One of our favorite-ever albums on Blue Note – a great 60s session that features one of the most unique reed players to ever record for the label! George Braith takes a bit of a page from Roland Kirk – in that he handles a variety of oddly-tuned reed instruments, but with a wonderfully soulful focus – mixing this nice edge with more familiar soul jazz modes, at a level that makes his records of the time completely unique! The group also features some sublime organ lines from Billy Gardner – a player you might know more from previous records with Lou Donaldson on piano, but who's very open and expressive here – almost echoing Larry Young at times – which is great next to the work of Grant Green's guitar on the record! Braith's playing is incredible – slightly exotic, but also quite soulful – and titles include "Nut City", "Sweetville", and "Extension". CD

The title's a bit hokey, but the group's a great one – a saxophone quartet, led by Elton Dean and augmented by bass and drums, for a very unique sound! The style here is quite different than that of the over-used 80s sax quartet style – as the bass and drums propel the group into a much stronger groove, and relieve the other sax parts of any rhythm keeping, yet still allow them to be relatively free without any piano in the group. Dean plays both alto and saxello – and is joined by Trevor Watts on alto, Simon Pickard on tenor sax, and Paul Dunmall on tenor and baritone saxes – all coming together in a style that swings wonderfully, yet still has plenty of modern moments – with sounds that almost recall the greatness of Roland Kirk or George Braith! Titles include "Unda", "Rising", "Seven For Lee", "Small Strides", and "Fall In Free". CD

A record that presents itself as distinct right from the very first notes – sounds that are a bit hard to define, but which must come from the bass of the great Reggie Workman – who, along with drummer Andrew Cyrille, are really key parts of the album at the core! Neither musician has lost the genius that first made them so crucial many decades ago – and the recording gives plenty of space for both Workman and Cyrille to have their own time in the spotlight – while also really drawing plenty from the fantastic reed interplay of Ivo Perelman on tenor and Chad Fowler on stritch and saxello – two offbeat horns with a legacy that goes back to Roland Kirk and George Braith, used beautifully here next to the tenor. Titles include "Soul Searching", "Embracing The Unknown", "Self Analysis", "Self Contemplation", "Introspection", and "Self Reflection". CD