An amazing record from Meredith Monk – one that completely defies description – and which puts her right up there in the highest company of important contemporaries like Philip Glass or Steve Reich! The sound of the record is amazing – not just Monk's own vocal experiments, but mixed with other singers, and blended with piano, mini moog, and casio from the lady herself – plus work on organs from Julius Eastman and Collin Walcott – the latter of whom also plays some didjeridoo! CD

Abbey Lincoln backed by Rodney Kendrick on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums – plus special guests Kenny Barron, Pat Metheny, Christian McBride and Roy Hargrove! CD

The first-ever album on Windham Hill – recorded way before their new age commercial years – at a time when guitarist William Ackerman was a key force in the acoustic underground of the 70s! CD

Paul Flaherty on alto saxophone, Joe McPhee on tenor and soprano saxophone and pocket trumpet, Steve Swell on trombone, John Voigt on double bass, and Laurence Cook on drums and percussion. CD

A fantastic combination of modern jazz talents – the groundbreaking Gary Burton Quartet, and the young avant ensemble of trombonist Mike Gibbs! The set begins with a fantastic performance by Burton's group – heard here in a lineup that has the guitar of Dave Pritchard sharing equal chromatic roles with Burton's beautiful vibes – alongside sublime bass from Steve Swallow, and drums from Bill Goodwin. Gary solos on a great version of "Chega De Saudade", and other tunes include "General Mojo's Well Laid Plan", "Arise Her Eyes", "And On The Third Day", "Ballet", and "Portsmith Configurations". CD 2 features a full set by Gibbs' group – in a rare recording before their debut album – with a lineup that includes Kenny Wheeler and Trevor Barber on trumpets, Alan Skidmore and Ray Warleigh on saxes, Chris Spedding on guitar, and Chris Pyne on trombone with Gibbs. Tracks are all long, and really beautiful – and include "Nowhere", "Walter L", "Tanglewood 63", and "Sojourn/June The 15th 1967". There's also vibes on these performances, but the notes are a bit unclear – so we're not sure if they're by Burton, or Frank Ricotti – who also worked with Gibbs. Burton's group returns on the funky track "Doin The Pig" – and then CD3 features a full second performance from earlier in 1969 – with a group that also includes John Surman on soprano, Mike Osborne on alto, Henry Lowther on trumpet, Jack Bruce on bass, and Ricotti on vibes. Titles on this set include "Feelings & Things/June The 15th 1967", "Sweet Rain", "Family Joy Oh Boy", and "Fly Time Fly Sigh". CD

Absence is a word that can instantly have a sense of sadness, but it can also have a sort of beauty, too – and that's definitely the case in this album of work done as a tribute to the great Wayne Shorter by trumpeter Terence Blanchard! The record's way more than just a collection of Shorter's tunes – and although it features a few numbers penned by the saxophonist, there's also a set of new music by Blanchard and his piansist too – really lovely numbers that have the trumpeter at his most evocative – in maybe a condensed expression of some of the modes he brings to his larger soundtrack material. The core group is his E-Collective – with Fabian Almazan on piano, Charles Altura on guitar, David Ginyard on bass, and Oscar Seaton on drums – but maybe the most interesting aspect of the record is the gentle use of the Turtle Island String Quartet, who shade in Blanchard's deeper ideas in a nicely subtle way. Titles include "I Dare You", "Envisioned Reflections", "When It Was Now", "Diana", "The Elders", "Dark Horse", "The Second Wave", and "Fall". CD

A pretty sweet set from the legendary Ramsey Lewis – possibly his best in years – all original material performed with his impeccable trio! If title Songs From The Heart has you expecting smooth, commercial fluff, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's exceptional trio jazz all the way. Lovely and tender, but precise and very moving material. It includes songs Ramsey wrote, quite surprisingly, for the Joffrey Ballet Company, and other pieces he wrote to perform with the Turtle Island Quartet. Straight forward, lyrical jazz from Ramsey's piano to your soul, backed masterfully by bassist Larry Gray and drummer Leon Joyce, plus some equally wonderful solo pieces. Titles include "To Know Her Is To Love Her", "Touching, Feeling, Knowing", "Clouds In Reverie", "The Spark", "Conversation", "The Way She Smiles", "The Glow Of Her Charm", "Long Before She Know", "Watercolors" and more. CD

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

A seminal piece of west coast bop from the mid 50s – featuring altoist Geller in group with wife Lorraine on piano, and either Curtis Counce or Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and either Larry Marable or Eldridge Freeman on drums. The groove's nice and hard, nice and stripped-down – and Geller proves himself to be a fantastic player with a soulful edge that sets him apart from most of his LA contemporaries. Titles include "Sweet Vinegar", "Love Is Like a Turtle", "Kahagon", "Breaking Through The Sound Barrier", and "Days I Never Knew". 12 tracks in all! CD

Cheap Thrills, maybe – but they cut deeply and last forever! This is one of greatest albums by Big Brother & The The Holding Company – and it's also one of the most important in cementing the legacy of singer Janis Joplin. The raw manic energy of the group at their live best is somehow bottled and presented on record as perfectly as ever could be – and even better are the delicate moments that show such an incredible depth! Titles include "Turtle Blues", "Oh Sweet Mary", "Ball & Chain", "Summertime", "Piece Of My Heart", and "I Need A Man To Love". CD

2 obscure albums John Benson Brooks – an overlooked 50s jazz composer who often had a penchant for higher concept recordings! The first half of the CD features Folk Jazz USA – one of Brooks' most stripped down records – done with a core group of Zoot Sims on alto, Al Cohn on baritone, Nick Travis on trumpet, Barry Gailbraith on guitar, Osie Johnson on drums, and Buddy Jones on bass. The style is kind of a chamber jazz reworking of tunes from folk sources – done in a way that hangs modernist clothes on older melodies – really dressing them up with the jazz charms of mid 50s RCA! Travis is especially strong on the set – with boldly-stated lines that preserve the melodies, while other players really take off with their solos on the saxes. Titles include "Darling Corey", "Turtle Dove", "Black Is The Color", "Randall My Son", and "Venezuela". Next up is Alabama Concerto – a record based around the solo talents of Art Farmer on trumpet and Cannonbal Adderley on alto sax! The album's based on a number of historical and mythical southern themes – and although it gets a bit hokey at times, the work of Adderley and Art Farmer on the solo sections really opens up the piece and gives it a deep sense of soul. The setting is a drummer-less small group, with Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Brooks on occasional piano – and themes include "The Loop", "Trampin", "Little John Shoes", "Milord's Calling", and "Rufus Playboy". CD

A great collection of Lou's funkier work for Blue Note – featuring many gems from the late 60s Idris Muhammad years, stone funky tracks with a jazzy groove that's influenced a few generations of hip hop! Most of these tunes are slowy disappearing from the reissue market – making the compilation even more essential than ever. There's a total of 15 tracks in all – and titles include "Say It Loud", "Snake Bone", "Turtle Walk", "Sassy Soul Strut", "If There's A Hell Below", "Peepin", "Alligator Boogaloo", "Hamp's Hump", and "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky". CD

John Fahey rewrites the sound of America – here in a wonderful set that stands as one of the real highlights from his Takoma Records years! Tracks are a mix of public domain material from America's past, mixed with plenty of Fahey originals – and all material receives both fantastic Fahey arrangements and performance – with a sublime tone that's filled with color, life, and lots of dark little corners as well. Echoes of older string and blues modes come into the mix – but with a very contemporary, modernist expression – as John reworks an older version of American to balance a country forever changed by the 60s. Titles include "The Voice Of The Turtle", "Knoxville Blues", and "Mark 1:15". CD features a stunning amount of unreleased tracks – 9 songs that never made it on the original album, which was concieved as a double-length set! CD

Two organ/sax cookers back to back – both featuring Don Patterson and Sonny Stitt! First up is the wonderful album Brothers 4 – a mighty pairing of organist Patterson and saxman Stitt – one of Don's grooviest late 60s outings, thanks to an excellent sound from all players involved! Stitt plays Varitone sax on the date, which gives his horn a cool electric feel that really sounds wonderful next to Don's work on Hammond – and Grant Green's also in the group, serving up some great single-line solos that are almost more in his early 60s style than his Blue Note work from this same period. The group's rounded out by Don's regular drummer Billy James – a wonderful player with a great ear for unusual rhythms! Tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Walk On By", "Creepin Home", and "Brothers 4". Donny Brook is a massively funky new groove from organist Don Patterson – done with a sound that's a great link between his early soul jazz years and the funkier Prestige sound to come! The group here is a rock-solid quartet – Sonny Stitt on Varitone tenor, plus a bit of alto sax – as well as Grant Green on guitar and Billy James on drums. The rhythms are great – often with a slight undercurrent of funk in the mix – and Grant lets loose beautifully on his guitar with that soaring, skipping sort of groove he picked up nicely near the end of the 60s. Patterson's Hammond is sgreat as always, and all tracks are nice and long – with plenty of solo room for everyone! Titles include "Mud Turtle", "Good Bait", "St Thomas", "Starry Night", and "Donny Brook". CD

Special guests include Al Jarreau, Hubert Laws, Larry Goldings, and the Turtle Island Quartet. CD

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Includes their ultra-groovy soundtrack theme "Guide For The Married Man" – plus "Sound Asleep", "It Ain't Me Babe", "Eve Of Destruction", "Outside Chance", "Happy Together", "Me About You", "Love In The City", "Story Of Rock & Roll", and "Sound Asleep". 20 tracks total. CD

A seminal second set from The Turtles – and a record that really has them sharpening up their sound! The songwriting is smarter than before, and the group's also developing the wit that would really set them apart from the rest of the west coast scene of the 60s – that mode of stepping back, taking a grander look at the music, and coming forward with a great sense of perspective in their sound! There's still a few folksy currents from before – but there's also some deeper, darker modes too – maybe a touch of Brit influence, ala Animals or Kinks – yet slightly lighter west coast too. Titles include "Down In Suburbia", "House Of Pain", "Just A Room", "I Know That You'll Be There", "Flyin High", "Pall Bearing Ball Bearing World", and "Give Love A Trial". CD

Nice 50 track compilation with music from the Byrds, the Turtles, Vanilla Fudge, the Electric Prunes, Spirit, the Leaves, Love, the Beach Boys, Moby Grape, Donovan, Cream, July, the Move, and much more. CD