A great album from the late 70's, featuring the excellent jazz vocalist backed by a totally tight group led by Gildo Mahones. The sound is deep and loud, and there's some nice phat bass on here, particularly on the intro to "Baltimore Oriole", which has a nice break sound at the beginning. A great track, with a nice jazz dance feel to it! Other titles include "Little Boat (O Barquinho)", "Until It's Time For You To Go", "Perhaps", and "Greatest Love Of All". LP, Vinyl record album

A lasting tribute to Brownie! The album was released some years after Brown died, and is comprised of songs from his 1955 album Clifford Brown With Strings, plus a few tracks from other recording sessions from that year before his death. The players include Richie Powell (Bud Powell's brother who also died in the crash with Brown),piano; Max Roach on drums and Harold Land and Sonny Rollins on tenor sax. Brown's original composition "Sandu" and Richie Powell's own "Time" are included as well as "Yesterdays," "Cherokee (Indian Love Song)," "Willow Weep for Me" and an unusual version of "Take the A Train." LP, Vinyl record album

Rare later work from June Christy – with titles that include "Cecilia", "Mister Wonderful", "Lover", "I'll Take Romance", "Checkin In", and "September Song". LP, Vinyl record album

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Not the famous album of the similar name, but an even more obscure 80s set – one that has John Fahey revisiting the older territory. Titles include "Improv In E Minor", "Lava On Waikiki", "Gaucho", "The Evening Mysteries Of Ferry Street", "Steel Guitar Rag", "A Minor Blues", and "The Minutes Seem Like Hours The Hours Seem Like Days". LP, Vinyl record album

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Not the compilation you might expect – but material from a special live performance dedicated to bop greats – featuring work from pianists Walter Bishop Jr, Al Haig, Duke Jordan, Sadik Hakim, John Lewis, Barry Harris, and Tommy Flanagan. LP, Vinyl record album

John Hicks works in some really wonderful company here – a trio with bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Idris Muhammad – both of whom really add a lot to the date! We're always big fans of Lundy's sound on bass – and his approach here has the same warm-rolling quality you'd find in his own best 80s work – really helping to push Hicks' lyrical agenda on the piano with a rhythmic support that's tremendous. Muhammad's pretty great too – definitely on the understated side of his talents, that nicely subtle sound he developed in the 80s – and Hicks, as always, is more than a cut above most of his contemporaries, and continues a long legacy of extremely soulful work on the keys of the piano. Titles include "Pas De Trois", "Hold It Down", "Airegin", "Coral Keys", "Ted's Delight", and "Blue In Green". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful late 70s comeback for Eddie Holman – best known to folks for his earlier sweet soul work, but sounding equally great here on a set of club-heavy tracks! Although Eddie's falsetto soul might have seemed like a strange choice for the disco-oriented Salsoul label, this album actually works well – and stands as a good representation of the shifts in styles along the East Coast soul scene during the 70s. Eddie's voice is still in great shape, and he's great on the ballads like "You Make My Life Complete", "Immune To Love", and "It's Over" – but he also fits in great with the more up-tempo tracks, which were arranged and produced by Ron Baker and Norman Harris! Titles include "Time Will Tell", "All My Life", and the title cut, "This Will Be A Night To Remember". LP, Vinyl record album

Great later work from vocalist Alberta Hunter – a really well-recorded 70s session that was also done as a soundtrack – but which stands beautifully on its own! Backings here are by a great small combo, led by tenorist Budd Johnson and pianist Gerald Cook – with some nicely bluesy touches from Wally Richardson on guitar, plus trad horn lines from Vic Dickenson on trombone and Doc Cheatham on trumpet. Hunter's vocals are great – raspy enough to underscore her age and experience, yet wonderfully fluid as well – hardly dimmed at all by her advanced years. Titles include "I've Got A Mind To Ramble", "Workin Man", "You Reap Just What You Sow", "The Love I Have For You", "Chirpin The Blues", and "Some Sweet Day". LP, Vinyl record album

With Hank Jones on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Oliver Jackson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Essential work from vocalist Karin Krog – one in a number of sessions cut with some of the best saxophonists of her time (Dexter Gordon, Archie Shepp, John Surman) – a record that features some incredible late tenor from Warne Marsh, set beautifully alongside one of the few vocalists who could match him! Instrumentation for the record comes only from Warne's tenor and the bass of Red Mitchell – leaving Karin plenty of room to open up with imaginative interpretations of the tunes – and almost letting Marsh emerge as a second "voice" that contributes equally to the album. The approach is wonderful – spare and moody, but extremely soulful – and even familiar chestnuts sound completely fresh in the setting. Titles include "I Remember You", "Trane", "Moody's Mood For Love", "Loverman", and "Speak Low". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the only 70s sessions cut as a leader by pianist Art Matthews – and sweet little set that's overflowing with soul! The tracks are long and freely flowing – somewhat righteous, but never too far out – and mostly in a style that's inspired by McCoy Tyner, but which also features some of the groovier elements of Ronnie Matthews (any relation?) Art's group here is all wonderful – with Dizzy Reece on trumpet, both Archie Shepp and Bill Pierce on tenor, Charles Farmbrough on bass, and Alan Dawson on drums – all working together in formation that's somewhat tight, but in ways that are completely different from mainstream bigger label jazz at the time. The set's got a very open, fluid feel – yet never gets free at all – and titles include "Samba Ebony", "5/4 Thing", "Love Dreams", "I'll Remember April", and "It's Easy To Remember". LP, Vinyl record album

The set's a long-spun suite – with passages that include "Returning Light", "Tomorrow Never Comes", "Wheel Of Time", "Images Of The Past", and "Confusion". LP, Vinyl record album

Mavis Rivers sings a set of tracks originally made famous by Mildred Bailey – with backing by a combo led by Red Norvo, and featuring Harry Edison, Bill Harris, and Eric Dixon. The sound's hipper than you might think from the Bailey reference, thanks to Red – and titles include "Easy To Love", "I'm Confessin That I Love You", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Please Be Kind", and "My Last Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the greatest work we've ever heard from legendary British guitarist Ray Russell – a set that was not issued to the public at the time, but recorded especially for the BBC – and with a sound that's every bit as striking as his famous albums for CBS! There's maybe a slightly more inside vibe going on here – music that often has these nice modal currents, but still delivered with plenty of Ray's unusual flair and style on the guitar – in a lineup that also includes the great Harry Beckett on trumpet and flugelhorn, plus Tony Roberts on saxes, Nick Evans on trombone, Daryl Runswick on bass, and Alan Rushton on drums – a lineup who seem to understand each other intimately, whether in moments of free improvisation or cohesive swing! The record's a great addition to Russell's too-small catalog from this time – and titles include "Disinterested Bystander", "Forget To Remember", "Triple Goddess", and "Rites & Rituals". LP, Vinyl record album

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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

Stitt remembers Bird? How could he ever forget him – given the fact that as an alto saxophonist, Stitt always had to work hard to avoid any comparisons! Seriously, though, this is a nice set of boppish material that moves past the usual Charlie Parker tribute – and in fact, none of the tracks are by Bird – and Sonny blows both tenor and alto – in a great group with Frank Rosolino on trombone, Dolo Coker on piano, Allen Jackson on bass, and Clarence Johnston on drums. Forget the Charlie Parker reference in the title, and lay back and enjoy the tunes "Watch What Happens", "Waltz For Diane", "Streamlined Stanley", and "I Remember Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet grooves from Donna Summer – who was still a rising star at this point in the 70s! The title is an honest one – for an album with songs that look back at 60s and earlier 70s soul songcraft – and even earlier than that – mostly via the groovy backup vocals. So, Ms. Summer get's a chance to show her affection for her soulful predecessors, but that's combined with the thoroughly modern Giorgio Moroder production – which really gives this record a really unique feel. Includes "I Remember Yesterday", "Love's Unkind", "Back In Love Again", "Black Lady", "Take Me", "Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over)" and "I Feel Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Cannonball Adderley – and a pivotal set that has him continuing the live recording setting of some of his best 60s albums, while also stretching forward to some of the more inventive ideas of the latter part of the decade! David Axelrod produced, and the album's definitely got his ear firmly in place – a great way of bringing together the album's hip instrumentation – Cannon's alto, Nat Adderley's cornet, and the wicked electric piano of Joe Zawinul – played here in a style that would go onto have a huge influence on countless other musicians on the instrument. Rhythm is by Victor Gaskin on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums – and as with other Axelrod live albums, there's some great spoken bits left in the mix – Cannon's charming conversation with the audience, which really opens up the tunes. Titles include the 2 title hits – "Walk Tall" and "74 Miles Away" – plus "I Remember Bird", "Oh Babe", and "Do Do Do". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent bop sides cut for EmArcy by Cannonball, collected and assembled in a manner that showcases his wonderfully soulful and hard blowing approach to the alto in the years before Miles recruited him. The set features a host of great sidemen including brother Nat, JJ Johnson, Cecil Payne, Ernie Royal, John Coltrane, Junior Mance, Horace Silver, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Keeter Betts, Sam Jones, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and Jimmy Cobb. 17 tracks in all, including "Hurrican Connie", "Cynthia's In Love", "Cannonball", "Nat's Everglade", "Fallen Feathers", "Watermelon", "Fort Lauderdale", "Broadway At Basin Street", "T's Tune", "Blues For Bohemia", "Specutacular", "Miss Jackie's Delight", "Hoppin' John", "The Way You Look Tonight", "I'll Remember April", "Limehouse Blues" and "The Sleeper". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic debut of Air – one of the fresher avant pop albums of the late 90s to say the least, and one of the best since then, too! Perhaps the greatest achievement here is how they deftly layer such broad influences of the preceding few decades – from soaring string film schools, to nascent electronic pop, to fusiony jazz keyboards and much in between and beyond – into a wholly original vibe all Air's own that's as breezy today as it was at the end of the 90s. Includes "La Femme D'Argent", the standout classic "Sexy Boy", "All I Need", "Kelly Watch The Stars", "Talisman". "Remember", "You Make It Easy", "Ce Matin La", "New Star In The Sky" and "Le Voyage De Penelope". LP, Vinyl record album

While not as funky as some of her other records for Discovery, this tasty session of vocal tracks still has Lorez singing in a beautifully soulful style, of the type that she's finally getting recognition for these days! The lady has always been one of our favorite vocalists, and she's got some nice backing here from the Mike Wofford trio, plus some additional tenor and flute work by Herman Riley. The whole thing's got a very nice round soulful sound – and titles include "Days of Wine & Roses", "I Remember You", "Early Autumn", and "My Shining Hour". LP, Vinyl record album

Very nice record, and one of the rarer sides by Gene Ammons. We can't remember the exact story behind this, but we know that the material was recorded by Jug during the early 60's, when he was violating his contractual agreements with a number of labels, and recording sessions for just about everybody. Paul Winley caught him then, and put him in the studio with Howard McGhee and guitarist Jake Fisher, for this cool laidback soul jazz session that's probably one of Jug's most open-ended from the time. The tracks are all long, with a lot of room for solo space, and a round mellow tone. Winley has his name on all of the writing credits, which is probably false (the lying bastard!), and titles include "Housewarmin", "Nothin' But Soul", and "Jug & McGhee". LP, Vinyl record album

A great early set from singer Ernestine Anderson – material recorded in Sweden with a sound that's even more sweetly swinging than some of her American albums of the time! The backings on most tracks are by Harry Arnold – one of the hippest Swedish leaders of the time, and an arranger who's clearly got an ear for the more soulful side of Anderson's vocals – hardly the sort of icy Scandinavian sort of groove you might expect! And in a way, Ernestine seems to sound even better in this setting than back home – almost a bit more balanced, with a slight sort of poise that comes through nicely on the ballads. Titles include "Experiment", "Day Dream", "Did I Remember", "Ill Wind", and "My Man". Japanese pressing, with 16 tracks – more than US version! LP, Vinyl record album

Jackie Mittoo may be basking in the spotlight these days, but Gladdy Anderson was no joke on the keys either, and if your hip to Jackie's slick vibe, you need to get open on Gladdy! He plays piano on these Harry Mudie produced grooves, with a mellow, laidback vibe that leans nicely towards a Jamaican take on some of our favorite Young Holt sides, with a smooth but still nicely bouncing soulful vibe rippling over the syncopated island rhythms. 10 tracks in all, including "Sound In Symphony", "It's Not That Easy", "Rocking The Drifter", "Yours To Remember", "Everybody Knows" and "Gone Is Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Louis Armstrong's given the world a number of famous Christmas tunes over the years – but oddly, he never issued a full album of Holiday music over the course of his many decades of recordings – a fact that's finally corrected here, with the first-ever full length record of Louis' Holiday songs! The album's maybe most noteworthy for its final track – an unissued reading of "A Visit From St Nicholas" by Armstrong, with piano backing from Sullivan Fortner – and the album also includes a duet with Velma Middleton on "Baby It's Cold Outside", and with Ella Fitzgerald on "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" – next to other cuts that include "Christmas Night In Harlem", "Cool Yule", "Zat You Santa Claus", "Christmas In New Orleans", "Moments To Remember", "Winter Wonderland", "White Christmas", and "What A Wonderful World". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great little album – recorded on the occasion of the Ensemble's third decade in music, and a record that sounds a lot better than we remember! At the time of release, we kind of "pooh poohed" this one because of its divergence from some of the group's other styles – some tracks are straighter, more composed, and less improvised; others use a larger sound palette, and go for themes that are almost sentimental and nostalgic at times. Yet somehow, going back to this one, we're stunned at how interesting we find the whole thing – as each track seems to offer up a new surprise, and the series of musical visions expressed shows how much the group had grown during their time together. Includes the wonderful "Prayer For Jimbo Kwesi", the percussive jammer "Third Decade", the sonorously-wonderful "Bell Piece", and the tracks "Walking In The Moonlight", "Zero", and "Funky AECO". LP, Vinyl record album

AWB's first for Atlantic – and a nice slice of funk that proves that they can mix it up with the best groups of the 70s! The record's got plenty of sweet electric keyboards over smooth funky basslines – and as the years go by, the band's white boy vocals don't sound nearly as bad as we remember them. And besides, when they play their instruments so nicely – how can you hold the singing against them? Includes the killer classic "Pick Up The Pieces", sampled more times than we can remember – plus "You Got It", "Just Wanna Love You Tonight", "Person To Person", and a nice remake of the Isley Brothers' "Work To Do". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Roy Ayers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused Roy Ayers sound that's totally great, and which makes the album sparkle wonderfully throughout! All aspects of Roy's talents are perfectly balanced here – his warm vocals and jazzy vibes, his uptempo grooves and mellower rhythms – played to perfection by a hip lineup of players that includes Philip Woo on electric piano, Justo Almario on tenor sax, and Steve Cobb on drums. Edwin Birdsong guests a bit on the record – bringing in a nice edge to a few tunes – the album's got a really unique dark undercurrent, even in smoother moments – that subtle Roy Ayers' approach that's always made him one of our all-time favorite artists. Titles include the wonderful jazz-tinged "Searching", a great midtempo stepper that we really love; the funky break track "The Memory", a righteous number that feels like work from earlier records; the clubby classic "One Sweet Love to Remember"; and the sweet instrumental "Vibrations", which has a mellow kickback feel! Other tunes include "Higher", "Domelo (Give It To Me)", "Baby I Need Your Love", and "Better Days". LP, Vinyl record album

Early work by avant saxophone genius Albert Ayler – and very very striking! The setting is very spare, with only bass and drums backing Ayler up – and the way the album is mixed, Ayler's solos dominate the tracks in a way that isn't always the case with some of the more group-driven later work. His tone is amazing even in this early date of 1962 – and he completely blows away the other two players on the set, drummer Sune Spangberg and bassist Torbjorn Hulcrantz. The set was first recorded by the small Swedish label Bird Notes, and it's the beginning of a longtime love affair that Swedish modernists had with Ayler's tone and playing – a love affair that runs up to the current avant garde that includes Mats Gustafsson. Includes a mindblowing reworking of "I'll Remember April", plus versions of "Rollins Tune", "Tune Up", and Ayler's own "Free". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little quartet session from the mid 50s – one of Chet Baker's legendary albums recorded in Paris at the time, with a quality that's nicely different from some of his work in the US! Part of that quality is the group – an unusual lineup that includes Gerard Gustin on piano, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Bert Dahlander on drums – but Baker is also changing things up a bit from the Pacific Jazz years too, and working with a more sophisticated understanding of sound and tone that would develop even more strongly in the later half of the 50s! As usual with Chet, the tunes are standards, but completely transformed by his handling – titles that include "I'll Remember April", "Tenderly", "Lover Man", "Summertime", and "You Go To My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

A rock-solid set from the late 70s European years of Chet Baker – a set that's done with a more conventional quartet, which is different than some of his looser, lighter lineups of the time! The vibe is a bit like old school Chet, but the tracks are still open and have that nicely exploratory sense of sound that made the last decade of Baker's life such a musical revelation – a time of renewed creativity, even when most of the American scene had written him off! The group features Phil Markowitz on piano, Scott Lee on bass, and Jeff Brillinger on drums. All tracks nice and long – with versions of "Broken Wing", "Beautiful Black Eyes", and "This Is Always". Features the first-time vinyl appearance of the tracks "I Remember You" and "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album of vocal tracks from Chet Baker – one that elevates the sound of his earlier small group work with some added backings on some tracks – all at a level that continues the new level of sophistication that Baker brought to jazz on his first few recordings! The mid 50s set is overflowing with key performances from Chet, both on vocals and trumpet – and the core group features wonderful work on piano from Russ Freeman, and this great use of flute by Bud Shank – which seems to underscore some of the moodier currents in Baker's music. Some tracks feature larger arrangements that really elevate the proceedings – handled by Johnny Mandel, Marty Paich, and Frank Campo – and the album's classic Chet all the way through – cool but fragile – summed up in the set's perfect take on the stone classic "Lets Get Lost" – plus titles that include "Just Friends", "Grey December", "I Remember You", "Long Ago & Far Away", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "I Wish I Knew", and "Daybreak". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album of vocal tracks from Chet Baker – one that elevates the sound of his earlier small group work with some added backings on some tracks – all at a level that continues the new level of sophistication that Baker brought to jazz on his first few recordings! The mid 50s set is overflowing with key performances from Chet, both on vocals and trumpet – and the core group features wonderful work on piano from Russ Freeman, and this great use of flute by Bud Shank – which seems to underscore some of the moodier currents in Baker's music. Some tracks feature larger arrangements that really elevate the proceedings – handled by Johnny Mandel, Marty Paich, and Frank Campo – and the album's classic Chet all the way through – cool but fragile – summed up in the set's perfect take on the stone classic "Lets Get Lost" – plus titles that include "Just Friends", "Grey December", "I Remember You", "Long Ago & Far Away", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "I Wish I Knew", and "Daybreak". LP, Vinyl record album

Two of the coolest trumpeters from the LA scene of the 50s – reunited here in a never-issued album from the start of the 70s! At the time of the set, Jack Sheldon was the real star of the date – big on TV, and a very confident, cool player – as well as a singer with a wonderfully distinct sound (which some folks might remember from Schoolhouse Rock or The Merv Griffin Show!) Jack started out in the mellow modes shared by Chet Baker during his early years – but by the time of this set, he was a nicely different player – which makes the pairing with Baker so great – especially as this was a time when Chet was really laying low, and hardly recording at all. The rest of the group features Jack Marshall on guitar, Dave Frishberg on piano, Joe Mondragon on bass, and Nick Ceroli on drums – a very sprightly combo who add a lot to the record – and both Chet and Jack sing on the record, in addition to serving up trumpet solos too. The record is an especially great one for Sheldon – very confident vocally, and really at the height of his powers here as both a singer and instrumentalist – with that wry approach that we love so much. Titles include "Evil Blues", "You Fascinate Me", "Once I Loved", "Too Blue", "Just Friends", "But Not For Me", "I Cried For You", and "Historia De Un Amor". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic solo work from Peter Bardens – an artist who'd later gain fame as the lead singer of Camel, but who's even more fantastic here on his own – working in a trippy blend of modes that's equally balanced between prog and psych! Bardens plays organ on most of the tracks, but he uses the instrument in ways that are very different from the more R&B-inspired Hammond lines of the mod generation – often tightly fused with the sublime guitar of Andy Gee, a player who's got this sharp sound that's full of chromatic hues that really resonate with the keys of the organ – as the pair take off in this soaring groove that's occasionally a bit funky, always a bit trippy, and which gets a great kick from bass, drums, and percussion – plus support vocals from Linda Lewis and Steve Ellis. The album's really something special – great all the way through – and titles include "The Answer", "Homage To The God Of Light", "I Don't Want To Go Home", "I Can't Remember", "Let's Get It On", and "Don't Goof With A Spook". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic solo work from Peter Bardens – an artist who'd later gain fame as the lead singer of Camel, but who's even more fantastic here on his own – working in a trippy blend of modes that's equally balanced between prog and psych! Bardens plays organ on most of the tracks, but he uses the instrument in ways that are very different from the more R&B-inspired Hammond lines of the mod generation – often tightly fused with the sublime guitar of Andy Gee, a player who's got this sharp sound that's full of chromatic hues that really resonate with the keys of the organ – as the pair take off in this soaring groove that's occasionally a bit funky, always a bit trippy, and which gets a great kick from bass, drums, and percussion – plus support vocals from Linda Lewis and Steve Ellis. The album's really something special – great all the way through – and titles include "The Answer", "Homage To The God Of Light", "I Don't Want To Go Home", "I Can't Remember", "Let's Get It On", and "Don't Goof With A Spook". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those excellent small group sessions that drummer Louis Bellson cut for Verve in the 50s – with a group that includes Zoot Sims on tenor and Charlie Shavers on trumpet! Titles include "Charlie's Blues", "I'll Remember April", "Concerto For Drums", "Buffalo Joe", and "Basically Speaking Duvivier That Is". LP, Vinyl record album