One of the first Modern Jazz Quartet albums on Atlantic – a 1957 set that finds the crew in one of their freshest periods – laying down their soon-to-be trademark style in a fashion that warrants the self-titled tag! The set kicks off with a stellar medley of standards, all given the tight MJQ touch! The crew strolls through "They Say It's Wonderful", "How Deep Is The Ocean", "Body And Soul" and more in that 10 minute stretch. Other album highlights include the drum-heavy "La Ronde", a sweet reading of "Night In Tunisia", "Baden Baden", "Bag's Groove" and "Yesterdays". CD

Some of the earliest material ever recorded by the Modern Jazz Quartet – early 50s sides that were originally issued as 78rpm singles, then brought together in this self-titled LP! Some of the material was first released under the name of the Milt Jackson Quartet – but featured the lineup of Jackson on vibes, John Lewis piano, Percy Heath bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Yet other tracks on the set have bassist Ray Brown in for Heath and drummer Al Jones in for Clarke – both players who make for a slightly different groove in the company of Jackson and Lewis. Tunes are short, but already show that Lewis love of chromatic tones – and titles include "Yesterdays", "Love Me Pretty Baby", "Milt Meets Sid", "Moving Nicely", "D&E", "True Blues", and "Autumn Breeze". CD

An extremely haunting version of the score to Porgy & Bess – recorded by the Modern Jazz Quartet at the height of their powers, in a gently soulful version that really takes off from the original. The group have a very free approach here – one that uses Gershwin's originals as a set of loose guidelines to work from – shading in the spaces with their own tones and colors on vibes, piano, bass, and drums. The album features some great modern takes on "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" – and other tracks include "O Bess, Where's My Bess", "I Love You Porgy", "My Man's Gone Now", and "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York". CD

Features a long reading of "Pyramid" – plus "Django", "Romaine", "Vendome", and "It Don't Mean A Thing". CD

Early and brilliant work by the MJQ – recorded at a time when the combo's idea was quite unique, and when its execution was still filled with a lot of creative energy! The group, of course, features the core duo of Milt Jackson and John Lewis – and bass chores are handled by either Percy Heath, or Ray Brown – the latter of whom dominates the album surprisingly. Drums are mostly by Kenny Clarke, whose harder touch gave the group an edge on a lot more of these early recordings – and on a few numbers, Al Jones sits in instead of Kenny. Titles include "Love Me Pretty Baby", "D&E", "True Blues", "Yesterdays", "Round About Midnight", and "Milt Meets Sid". CD

A set that shows that none of the group's imagination or talent had dimmed over the years – and the core quartet of John Lewis on piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Percy Heath on bass, and Connie Kay on drums are joined by The New York Chamber Symphony, who are a small string-based group who slide in and out of the jazz-based grooves with an inventive range of colors and sounds! The album's hardly a "jazz with strings" sort of date – and instead, the strings are nicely integrated with a fluidly creative approach – in the mode of some of the more experimental string quartets that were showing up at the time. Titles include "Kansas City Breaks", "Three Windows", "Encounter In Cagnes", and the "Day In Dubrovnik" suite. CD

Larger group meditations by the Modern Jazz Quartet – working here in an expanded lineup that includes work from Phil Woods, Charlie Mariano, Seldon Powell, Richie Kamuca, Clark Terry, and Jimmy Cleveland! The album takes a core MJQ groove, and only seems to lay out out over the larger arrangements as backing – almost as if the set were recorded in two parts, and stitched together – but in a way that works with a brilliant sense of counterpart, one that brings a lot more soul and color to the group's work than usual. Titles include versions of the John Lewis numbers "One Never Knows", "Animal Dance", "The Golden Striker", "Django", and "Home" – plus Milt Jackson's "Ralph's New Blues". CD

One of the greatest jazz voices on the bass clarinet – save perhaps for the late Eric Dolphy – working here in a wonderful batch of ballads and gentle groovers! The set's quite different from the usual jazz date to bear "ballads" in the title – as David Murray's not ruminating over standards with too much strings – and instead still works in a hip small combo mode that's filled with swing and soul. In fact, most tunes are hardly ballads in the traditional style – and just showcase a slightly gentler, more personal side of Murray's music – but one that still has plenty of darkness around the edges. The group's a quartet – with John Hicks on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – and tunes include "Portrait Of A Black Woman", "Waltz To Heaven", "Elegy For Fannie Lou", "Lyons Street", "Chazz", and "New Life". CD

David Murray on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Bobby Bradford on cornet, Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums. CD

Beautiful beautiful work from David Murray – a follow-up to his initial Shakill's Warrior album, and done in a style that we like even better than the first! Don Pullen is a key part of the set – working here on fluid organ lines that are somewhere between the early Larry Young work on Blue Note and the later John Patton styles for the label – a perfect foil for Murray's straight and soulful blowing on the session. This blend of organ and tenor is really wonderful – and carried off with a near-perfect modal groove on most of the set, save for one or two numbers that get a bit bogged down in guitar work from quartet member Bill White. Titles include "Crazy Tales", "One For The Don", "For Cynthia", "The Sixth Sense", and "1529 Gunn Street". CD

David Murray on tenor saxophone, Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ralph Peterson Jr. on drums. CD

Features David Murray on tenor saxophone, John Hicks on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – plus guest tenor Branford Marsalis on "Fast Life" and "Crucificado". CD

Ted Nash on tenor sax, clarinet & alto flute, Tomas Ulrich on cello, Ben Allison on double bass, Tim Horner on drums, Frank Kimbrough on piano, Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, Erik Charlston on vibraphone & percussion, Ron Lawrence on viola & Joyce Hammann on violin. CD

Steve Nelson on vibraphone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Tony Reedus on drums. CD

One of our favorite albums ever on the legendary ESP label – and a key session in the best "new thing" mode of the 60s! The New York Art Quartet were a short lived collaboration between trombonist Roswell Rudd, saxophonist John Tchicai, bassist Lewis Worrell, and percussionist Milford Graves – but their legacy in this one album is almost greater than that of other combos who recorded more frequently at the time. The sound is similar to the best "spacious" groups of the new thing years – such as the Archie Shepp/Bill Dixon work, or some of the looser sides by the New York Contemporary Five – a group that featured Shepp and Tchicai. Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka) makes a key guest appearance on the title "Black Dada Nihilismus" – reciting his writings alongside the group's somber instrumental musings – and other titles include "Short", "Rosmosis", and "No 6". CD

Tim Armacost on saxophone, David Berkman on piano, Daiki Yasukagawa on bass, and Gene Jackson on drums. Titles include "Nefertiti", "Giant Steps", "Sweet And Lovely", and the original "Hidden Fondness". CD

Kevin O' Connell on piano, Adam Brenner on alto and tenor saxophones, Paul Gill on bass, and Mark Taylor on drums. CD

Timucin Sahin on guitars, John O'Gallagher on alto sax, Thomas Morgan on bass, and Tyshawn Sorey on drums. CD

John Stowell on guitars, Michael Zilber on saxophones, John Shifflet on bass, and Jazon Lewis on drums. CD

With Davide Logiri on piano. CD

A bold statement from the legendary David S Ware Quartet of the early 90s – one of the most powerful forces on the American scene of the time! Ware's own blowing on tenor sax is tremendous enough – a key inheritor of the energy of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders – but when backed by pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker, and drummer Whit Dickey, his sound is at its fullest – propelled forth on waves of sound and spirit, ever-searching, but never losing itself in the heavens! Tracks are long and freely creative – and titles include "Inverse Alchemy", "Cocoana", "Earthquation", and "Ideational Blue" – as well as 2 beautiful extrapolations on "Tenderly"! CD

Ernie Watts on tenor saxophone, Christof Sanger on piano, Rudi Engel on bass, and Heinrich Kobberling on drums. CD

A pretty compelling session – one that features Ben Webster playing with the first version of the Modern Jazz Quartet! The recording quality of the material is a bit rough, but Webster's tone cuts right through any shortcomings of the setting – blowing deeply over rhythms by the team of John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke. Titles include "Poutin", "Confirmation", "Lady Be Good", "Nearness Of You", and "Cotton Tail". CD

Buster Williams on bass, Steve Nelson on vibes, Mulgrew Miller on piano, and Carl Allen on drums! CD

Genius work from the World Sax Quartet – a really unique ensemble who not only set the tone for a generation of jazz musicians to come, but also gave focus to some richly expressive talents from the 70s underground! The quartet is something of a supergroup right from the start – graced with tremendous reed work by David Murray, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, and Hamiet Bluiett – all key American players who really helped transform the sound of jazz in the 70s – coming together here in a whole new way on seminal sides for the Black Saint/Soul Note label! The format – which inspired many others – is really compelling – as the group's sounds come only from saxes, no other instrumentation at all – with the four wind players handling all rhythm and melody, and making some really amazing music in the process. Horn interplay had never been heard so clearly before – especially as here, the stars put aside their egos, and never try to overblow each other – and instead have this brilliant way of working together to craft a new sort of groove. The box set features the albums Steppin With, WSQ, Revue, Live In Zurich, and Live At The Brooklyn Academy Of Music – all with the classic lineup – plus Moving Right Along, which actually features a quintet with Bluiett, Murray, and Lake – joined by James Spaulding and Eric Person. CD

With Hamiet Bluiett, Olive Lake, David Murray, and John Purcell – on saxophones, clarinets, flutes, and bells! CD

One of the best albums ever recorded by the WSQ – a sensitive mix of rhythmic tunes and mellow ballads, played by the group with less agression than on previous releases, but in a way that shows that they're really fitting into the style of the ensemble well. Titles include "Cool Red", "Full Deep & Mellow", "Dance Until Dawn", "Fast Life", "Hattie Wall", and "Sweet D". CD

With Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, and David Murray on a multitude of saxophones, clarinets – even a bit of flute. Titles include "Ming", "David's Tune", "I Heard That", "Quinn Chapel AME Church", "Affairs Of The Heart", and "Little Samba". CD

With Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, David Murray, and Oliver Lake – each playing a variety saxophones. Titles include "R&B", "Hearts", "PO In Cairo", "Steppin", and "Ra Ta Ta". CD

Really groundbreaking work from the World Sax Quartet – one of the first, and best, all-horn ensembles! The strength of the album definitely hangs on the backgrounds of the players – Julius Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake, and David Murray – all already key reedmen in left field jazz, with a sense of sound and identity that makes each part of the group as strong as its whole – a great trading of musical minds, spirits, and sounds. Instrumentation includes alto, tenor, baritone, clarinet, soprano sax, and bass clarinet – and titles include "Sundance", "Pillars Latino", "Suite Music", "Sound Light", "Connections", and "Fast Life". CD

There's nothing prehistoric about this set – as saxophonist James Carter's working here in an angular mode that's strikingly modern, despite the "classics" in the title! The tunes are all familiar ones, but they're recast by Carter with a deep tone on tenor, alto, and soprano sax – one that recalls the freshness of Sonny Rollins during his most creative period, but which also is recorded here with a bit more looseness and sense of freedom. The group are all players from Carter's Detroit scene – Craig Taborn on piano, Jaribu Shahid on bass, and Tani Tabaal on drums – and titles include "Oleo", "Out Of Nowhere", "Take The A Train", "Ask Me Now", "Sandu", and "Equinox". CD

With Danny Gottlieb on drums. CD

Ted Dunbar on guitar, Mickey Tucker on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, David Jones on drums, and special guest Dotti Anita Taylor on flute. CD

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The quartet here is definitely great enough to earn their name – a wonderful pairing of the piano of Hank Jones and bass of Ray Brown at the core – augmented with superb work from Alan Dawson on drums, a player we love going back to his 60s recordings on Prestige – joined by Sam Most on flute and tenor near the end of the set! In that way, the whole thing is more of a trio date than anything else – recorded with superb tone on Brown's bass throughout, and with space for Dawson to deliver these great solo spots in the middle of some tracks – nicely understated, which is always part of his genius. Titles include "Blue Monk", "All Blues", "Sister Sadie", "Emily", "A Time For Love", "Tea For Two", and "The Voodoo". CD

Charlie Haden on bass, Ernie Watts on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano, and Larance Marable on drums – plus guest violin by Stephane Grapelli. CD

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

One of the avant garde classics in the early catalog of ECM Records – a set that has bassist Dave Holland working with two key bandmates from the Circle group – Anthony Braxton on saxes and flute, and Barry Altschul on percussion – as well as the great Sam Rivers on flute and sax, who was really taking off at the time! All tracks are originals by Holland – and Rivers' emotive, flowing approach proves the perfect balance for Braxton's intellectual approach – in a setting that really brings the most out of both players, thanks in part to elastic rhythms from Holland and Altschul. The overall approach leaves a great deal of space on this atmospheric set – but not in the usual mellower ECM way. Titles include "Four Winds", "Q & A", "Conference Of The Birds", "Interception", "Now Here (Nowhere)", and "See Saw". CD

Later work from 50s modernist Warne Marsh – but pretty darn great stuff, and proof that Marsh remained creative and inventive as the years went on! The core of the CD features a 1980 live date recorded in Berlin with pianist Sal Mosca – like Marsh, another disciple of the Tristano school, and a great accompanist for the set! The rest of the group includes Eddie Gomez on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums – but although both players are strongly voiced, the real focus here is on Warne's beautifully-spun solos on the longer tracks, and on Sal's angular approach to the keys. Tracks are nearly all Tristano, Marsh, or Mosca numbers – and titles include "Leave Me", "The Family Song", "Like The Angels", "And Then There's Music", and "Background Music". CD also features 2 more tracks from a 1977 live date in Bronxville – with Mosca, plus Sam Jones and Roy Haynes – on readings of "She's Funny That Way" and "Background Music". And quite possibly best of all, the set's completed by 2 more tracks that are only spare duos between Sal and Warne – recorded at Mosca's apartment in 1979, and featuring versions of "Noteworthy" and "The Hard Way". CD

A double-length live set from the legendary Modern Jazz Quartet – recorded in Scandinavia in 1960, almost as a summation of the group's growing genius in the 50s! The tunes are a mix of John Lewis and Milt Jackson originals, plus other songs all given the wonderful MJQ twist – distilled into a sublime blend of piano, vibes, bass, and drums – all delivered with a sense of class, but never too much polish. Set features 15 tracks in all – including "Django", "Bluesology", "La Ronde", "Festival Sketch", "Vendome", "Odds Against Tomorrow", "Skating In Central Park", "The Cylinder", and"Round Midnight". CD

For Ellington is, obviously, a tribute to the Duke – but it's done in a really creative way that gets past any simple rehashed versions of his tunes! The MJQ's approach here is totally great – very different rhythmically than classical Ellington – in a way that pulls apart familiar tunes, and uses them as completely fresh vehicles for a new sort of improvisation. Milt Jackson's vibes are especially wonderful – full of color, and quite dramatic at times – and titles include the original numbers "Maestro EKE" and "For Ellington" – plus "Jack The Bear", "Sepia Panorama", "Rockin In Rhythm", and "It Don't Mean A Thing". CD

A rare gem of a session – live material recorded by the Voice Of America in 1957, and featuring a unique Thelonious Monk quartet with John Coltrane on tenor! The performance is contemporaneous with Coltrane's appearance on the legendary Monk's Music album for Riverside – and the overall feel here is a bit similar to that classic. Yet the live setting also allows Coltrane to open up and improvise a lot more – stretching out in fluid lines that are often a strong contrast to the more angular notes coming out of Monk's piano. Rhythm is by the team of Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums – and titles are broken up into an "early show" and "late show" – 9 numbers in all that include "Bye-ya", "Epistrophy", "Nutty", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "Monk's Mood", and "Evidence". CD

One of David Murray's straighter sides from the early 80s – and exactly the kind of record to prove to the world that he could be a strong tenor traditionalist while still bringing an inventive sound to play! Murray's tone is deep and soulful, and often quite lyrical – set nicely in a quartet that features warm piano from John Hicks, bass from Reggie Workman, and drums from Ed Blackwell. The Workman/Blackwell component ensure that things still have an edge at times, even when swinging – and the tunes are a mix of Murray originals and a few standards. Titles include "Morning Song", "Light Blue Frolic", "Off Season", "Duet", "Body and Soul", and "Jitterbug Waltz". CD

Really classic sounding work – from a quartet that features William Parker on bass, Rob Brown on alto saxophone, Hamid Drake on drums, and Lewis Barnes on trumpet. Brown plays some b-flat clarinet on one track, and Parker plays cedar flute on the same track too! CD

Great work from the Don Pullen-George Adams Quartet – a great post-Mingus group that features Adams on tenor and Pullen on piano – along with Dannie Richmond on drums and Cameron Brown on bass! The sound of these sides is really wonderful – as inventive and exploratory as some of Pullen's earlier work, yet carved out with a sense of rhythm and soulfulness that all players had clearly learned from Mingus – a focus that's really wonderful, and which takes this Blue Note gem far past some of the other Pullen/Adams collaborations in other settings. Titles include "A Time For Sobriety", "Mr Smoothie", "Just Foolin Around", and "We've Been Here All The Time". CD

A follow-up to Shorter's successful Footprints Live album – done in the same sort of angular and introspective mode, and also with a group that includes Danilo Perez on piano, John Patitucci on bass, and Brian Blad on drums. The overall style's not as much in the joyous, soulful Shorter mode that we love so much from the earlier years – but the record is a good follow-up to Footprints, and will please if you dig that set. Titles include "Smilin Through", "Joy Ryder", "Tinker Bell", "Over Shadow Hill Way", "Adventures Aboard The Golden Mean", and "Beyond The Sound Barrier". CD

Features Ken Vandermark on saxophones, Daniel Scanlan on violin and guitar, Kent Kessler on bass, and Michael Zerang on drums. CD

The great Bobby Bradford recorded famously for the Nessa label back in the 70s – but here he's heard in the company of some younger players on a contemporary recording – one that shows that his fire hasn't dimmed at all! The group's a quartet – with Frode Gjerstad on alto and clarinet, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass, and Frank Rosaly on drums – and the three tracks are all relatively long and quite free – but have this organic sense of building that really matches some of Bradford's energy from the early days – a style that's not as rhythmic or modal as before, but partly because Rosaly and Flaten are such amazingly complex musicians! Titles include "The Silver Cornet tells", "A Story About You", and "And Me Me & You". CD

Dave Digs Disney – and hence, so do we! The album's one of the first to ever pay tribute to the great compositions heard in Disney films – and it features the magical sound of the Brubeck Quartet, turned upon a host of familiar numbers, and transforming them into longer vehicles for jazz improvisation. Given Dave's great sense of play with rhythm and timings, the tunes really get changed up in these versions – in a way that takes best advantage of the modal rhythms and jazz waltz styles that many of them share. Paul Desmond's alto work is as impeccably-handled as ever, and Joe Morello's sprightly drums seem perfectly at home with the tunes – as does Dave's warmly lyrical work on piano. Titles include "Alice In Wonderland", "Give A Little Whistle", "One Song", "Someday My Prince Will Come", and "Very Good Advice". CD

Some of Dave Brubeck's best-remembered work – packaged here together in a cool box set of LP-styled sleeves! The set begins with the seminal Time Out album – a huge hit for Brubeck, and his first to experiment with moving around in different time changes – an approach that's followed strongly on the other four albums – Countdown Time In Outer Space, Time Further Out, Time Changes, and Time In – all packaged wonderfully together in a set that might well be called the "time box"! The odd signatures make for plenty of creative rhythms – including some sweet modal moments – and the set also features loads of sublime alto sax work from Paul Desmond too. 48 tracks in all – including some bonus tracks! CD

The last-ever live performance of the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond – recorded in 1967, but issued here for the first time ever! The group was the stuff of legend in the 50s and 60s – Dave's incredible approach to piano and time signatures, supported by amazing rhythm progressions from bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello – topped by some completely sublime work on alto sax by the mighty Paul Desmond! Throughout the 60s, the group really expanded their sound wonderfully – through a set of richly exploratory albums for Columbia Records, taking their core approach into a wide range of new styles and formats that really made for some beautiful music. Here, they deliver a stellar swan song – working in a live performance that brings back a few classics, and also shows some of the new territory they'd taken too – all recorded beautifully, at a level that makes the record a perfect pairing with their studio albums for Columbia – almost as if the label had been holding back a gem after all these years. Titles include "For Drummers Only", "La Paloma Azul", "Three To Get Ready", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "I'm In A Dancing Mood", "Set My People Free", "Take Five", and "You Go To My Head". CD

Kenny Burrell joins the quartet of Hammond hero Brother Jack McDuff – in a session that's not only a classic Prestige cooker from the 60s, but also one of Kenny's most hard grooving albums of the decade! Jack's tight group really seem to push Burrell into some great new territory – a different groove than his Blue Note or Verve sides, with a bit more grit overall – although still plenty of those perfectly-chosen notes on his solos. Harold Vick's tenor sax is the main reed element here, although Eric Dixon also plays flute on one track – and remaining players include Joe Dukes on drums and Ray Barreto on congas, a player who didn't often work with Jack, but who's very welcome here. Tracks are longish, with an open-ended soul jazz feel – not really blowing session numbers, given McDuff's tight sense of rhythm, but a nice change from the usual. Titles include "Grease Monkey", "Nica's Dream", "Love Walked In", and "We'll Be Together Again". CD

With Kenny Drew on piano, Jesper Lundgard on bass, Ed Thigpen on drums, and Richard Boone on vocals. CD

With Drew Gress on bass. CD

Some of the best work that Louis Hayes and Joe Farrell cut during the 80s – a freewheeling and open session that's steep on soul, and filled with the best energy both players could muster! The group's a quartet, with Farrell on tenor, soprano, and flute, Hayes on drums, Rob Van Den Broeck on piano, and Harry Emmery on bass. Farrell's inventiveness, as always, is incredible – restrained from some of his over-the-top work in the 70s – but in a good way, one that has him really focusing on the construction of his solos, and coming up with some wonderfully soulful notes that hold the lively rhythms of the tunes together. All tracks are long, and titles include "Miles Mode", "Vim N Vigor", "Arab Arab", and "Besame Mucho". CD

A double-length set from Chicago tenorist Chris Greene – but a package that may well not be enough to hold all the new ideas in his music! We've really watched Chris grow strongly over the past few years – and with this wonderfully well-crafted, rich-voiced album, he steps forward to a level that rivals some of the much bigger saxophone talents recording these days for labels like High Note or Criss Cross! Greene's always had a deep tone in his horns – one that draws from a Chicago tradition, but inflects it with some of the more contemporary modes of later players on the scene – like Eric Alexander, who Chris might be approaching with this set. The range of rhythms and song styles is great – never gimmicky, but expanding past standard expectations – so that Greene's group is playing Coltrane and Wayne Shorter one minute, then Martin Denny the next, then Ed Motta, then a huge batch of their own great compositions as well. Instrumentation is simple – Chris on saxes, plus piano or keyboards, bass, and drums – but there's some wide voices here that really make the album compelling – and the longer length very necessary to contain it all. Titles include "Firecracker", "Deluge", "Day of Honor", "Divers", "Solution", "Papuera", "Clean & Clear", "Institutional Samba", and "Nostalgia In Times Square". CD

Nice reissue of this rare Clifford Jordan session from the mid 70s, recorded for "Dolphy Productions" in Paris, and with a feel and a spirit very similar to his Jordan's Strata East albums from the same time – like Glass Bead Games and In The World! The group is similar to those recordings too, and features Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins – all working with Jordan in a wonderfully exploratory groove that still has a deep and rhythmic swing. Tracks are nice and long, and there's a great take on the Strata fave "John Coltrane", plus other nice ones that include "Midnight Waltz","One For Amos", and "Highest Mountain". CD

With Eric Alexander on tenor, Geore Mraz on bass, Lewis Nash on drums, and Cyrus Chestnut on piano. CD

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Joe Maneri on reeds and piano, Mat Maneri on violin, Ed Schuller on bass, and Randy Peterson on drums. CD

One of the greatest 50s showcases for the tenor talents of Warne Marsh – a deceptively understated album that captures Warne at his most fluid and creative point! The setting is a quartet – with Ronnie Ball on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and Marsh is magnificent throughout, really blowing with a tone that is fresh and filled with modern ideas – yet never overdone, nor too willfully complex to lose the train of the tunes. The approach is almost Konitz-soulful – a wonderful distillation of ideas in the hands of one magical talent – and titles include "Ad Libido", "It's All Right With Me", "Playa Del Ray", "Autumn In New York", and "You Are Too Beautiful". CD

Truly one of the Modern Jazz Quartet's greatest albums – and a set that has an edge and a darkness that's missing from some of their other Atlantic records! Part of the reason for this may be the group's fantastic reading of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" – a killer moody track that sounds great in the group's vibes/piano style – and which leads off the album with a chilling tone that's really unbelievable! The rest of the album's pretty great too – and there's a brooding intensity we don't normally hear in the piano of John Lewis and vibes of Milt Jackson. Other tracks include Gary McFarland's "Why Are You Blue" – plus John Lewi's "Belkis", "Animal Dance", "New York 19", and "Trieste". CD

David Murray on tenor saxophone, Sonelius Smith on piano, Wilber Morris on bass and Rashied Ali on drums. CD

Tony Oxley on percussion, Phil Wachsmann on violin and electronics, Pat Thomas on piano and keys, and Matt Wand on sampler. CD

A fantastic package from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – one that's billed as "symphonies" in the title, but which instead features quartet jazz performances throughout – as you've maybe guessed by the name of the group! There's maybe a more compositional structure here than on some of Smith's other recent albums, but there's also plenty of improvisation too – served up by a fantastic group that features Henry Threadgill on alto and flute, John Lindberg on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – with saxophonist Jonathon Haffner stepping in for Threadgill on one of the four CDs in the package! Each longer piece has a slightly different vibe – and together, the music is a stunning statement of the continuing genius of Leo Smith in recent years – a masterful statement of his importance in jazz, but also a personal message that's filled with urgent intensity. Titles include "Gold Symphony", "Diamond Symphony", "Pearl Symphony", and "Sapphire Symphony". CD

Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and flugelhorn, Anthony Davis on piano and synthesizer, Malachi Favors Maghostut on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums and synthesizer. CD

John Stowell on nylon string and fretless baritone guitar, Dave Glenn on tromboine with the Hawcaptak Quartet. CD

Amazing work from this seminal group on the FMP scene – a quartet led by pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach, but equally balanced between the saxes of Evan Parker, bass of Peter Kowald, and percussion of Paul Lovens! We're not sure how much to take the "nails" in the title seriously, but it does sound as if Schlippenbach is playing prepared piano at times – or perhaps his command of the keyboard is just so strong, he can make other-worldly elements come from the instrument whenever he wants! Much of the music has a full-on FMP intensity – that non-stop, sonically adventurous quality inherited from Machine Gun – spun out over three great live improvisations, titled "Range", "Black Holes", and "Three Nails Left". CD

With Veryan Weston on piano. CD

With Oliver Lake on alto saxophone. CD

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With Kenny Barron on piano, Ralph Moore on tenor sax, David Williams on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. CD

David Berkman on piano, Dick Oatts on saxophone, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums. CD

Ron Blake on tenor and soprano saxophone, Johnny Griffin on tenor saxophone, Shedrick Mitchell on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Greg Hutchinson on drums. CD

With Bill Stewart on drums. CD

With Joey Calderazzo on piano, James Genus on bass, Jeff Tain Wats on drums, and Don Alias on percussion. CD

James Carter's first album as a leader – and a set that helped mark a place for him as one of the strongest saxophone voices of the 90s! The album has Carter's work on alto, tenor, and baritone saxes set center stage – alongside backing by a trio that features pianist Craig Taborn, but which allows plenty of space for Carter to dominate the sound with his deeply soulful tone and often-pyrotechnic approach to his solos. There's some occasional moments that go a bit over the top, in a "hey look at me" sort of mode – but they're nicely offset by a deeper spirit that appreciates the traditions that inform Carter's sound, and which made the record a real standout in the early 90s. Titles include "Lunatic", "Hour Of Parting", "Caravan", "Blues For A Nomadic Princess", "Worried & Blue", and "Baby Girl Blues". CD

Rich Corpolongo on alto & soprano saxes, clarinet & piccolo, Eric Hochberg on bass, Mike Raynor on drums & percussion & Larry Luchowski on piano. CD

With Gerry Hemingway on drums. CD