a record that shows that he's lost none of his brilliance since the years of his 70s recordings for the Strata East label! The format here is a bit like those – long tracks by a small group, with an outward appearance of familiarity – but a clearly resonant sense of individuality right from the very first note! All tracks are originals by Charles, and have that soaring quality that's always made him one of the most righteous talents in jazz – working with a group here that features Jesse Davis on alto, Keith Brown on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Lenny White on drums. The group's also joined by the great Binker Moses on tenor on two tracks – and titles include "Suspicion", "Copasetic", "Emperor March", and "Blue Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

Slammin Hammond from Trio Valore – a really old school combo with a sweet mix of mod and funky rhythms! The group features heavy drums from Steve White – with a groove that stretches back to his many years on the hip side of the UK scene – and remaining trio members include Damon Minchella on guitar and Seamus Beaghen on Hammond – both players who more than keep up with White's hard-hitting approach, and really make the set cook up strongly throughout! A number of cuts are covers, but there's also some great originals too – and the whole thing has the feel of a hip 60s set in a small Soho club – but filtered through a generation that also understands funk as well. Titles include "Rehab", "Hola Muneca", "Fuoco", "Hip Hug Her", "Anxious Mo Fo", "All About My Girl", "Return Of The Iron Monkey", "Dam Square", and "Miracolo". LP, Vinyl record album

Hip vocalist Bobby Troup pays tribute to another fairly hip LA songwriter – the great Johnny Mercer, the man who helped to build Capitol Records in the late 40s! Mercer's tunes really helped pave the way for some of Troup's own writing – and Bobby's cool, laidback style makes the numbers sparkle even more than in any of Johnny's originals – a bit less hoke, and a lot more jazz. Part of that aspect also comes from the presentation – which has Troup working with west coast players who include Howard Roberts on guitar and Bob Enevoldsen on trombone – a lineup that gives the album a warm jazzy swing throughout. The set includes a nice version of "I'm With You", which Troup wrote with Mercer – plus classics like "Midnight Sun", "Cuckoo In the Clock", "Skylark", and "One For My Baby". CD

There's no nostalgia here – as Akiko Tsuruga plays the Hammond B3, but in a way that's very fresh, and very much her own – using the instrument to create these bold blocks of color, which are then augmented by contributions from a mighty nice group of players! The horn work is especially great – and the record soars with the trumpet of Joe Magnarelli and tenor of Jerry Weldon – the latter of whom always seems to bring out something special on a date with an organ, balancing out Akiko's tone here in a really great way. Ed Cherry plays guitar, Byron Landham handles drums, and titles include the originals "Tiger", "Beyond Nostalgia", "Middle Of Somewhere", "Dancing Cats", and "Happy Blues" – plus versions of "Back Track" and "Mack The Knife". CD

A haunting tribute to the late John Coltrane – not just a "friend" of McCoy Tyner, but a key musical partner back in the 60s! The album's a solo piano effort – extremely intimate, but still played with that long-flowing majesty we always love in McCoy – and two of the tunes are famous Coltrane compositions – "Naima" and "The Promise" – and another is a spiritual reading of "My Favorite Things", done in a completely different mode than Trane's version. Other titles are Tyner originals – "Folks" and "The Discovery". LP, Vinyl record album

As pure a distillation of McCoy Tyner's lyrical vision as one could ever hope for – a brilliant early standout session for the pianist as a leader! McCoy is backed up here by the energetic drumming of Elvin Jones – with whom he shares a natural empathy from their many years together under Coltrane – as well as the incomparable bass of Ron Carter, and the spirited tenor of Joe Henderson – both players who make the quartet date explode with a fresh sense of imagination – the kind of work that has McCoy stepping out strongly from the shadows of The Great One, into a hip space of his own. The set glistens with 5 Tyner originals – including "Passion Dance", "Four By Five", "Contemplation" and "Search for Peace" – all of which point towards new directions in the post-Coltrane years! LP, Vinyl record album

As pure a distillation of McCoy Tyner's lyrical vision as one could ever hope for – a brilliant early standout session for the pianist as a leader! McCoy is backed up here by the energetic drumming of Elvin Jones – with whom he shares a natural empathy from their many years together under Coltrane – as well as the incomparable bass of Ron Carter, and the spirited tenor of Joe Henderson – both players who make the quartet date explode with a fresh sense of imagination – the kind of work that has McCoy stepping out strongly from the shadows of The Great One, into a hip space of his own. The set glistens with 5 Tyner originals – including "Passion Dance", "Four By Five", "Contemplation" and "Search for Peace" – all of which point towards new directions in the post-Coltrane years! CD

As pure a distillation of McCoy Tyner's lyrical vision as one could ever hope for – a brilliant early standout session for the pianist as a leader! McCoy is backed up here by the energetic drumming of Elvin Jones – with whom he shares a natural empathy from their many years together under Coltrane – as well as the incomparable bass of Ron Carter, and the spirited tenor of Joe Henderson – both players who make the quartet date explode with a fresh sense of imagination – the kind of work that has McCoy stepping out strongly from the shadows of The Great One, into a hip space of his own. The set glistens with 5 Tyner originals – including "Passion Dance", "Four By Five", "Contemplation" and "Search for Peace" – all of which point towards new directions in the post-Coltrane years! CD

Piero Umiliani gave the world some fantastic soundtracks in the 60s, and incredible electronic and sound library work in the 70s – but in the immediate postwar years, he was a jazz musician at heart – as you'll hear in this great set of small combo jazz from 1959! The vibe is right up there with some of the hippest Italian moderns of the period – like the Basso/Valdambrini group, or work by Gil Cuppini – and if you've heard some of the early 60s jazz soundtracks from Piero, you'll know that he can definitely serve up straight jazz work when he wants to! Umiliani plays piano, and other musicians include Marcello Boschi on alto and flute, Ivan Vandor on tenor, Bill Gilmore on trombone, Peppe Carta on bass, and Roberto Zappulla on drums. All tracks are originals – and include "Tempo Jazz", "Tema In Blues", "Mezza Cottura", "Tipi Misteriosi", and "Battesimo Dell'Aria". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally wonderful album from one of the hippest groups on Motown at the start of the 70s – the mighty Undisputed Truth, a group who really took up the psychedelic soul style of The Temptations, and gave it a real run for its money! The record was produced by Temptations maestro Norman Whitfield – and is a perfect example of the rumbling funky soul sound that he was developing at the time – a mixture of heavy bass, rumbling percussion, fuzzy guitars, and a stone righteous sound that pushed soul music firmly into the 70s! The songs are mostly all originals written by him and Barrett Strong – and the band is filled with great players like Dennis Coffey, Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, and the great Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin. Titles include "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite The World) Friendship Train", "What It Is?", "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me", "What's Going On", and "You Make Your Own Heaven & Hell Right Here On Earth". CD

A totally wonderful album from one of the hippest groups on Motown at the start of the 70s – the mighty Undisputed Truth, a group who really took up the psychedelic soul style of The Temptations, and gave it a real run for its money! The record was produced by Temptations maestro Norman Whitfield – and is a perfect example of the rumbling funky soul sound that he was developing at the time – a mixture of heavy bass, rumbling percussion, fuzzy guitars, and a stone righteous sound that pushed soul music firmly into the 70s! The songs are mostly all originals written by him and Barrett Strong – and the band is filled with great players like Dennis Coffey, Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, and the great Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin. Titles include "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite The World) Friendship Train", "What It Is?", "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me", "What's Going On", and "You Make Your Own Heaven & Hell Right Here On Earth". LP, Vinyl record album

The first three albums by Undisputed Truth – finally on CD, with bonus tracks too! First up is the amazing debut of Undisputed Truth – one of the coolest new Motown groups of the 70s – and one of the few that really continued the experimental legacy of the label in the late 60s! As with the Temptations during their psychedelic years, Undisputed Truth are handled by superproducer Norman Whitfield – who does a fantastic job of mixing deeper ideas and righteous themes with some of the soaring soul that was the Motown stock in trade – a wonderful blend that made these guys one of the best groups poised to push the label into the new decade! Titles include the huge hit "Smiling Faces Sometimes", plus lots of covers of cool tracks like "California Soul", "Like A Rolling Stone", "Ball Of Confusion", and "You Got The Love I Need". Law Of The Land is an unstoppable groove from The Undisputed Truth – a group who worked with Norman Whitfield in the same psychedelic soul territory as The Temptations – and who arguably got the sound across even better than them! This set's not as much of a bit hit as the group's other records from the time – but that makes it sound even fresher and more fierce – loads of those hard-rolling basslines you'd expect from Whitfield's production – and some soaring arrangements from Paul Riser and David Van DePitte, both of whom give the album a sense of majesty to match its inherent righteousness. Titles include "Law of The Land" and "Mama I Got A Brand New Thing" – plus covers of Temps tunes "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" and "Just My Imagination" – and other covers that include "Love & Happiness", "If I Die", "Feelin' Alright", and "Killing Me Softly", done in the full soul mode of the group. Down To Earth features Undisputed Truth at the height of their powers – still working in the psychedelic soul style they forged with Norman Whitfield at the end of the 60s – but with a groove that's tighter and sharper than ever before! We might well call the record the funkiest the group ever cut – as Whitfield's production really brings the rhythms into strong focus, while still letting the righteous message in the lyrics shine through in the group's strong sense of interplay – that back/forth between male and female vocals that really helps the group create a sense of social conversation. Titles include the Whitfield originals "Help Yourself", "Big John Is My Name", "Save My Love For A Rainy Day", and "Law Of The Land" – but the best tracks might be their covers, like "Love & Happiness" and "Our Day Will Come", both totally remade here into great new versions! CD features 6 more bonus tracks – including "Let's Go Back To Day One" and "Gonna Keep On Tryin Till I Win Your Love" – plus single edits of "What's Going On", "What It Is", "You Make Your Own Heaven & Hell", and "Law Of The Land". CD

A really great back to basics album from guitarist Phil Upchurch – a set that's a lot more jazz-based than the instrumental funk he was laying down in the late 60s and early 70s – with a lean style that brings plenty of focus to Phil's stunning work on a hollow-body guitar! The group's a quartet – with David Arnay on piano, Kevin Axt on bass, Vince Wilburn on drums, and Mike Smith on percussion – acoustic players who balance out the warmer electric vibe of the Upchurch guitar – on titles that include a strong mix of soul and jazz covers, plus two originals too. Tracks include "La Costa", "Jive Samba", "Jack Of Speed", "Tell The Truth", "Home Again", "Girl Talk", "She's Alright", and "Back In Love Again". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that has Jr Walker and the group stepping out with some of the righteous touches promised in the title – partly in the choice of songs on the set, which are all nicely tucked into that strong mix of deep soul vocals and saxophone lines that had become the Jr Walker groove! The set features work from a number of different arrangers – all the hipper side of Motown in the early 70s, as the list includes, Willie Hutch, Gene Page, and James Carmichael – and tunes include two great originals, one by Hutch, one by Leon Ware. Tracks include "It's Alright Do What You Gotta Do", "Soul Clappin'", "Gimme that Beat (parts 1 & 2)", "It's Too Late", and "Peace & Understanding Is Hard To Find". LP, Vinyl record album

The second trip into the studio for Cedar Walton's mighty Eastern Rebellion ensemble – and every bit as great as the first! This time around, the lineup's a bit different – with Bob Berg in on tenor, and Curtis Fuller expanding the group on trombone – but the groove is still the same – wonderfully in the pocket soul jazz, swinging with a gentle and fluid glide that's really tremendous. The work ranks up there with the best of Walton's recordings ever – and the tunes are all originals with a rich imagination for tone, soul, and color – and plenty of space for strong solo work. Titles include "The Maestro", "Sunday Suite", "Ojos De Rojo", and "Fantasy In D". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful bossa nova from 60s Japan – groundbreaking work from the young Sadao Watanabe! Like one of his obvious influences, Stan Getz, Watanabe had a great role in bringing the bossa nova out of Brazil – taking a music that had already been introduced to Japan a few years before, and giving it even wider exposure with his wonderfully soulful, jazz-based approach. And although there were earlier Japanese bossa albums, this one stands out as one of the true classics – the Getz/Gilberto set of 60s Japan, although without the vocals of that Verve date. Sadao plays both flute and alto sax, and backing is from a small combo that mixes in Brazilian-styled guitar and percussion next to the bass and drums. Watanabe's reeds have a raspy, off-kilter quality that's almost more human than most Brazilian jazz efforts of the time – and titles include versions of "Song Of The Jet", "Felicidade", "Reza", and "Morning Of The Carnival" – plus some nice originals like "America" and "Cupid's Song". CD

A 60s album, but one that's filled with some of the earliest recordings Muddy Waters made for Chess Records – all wrapped up in a title that proclaims his music as the real deal! The instrumentation here is all quite spare – varying combinations of electric guitar, harmonica, piano, and bass – all topped by Waters' wonderfully twanging vocals, heard here at a level that's still extremely fresh and without cliche! The tunes are the sort that bar bands have been ruining for decades, but they still sound great in the originals – and titles include "Sad Letter", "Gonna Need My Help", "Train Fare Blues", "Too Young To Know", "Honey Bee", "My Life Is Ruined", and "She's All Right". LP, Vinyl record album