We'll be honest with you – we love this stuff! Sure, Ornette made some great recordings for a number of other labels – but as a whole, his Atlantic stuff is some of the greatest modern jazz ever recorded, and no other period of an artist is more worth collecting and having in a complete format than this one! The package is unbelievably thorough – and includes not only all the tracks from classic albums like Change Of The Century, This Is Our Music, Free Jazz, Shape Of Jazz To Come, Ornette!, Ornette On Tenor, The Art Of The Improvisors and Twins – but also 6 previously unreleased tracks, and rare material like Ornette's Japanese-only LP To Whom Who Keeps A Record plus 2 selections from Gunther Schuller's Jazz Abstractions featuring Ornette! There's 6CDs in all – packaged in a great case with a well annotated booklet. Titles include "Proof Readers", "Revolving Doors", "Joy Of A Toy", "Cross Breeding", "Variants On A Theme Of Thelonious Monk", "Eos", "Focus On Sanity", "Una Muy Bonita", "Lomely Woman", "Little Symphony", "The Circle With The Hole In The Middle", "Beauty Is A Rare Thing", "Folk Tale", "The Face Of The Bass", "Brings Goodness", "Rise & Shine", and lots and lots more! CD

We'll be honest with you – we love this stuff! Sure, Ornette made some great recordings for a number of other labels – but as a whole, his Atlantic stuff is some of the greatest modern jazz ever recorded, and no other period of an artist is more worth collecting and having in a complete format than this one! The package is unbelievably thorough – and includes not only all the tracks from classic albums like Change Of The Century, This Is Our Music, Free Jazz, Shape Of Jazz To Come, Ornette!, Ornette On Tenor, The Art Of The Improvisors and Twins – but also 6 previously unreleased tracks, and rare material like Ornette's Japanese-only LP To Whom Who Keeps A Record plus 2 selections from Gunther Schuller's Jazz Abstractions featuring Ornette! There's 6CDs in all – packaged in a great case with a well annotated booklet. Titles include "Proof Readers", "Revolving Doors", "Joy Of A Toy", "Cross Breeding", "Variants On A Theme Of Thelonious Monk", "Eos", "Focus On Sanity", "Una Muy Bonita", "Lomely Woman", "Little Symphony", "The Circle With The Hole In The Middle", "Beauty Is A Rare Thing", "Folk Tale", "The Face Of The Bass", "Brings Goodness", "Rise & Shine", and lots and lots more! CD

... Cassette

One of the great Miles 70s groove albums – an album that's often as funky as you might expect from the cover, with a sound that's gone onto become the stuff of legend over the years! The noise of previous electric sessions is nicely toned down a bit here – leaving lots more room for soulful grooving – and although the selections were recorded over different dates, there's a very unified feel to the record – as most tracks have a similar groove, away from other Davis electric work of the period. Players vary throughout – and include Wayne Shorter and Sonny Fortune on reeds, Lonnie Smith and Chick Corea on keyboards, Ron Carter and Dave Holland on basses, John McLaughlin on guitar, and Al Foster and Billy Cobham on drums. Titles include "Great Expectations", "Ife", "Go Ahead John", and "Lonely Fire" – and the whole thing kicks! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great Miles 70s groove albums – an album that's often as funky as you might expect from the cover, with a sound that's gone onto become the stuff of legend over the years! The noise of previous electric sessions is nicely toned down a bit here – leaving lots more room for soulful grooving – and although the selections were recorded over different dates, there's a very unified feel to the record – as most tracks have a similar groove, away from other Davis electric work of the period. Players vary throughout – and include Wayne Shorter and Sonny Fortune on reeds, Lonnie Smith and Chick Corea on keyboards, Ron Carter and Dave Holland on basses, John McLaughlin on guitar, and Al Foster and Billy Cobham on drums. Titles include "Great Expectations", "Ife", "Go Ahead John", and "Lonely Fire" – and the whole thing kicks! CD

One of the great Miles 70s groove albums – an album that's often as funky as you might expect from the cover, with a sound that's gone onto become the stuff of legend over the years! The noise of previous electric sessions is nicely toned down a bit here – leaving lots more room for soulful grooving – and although the selections were recorded over different dates, there's a very unified feel to the record – as most tracks have a similar groove, away from other Davis electric work of the period. Players vary throughout – and include Wayne Shorter and Sonny Fortune on reeds, Lonnie Smith and Chick Corea on keyboards, Ron Carter and Dave Holland on basses, John McLaughlin on guitar, and Al Foster and Billy Cobham on drums. Titles include "Great Expectations", "Ife", "Go Ahead John", and "Lonely Fire" – and the whole thing kicks! CD

One of the great Miles 70s groove albums – an album that's often as funky as you might expect from the cover, with a sound that's gone onto become the stuff of legend over the years! The noise of previous electric sessions is nicely toned down a bit here – leaving lots more room for soulful grooving – and although the selections were recorded over different dates, there's a very unified feel to the record – as most tracks have a similar groove, away from other Davis electric work of the period. Players vary throughout – and include Wayne Shorter and Sonny Fortune on reeds, Lonnie Smith and Chick Corea on keyboards, Ron Carter and Dave Holland on basses, John McLaughlin on guitar, and Al Foster and Billy Cobham on drums. Titles include "Great Expectations", "Ife", "Go Ahead John", and "Lonely Fire" – and the whole thing kicks! CD features 4 long bonus tracks too – "Yaphet", "The Little Blue Frog", "Recollections", and "Trevere". CD

With selections from Black And Tan, A Bundle Of Blues, and Symphony In Black. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of soundtrack work by Emerson, with selections from Honky, Best Revenge, Murderock, Inferno, and Harmagedon. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

The coolest collection we've ever seen to focus on the soundtrack work of the great Serge Gainsbourg – and the most complete as well! The package really digs deep – and seems to offer up tracks from just about every single film that Gainsbourg was involved with – from his own compositions, to partnerships with greats like Alain Goraguer, Michel Colombier, and the mighty Jean-Claude Vannier – all of whom come up with very groovy, often funky instrumentation that rivals Serge's own releases! In fact, we might well even say that we find the Gainsbourg soundtrack material to be even cooler – as the films often gave Serge a chance to experiment, and try out new ideas he wouldn't do on his own records. This LP package is a great distillation of the larger CD set, with a focus on the grooviest cuts – and includes selections from the films L'Eau A La Bouche, Manon 70, Anna, Si Jetais Un Espion, Le Pacha, Slogan, Une Vueve En Or, and Les Chemins De Katmandou. LP, Vinyl record album

Genius material from the team of tenorist Stan Getz and Brazilian bossa legend Joao Gilberto – reunited here in a brief mid 70s period, after their famous Verve recordings of the early 60s – and in a way that shows all the changes both artists had gone through over the years! Stan and Joao would go onto produce the sublime Best Of Two Worlds studio record during this same stretch – but this never-issued live date is arguably even deeper and darker than that record – as Stan blows with the stronger current of melancholy he seemed to unlock in period of his Sweet Rain record and onward – and Joao himself does all the singing here, without help from any female vocalist – with that bluer, more personal vibe he hit on his incredible record from 1973. The maturity and emotion of both musicians comes through right away – and support is from the trio of Joanne Brackeen on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all wonderful musicians who also know just the right moment to step back and let the two giants dominate when needed. Titles include "Eu Vim Da Bahia", "E Preciso Perdoar", "Doralice", and "Retrato Em Branco E Preto". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool live set from the great tenorist Stan Getz, and one that really echoes some of the best styles of his Getz Au Go Go album – as it not only features guest vocals on a number of tracks from the lovely Astrud Gilberto, but also includes work from vibist Gary Burton throughout the entire performance! The combination of Burton and Getz is tremendous – one that wasn't captured nearly enough by Verve in the 60s, which makes these live recordings so essential – as Gary's modern chromatic elements really seem to unlock a fresh spirit in Stan's horn – all the fluidity of the bossa years, but with these unusual inflections that are completely mindblowing! The rest of the core group is equally hip – Chuck Israels on bass and the great Roy Haynes on drums – and Astrud Gilberto sings on seven of the album's nineteen selections. Titles include instrumental cuts "The Singing Song", "Blues Walk", "O Grande Amor", "Edelweiss", "Once Upon A Summertime", "Jive Hoot", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", and "On Green Dolphin Street" – and the vocal numbers "Voce E Eu", "Corcovado", "Telephone Song", "Girl From Ipanema", "It Might As Well Be Spring", and "Samba De Uma Nota So". CD

Way more than just a soundtrack – and instead, kind of a mini-movie in sound – one that's almost as vivid as watching the film itself! Benedetto Ghiglia uses lots of different touches here – some of the expected guitar, but also swirling flute, moody trumpet, off-tune piano, and other unusual elements – all in this mix of songs that really shifts in style and mood, and which almost always comes across with a very fresh take on the spaghetti western genre! Ghigli's almost got that same sense of abstracting sound that we love in the Morricone music for films like this – and even the few appearances of I Cantori Moderni have a nicely offbeat vibe. As a bonus, the CD also includes selections from Un Dollaro Tra I Denti. CD

Right from the start of his career, poet Allen Ginsberg experimented with recording and music – maybe not a surprise, because as a young beat poet, he grew up in the era when long playing records were really taking off – yet still delivered in a way that was often very different than recorded projects by contemporaries like Lawrence Ferlinghetti or Jack Kerouac! For one thing, Ginsberg was never afraid to sing – which he definitely does here – and as a poet with an already-striking voice for reading, his vocals really follow suit – as does his collaborative spirit that ran through all generations of his creativity – leading him to work on some of these tracks with artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Elvin Jones, Bob Dylan, Arthur Russell, and Philip Glass. The set was done in collaboration with Ginsberg's estate, and brings together both vocal and spoken selections, some never issued before – with selections that include "First Party At Ken Kesey's With Hell's Angels", "Raghupati Raghava", "Ballad Of The Skeletons", "Hum Bum", "Birdbrain", "Grey Monk", "Prayer For John Sinclair", "Put Down Yr Cigarette Rag", "Gospel Noble Truths", and "Ballad Of The Skeletons". 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 selections by Abbey Lincoln, Bobby Goldsboro, Jackie DeShannon, Count Five, John Fred & His Playboy Band, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, and a side's worth of themes by Goldenthal. LP, Vinyl record album

Straight and strong work from Dex – recorded in the extended blowing mode of some of his late 60s work from Europe, but recorded back in the US, in Baltimore, with a quartet that includes Bobby Timmons on piano, Victor Gaskin on bass, and Percy Brice on drums. The set's one of the last to feature Timmons work on piano, and while it's not as hard and funky as some of his own albums from the time, his presence in the group next to Gordon does give the set a particular edge that's different from the European sides. The album features 3 long tracks – "Misty", "Love For Sale", and "Rhythm-a-ning" – and all selections are released here for the first time! CD

The first widely-circulated album issued by the stunning saxophonist Muriel Grossman – an artist we've been stocking on imports for the past decade or so, and who quickly became one of or favorites in jazz! If you've not heard Muriel before, this album's a perfect introduction to her music – and if you've been following her already, you'll definitely be pleased – as Grossman really opens up that mix of modal and spiritual styles she does so well – working with an expanded lineup of instrumentation that adds in her own work on flute, percussion, bass, kalimba, harmonium, and tambura next to the core tenor and soprano sax – in a combo that also features great Hammond B3 from Abel Boquera, guitar from Radomir Milojkovic, and drums from Uros Stamenkovic. At times, the organ is used almost in a Larry Young sort of way – but other moments have the instrument in moodier waves of sound, especially when things get slightly exotic – and the double-length set opens up with beautiful tunes throughout, on long selections that include "Mother Of All", "Absolute Truth", "Calm", "Care", "All Heart", "Devotion", and "Knowledge & Wisdom". CD

The first widely-circulated album issued by the stunning saxophonist Muriel Grossman – an artist we've been stocking on imports for the past decade or so, and who quickly became one of or favorites in jazz! If you've not heard Muriel before, this album's a perfect introduction to her music – and if you've been following her already, you'll definitely be pleased – as Grossman really opens up that mix of modal and spiritual styles she does so well – working with an expanded lineup of instrumentation that adds in her own work on flute, percussion, bass, kalimba, harmonium, and tambura next to the core tenor and soprano sax – in a combo that also features great Hammond B3 from Abel Boquera, guitar from Radomir Milojkovic, and drums from Uros Stamenkovic. At times, the organ is used almost in a Larry Young sort of way – but other moments have the instrument in moodier waves of sound, especially when things get slightly exotic – and the double-length set opens up with beautiful tunes throughout, on long selections that include "Mother Of All", "Absolute Truth", "Calm", "Care", "All Heart", "Devotion", and "Knowledge & Wisdom". LP, Vinyl record album

The first widely-circulated album issued by the stunning saxophonist Muriel Grossman – an artist we've been stocking on imports for the past decade or so, and who quickly became one of or favorites in jazz! If you've not heard Muriel before, this album's a perfect introduction to her music – and if you've been following her already, you'll definitely be pleased – as Grossman really opens up that mix of modal and spiritual styles she does so well – working with an expanded lineup of instrumentation that adds in her own work on flute, percussion, bass, kalimba, harmonium, and tambura next to the core tenor and soprano sax – in a combo that also features great Hammond B3 from Abel Boquera, guitar from Radomir Milojkovic, and drums from Uros Stamenkovic. At times, the organ is used almost in a Larry Young sort of way – but other moments have the instrument in moodier waves of sound, especially when things get slightly exotic – and the double-length set opens up with beautiful tunes throughout, on long selections that include "Mother Of All", "Absolute Truth", "Calm", "Care", "All Heart", "Devotion", and "Knowledge & Wisdom". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Cyndi Lauper, The Bangles, Luther Vandross, Teena Marie, Philip Bailey, REO Speedwagon, and The Goon Squad. LP, Vinyl record album

A solo performance from groundbreaking saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, but one that's got sort of a "phantom" partner in Peter Brotzmann – as Mats works here from the boxed set of musical scores that Brotzmann originally created for his Chicago Tentet! Gustafsson plays selections from "Box 1" and "Box 2" – all set up by cards that cue the action for his improvisation – not a real set of musical notations, but ideas conveyed by images – which Mats then delivers on sopranino, soprano, alto, baritone, and bass saxophones – plus a few saxophone mouthpieces as well! There's few folks who can create such a range of sounds in such a setting – and the whole thing is not only a testament to Gustafsson's ongoing solo skills, but also his ability to relate to a key contemporary like Brotzmann. CD

Arlo Guthrie may not be one of the best-remembered folkies of the 60s, but he sure made waves with this classic debut and the side-long title song! Arlo is the son of Woody Guthrie, and probably owes as much to Bob Dylan as Dylan does to Woody – but he was definitely on to something when he expanded the shorter protest song into the space of the 18 minute "Alice's Restaurant Massacre", which makes surprisingly strong use of its many grooves on the record – while Arlo delivers a biting commentary on the life of a young man in the era of Vietnam and the uptight Establishment. Side two brings in shorter tracks, but with a similar energy – selections that include "Chilling Of The Evening", "The Motorcycle Song", "I'm Going Home", "Highway In The Wind", and "Now & Then". LP, Vinyl record album

Packed with hits! Selections include "Maneater", "I Can't Go For That", "Rich Girl", "She's Gone", "Kiss On My List", "Private Eyes", "You Make My Dreams", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning solo piano work from legendary Philly musician Hasaan – best known for his one Atlantic session with Max Roach, but sounding completely different here on his own! From the very first note of the set, you know that you're in the company of a committed modernist, of the same generation as Herbie Nichols and Elmo Hope – a player with an equally unique, individual conception, and an ability to work a very familiar instrument in all these really unusual ways – often with a quality that makes you feel as if Hasaan is about to step outside and improvise more freely, but always swinging back with an inherent sense of rhythm that's wonderful. The set features both original tunes and reworked standards, pulled from a variety of different tapes recorded in both Philly and New York in the mid 60s – superbly brought back to life here, with a double-length set of selections that include "Off My Back Jack", "Off Minor", "Atlantic Ones", "Mean To Me", "True Train", "Untitled Ballad", "Extemporaneous Prose Poem", "Besame Mucho", "On Green Dolphin Street", and "Arabic Song". CD

An expanded, remastered version of this legendary live performance from British tenor giant Tubby Hayes – a 1965 session recorded at the famous Hopbine club, owned by saxophonist Tommy Whittle, who also makes an appearance on two numbers in the set! The recording quality of the CD is quite strong – and Hayes is caught in strong Sonny Rollins-like territory – improvising strongly and creatively over longer selections, never failing to delight with his rich command of the tenor. Most tracks are in the 10 minute and more range – and the group features Tubby as the main soloist with a rhythm section that includes Kenny Powell on piano, Ron Mathewson on bass, and Dick Brennan on drums. Titles include "Night & Day", "It Never Entered My Mind", "I Remember You", "No Blues", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "What's New". CD

A sublime combination of strings from this unique Chicago trio – an group that features Tomeka Reid on cello, Mazz Swift on violin, and Silvia Bolognesi on bass – all coming together in modes that differ nicely from previous string trios in avant jazz! The players aren't afraid to draw on more melodic elements of their instruments when needed, but almost always offset that quality with some sharper or more experimental elements too – sometimes not in a noisy way, but just to open up their instruments to a range of very fresh possibilities – and hardly at all like any "strings" jazz you might expect! Dee Alexander sings guest vocals on the beautiful track "Not Living In Fear" – and all other selections are instrumental, with titles that include "Terrortoma", "Leaving Livorno", "Transiti", "Requiem For Charlie Haden", "Last Night's Vacation", and "Cantiere Orlando". CD

Includes selections from Cape Fear, Torn Curtain, Citizen Kane, Vertigo, On Dangerous Ground, Obsession, Taxi Driver, and Psycho. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Long, live, improvised duets between drummer Kim Dae Hwan and trumpeter Choi Sun Bae – the latter of whom also blows a bit of harmonica on the set! Yet mostly, Bae is blowing trumpet – and he's got this earthy, raspy tone that's great – very mouthy at points, then shifted into bolder, more distinct phrasing – a balance that's really great for the work of Hwan on drums – which is sometimes tentative and spacious, sometimes very full on and dynamic! The set features three selections, each of differing lengths – and the recording quality is wonderful, with a great sense of "room" that seems to recreate the spontaneous interaction between the players. CD

Beautiful solo work from pianist Abdullah Ibrahim – a player with a sound so rich and rhythmic, his sessions like this are often every bit as captivating as his trio and group recordings! There's a really special sort of poetry going on here – first in the way that Ibrahim brings out these unusual tones in the piano – a warmth that almost feels like a Fender Rhodes at times, even though the instrument is acoustic – secondly in the structure of the tunes, which are sometimes short and very poetic – packing a lot of meaning into just a very short space in sound! To balance that out, the record has many different selections – twenty in all – some older compositions reworked, some less familiar. Titles include "Sotho Blue", "District 6", "Tokai", "Blues For A Hip King", "In Tempo", "Dreamtime", "Nisa", "Mindiff", "Trieste My Love", and "Signal On The Hill". CD

Beautiful solo work from pianist Abdullah Ibrahim – a player with a sound so rich and rhythmic, his sessions like this are often every bit as captivating as his trio and group recordings! There's a really special sort of poetry going on here – first in the way that Ibrahim brings out these unusual tones in the piano – a warmth that almost feels like a Fender Rhodes at times, even though the instrument is acoustic – secondly in the structure of the tunes, which are sometimes short and very poetic – packing a lot of meaning into just a very short space in sound! To balance that out, the record has many different selections – twenty in all – some older compositions reworked, some less familiar. Titles include "Sotho Blue", "District 6", "Tokai", "Blues For A Hip King", "In Tempo", "Dreamtime", "Nisa", "Mindiff", "Trieste My Love", and "Signal On The Hill". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful solo work from pianist Abdullah Ibrahim – a player with a sound so rich and rhythmic, his sessions like this are often every bit as captivating as his trio and group recordings! There's a really special sort of poetry going on here – first in the way that Ibrahim brings out these unusual tones in the piano – a warmth that almost feels like a Fender Rhodes at times, even though the instrument is acoustic – secondly in the structure of the tunes, which are sometimes short and very poetic – packing a lot of meaning into just a very short space in sound! To balance that out, the record has many different selections – twenty in all – some older compositions reworked, some less familiar. Titles include "Sotho Blue", "District 6", "Tokai", "Blues For A Hip King", "In Tempo", "Dreamtime", "Nisa", "Mindiff", "Trieste My Love", and "Signal On The Hill". CD

A landmark record from the Dutch jazz scene – one that takes all the strong 70s years of free improvisation in that world, and helps it find a new sort of focus! As fans of the scene know, ICP stands for Instant Composers Pool – writing while improvising on the spot – a notion that's applied here to a completely amazing tentet, with a lineup that moves even beyond the core scene – to include Misha Mengelberg on piano, John Tchicai on alto and soprano, Gilius Bergeyk on alto, Peter Bennink on alto and sopranino, Peter Brotzmann on alto and tenor, Bert Koppelaar on trombone, Tristan Honsinger on cello, Alan Silva on bass, Han Bennink on drums and bass clarinet, and Michel Waisisz on the very cool "crackle box". The force of the individual players is already amazing – but the way they come together here is breathtaking – sometimes with a full blast that should be chaos, but which finds an amazing sense of song, thanks in part to the strength of Mengelberg on piano. Titles include "Valse Trovee", "Ludvig's Blue Note", "Dank", "Alexander's Marschbefehl", "Rumboon", and five "Tetterettet" selections. CD

A group here that features some key members from the American avant scene, but whose standout member might well be pianist Oscar Jan Hoogland – who contributed two originals to the set, and whose work on the keys seems to really direct the energy of this session that features fresh interpretations of tunes by Herbie Nichols and Thelonious Monk! The setting is quite a different one for saxophonist Keefe Jackson, but he's superb throughout – blowing tenor and sopranino sax at a level that has all the angular tones and inventive spirit that players like Steve Lacy or Charlie Rouse brought to their work in the Monk generation – but with all the freer qualities that live up to Keefe's legacy too! The rest of the group is great too – Joshua Abrams reminding us what a swinging bassist he can be, and Mikel Patrick Avery on drums – really punctuating the tunes nicely, on selections that include "Bemsha Swing", "The Happenings", "Epistrophy", and "Gotta Get Some Sleep – plus Hoogland originals "Wimpel" and "Aanhanguis". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Jay & The Americans, The Astronauts, Dick & Dee Dee, The Beau Brummels and Jackie & Gayle. LP, Vinyl record album

Prime selections from one of the greatest soundtracks of the blacksploitation era – served up with some incredible grooves from maestro JJ Johnson! Martha Reeves sings some of the deepest vocals of her career on the great title track "Willie D" – an old sample cut that you're sure to recognize – and the equally great "Keep On Moving On". The instrumental tunes might be even better, filled with great percussion and jazzy flourishes from JJ – in a style that really keeps things interesting! This 2 x 7" single set features the cuts "Willie D", "Willie Chase", "Keep On Moving On", and "Parade Strut". 7-inch, Vinyl record

Quincy Jones may be best remembered for his funky soundtrack work of the 70s – but the man can also hit a deeper, more serious vein when he wants – as he does on this ambitious album-length project inspired by the landmark Roots mini-series! The music isn't a straight soundtrack from the program, but instead evokes the longer narrative over the passage of its different selections – working as its own "saga of an American family", as it moves from African roots, through years of oppression, to moments of pride and power – amidst larger orchestrations from Jones, with help from Letta Mbulu on some key vocals, and more help from Bill Summers, James Cleveland, and even Lou Gossett. Titles include "Many Rains", "Free At Last", "Jumpin De Broom", "Ole Fiddler", "Boyhood To Manhood", "Oluwa", and "Motherland". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A really amazing bit of free jazz – hardly the set of solos you might guess from the title, and instead a performance of live improvisation by a larger group – done at the famous Leo Castelli Gallery, an important locale for avant activity on the downtown scene in New York in the 70s! There's more of a European free jazz vibe going on here than some of the loft work of the city at the time – with searing work from leader Richard Landry on tenor, soprano sax, and electric piano – alongside Richard Peck on tenor, Robert Prado on trumpet, Jon Smith on tenor, Allan Brafman on alto, and David Lee on drums – all captured on tape by Kurt Munkacsi, the sonic force known for some more important avant classical sides of the time. The set features seven selections in all – some pushing well past the 15 minute mark! LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime solo bass work from Joelle Leandre – and a set that's brimming over with the sorts of qualities that first made us fall in love with her music so many decades ago! Leandre's an improviser, and she can play quite freely – but she also never seems to lose a sense of warmth that holds her music together – this special sort of spirit that always makes us feel that, especially in the world of solo bass, Leandre's maybe got more heart and soul than others in her field – linking free improvisation with an inherent sense of tunefulness, yet never in a way that ever feels song-based or precomposed. The set features five selections, all improvised at a performance in Zurich in 2022. CD

An excellent overview of Peggy Lee's magical years at Capitol Records – featuring tracks from her initial Capitol stretch of the late 40s and early 50s – and lots more work from her later stretch of famous 60s singles and albums! The set features 113 tracks in all, plus a biography of Peggy, and notes on all the songs. The mood ranges from upbeat and swinging to mellow and moody – and just a few of the selections include "Watch What Happens", "I Love Being Here With You", "The Glory Of Love", "Close Your Eyes", "Again", "Do I Love You", "Bill", "That's All", "There'll Be Another Spring", "Stormy Weather", "Them There Eyes", "Chi Bab Chi Baba", and "Alright Okay You Win". CD

Don Leisure is more of a producer and beatmaker than a jazzman – but he's got a very spiritual vibe here, thanks in part to very strong participation on the album from harpist Amanda Whiting – who brings in this amazing cosmic energy that's very similar to the vibe on her own great records! Most tunes have a mellow groove – laidback beats with harp from Amanda, and saxophone solos on three tracks, trumpet on one more – and two of the selections also feature excellent vocals from Deborah Jordan, the British soul singer we've dug for many years! There's a great blend of slow funk soundscapes and jazzy solos on the set – and titles include "Walk With Us", "Peace Of Mind", "The First Chant", "Just Be Free", "Crying Tiger", "Beyond The Midnight Sun", and "Third Bass". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unusual criss-crossings of styles that we've ever heard from saxophonist Charles Lloyd – and that's saying a lot, given all of his unusual projects over the years! This set follows from Lloyd's previous album with his Marvels group – a richly American blending of jazz and roots – and also brings in singer Lucinda Williams on a number of the album's tracks! The core sounds have that strong contribution from guitarist Bill Frisell that made the previous Marvels project so unique – and Williams herself has great sympathy with the guitarist, as she does with Greg Leisz, who plays pedal steel and dobro on the record. Lloyd handles tenor, flute, and "ghost vocals" – and the album equally balances instrumental tunes and vocal selections, including one trio number with just Lloyd, Frisell, and Williams. Titles include "Dust", "Vanished Gardens", "Unsuffer Me", "Monk's Mood", "Angel", "Blues For Langston & LaRue", "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", "Ventura", and "We've Come Too Far To Turn Around". CD

A great debut from a Chicago group who almost seem ready to set a whole new tone for their city's scene – working here in ways that hearken back to the open spontaneous creativity of Sun Ra and the AACM, but also with more of a sense of post-performance presentation that resonates with some of the contemporary experiments on the International Anthem label! But these guys are also different than any of those references might imply – very organic in their approach to the music, which was created spontaneously in the studio, then winnowed down for the six different selections on the record – comprised of an array of sounds from Molly Jones on saxes and flute, Julian Otis on voice and electronics, Ben Zucker on vibes and cornet, and Wilson Tanner Smith on cello and harmonica. In the best AACM tradition, the instrumental shifting also includes work on percussion, toys, whistles, and other instruments – as the group spin things out with spiritual energy that really gets a lot from the vocalizations of Otis. Titles include "Freedom Is A Feeling", "In The Weather Together", "When They See Us", "We Instruments", and "The World Spins On Its Axis". CD

The super-sound of Henry Mancini, served up here in a special SACD set! The first half of the package features cuts from two different RCA albums that collect together some of the best of Mancini's music from the 60s – key soundtrack numbers and other instrumentals – in a lineup of tracks that includes "Charade", "Hatari", "Peter Gunn", "Lujon", "Breakfast At Tiffany's", "The Brothers Go To Mothers", "Pink Panther", "Dear Heart", "Cheers", and "Baby Elephant Walk". Concert Sound has Mancini working with larger orchestrations than usual, in an expansion of his usual 60s groove! The tracks here are all somewhat long – suite-type numbers made up from smaller songs wrapped together in new Mancini arrangements that have a really cool feel in this setting! The orchestra is somewhat large, with strings and woodwinds – but in true Mancini fashion, there's also key solos from players who include Pete Candoli and Conrad Gozzo on trumpet, Dick Nash on trombone, Ted Nash on alto sax, and Jimmy Rowles on piano. Titles include "Peter Gunn Meets Mr Lucky", "The Music Of David Rose", "Academy Award Selections", and "A Tribute To Victor Young". Mancini Salutes Sousa is a very weird one – as Henry Mancini pays tribute to the work of John Philip Sousa! As you'd expect from Sousa's marches, most of the work has a parade band military sound – and Mancini, despite his grooviness, hardly breaks format to change the style of the work. The approach has touches of some of Mancini's more military soundtrack work – and the recording quality definitely has a classic Hollywood approach – but overall, it's still Sousa. Titles include "The Gladiator", "Washington Post", "National Fencibles", "The Thunderer", and "Drum Corps". CD set also features the rare bonus track "Man Of The World" – originally only on a 7" single! CD

One of the greatest jazz soundtracks of all time! Johnny Mandel composed the memorable score for this late 50's film starring Susan Hayward, and the music is played by Mandel's orchestra and a smaller group led by Gerry Mulligan, which includes Art Farmer, Shelly Manne, and Bud Shank. The music was originally issued on 2 different albums – but the CD brings together both LPs worth of tracks, for a whopping 22 selections, wrapped in an overstuffed package brimming with notes and photos, and pressed on an "expanded CD" that also has Quick Time archival material! The whole thing's a jazz soundtrack lover's delight – and tracks include "Poker Game", "Stakeout", "Black Nightgown", "Death Scene", "The Last Mile", and "Gas Chamber Unveiling". CD

Includes a whopping thirty-two selections over 2 LPs, with "Love Is A Simple Thing", "Yesterdays", "Good Morning Heartache", "Lush Life", "Summertime", "Perdido", "Baltimore Oriole", "All The Things You Are", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

The cover image here will give you a great idea of the vibe of the record – as Melochita was a comedian as well as a Latin musician, and brings a great sense of playful wit to the album! A number of cuts feature vocals that have this really odd, almost cartoony style that's totally great – yet there's also straighter vocal selections too, to balance things out – all while the group are delivering the kind of rock-solid grooves that make Peru's classic Mag Records material so great, and so ripe for rediscovery! The sound is almost like mid 60s New York combo Latin, but refracted as if it's come from a different dimension – on titles that include "Ahorita Va Llove", "Libre De Pecado", "Trisagio Del Soltero", "Pa Goza Candela", "No Es Un Gato", and "Los Goles De Pele". LP, Vinyl record album

The title sort of gives the whole thing away – so we'll just tell you that Glenn's playing versions of "Tuxedo Junction", "St Louis Blues", "In The Mood", "String Of Pearls", "Little Brown Jug", and "American Patrol". LP, Vinyl record album

A really lovely later score from Ennio Morricone – done for the final film of Marcello Mastroianni, and with a subtle sense of grace that echoes some of his best from earlier years! Much of the music has a lean focus that's different than some of the larger, lusher scores that Morricone was giving bigger pictures on the global scene – and there's a nice balance of isolated instrumentation, occasional atonal moments, and even great use of female vocals in an old school way – sung here by Dulce Pontes on two tracks. Most of the selections are much longer songs than standard film cues – and titles include "Assassinato", "Chitarre", "Il Simbolo", "A Brisa Do Coracao", "Rotativa", and "Manifestazioni". CD

A great singer and a great trio – a unique Verve outing that has vocalist Anita O'Day joining forces with the Three Sounds combo of pianist Gene Harris! The Three Sounds were always happy to serve as a rhythm combo on dates like this – and they really bring a lot of their own flavor to the record – standing out on a few instrumental selections that highlight their own brief relationship with Verve – but mostly backing Anita with a groove that's tight and always soulful! O'Day's vocals are as confident as Harris' work on the keys – making for a very nice match – and titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "All Too Soon", "My Ship", and "Whisper Not", which also features a guest solo by Roy Eldridge. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful set of ragas on the rudra veena – a sitar-like instrument, but one that has a deeper sound overall, and an additional resonator on the bottom – all of which makes for a really wonderful sound throughout! The album's billed as the first recording of a female musician on the instrument, yet whatever the gender, the sound here is completely sublime –very spare, without any percussion at all – and with moments that move between more familiar Indian music sounds to sections that have a really resonant minimalism – almost in the territory of the enigmatic sun harp by Laraaji! The set features two long performances over 40 minutes in length – the selections "Todi" and "Bhairavi". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist Jeff Parker left our fair city of Chicago a number of years ago, headed out to the sunny climes of LA – where he's not only really opened up his music, but also helped contribute a heck of a lot to the local scene as well! Both of those aspects of Parker's development are showcased here – on material from a regular gig at the Enfield Tennis Academy, presented here on four different selections that have Parker's guitar alongside the alto of Josh Johnson, drums and percussion of Jay Bellerose, and bass of Anna Butteress – all nicely unfamiliar players compared to Parker's Chicago and global regulars – working with Jeff on these open tunes that build with a style that's open and organic, yet surprisingly melodic too! Both Parker and Johnson use some pedals alongside their instruments, but never in a way that's overfly forced – and the difference in sound and feeling on the four long tracks from three different dates is really wonderful to hear. LP, Vinyl record album

Three later albums from pianist Horace Parlan – all cut overseas, many years after his early work for Blue Note! On Joe Meets The Rhythm Section, the "Joe" is Dutch tenorist Joe Van Enkhuizen, who's a great fit with a trio that features Horace Parlan on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Al Harewood on drums! The album's got that subtle approach that marks Parlan's later years – a less all-out style than his start on Blue Note, but one that's maybe even more rewarding if you're willing to let yourself slide into it – something that's easy to do when you've got Joe pointing the way with his well-blown, raspy-edged tenor! Reid is mighty nice too – with those instantly-deep notes that always grab us strongly when he's recorded this well – the sort of presence that most other bassists would need to be electric to reach. Titles include "Alfie's Theme", "Bluesville", "FSR", "Wadin", and "Willow Weep For Me". Ellington Ballads is a nice little record that's very much along the lines of the duet sessions that pianist Horace Parlan cut with Archie Shepp – done with a similar open, soulful style that really brings a lot of personal energy to these tunes penned by Duke Ellington! This might be the first time we've ever heard tenorist Joe Van Enkhuizen, but he's a surprisingly great player – and one who carves out these raspy lines on his instrument that fit really well with the well-crafted lines from Parlan's piano – a lot more subtle and spacious than during his Blue Note years, but maybe even more powerful because of that. Titles include "Serenade To Sweden", "I Got It Bad", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Melancholy", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Creole Blues/Tonight I Shall Sleep". Pannonica is a tight little live set from pianist Horace Parlan – recorded with a wonderful trio that features Reggie Johnson on bass and Alvin Queen on drums – both players who seem to effortlessly match Parlan's shifts at every stage of the proceedings! The tracks are relatively long, and showcase all those changes that Horace had made on the European scene since his earlier years on Blue Note – that move towards warmer, more lyrical elements in his music – but still shaped with his ear for soulful modernism too. The titles are all familiar, but served up at the level that can make the right sort of live piano date sound so great – on selections that include "Hi Fly", "Who Cares", "No Greater Love", and "Pannonica". CD

Selections from "The Legend And The Legacy" box set – titles include "Nola", "Tennessee Waltz", "I'm A Fool To Care", "Tiger Rag", "My Baby's Comin Home", and "Bye Bye Blues". 20 tracks total. CD

Two of the hippest soul artists of the late 60s – coming together here for an incredible collection of work! Bobby Womack would explode into huge fame as a star in his own right at the end of the decade – but at the time of these recordings, he was mostly getting play as a songwriter – and the young Wilson Pickett was one of the strongest supporters of his work! The tracks here were all recorded between 1966 and 1968 for Atlantic Records – including many excellent Muscle Shoals recordings – and the style of Womack's writing is a perfect blend with the deep soul vocals of the Wicked Pickett – at a level that almost seems to provide a blueprint for the mode that Bobby would use on his first few length albums. The lyrics are wonderful – full of fantastic feeling, and arguably more mature than some of the contemporary soul from the time – and it's wonderful to hear all the selections together in one place, especially with detailed notes that really frame the whole project. Titles include "It's A Groove", "Let's Get An Understanding", "People Make The World What It Is", "Trust Me", "Remember I Been Good To You", "I've Come A Long Way", "Sit Down & Talk This Over", "Nothing You Can Do", "I'm In Love", "I'm Sorry About That", "I Found A True Love", "We've Got To Have Love", and "Jealous Love" – and the CD also features two great bonus tracks – an early Bobby Womack single from Atlantic in 1967 – with Bobby singing "Find Me Somebody" and "How Does It Feel". CD

Includes the songs "See Emily Play", "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun", "One Of These Days", "Money", "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (edit)", "Dogs", "Comfortably Numb", "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)", and "One Slip". CD