One of the first albums in a long line of successes from the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – recorded live in their home turf at the Village Vanguard! The group at this point was a freshly-created outfit filled with some of the best large group jazz soloists of the time – players that included Jerome Richardson, Joe Farrell, Eddie Daniels, Pepper Adams, Richard Williams, and Bob Brookmeyer – not to mention Jones and Lewis themselves! The style here is very much in the mode that the Clarke Boland Band was crafting in Europe during the same period – a redefinition of the larger jazz group, in a way that allowed it to swing with the dynamic energy and soul of some of the smaller combos of the 60s. And while the Jones/Lewis group had many years over which to hone their craft, they've never sounded better than on these initial recordings – as you'll hear on tracks that include "Samba Con Getchu", "A That's Freedom", "Bachafillen", and "Little Pixie". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Lover Man", "The Second Race", and "Quietude". CD

One of the first albums in a long line of successes from the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – recorded live in their home turf at the Village Vanguard! The group at this point was a freshly-created outfit filled with some of the best large group jazz soloists of the time – players that included Jerome Richardson, Joe Farrell, Eddie Daniels, Pepper Adams, Richard Williams, and Bob Brookmeyer – not to mention Jones and Lewis themselves! The style here is very much in the mode that the Clarke Boland Band was crafting in Europe during the same period – a redefinition of the larger jazz group, in a way that allowed it to swing with the dynamic energy and soul of some of the smaller combos of the 60s. And while the Jones/Lewis group had many years over which to hone their craft, they've never sounded better than on these initial recordings – as you'll hear on tracks that include "Samba Con Getchu", "A That's Freedom", "Bachafillen", and "Little Pixie". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Lover Man", "The Second Race", and "Quietude". CD

Tracks include "Don't Get Sassy", "Fingers", "A Child Is Born", "Intimacy Of Blues", and "Body and Soul". CD

A previously unreleased concert by the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band – recorded live at the Village Vanguard in New York City. CD

Surprisingly great quartet tracks from two cats we're normally used to hearing in a big band – Thad Jones on cornet and Mel Lewis on drums – joined by Harold Danko on piano and Rufus Reid on bass. Tracks are long, and titles include "But Not For Me", "Autumn Leaves", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A funky big band album, recorded by Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, with the great Joe Williams on vocals! The record is one of the most sought-after by the team – probably because it includes the hard breakbeat version of "Get Out of My Life Woman" that's been sampled often over the years. (Actually, hasn't every version of it been sampled by someone?) The other tracks are pretty funky, too, with nice soul groovers like "Night Time Is The Right Time", "Woman's Got Soul", and "How Sweet It Is". Players include Pepper Adams, Joe Farrell, Jerome Richardson, and Roland Hanna – and the Jones/Lewis group is at the height of its hipness here! CD

Includes the songs "Low Down", "Quietude", "Three In One", "Walking About", and "Little Pixie". CD

An excellent solo set as a leader from drummer Mel Lewis – one that reminds us that he can still cook very strongly away from his big band with trumpeter Thad Jones! The set has Lewis in different groupings with an excellent set of the friends mentioned in the title – a top-shelf lineup that includes Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Michael Brecker on tenor, Gregory Herbert on alto, Hank Jones on piano, and Ron Carter on bass – working their way through a mix of different material that really takes on some great new energy in Lewis' hands – that mix of swing and complexity he forged in the group with Jones, but maybe even more compelling here in a smaller combo format. Titles include "Windflower", "De Samba", "Ain't Nothin Nu", "A Child Is Born", and "Sho Nuff Did". LP, Vinyl record album

Mel Lewis performs the music of Thad Jones – with a group that features Earl Dardner on lead trumpet, John Mosca on trombone, Dick Oatts on alto, soprano, and flute – and Jim McNeely on piano. CD

Beautiful 70s work from the great Frank Foster – material from that time when he'd split with the Count Basie group to go into a completely different direction – cutting spiritual records like this, and his better-known Loud Minority album for Mainstream records! The session was only ever issued in Japan – and it's got Foster really hitting new heights – picking up some of the spiritualism of his experience with Elvin Jones, but working his own sort of magic – with a personal charm that's echoed by the image on the cover. Frank blows saxes and arranged the set with a warmly angular group – in a larger group that also includes Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Thad Jones on flugelhorn, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Walter Norris on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. Titles include "Shitsu Mon", "Tan Kyu", "Cecilia Is Love", and "Now That She's Away". CD

Joe Williams was really reviving his career as a vocalist at this point – working with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band on a few well-selling records, and on this smoother set with arrangements by Horace Ott. The overall feel is kind of in a swinging Grady Tate mode, with jazziness underneath larger orchestrations that have more of a popish quality to them – and Joe stretches his style to work on songs like Milton Nascimento's "Bridges", plus "Didn't We", "You Send Me", "I Hold No Grudge", "Oh Darling", and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 36 tracks and features work with Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan, Duke Pearson, Freddie Roach, Renee Rosnes, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Larry Young, Blue Mitchell, Grant Green, Andrew Hill, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, the Thad Jones - Mel Lewis Orchestra, and Pete La Roca. CD

A strong outing from the Joe Lovano nonet – recorded live at the Village Vanguard, with the feel of other classic work recorded in the legendary club! The album's stepped in traditions of large group work of the 50s and 60s – albums by artists like Tadd Dameron, Dizzy Gillespie, and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – with Lovano on tenor, working as a key part of 8 other musicians that include Steve Slagle on alto, Larry Farrell on trombone, and John Hicks on piano. Orchestrations are by Lovano, Slagle, and Willie Smith – and titles include "After The Rain", "Good Bait", "Laura", "On This Day", "At The Vanguard", and "My Little Brown Book". CD

Beautiful 70s work from the great Frank Foster – material from that time when he'd split with the Count Basie group to go into a completely different direction – cutting spiritual records like this, and his better-known Loud Minority album for Mainstream records! The session was only ever issued in Japan – and it's got Foster really hitting new heights – picking up some of the spiritualism of his experience with Elvin Jones, but working his own sort of magic – with a personal charm that's echoed by the image on the cover. Frank blows saxes and arranged the set with a warmly angular group – in a larger group that also includes Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Thad Jones on flugelhorn, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Walter Norris on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. Titles include "Shitsu Mon", "Tan Kyu", "Cecilia Is Love", and "Now That She's Away". LP, Vinyl record album