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A recent live performance by Italian soundtrack legend Fabio Frizzi – recorded in America as part of a tour designed to support Frizzi's surprising return to the spotlight in recent years! In fact, the Frizzi heard here is even more in the spotlight than ever before – still using the evocative modes of his soundtrack creations, but also putting forward more vocal songs as well – handled by a group of younger musicians working with Frizzi, in a style that moves between the keyboard soundtrack styles of the 80s generation, and some of the more full-on sounds of earlier Italian prog! The whole thing was recorded in a church – and titles include "Suono Aperto", "Oltre La Soglia", "Silver Saddle", "With You", "Movin On", "Chaco", "Bunny Love Song", "Zombi 2", "Sette Note In Nero", "Rusty Games", "The Weeping Woman", and "Un Gatto Nel Cervallo". CD

A cool re-creation of the best soundtrack modes of Fabio Frizzi – particularly his scores for the films of Lucio Fulci! The performance is a live one, but done with a very classic vibe – played by a small combo that mixes keyboards, guitar, and rhythms with some light strings to really capture the creepy vibe of Frizzi's best soundtrack material – served up here in a mix of instrumental tracks that occasionally feature vocals – with music from the films Manhattan Baby, Zombi 2, Paura Nella Citta Dei Morti Viventi, Beware Of Darkness, and more! Titles include "Bunny Love Song", "Silver Saddle", "Baby Sequence" (numbers 1-4), "Zombi 2", "Wast It All In Vain", "Rusth Games", "Luca Il Contrabbandiere", "Voci Dal Nulla" and more. CD

Some of the most tuneful work we've ever heard from The Fugs – tracks that almost border on pop-psyche at times, but still get nicely tripped out at other moments! Side one has the trio almost touching territory of other Reprise rock from the times – slightly psyche, slightly country, slightly Sunshine at points – and side two is a bit more of a hippy dippy freakout, with a huge number of shorter tunes that flow sweetly into one another! Some of these actually have a great sound art sort of feel, and a fw even get slightly funky too – all with a new sense of tightness that arguably gives the group a lot more power than before! Titles include "Johnny Pissoff Meets The Red Angel", "Burial Waltz", "Crystal Liaison", "Wide Wide River", "Marijuana", "We're Both Dead Now, Alice", "Life Is Strange", "The National Haiku Contest", "The Divine Toe", "Leprechaun", and "Grope Need (Part I)". LP, Vinyl record album

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The last solo Jerry Garcia album, and a record that's a great illustration of just how far Garcia had come as an artist away from the Grateful Dead! The tunes are still full of that sunnier, more compact energy the group were doing on their own records in the period – but Jerry's also stepping out more with a sense of presence in the lead – and working in a lineup that has a lot more focus and punch than his more acoustic outings. There's plenty of great organ on the record – a bit by Merl Saunders, most by Melvin Seals – and bassist John Khan handles other instruments as well, and arranges most of the tunes. Titles include Jerry's version of the Dylan classic "Knockin On Heaven's Door" – plus "Midnight Getaway", "Run For The Roses", "Leave The Little Girl Alone", and "Valerie" – plus Garcia's take on the Clyde McPhatter soul tune "Without Love". LP, Vinyl record album

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Tracks include "East Of The Sun", "Stella By Starlight", "Desafinado", "Night Rider", "Con Alma", and "Soul Eyes" – 12 tracks total. CD

One of the moodiest Verve albums from Astrud Gilberto – a set that has some surprising arrangements by Gil Evans – working here on one of his few 60s dates with a singer! Astrud's blue-tinged vocals work perfectly with Evans' backdrops – and Al Cohn also takes over the helm on two of the album's tracks, but still does a very good job of keeping the groove. There's a nice mix of sadness and lightness in the set – and titles include a wonderful version of "Berimbau" that actually features berimbau playing by Dom Um Romao, a great take on "El Preciso Aprender A Ser So" with English lyrics, and the titles "Bim Bom", "Lugar Bonito", "Frevo", and "Once Upon A Summertime". CD

Pure bossa magic – and a wonderful illustration of why the early music of Joao Gilberto was so tremendous! (Actually, all of his music is tremendous, but that seems to be especially the case here!) The tracks are all fantastic – breezy, breathy, and almost effortlessly sung throughout – songs that drift in air almost of their own accord, yet also manage a gently rhythmic groove that's probably the best definition of the style of bossa that you could ever hope to find! Most numbers feature acoustic guitar upfront in the mix alongside the vocals, plus a bit of light percussion – and even when there's fuller orchestrations on the record, they're used spaciously and gently – often with some nice jazzy inflections. Titles include "Briga Nunca Mais", "Ho Ba La La", "Rosa Morena", "Bim Bom", "Lobo Bobo", "E Luxo So", "Aos Pes Da Cruz", "Saudade Fez Um Samba", and "Desafinado". This CD edition includes 3 bonus tracks, from Cantando As Musicas Do Film Orfeo De Carnaval – "A Felicidade", "Manha De Carnival" and "O Nosso Amor". CD

A legendary live set from Dizzy Gillespie – recorded over in Paris, but featuring a very hip large ensemble! The group includes extra trumpet from Dave Burns, trombone from Ted Kelly and William Shepherd, alto from John Brown, tenor from George Nicholas, baritone from Cecil Payne, piano from John Lewis, bass from Al McKibbon, and drums from Kenny Clarke – plus congas from the great Chano Pozo, and a bit of vocals from Kenny Pancho Hagood! LP, Vinyl record album

Not the famous Verve Records pairing of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker – but instead a more obscure live date from 1947, but one that really lets you hear the genius that happens when both players take the stage! The tunes have this approach that really hits at the most creative side of bop at the time – maybe even more open, expressive, and filled with larger ideas than some of the early singles that were coming out in 1947 – in a way that makes the whole thing a really important document of the complexity that was in the music, right from the start. The pair really stretch out on a fantastic two part reading of "Night In Tunisia (parts 1 & 2)", then soar through "Groovin High (parts 1 & 2)", "Confirmation", and "Dizzy Atmosphere". The second half of the set features some more live material, but just with Dizzy Gillespie in the lead, from 1953 – with Bill Graham on alto and baritone, plus a bit of vocals from Joe Carroll. Titles include "School Days", "Swing Low Sweet Cadillac", and "Tin Tin Deo". LP, Vinyl record album

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A surprisingly rich soundtrack for this famous Andy Warhol horror film – one of his key cinematic collaborations with Paul Morrissey! Claudio Gizzi's music is way more than schlock, or even the usual horror bag – as he mixes light orchestrations with these spare instrumental passages in a way that links together older thriller traditions, particularly British ones, with some of the new spareness of the 70s. LP, Vinyl record album

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Lots of mellow trumpet solos from Bobby Hackett! Titles include "Darn That Dream", "How Did She Look", "Get Out Of Town", "Just A Memory", and "Ghost Of A Chance". LP, Vinyl record album

Movie Themes For Lovers Only is a great one – a set that takes some of the best film themes of the early 60s, and turns them into great vehicles for that mellow Gleason sound – that warm mix of orchestrations and some very light jazz touches – heard here on solos from Charlie Ventura on trumpet and Pee Wee Erwin on tenor. That Gleason touch is impeccable, as always – and titles include "My Romance", "La Dolce Vita", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "The Man That Got Away", and "Lawrence Of Arabia". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly groovy album from Jackie Gleason from the mid 60 – with a sound that's a lot hipper than you'd expect from the "brass" in the title! Jackie's working here with an electric bass at the bottom of the band – providing a nice bouncing rhythm that makes the tunes dance nicely, stepping out in a 60s easy mode that has a lilt at the bottom that makes for a lot more play at the top. 11 tracks in all – with titles that include "The Art Of Love", "My Love For Carmen", "A Taste Of Honey", "Mame", "La Terre", "Call Me", "Love Is Here to Stay", "It All Depends On You" and a great version of Galt MacDermot's "African Waltz"! LP, Vinyl record album

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An amazingly simple – but amazingly satisfying session from Dexter Gordon! The group's a totally solid quartet with Sonny Clark on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the groove is right in the pocket with a solid solid soulful feel that you don't always get on Gordon's other Blue Note albums! There's a simple elegance here that's really beautiful – Gordon at his post-bop best, but without any of the over-extended modes of his too-long solo years – a mix that's really rare, and carried off impeccably for this set. The record starts with the amazing "Soy Califa", a nice hardbop number with a good Latiny feel, then slides into lots of other nice ones like "McSplivens", "The Backbone", and "Don't Explain". CD

Features Wycliffe Gordon and Ron Westray on trombones – with Marcus Roberts on piano! CD

Stephane Grappelli on violin, Denny Wright, Diz Disley, Marc Fosset, and Martin Taylor on guitar, and David Etheridge and Patrice Caratini on bass. CD

One of the crowning early moments from the young Grateful Dead – a key Warner studio album that really has the group moving from psychedelic to more roots-oriented modes – maybe a Marin vibe versus a Haight sort of happening – with loads of great guitar and pedal from Jerry Garcia, plus lots more from the rest of the crew too. Robert Hunter wrote the tunes, Mickey Hart added in lots of percussion next to the drums - and titles include the very groovy "Truckin", plus "Box Of Rain", "Candyman", "Operator", "Sugar Magnolia", "Friend Of The Devil", "Ripple", "Brokedown Palace", "Attics Of My Life", and "Till The Morning Comes". Cassette

Includes performances with the orchestras of Earl Hines, Billy Eckstine, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Louis Bellson. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-ever documents of the young genius of tenorist Wardell Gray – exactly the kind of music that shows why he was one of the biggest and best of the bop saxophonists – before he was taken away from us all too soon! The material here was originally issued on 78s or 45s, and comes together as a great full length representation of Gray at his best – and on this second volume, Wardell works in some bigger groups on great long tracks with a nicely jamming feel! Players include Sonny Criss on alto, Art Farmer and Clark Terry on trumpet, Dexter Gordon on tenor, and Hampton Hawes on piano – and titles include "Move", "Scrapple From The Apple", "Lover", "Farmer's Market", "April Skies", "Jackie", and "Sweet & Lovely". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitar genius Grant Green is definitely feelin the spirit here – as he mixes his lean 60s style with a host of traditional numbers from the spiritual canon – at a level that provided a whole new sense of soul at the time! There was plenty of music influenced by gospel during the decade – but here, Green makes the link a lot more explicit – taking traditional themes and turning them into jazz instrumentals – with the help of a lean quartet that features Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all working with a feel that's a lot more like the Grant Green/Sonny Clark material than some of Grant's more organ or tenor-assisted albums! Garvin Masseaux provides a bit of extra percussion on tambourine – and titles include "Go Down Moses", "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child", and "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen". CD

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Excellent work from Brit easy bandleader John Gregory – an assortment of 70s police and crime themes, played by a big band with a nice soundtrack-y finish! Nearly all the tunes are uptempo, and the feel of the record is very much in the same vein as Henry Mancini's Cop Show Themes album – although perhaps with a bit less electronics. Titles include "Cannon", "The Rockford Files", "Kojak", "Six Million Dollar Man" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Two younger Brazilian music serve up a tribute to the music of older Brazilian giants – the guitarist Guinga, and sublime composer/multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal! Yet the setting here is quite different than you might expect – at least for the music of Pascoal – as the duo work with just the harmonica of Gabriel Grossi, and seven string guitar of Felix Junior – but in a pairing that still manages to open up with all the complexities of the songs! Grossi's an especially great discovery – blowing with all the vivid tonal depth of some of our few favorite Brazilian harmonicists from the past – and in a legacy that might well put him up there alongside Toots Thielemans and Mauricio Einhorn, for his ability to create sounds with the richness of a reed instrument. The set includes a few Pascoal compositions – "Balaio", "O Farol Que Nos Guia", "Suite Norte Sul Leste Oeste", and "Fatima" – plus Guinga tunes "Exasperada", "Baiao De Lacan", and "De Menor" – and originals by the duo, very much in the right spirit for the setting – with titles that include "Senhorinha", "Domingo Pascoal", and "Selva De Pedra". CD

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A classic set from brassman Bobby Hackett – the kind of set that really helped him reach a big new audience in the postwar years! The style here is trad, but the set was recorded for Capitol in LA – so there's this sort of sparkling vibe to the whole thing too – a bit of an update that comes across in the lean presentation of the music, and the west coast way the players really manage to make a lot happen in a relatively small space! Bobby plays cornet, and other musicians include Abe Lincoln and Jack Teagarden on trombones, Matty Matlock on clarinet, Don Owens on piano, and Nappy Lamare on guitar – and Teagarden manages to sing a bit, in that raspy style of his we really love. Titles include "That's A Plenty", "New Orleans", "I Want A Big Butter & Egg Man", "Struttin With Some Barbecue", and "Royal Garden Blues".. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 20 tracks on 2 CDs and features work with Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Airto Moreira, George Mraz, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, and others. CD

60s gems from the great George Hamilton IV – titles that include "The Deepening Snow", "As Long As The Winds Blow", "Anita You're Not Dreaming", "The Great El Tigre", "I Get The Fever", "Long Time Gone", and "Bad Seeds". LP, Vinyl record album

With Nat Pierce on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, Jake Hanna on drums, and Cal Collins on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful Herbie Hancock session from the 60s – a Blue Note album that's sometimes overlooked, but which really shows Herbie taking off – as he adds a nice dose of lyricism into his usual soul jazz approach from the 60s! The sound's a bit farther-reaching than on some of Hancock's smaller group sessions – and the record features a sextet that includes Jerry Dodgion on flute, Thad Jones on flugelhorn, and Peter Phillips on bass trombone – an instrument that combines wonderfully with Thad's horn, to create all these cool, compressed elements. Herbie plays piano alongside Ron Carter on bass and the great Mickey Roker on drums. The harder-hitting soul jazz riffs and hooks of Herbie's first few records are nicely replaced by more thoughtful lines that get a bit deeper, soulfully – and nearly all tracks on the set are originals by Hancock! The album's filled with great moments – and tracks include "The Sorcerer", "Riot", and "Goodbye To Childhood". CD features 3 bonus alternate takes! CD

Roland Hanna on piano, Bill Easley on tenor and soprano saxophone, John Burr on bass, and Ronnie Burage on drums. CD

Titles include "Life Itself", "Baltimore Oriole", "Teardrops", "That Which I Have Lost", "Writing's On The Wall", "Hong Kong Blues", "Blood From A Clone", and "Save The World". LP, Vinyl record album

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A noteworthy session from pianist Hampton Hawes – a rare quartet session from the 50s (at a time when Hawes was mostly working in trios) – and also a three volume set of releases, all recorded in the space of a single night! The album is truly an All Night Session – as the material here was recorded during the night of November 12 and early morning hours of November 13, 1956 – with an unusual group that features Hawes on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, Bruz Freeman on drums, and Jim Hall on guitar! Hall's ringing tones are a perfect partner for Hawes' light approach to the keys – and the relaxed, extended nature of the recording has both players really opening up on some of the album's longish tracks. Titles on this volume include "Blues #4", "Blues #3", and "Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete sessions by the best-known early version of The Hampton Hawes Trio – one that featured Red Mitchell on bass and Chuck Thompson on drums, heard here on the group's first three albums for the Contemporary label! The Hawes approach to the keys was a very popular one at the time – a mix of bop invention and older-styled phrasing – played mostly over standards, but creative and inventive enough to put Hampton on a par with Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, and some of the other rising trio talents of the 50s. Most of the set's 35 tracks were done in studio mode – but the package also features 3 bonus live numbers from the Embers night club in 1956, plus 3 more bonus tracks from live LA recordings – featuring either Mel Lewis or Shelly Manne in the drum chair. Titles include "Hamp's Blues", "Feeling Fine", "I Got Rhythm", "Round Midnight", "Blues For Jacques", "Section Blues", "Yesterdays", "Carioca", "Just Squeeze Me", "Body & Soul", "Coolin The Blues", "Walkin", and "The Champ". CD

Featuring undated 50s recordings with the Teddy Wilson Trio, with Milt Hinton, Jo Jones, and Dizzy Gillespie, as well as a 1959 date with the Eddie Higgins Trio. LP, Vinyl record album

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With Don Wilson on piano, Bob Decker on bass, and Bud Dean on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

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

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A great later set from The Heath Brothers – proof that the family stayed plenty darn hip into their older years! Although issued by Concord, there's a nicely soulful bent to the record – some slightly angular modern moments, inflected with a lot of warmth on the solos – not just from Jimmy Heath on tenor and soprano sax, but also from guest players who include Roland Hanna and Stanley Cowell on piano, Jon Faddis on trumpet, Slide Hampton on trombone, and Mark Elf on guitar. Jimmy Heath's work really makes the album sparkle – and rhythm from Albert Heath on drums and Percy Heath on bass is as rock-solid as ever. Titles include "This Is What It Is", "The Newest One", "Bop Again", "South Filthy", "For Seven's Sake", and "Dave's Haze". CD

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A Sinbad movie, but one that's put together with a really rich soundtrack – possibly done with more care than the images on the screen for the film! The setting and story are a bit schlocky, but the music is actually classic Herrmann – a very powerful score with loads of dramatic finishes, countless mood shifts, and impeccable orchestrations – that masterful mode that's graced his better-known film scores for directors like Hitchcock or Scorcese, sounding equally great here. Titles include "The Flight", "Battle With The Cyclops", "The Death Of The Dragon", "The Vase", "Sultan's Feast", "Bagdad", "Cobra Dance", and "Transformation". LP, Vinyl record album

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An obscure bit of boozy sad songs – proof that Holliday had a lot more to offer than just an extremely strong showing on Broadway. She's working here with arrangements by Glen Osser that sort of take off from the spirit of "The Party's Over" – sad and dreamy, but also with a bit of hope. Titles include "Lonely Town", "How About Me", "Trouble is A Man", "Am I Blue", "Confession", and "An Occasional Man". CD

Homeboy Sandman is sounding very much at the top of his game here – on a record that almost seems to have two sorts of flavors, but both nicely unified by the work of producer Aesop Rock! The lyrics spin out with the kind of effortlessness that Sandman's always given us – charged up especially strongly at a few key spots, and with guest work from Aesop on the cuts "Lice Team Baby" and "Sheesh" – alongside other tracks that include "FYI", "Cow's Milk", "West Coast", "Go Hard", "No Beef", and "Lovin It". Record features two more tracks than the digital release – and LP also features instrumentals for all eight tracks too! LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great little set that combines both of the rare early Elmo Hope 10" LPs for Blue Note – plus some additional material! Introducing The Elmo Hope Trio is seminal early work from Hope – and one of the 10" LP releases that was part of Blue Note's "New Faces – New Sounds" series during the early 50s. Hope's working here with Percy Heath and Philly Joe Jones – and the trio go to town on numbers that include complicated bop tunes like "Carving The Rock" and "Hot Sauce", plus more melodic tunes like "Freffie" and "Mo Is On". As always, Hope proves himself to be one of the greatest pianists in jazz history – right up there with Monk, Herbie Nichols, and Bud Powell, bristling with excitement that few of his contemporaries (save those three) could match! The Elmo Hope Quintet session has Hope grooving in a very modernist approach to bop, working perfectly with a tight little quintet. Frank Foster wails on tenor, Freeman Lee soars on trumpet, and Percy Heath and Art Blakey keep the whole thing going on rhythm – while Hope plays madly on piano, adding in rich tones and colors to a set that might have otherwise been a straighter bop outing. Titles include "Chips", "Crazy", "Abdullah", and "Low Tide". The CD also adds in 2 tracks from the 40 Years Of Jazz collection in 1979 – "It's A Lovely Day Today" and "Crazy (alternate)" – plus 3 from the Art Blakey/Elmo Hope album – "So Nice", "St Elmo's Fire", and "Vaun Ex". CD

A rare funk treat from tenor sax jazz legend Joe Houston – working in a far funkier mode than usual for the obscure Big Town label! The lineup and production is heavy with 50s LA R&B names in it – including Ted Butler, Bo Rhambo and Larry Johnson – and sure enough, there's genuine prime era rhythm & blues DNA in some of the material, to say nothing of the incredible chops of all involved – but the overall sound is very modern 70s jazz, with some really funky cuts, too! The highlight is the two-part title track, "Kicking Back", which is a top shelf jazz funk groover – but the whole record is solid, with "T-Bone Disco", "Hawaiian Disco", "Trippin' In", "Mr. Big H", and "Why Don't You Rock Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice record pairing the vocal stylings of Thelma Houston and Jerry Butler. Butler and Hal Davis take partial credit for production and tracks include the Bee-Gee's "Love So Right", "Only The Beginning", Stevie Wonder's "Joy Inside My Tears", "Let's Get Together", "It's A Lifetime Thing", and "I Love You Through Windows". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes both studio and live recordings. CD

A nice batch of Memphis soul tracks, produced in a sparkling modern vein, with some very nice moments. The title cut's a remake of the Seals & Crofts track "Closer", but the best cuts are the ones written (or co-written) by the great Bettye Crutcher (of Stax fame). These include the great "Can't You See I Love You", plus "Bringing You Love", and "I'm Everything You Need". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful work from the young Michael Hurley – one of his first records to get somewhat wide exposure, thanks to the help of Jesse Colin Young, who signed Hurley up to his Raccoon label at Warner Brothers! The vibe here is right up there with some of the best offbeat acoustic work cut during that stretch at the label – not the same in sound, but not far in spirit from unique records by Steve Young, John Hartford, and others – not to mention the cooler currents from Jesse's scene too! Hurley's vocal style changes nicely to fit the mood of each tune, really bringing the most out of the sorts of lyrics that were his special stock in trade – while the guitar playing is nicely unified, and although spare, really does a great job of holding the album together. Titles include "Blue Driver", "Water Train", "The Sun Is Slowly Sinking", "I'm Worried I'm Worried", "In Florida", "Lilly Pads Upon The Pond", and "Trinidad". CD

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