There's nothing too comfy here, as drummer Tim Carman kicks up a gritty groove right from the very first note – working next to the organ of Ken Clark and guitar of Steve Fell – all in a stripped-down style that partly aims for the glory days of Hammond hero work on Prestige Records in the 60s, but which also maybe has a bit of a soul instrumental vibe as well! Tim's drums are nice and tight, leaving Clark's fingers on the keys and feet on the bass to really open things up – flowing and glowing with all these great changes, on titles that include "Cookin With Gran", "Southpaw", "If You've Got It Flaunt It", "First Mind", "Do That Thing", "Dumpty Dumb", and "Chicken Noodle Man". LP, Vinyl record album

The poetic title here is wonderfully well-suited to the album – as there's a free-floating, spacious quality to the music – yet one that's very different than some of the softer sessions that sort of reference might make you expect! Cornet player Kirk Knuffke always has a great sense of space in his music – and in this trio, it really seems to do a lot to the piano of Matthew Shipp, who can be a master of understatement at times, with really quietly brooding sounds on the keys – matched by the perfect energy of bassist Michael Bisio, who is exactly the right choice for this outing. If you know some of Knuffke's other work, you'll be surprised here – as there's more of an edge, and the session really builds a bridge to the world of Shipp, while finding this great spot in the middle for both to exist – on titles that include "Time Is Another River", "Paint Pale Silver", "Heal The Roses", "Today for Today", "Blinds", "June Stretched", "Between Today & May", "Stars Go Up", and "The Water Will Win". LP, Vinyl record album

The last of Van Dyke Parks' classic early trio of albums for Warner Brothers – and possibly the straightest of the bunch! Parks continues the exploration of ersatz Americana explored on his previous two records – but his approach here is sometimes a bit gentler, almost sentimental at times – as if he's been pulled more strongly into the matrix of history and geography that's always informed his work. Production is still great – although not handled by Van Dyke this time around – and instrumentation includes a fair bit of steel drums, showing Parks' continuing love of the form. (He was one of the instrument's biggest mainstream champions in the early 70s.) Titles include "Soul Train", "Cannon In D", "You're A Real Sweetheart", "Another Dream", "Pass That Stage", "City On The Hill", "Iron Man", and "Love Is The Answer". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little set from Jimmy Smith – often overlooked amidst the flurry of early 60s Blue Notes, but a really strong session! The group on the set is Jimmy's trio with Quentin Warren on guitar and Don Bailey on drums – but they're augmented here by Lou Donaldson, whose crafty work on alto really opens the set up. Tracks are shortish and mostly familiar, but done with a laidback and easy groove that brings out the best in Jimmy's late Blue Note Hammond stylings. Titles include "Matilda Matilda", "Pork Chop", "Can Heat", and "Trust In Me". LP, Vinyl record album

With Teru Sakamoto on piano, Takao Neichi on bass, and Takeshi Watanabe on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A 2-fer set from the 70s – with 2 great older albums from Buck & Buddy! First up is the self-titled Buck & Buddy – beautiful blowing from Buck Clayton and Buddy Tate – captured here in the relaxed, easy-going setting of the Swingville label! The album's got a lot more charm than some of Clayton's sides for Columbia – a bit more mellow, with the kind of after hours feel that lets players like these show their strongest suits on their instruments. Clayton plays trumpet, Tate tenor – and rhythm is from the trio of Sir Charles Thompson on piano, Gene Ramey on bass, and Mousie Alexander on drums. Titles include "High Life", "Birdland Betty", "Can't We Be Friends", and "Kansas City Nights". Next Is Buck & Buddy Blow The Blues – a romping little session from Buck Clayton and Buddy Tate – served up in a looser, more relaxed setting than the former's albums for Columbia, and a slightly more swing-based mode than the latter's dates for Chess! Both horn players get plenty of room to solo in the open-ended Swingville mode – Buck on trumpet and Buddy on both tenor and clarinet – and the group's a nice one too, since Sir Charles Thompson's playing piano, Gene Ramey's on bass, and Gus Johnson's on drums. Titles include "Blue Creek", "Blue Breeze", "Blue Ebony", "Rompin At Red Bank", and "Dallas Delight". LP, Vinyl record album

Ella Fitzgerald swings it nicely with the Tommy Flanagan Trio – a small group on the date for backup, but one who give this Montreux performance almost as much bounce as Ella's 70s live dates with a bigger ensemble! Tommy seems to have a bit more punch in his piano than usual, and Fitzgerald really makes great use of that quality – hanging her groove on his bold lines nicely, with support from Keter Betts on bass and Bobby Durham on drums. Titles include "Day By Day", "Billie's Bounce", "Too Close For Comfort", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "One Note Samba", and "Ordinary Fool". LP, Vinyl record album

Lionel Hampton on vibes, Art Tatum on piano, and Buddy Rich on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Hammond work from female organ legend Shirley Scott – in her best mode of the 60s! Here's the reasons: 1) The group features husband Stanley Turrentine on tenor, adding in some nice extra tones to Shirley's usual trio! 2 ) The rhythm section is Bob Cranshaw and Otis Finch – surely one of Shirley's best. 3) The set was recorded live, in the Front Froom in Newark, with a real down-home gutbucket approach that's different from some of the other Impulse albums. 4) Tracks are long, with plenty of room for soloing – even more so than some of Shirley's other records of the time. Titles include "That's For Me", "Rapid Shave", and "Squeeze Me". Nuff said! LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from that early 60s time when Jimmy Giuffre was really opening up, as on his Free Fall album – an unissued live performance done with Paul Bley on piano and Steve Swallow on bass! Titles include "Flight", "Hiptus", "Used To Be", "Venture", and "This Time This Time". LP, Vinyl record album

An early concept album from the great Jon Hendricks – one that tells the story of blues through jazz – all put together as a flowing story in music! Jon speaks and sings the whole tale – but also gets some help on vocals from Big Miller, Hanna Dean, and Jimmy Witherspoon – as well as great musical backing from the core Ike Isaac Trio, with solos by Pony Poindexter and Ben Webster! The music is mostly rooted in blues, but with a hipper jazz sensibility – almost in the way that Oscar Brown Jr and others were going back to the roots, but updating them for the 60s. Titles include "WPA Blues", "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child", "New Orleans", "I Had My Share", "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Great proof that Jeri Southern's a hell of a jazz singer in just the right setting – and this album's just the right setting! The set features Jeri live at the Crescendo – working with small group backing at the famous LA nite spot – including piano from Dick Hazard, who also arranges the combo on most tracks too – balancing core piano trio styles with some light cello that really sounds wonderful – used in slight ways to echo larger strings, but still leaving the rest of the group to move in gentle torch jazz modes. Jeri plays piano herself on a few tracks – and titles include "Remind Me", "Blame It On My Youth", "You Better Go Now", "I'm Just A Woman", "I Thought Of You Last Night", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Dancing On The Ceiling". LP, Vinyl record album

Great early work from the Young/Holt combo – a debut outing under their own name, done before their music on Brunswick Records! Before they went off to record on their own – or maybe as a prediction that they would – Eldee Young and Red Holt cut this album of jazz tracks during the time that they were working with Ramsey Lewis! Since the album's a piano trio record, with Lewis on piano, it's sort of the same thing as the records they cut with him, but since they're on the marquee over his name, there's a little bit more focus on Young's bass and Holt's drumming. Tracks include "Dee's New Blues", "Travel On", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "Swamp Girl", and "Peace & Tranquility", and the album grooves with a good Chicago soul jazz sound. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful live performance from the Oscar Peterson trio, and one that's right up there with the best Verve material of the early 60s – in part because Norman Granz presented the whole concert on the stage in The Netherlands! The group here is Peterson's second famous combo – with Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums – and Oscar is at that majestically fluid spot that made his 60s material even more incredible than his 50s work – served up with a fantastic command of the keyboard, and maybe even more of a soulful swing, thanks to Thigpen and Brown! Some tracks here are nice and long – and titles include "I Remember Clifford", "Where Do I Go From Here", "Band Call", "Politics & Poker", "Con Alma", "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

A much-needed look at the Dutch jazz scene in the 50s and 60s – a spot in Europe that was turning out some really fantastic modern material – at a level that's every bit as great as better-known work coming from France, Germany, and Scandinavia at the time! Many of the players here quickly became giants who would dominate on the Dutch scene for years to come – and even at this early point, their work is wonderful – occasionally graced with guest work from American players, but already more than great enough on its own – and filled with a mix of sharp rhythms, new ideas, and impeccable instrumentation throughout. As with other Sdban titles, the presentation is wonderful – not just a great set list, but an overall feel that makes the package as hefty as the music inside. Titles include "Four On Six" by Kwartet Martin Verlinden, "So Why" by Kwartet Leo Meyer, "Amsterdam Blues" by Diamond Five, "Lady Elisabeth" by Tony Vos Quartet, "Blues For Eddy" by Red & Brown Brothers, "Sem" by Frans Elsen, "Relaxin With Rhythme" by The Rhythme All Stars, "Mensen Van Morgen" by Herman Schoonderwalt, "Wives & Lovers" by Rita Reys & Oliver Nelson, "Comin Home Baby" by Trio Tony Vos, "Sing Sing Sing" by Leddy Wessel with Jack Van Poll, "Blues Minor" by Boys Big Band, and "Afro Blues" by Herbie Mann with Wessel Ilcken Combo. LP, Vinyl record album

The swing is soft by the sound is never sleepy – thanks to some always-great tenor work from Stan Getz! The album definitely moves in a slightly mellow mode – as implied by the title – but the groove is still plenty darn soulful! Iif anything the album offers almost a bit more space than usual for Stan to do his thing in the lead – carving out beautiful tenor lines that almost hang by themselves in space at varying points – but which also receive some gentle rhythmic support from the trio of Mose Allison on piano, Jerry Segal on drums, and Addison Farmer on bass. Titles include "Down Beat", "Pocono Mac", "All The Things You Are", "Bye Bye Blues", and "To The Ends Of The Earth". LP, Vinyl record album

Sharp sounds from guitarist Jim Hall – a record that's filled with all the cool, complicated lines the musician could muster on his instrument – yet a record that also manages to swing a bit too! The sound here is a great evolution from the sound of Hall's music in the 50s – even more modern at most moments, with unique phrasing that shows just how much Jim continued to grow over the decades – delivered at a level that's very fresh, and without a debt to any other guitarist on the planet! Part of the album's unique feel comes from the large amount of original Hall compositions – interpreted by Jim with a trio that also features Don Thompson on piano and bass and Terry Clarke on drums – on titles that include "Kyoto Bells", "Echo", "Without Words", "Light", "Something For Now", and "Two Special People". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes a side's worth of piano solos recorded in 1944, plus a collection of tracks from the mid to late 40s with his All Stars that include Hot Lips Page and Budd Johnson, a trio session with Bill Cooper on bass and Al Wichard on drums, and a live performance at the Blues Jubilee Concert with Johnn Rogers on guitar, Johnny Parker on bass, and Roy Milton on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful tribute to Baden Powell – not only musically, but visually as well! The set contains a 12 page booklet that's filled with writings on Powell's work & other Brazilian musicians in the series, plus some excellent color photos from the 1960s. The record contains some of Baden's greatest tracks, played by him and other Brazilian greats. Titles include "Consolacao" by Tamba Trio, "Lapinha" & "Canto De Ossanha" by Elis Regina, "Samba Triste" by Lucio Alves, "Tem Do" by Os Cariocas, "Samba Em Preludio" by Geraldo Vandre E Ana Lucia, and "Astronauta" and "Berimbau" by Baden Powell. LP, Vinyl record album

A nice, nice compilation of sides cut by Powell for Norman Granz, from 1949 to 1951. Given Powell's well documented bouts with instability and alcoholism, there are several periods that lasted for months and sometimes years when he would go unrecorded. The first dates on this set come at the end of one of those periods, and Bud is in fine, fiery form, presented here in a trio setting with Ray Brown and Max Roach. Another set of trio's follows, with Curly Russell replacing Brown, and the second LP is almost all solo piano work. The set is extensvely annotated by Gary Giddins, and features some of Powell's best sides. 24 tracks in all, including "Tempus Fugit", "Cherokee", "Strictly Confidential", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Tea For Two" and "Sweet Georgia Brown". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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! LP, Vinyl record album

Late 40s performances with The Kenton All Stars featuring Art Farmer and Art Pepper, Benny Goodman Quintet with Ernie Royal and Wardell Gray, Benny Goodman Sextet with Count Basie, and Erroll Garner Trio with Dave Lambert and Teddy Edwards. LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Beautiful work from Jamal's early Chicago years – and a perfectly titled set that really gets at the differences he made in modern jazz! The tunes are wonderfully fluid, soulful, and swinging – but not in the gutbuckety style of other trios of the time, more in a lightly modern style that features almost equal interplay between Jamal's piano, the bass of Israel Crosby, and the guitar of the wonderful Ray Crawford – who really ads an amazing touch to the record. Tracks include the great original "New Rhumba", plus cool versions of "Jeff", "Darn That Dream", "Spring Is Here", and "All Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from singer Mamie Lee – a vocalist who inhabits the same space between jazz and soul as Nancy Wilson! The album's got a very groovy feel overall – thanks to small combo backing from The Swingmen, a piano trio who backed up Mamie in live appearances, and who really fit in great for this studio session. Lee's got a great repoire with the group, and they work together to make the album way more than the usual vocal session from the time – a nicely swinging, hip, and lean little set that's totally great! Titles include "Charade", "Come Back To Me", "Once Upon A Time", "Poor Everybody Else", and "Try To Remember". LP, Vinyl record album

A great 70s album from this excellent Brazilian harmony group! Their sound is a different from that of Quarteto Em Cy or Tamba Trio, and their singing is less filled with straight jazzy harmonies than it is some off-kilter vocal lines that weave together and challenge each other throughout the tracks – in a really beautiful way. While they're best known for their groundbreaking work from the 60's, this LP's a good batch of tracks from the 70's that still retains the feel of the group. Cuts include "Fantasia", "Angelica", "Nascente", and a cover of Caetano Veloso's "Tropicalia"! LP, Vinyl record album

Stellar work from the lovely lady – featuring a number of original songs, plus backing from a trio that features Kenny Barron on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Herbie Hancock's great acoustic moments of the 70s – quite a contrast to his more dynamic electric work of the time, with the subtle, sensitive approach of some of his Japanese trio sessions! Likewise, Chick Corea reminds us that he's great on the acoustic keys too – and works here alongside Herbie on these long-spiralling tracks with no other instrumentation at all – just sublime twin-piano magic as both players bring their voices together, then rise up individually – on titles that include "Maiden Voyage", "Button Up", "Liza", "La Fiesta", and "February Moment" – all coming out very fresh and different here! LP, Vinyl record album

About as classic as you can get for Sonny Rollins during the 50s – from the cover right down to the incredible solos on the set! The album's got Rollins really stretching out – still not finding the freer trio mode of his Vanguard session, but still bringing in plenty of fresh ideas in both his phrasing and the construction of his tunes – way more than just the roots of his (still excellent) years as a boppish player. The group's nice and loose – with Wynton Kelly on soulful piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all able to snap into a groove when needed, but also letting Rollins really lay back into a solo too. Titles include the sublime "Asiatic Raes", plus "Namely You", "Tune Up", "Wonderful Wonderful", and "Blues For Philly Joe". If you've ever needed a record to convince you how great Rollins is, this might just be the one! LP, Vinyl record album

With Russ Kassoff on piano and Jerry Bruno on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great and very strange album by avant pianist Dave Burrell! Side one features an extended tune called "West Side Story", which is basically a medley of tunes from the musical, played with a nice dark edge by Burrell and a trio, plus additional tambourine work by Pharoah Sanders! Side three features "East Side Colors", a great track in the ESP avant mode – and one that features killer drum work by Sonny Murray, and some fierce piano by Burrell. The set closes with the jaunty "Margy Pargy", a short straight tune with almost an old-timey feel to it. Weird, but one of Burrell's more compelling albums. Other tracks include "Theme Stream", "Bittersweet Reminiscence", and "Dave Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A unique Japanese-only Blue Note record, one that features trio dates by both players – Sonny Clark from 1958, and Wynton Kelly from 1951! Some material later ended up on the Standards CDs – but this Japanese-only album is the first LP issue of the material. LP, Vinyl record album

The Bill Evans trio with Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums – a near-perfect lineup that forever raised the bar for jazz piano expression! The title here is certainly apt – because even though many of the tunes are shortish, Evans has a sense of exploration in the way he's approaching the keys – one that still retains some of the lyrically rhythmic traces of his first few records – but which also glides forth into territory that was virtually untapped on record for the time. The revolution here is so subtle, it's easy to miss from the perspective of our generation – but give it a few listens, and the record will open up beautifully! Titles include "Israel", "Haunted Heart", "Elsa", "Nardis", and "I Wish I Knew". LP, Vinyl record album

A bold little trio set from bassist Sam Jones – recorded with a great lineup that includes Keith Copeland on drums and Kenny Barron on piano! Barron plays both electric and acoustic piano on the album, and really brings a lot of his own strengths into play with Sam's bass work – and the best numbers on the album have them both stepping out in a highly rhythmic mode, really grooving along nicely with a pulse that both Jones and Kenny always have in the background, but don't display this strongly. Titles include Barron numbers "Tragic Magic" and "Seascape", and Jones originals "Lily", "Bittersuite", and "The Hymn Of Scorpio". LP, Vinyl record album

A near-lost gem in Oscar Peterson's mid-50s catalog for Verve – and a sparkling set of trio numbers recorded at the Shakespeare Festival in Ontario! Despite the literate setting of the recording, the work's never stuffy or academic – and Peterson swings things mightily with his trio that includes Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. The recording quality is wonderful – deep, rich, and luminous – at a level that almost makes us say "why didn't they stop here, since Oscar sounds so perfect?" Titles include "Love You Madly", "52nd Street Theme", "Flamingo", "How About You", and "Noreen's Nocturne". LP, Vinyl record album