One of the few albums as a leader from pianist Ronnell bright – a player who's best known for his work behind singers! The lineup is a trio – with the young Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Leonard Gaskin on drums. CD

Late work from avant tenor legend Dewey Redman – and surprisingly great, with all the best energy of his sides from older years! The album features Dewey playing in a trio with Cameron Brown on bass and Leon Parker on drums – plus guest appearances on about half the tracks by a young Joshua Redman, who really helps flesh out the sound of the set – at a point when he was just starting to let the world know about his talents. Redman senior is still the main attraction, though – blowing strongly on alto, tenor, and even a bit of musette – but also letting Joshua take all the horn parts on one track. Titles include surprisingly great readings of two standard ballads – "Everything Happens To Me" and "Imagination" – plus the tracks "Le Clit", "For Mo", and "O'Besso". CD

Dianne Reeves – as lovely as ever, perhaps even more so – as the set's a nicely stripped-down session that really showcases her best side! The tunes are spare and simple small combo numbers – mostly with piano trio backing, but also including a bit of occasional trumpet and guitar. Dianne performs wonderfully on a mix of standards served up with a heck of a lot more soul and expression than we're used to hearing from the tunes – and production on the set is by Arif Mardin, showing the same simple elegance that he brought to classic work by Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan. Titles include "I'm All Smiles", "Loads Of Love", "Skylark", "We'll Be Together Again", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", and "Reflections". CD

Lovely lyrical sounds from Tommy Flanagan – a pianist who can be as deft as a bopper, but also bring in some richer currents of soul as well! Case in point is this great album from the late 70s – a time when Flanagan wasn't as much in the recording spotlight as the decade before, but a period when he'd actually matured a lot more as a player – able to step effortlessly between both his inclinations, especially when working with a group this great – a trio that features George Mraz on bass and Elvin Jones on drums! Tommy's got a touch on the keys that's subtle at times, but extremely powerful – a knowledge of notes and colors that's never overstated, but always right on the money. Titles include a great reading of the Tom McIntosh tune "Cup Bearers", plus "Maybe September", "Confirmation", "50 21", and "It Never Entered My Mind". CD

One of Don Pullen's best-known albums, and for good reason too – a well-recorded document of a Montreux performance that helped put Don's piano talents in the spotlight for the rest of the 70s! The record's got a sense of freedom that's quite unusual for Atlantic Records at the time – as each side features one long track, played at a level that's very spontaneous, and often quite outside – at least at some points. Side one features an extended version of Muhal Richard Abrams' "Richard's Tune", done with a trio that features electric bass by Jeff Berlin and drums by Steve Jordan – and side two features the even more beautiful Pullen original, "Dialogue Between Malcolm & Betty" – which adds in some great Latin percussion to the trio! CD

The tenor of Stan Getz meets the baritone sax of Gerry Mulligan – and then they switch things around for half of the record, as Stan picks up the baritone and Mulligan takes on tenor! Gerry always seems to open up whole new sides of his playing when sharing the leader spotlight with another star – and here, in the company of Getz, he hits a shimmering, sparkling sound that's really great, and filled with feeling. Stan's wonderful too – very much in his best mid 50s Verve period – working in a groove that's deep and laidback, with a strong undercurrent of warmth – thanks to familiar rhythm backing from the trio of Lou Levy on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. Titles include "Anything Goes", "Ballad", and "That Old Feeling". CD

A rare bit of Dutch jazz from the 60s – a hip quintet led by pianist Cees Slinger, and featuring a cooking lineup that's every bit as great as groups coming out of the British or French scenes at the time. Slinger was the pianist in the legendary Wessel Icken trio – and through his years in that group, he developed a solid swing that started stretching out into a more modal styled groove – and works here with Cees Smal on trumpet, Harry Verbecke on tenor, Jacques Schols on bass, and John Engels on drums – all top shelf players too! Many of the tracks on this set are a lot more adventurous than you might expect from the staid look of the group – and the album burns with the warmth and originality of some of the best Saba records of the late 60s, with slightly longer tracks that really stretch out, both in terms of rhythm and solo work. The writing is superb, and all titles are originals by European players – with tracks that include "Ruined Girl", "Lutuli", "Lining Up", "New Born", and "Monosyl". CD

A superstar performance from the Antibes jazz festival at Cote D'Azur – one that features Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington sharing the stage, in a concert that was also recorded for a film! Most numbers here feature the full Ellington orchestra backing Ella up – but a few other numbers feature just backings from a trio with Jimmy Jones on piano and Grady Tate on drums. Duke and Ella trade the spotlight nicely – and Fitzgerald only sings on about half of the set, numbers that include "Mack The Knife", "The More I See You", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Jazz Samba", "How Long Has This Been Going On", and "Going Out Of My Head". Ellington's heard on other instrumental performances – some of which are a bit more upbeat and unbridled than usual – almost in a Basie mode. These tunes include "Trombonio Bustosolssimo", "Diminuendo In Blue & Blow By Blow", "The Old Circus Train Turn Around Blues", and "The Matador". CD

Sergio Mendes is definitely a swinger – especially on this jazz-based session that was recorded before his famous work with Brasil 66! This album was recorded in New York, at a time when Mendes was one of the hottest things brewing in the bossa scene in Brazil – and apart from the great Antonio Carlos Jobim on guitar, many of the other players are American jazz musicians – including Art Farmer on flugelhorn, Phil Woods on alto sax, and Hubert Laws on flute – all adding in some nice jazzy elements to the tunes! The music is all instrumental, and a great mix of jazz and bossa that really lets you hear the young Sergio's skills on piano. Titles include "Maria Moita", "Sambinha Bossa Nova", "The Dreamer", "Primavera", "Favela", and "Pau Brazil". CD

A seminal, yet unusual 50s Blue Note treasure! The album brings together a number of Horace Silver's great trio recordings from the early 50's, most of them with Art Blakey on drums, showing the fluid, rumbling genius that would later make him such a great leader. But the record also includes 2 tracks that don't even have Horace at all – and which feature duets between Art Blakey on drums and Sabu Martinez on conga, on the titles "Message From Kenya" and "Nothing But The Soul" – both tunes that have a highly percussive feel, and which were penned by Blakey. They're nice little percussion jams, and really take the material beyond typical 50s jazz and into beautiful beat-heavy territory – and they side nicely next to classic trio sides that include "Safari", "Ecaroh", and "Opus De Funk". CD

A seminal, yet unusual 50s Blue Note treasure! The album brings together a number of Horace Silver's great trio recordings from the early 50's, most of them with Art Blakey on drums, showing the fluid, rumbling genius that would later make him such a great leader. But the record also includes 2 tracks that don't even have Horace at all – and which feature duets between Art Blakey on drums and Sabu Martinez on conga, on the titles "Message From Kenya" and "Nothing But The Soul" – both tunes that have a highly percussive feel, and which were penned by Blakey. They're nice little percussion jams, and really take the material beyond typical 50s jazz and into beautiful beat-heavy territory – and they side nicely next to classic trio sides that include "Safari", "Ecaroh", and "Opus De Funk". This newly remastered version includes additional notes and photos. CD

Trio and quartet work from Benny Goodman featuring pianist Teddy Wilson and drummer Gene Krupa plus Lionel Hampton on vibes. CD

The quartet here is definitely great enough to earn their name – a wonderful pairing of the piano of Hank Jones and bass of Ray Brown at the core – augmented with superb work from Alan Dawson on drums, a player we love going back to his 60s recordings on Prestige – joined by Sam Most on flute and tenor near the end of the set! In that way, the whole thing is more of a trio date than anything else – recorded with superb tone on Brown's bass throughout, and with space for Dawson to deliver these great solo spots in the middle of some tracks – nicely understated, which is always part of his genius. Titles include "Blue Monk", "All Blues", "Sister Sadie", "Emily", "A Time For Love", "Tea For Two", and "The Voodoo". CD

Featuring Howard Alden on guitar, Michael Moore on bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. CD

Early early work by Duke Pearson – and one of his few trio sessions ever! The album's a great way to hear Pearson's lyrical soulful style at work, as he's playing in an unfettered setting with Gene Taylor on bass and Lex Humphries on drums – really stretching out on piano, in a way that you don't often hear on some of his larger group albums – a much more intimate side of this great pianist, before he rose to become an important arranger and producer at Blue Note during the late 60s. The album features two of his own compositions "Gate City Bop" and "Two Mile Ride", plus versions of "Black Coffee", "Taboo", and "Witchcraft". CD

One of the most obscure sessions by Duke Pearson, and one of his first for Blue Note too! The album features Duke hitting a laidback and lyrical groove – working in a trio with Gene Taylor on bass and Lex Humphries on drums – overall pretty much in a soul jazz mode, but with more of Pearson's wonderful touches on the keys to open things up. The album's a nice counterpoint to Duke's later work for the label – much more intimate than his bigger band sides, but still put together with the depth that he'd later show more famously with his fuller arrangements. Titles include "3 AM", "On Green Dolphin Street", "I Love You", and "The Golden Striker". CD

An amazing live performance from Sonny Rollins – one we'd rank right up there with his legendary Village Vanguard recordings on Blue Note – thanks to its stripped-down trio presentation, and its ability to let Rollins open up in some wonderfully modern tones! As with the Vanguard sides, these tracks feature a superb trio – Henry Grimes on bass and Pete LaRoca on drums – both wonderfully loose players, at the start of a budding legacy of creativity – and well-matched with Rollins, whose really changing his sound and style, and using the open space of the performance to move in directions that nobody would have expected at the start of the decade. Most tracks are standards, but really transformed – and titles include "Paul's Pal", "St Thomas", "There Will Never Be Another You", "Stay As Sweet As You Are", "How High The Moon", "Oleo", and "I've Told Every Little Star". CD

Beautifully free alto work from Byron Allen – a player who really shines brightly on this rare session for ESP Records – one of the few ever cut under his own name! Allen's got a style that's right up there with the 60s best from Ornette Coleman or Marion Brown – able to move with a fluidity that's breathless, even amidst rhythms that are very loose and open – as the trio here works in a style that almost echoes some of the harmelodic modes of Coleman, but which eventually pushes farther towards the freedoms of other artists on ESP! The set has some wonderful bass from Maceo Gilchrist, whose round, rolling tones really make the album sparkle – as do the punctuated drums of Ted Robinson. Titles include "Today's Blues Tomorrow", "Time Is Past", "Three Steps In The Right Direction", and "Decision For The Cole-Man". CD

An early pairing of Miles Davis & John Coltrane – one of the duo's mid 50s classics for Prestige, as you might guess from the verb in the title! And although "Steamin" might be a word that's a bit too firey to describe the action going on here, the album's got a tremendous sense of presence throughout – as Davis' cooler trumpet is matched with Trane's earthier solo work – all supported by Red Garland trio backing in a style that's as near-classic as it comes for 50s jazz. Titles include "Diane", "Something I Dreamed Last Night", "When I Fall In Love", and "Salt Peanuts". CD

A real standout in the Bill Evans catalog for Riverside – and that's saying a lot, given how important all of his Riverside albums are! The core session's a rare quintet outing for Evans – one that breaks the mode of the usual trio format by adding in Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Jim Hall on guitar – alongside rhythm players Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – already a unique enough match for Evans' talents. In a way, the record's one of those sessions that Riverside would sometimes do – pairing a key new voice as a leader with others in an all-star group – but in another way, it's also a return to the sound that first brought Evans' to a wider audience in the 1957 and 1958 years – when he was working in non-trio groups with more famous players – adding his unique piano stylings to their (then) better-known solo modes. The pairing of Evans and Hall has been beautifully documented on other records – and sounds equally great here – but the real treat is Freddie Hubbard's horn, which often lays back on most of the tracks, then bursts in with a brashness that really ignites some of the tunes! He's playing a bit muted here, trying to go for that Miles/Evans combination from the late 50s – but that's plenty ok with us, as we love those records a lot. Titles include "When You Wish Upon A Star", "You & The Night & The Music", "I'll Never Smile again", "You Go To My Head" and the Evans original, "Interplay". This double-length set also expands the original Interplay album with even more material from another group session in 1962 – a set recorded also with Philly Joe Jones on drums and Jim Hall on guitar – plus Ron Carter on bass and Zoot Sims on tenor. Titles include "Time Remembered", "Loose Bloose", "Fun Ride", "There Came You", "Fudgesickle Built For Four", and "My Bells". CD

The album's titled after an old Jimmy Giuffre song from the 50s, but the sound is very much in his best mode of the 70s – a much freer exploration of earlier ideas, still very rich in tone, but put together quite differently in terms of rhythm! The album's got Jimmy working in a trio with Kiyoshi Tokunaga on bass and Randy Kaye on drums – both players who make things swing, albeit in an offbeat way – so that Giuffre's work on reeds almost has a bit more melodic approach here – strong and soulful on numbers that have him using tenor, more carefully creative on flute or clarinet selections. Titles include "Tree People", "The Tide Is In", "River Chant", "Elephant", "Tibetan Sun", and "Celebration". CD

With Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums. CD

A really important early album from this groundbreaking pianist – a set that initially got plenty of exposure at the time, thanks to its placement on the Infinite Zero label – even though Matthew Shipp's piano work was very far from the mainstream! The trio here is tremendous – and the work of William Parker on bass is especially wonderful, as is the subtle drum handling of Whit Dickey – as the group perform lne long suite of tracks that flow together in haunting patterns of criss crossing lines that describe seem to really bring a sense of spirituality back to the world of improvising music in the early 90s! CD