A pretty amazing set from Esther Phillips – her final album for Kudu – and a beautiful mix of soaring soul sounds from one the most unique, emotionally-inflected soul vocalists of her era! Esther's in prime Kudu mode here – working with jazzy arrangements by David Matthews and Pee Wee Ellis, adding her unique, grit-inflected soul chanteuse vocals to a smoother mix of instrumentation that creates a perfect counterpoint that took her way past her earlier work! There's also a couple of really sweet disco skewed numbers that work incredibly well – with spacier bits of synth and a dancefloor soul bed of percussion and rhythms – and in general, the arrangements are pretty great from track-to-track! Players include Randy Brecker and Mike Brecker on trumpet and tenor sax, Bray Miles on synthesizer, Bobby Lyle on clavinet, Eric Gale on guitar, Joe Farrell on tenor sax and alto flute, percussionist Ralph MacDonald and other excellent name musicians and others bring a grand sweep and sweeter intimacy when the mood requires. Titles include "Magic's In The Air", "A Beautiful Friendship", "Boy I Really Tied One On", "Higher & Higher", and "All The Way Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a live album – as you might think from the title – but a tight batch of tunes that shows the full funk and soul talents of the legendary Esther Phillips! The album's got a nicely dark undercurrent at times – a sound that's not as smooth as some of Esther's other Kudu albums from the 70s, with bits of R&B bubbling underneath the more contemporary arrangements. Backings are penned by Pee Wee Ellis and Gary King – and players include Bob James and Richard Tee on keyboards, Hubert Laws on flute, and Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd on drums – the latter of whom provides a sublime beat on the album's standout funky number "Disposable Society" – one of those great little groovers that never did anything for Esther at the time of its release, but which has really gotten rediscovered in recent years! Other tracks include "Doing Our Thing", "Living Alone", "Can't Trust Your Neighbor With Your Baby", and "I Feel The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover might be a bit "on the nose" – but the album itself has some really nice tracks, thanks in part to production and arrangements by Pee Wee Ellis, who always managed to get the best out of Esther during the 70s! The groove's got a lot top shelf clubby soul and easygoing funky swagger – and Esther sounds great out front! Tracks include "Into The Mystic", "Love Addict", "If I Loved You", "In A Soft & Subtle Way", "My Prayer", and "Somewhere Along The Line". LP, Vinyl record album

An undisputed masterpiece, and a record we never tire of hearing – unabashedly the inspiration for our years of jazzy exploration as adults, even though it was probably the closest thing we ever got to the genre as wee lads! Walter Becker & Donald Fagan raise their already-high bar to new heights here – creating one of those rare records that flows together so beautifully, it's hard to remember where some songs begin and others end. There's a sense of perfection in everything about the record – the sound, the songs, the instrumentation – all woven together beautifully without any sense of self-consciousness. One majestic flow that starts with "Black Cow", and runs through classics that include "Aja", "Deacon Blues", "Peg", "Home At Last", "I Got The News", and "Josie". LP, Vinyl record album

A very nicely selected 2LP set of tracks from Stitt's oft-overlooked years at Argo/Chess! The tracks have him in great company that includes the pianists Barry Harris, John Young, and Ronnie Matthews – and if you know Stitt's style from the time, you know that his choice of piano player made a very important difference in the sound of his playing. Most of the cuts are easily blown quartet material – with a lot of creative imagination applied to tunes that would otherwise be top-snooze material in the hands of a lesser player. Titles include "Ko Ko", "It's Hipper Than That", "A Natural Fox", "Wee", "Reed & A Half", "Flame & Frost", and "A Minor Sax". LP, Vinyl record album

Solo work by Art Tatum, recorded with pretty high fidelity by Gene Norman at the Shrine Auditorium in LA! Despite the larger venue, there's a nice sense of intimacy here – both in the sound, and in Tatum's playing – which has a personal, speculative quality that's much more like hearing him in the wee hours at some small club. Titles include "The Man I Love", "Yesterdays", "Willow Weep For Me", "How High The Moon", "I Know That You Know", and "Tatum Pole Boogie". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful portrait of the later Jack Teagarden – that musician who'd matured wonderfully with age, and really brought the best of that experience to bear on his records like this! Jack sings on a handful of tracks, but really spends much of the record on trombone – blown with a style that's quite illuminating, if you only know his more famous earlier material – occasionally with modern currents, in a way that's a bit like Pee Wee Russell when he had his late-life revival too! The album's got a wonderfully understated feel on most numbers – never trying to oversell the listener on Teagarden's charms, even though they're quite abundant – and titles include "Portrait Of Mr T", "Just Friends", "In The Dark", "Handful Of Keys", "Keepin Out Of Mischief Now", and "I Can't Get Started". LP, Vinyl record album

A great mix of jazz and blues from Joe Turner – a set that seems to draw from his Kansas City roots, yet also inflect the sound with some of the blues changes of the 70s! Joe's got two key soloists here – Sonny Stitt on tenor and alto, and Pee Wee Crayton on guitar – and the vamping piano lines of JD Nicholson ensure some very timely rhythms for the record, maybe tipping things a bit more towards the blues side of the spectrum overall. Titles include a very long take on "Lucille", the nine-minute "Martin Luther King Southside", which is a laidback blues with plenty of solo room – and the cuts "Everyday I Have The Blues", "Shake Rattle & Roll", and "Piney Brown". LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded with a hip group that includes Lloyd Glenn on piano, Pee Wee Crayton on guitar, Joe Banks on trumpet, and Hollis Gilmore and Bill Clark on tenor. LP, Vinyl record album

Ward performs with a stellar ensemble led by Bucky Pizzarelli, including Steve Jordan, Bernie Privin, Pee Wee Erwin, Ruby Braff, George Masso, Vic Dickenson, Phil Bodner, Al Cohn, Mickey Crane, Tony Monte, Warren Chiasson, Milt Hinton, Slam Stewart, Butch Miles, and Bobby Rosengarden. Titles include "I've Got The World On A String", "Pennies From Heaven", "Goody Goody", "Jeepers Creepers", "S Wonderful", "Sweet Georgia Brown" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The stuff of legends, and one of the best sides that Webster cut for Verve in the 50s, this reissue adds a whole 'nother set of quartet sides, recorded with almost the same group, minus Herbn Ellis and replacing Stan Levey with Ed Thigpen. On the original LP the group's a quintet – with the usual suspects (Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Stan Levey), and a rolling easy groove that's a perfect platform for Webster's gutsy tenor. Norman Granz's formula of easy swing sessions didn't always work for everyone, but in this case, it's a perfect format – as you'll hear on tracks like "Soulville", "Last Date", and "Ill Wind". 15 tracks in all, also including "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Lover Come Back To Me" and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully laidback blowing from the great Ben Webster – captured here in perfect late 50s formation, with wonderful rhythm support from the Oscar Peterson Trio! The tunes aren't super-long, but still have a relatively open feel – possibly improvised in the studio, with a mellow but deeply soulful sound throughout, thanks to Webster's massive tone on the tenor sax. Peterson's on piano, and other players include Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums – and titles include "The Touch Of Your Lips", "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "How Deep Is The Ocean", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Sunday", and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The stuff of legends, and one of the best sides that Webster cut for Verve in the 50s, this reissue adds a whole 'nother set of quartet sides, recorded with almost the same group, minus Herbn Ellis and replacing Stan Levey with Ed Thigpen. On the original LP the group's a quintet – with the usual suspects (Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Stan Levey), and a rolling easy groove that's a perfect platform for Webster's gutsy tenor. Norman Granz's formula of easy swing sessions didn't always work for everyone, but in this case, it's a perfect format – as you'll hear on tracks like "Soulville", "Last Date", and "Ill Wind". 15 tracks in all, also including "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Lover Come Back To Me" and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Trad jazz tunes played by a group led by Newport Jazz Fest impresario George Wein, and featuring players that include Ruby Braff, Marshall Brown, Bud Freeman, Pee Wee Rusell, and Bill Takas. Titles include "The Bends Blues", "Ja-Da", "Keepin Out Of Mischief Now", and "Blue Turning Grey Over You". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare early material from singer Lee Wiley – pulled from a series of V-Disc recordings, with backing by the group of guitarist Eddie Condon! Players include Jack Teagarden on trombone, Bobby Hackett on trumpet, and Pee Wee Russell on clarinet. LP, Vinyl record album

With Dick Hyman on piano, Bobby Rosengarden on drums, Barney Bigard on clarinet, Paul Madison on tenor sax, and Pee Wee Erwin on trumpet. LP, Vinyl record album

With Muggsy Spanier, Max Kaminsky, Joe Bushkin, Pee Wee Russell, Eddie Condon, Bob Haggart, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet funky classic from guitar genius George Benson – and a record that features some surprising soul arrangements from Pee Wee Ellis – also known for his classic work with the James Brown Band of the late 60s! Pee Wee's got a tighter groove here than on some of George's earlier CTI albums – but still keeps things open enough, so that Benson gets plenty of room to solo – a bit like the vibe of some of his late 60s albums for Verve and A&M. George is the main soloist – but the group is super-hip, with Harold Mabern on electric piano, Frank Foster on tenor, and a little bit of extra guitar from Earl Klugh. George is pulling no punches on this one – really hitting hard on his solos with a freer approach than he used on most of his other records from the time. Titles include "Dance", "Plum", "Body Talk", and "Top Of The World" – and most tracks are looong! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully hard-storming set – and a record that not only firmly put the Jazz Messengers on the map, but also set a whole new standard for live jazz recording! The group here is the early version of the Messengers – almost co-led by drummer Art Blakey with pianist Horace Silver – and featuring Clifford Brown on trumpet, just a few months before his early death – plus Lou Donaldson on alto and Curley Russell on bass. The presence of alto instead of tenor makes the sound slightly different than later incarnations of the group – and the overall approach is one that virtually defines the shift from straight bop to hardbop in the 50s – a mode that both Blakey and Silver were key in creating. Tracks include "Wee Dot", "Quicksilver" (alternate), "Now's The Time", and "Confirmation". LP, Vinyl record album

The great altoist Sonny Criss is one of our favorite-ever reed players, and this beautiful session from his late 60's "comeback" period is a loving portrait of the wide range of his deep deep talents! On the surface, the record is deceptively simple, and only features Criss' work on alto sax, alongside with a piano trio led by Walter Davis. On hearing, though, the album is a rich tapestry of many soulful colors, all wrought by Sonny in a tone that had travelled the world – and which had been beaten down by years of struggle. All tracks are great, and titles include "On A Clear Day", "Blues In The Closet", "Wee", and "A Million Or More Times". LP, Vinyl record album

A standout 70s set from Dexter Gordon – one that's a bit tighter than some of his longer-blown dates from overseas – and which almost sparkles with the same power as his 60s albums on Blue Note! The group here is nice and tight – with Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Heath on drums – all grooving in a style that's sharply focused, and which really sets the stage for Dex's wonderful tone on the solos. Pedersen's bass is great too – sometimes stepping out with a presence not usually heard on a set like this – and titles include the Gordon originals "The Apartment", "Antabus", and "Candlelight Lady" – plus "Wee Dot" and "Old Folks". LP, Vinyl record album

Tiny Grimes is one of the most unique guitarists in jazz – a player with a force and power that's clearly rooted in the blues – given that he can hit the strings like T Bone Walker or Pee Wee Crayton – but a style that's clearly jazz overall, and delivered with a heck of a lot of punch! Features Lloyd Glenn on piano, and Panama Francis on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the deepest soul sets from Esther Phillips' 70s years on Kudu Records – a set with some nicely gritty grooves and a surprisingly earthy feel at times – especially when compared to some of her other albums of the time! Backings are by James Brown's old reedman, Pee Wee Ellis – and although there's some of the usual Kudu electric funk in the mix, there's also some deeper soul elements too – a vibe that's often a bit laidback and open, almost more Atlantic Records at points – which is a mighty good fit for Esther's wonderful voice! As usual for Kudu, the players are an all-star lineup – one that includes Richard Tee on keyboards, George Benson on guitar, Maceo Parker on tenor, and Bernard Purdie and Billy Cobham on drums – and Don Sebesky's also on deck a bit, to sweeten a few tracks up with light strings. The album's got a great version of Bill Withers' "Use Me" that features a tasty break in the intro – and other titles include a great version of "Alone Again (Naturally)", plus the cuts "Let's Move & Groove", "Cherry Red", "Let Me In Your Life", and "You & Me Together". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic collection of Chuck Berry's early genius – a set that introduced his best cuts to a new younger audience in the 70s! All the work here is from the early Chess Records days – and titles include "Deep Feeling", "Wee Wee Hours", "Nadine", "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Thirty Days", "Havana Moon", "Too Much Monkey Business", "School Days", "Reelin & Rockin", "Oh Baby Doll", "Too Pooped To Pop", "Round & Round", "Rock & Roll Music", and "Back In The USA". LP, Vinyl record album

A mid 60s album by Berry, and unlike a lot of other Chess full lengths at the time, this set features more new tunes than those pulled from 45s. 12 tracks in all, including "It Wasn't Me", "Run, Joe", "Every Day We Rock & Roll", "One For My Baby (And One For The Road)", "Welcome Back, Pretty Baby", "It's My Own Business", "Right Off Rampart Street", "Vaya Con Dios", "Merrily We Rock & Roll", "My Mustang Ford", "Ain't That Just Like A Woman" and "Wee Hour Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Great Blue Note 2-fer that brings together a bunch of previously unreleased live sessions from Art Blakey and different incarnations of the Jazz Messengers! Sides 1 through 3 feature a stellar set of tracks recorded in 1961 and 1962 with the sextet lineup that included Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, and Curtis Fuller, with the titles "Promised Land", "Arabia", "Mosaic", "Ping Pong", and "Up Jumped Spring". Side 4 has some older material, from 1954 – by the first incarnation of the group that included Lou Donaldson, Clifford Brown, and Horace Silver – and the titles "Wee Dot", "Blues", and "The Way You Look Tonight". Nice notes, and as usual, the Messengers shine in a good live setting. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully hard-storming set – and a record that not only firmly put the Jazz Messengers on the map, but also set a whole new standard for live jazz recording! The group here is the early version of the Messengers – almost co-led by drummer Art Blakey with pianist Horace Silver – and featuring Clifford Brown on trumpet, just a few months before his early death – plus Lou Donaldson on alto and Curley Russell on bass. The presence of alto instead of tenor makes the sound slightly different than later incarnations of the group – and the overall approach is one that virtually defines the shift from straight bop to hardbop in the 50s – a mode that both Blakey and Silver were key in creating. Tracks include "Wee Dot", "Quicksilver" (alternate), "Now's The Time", and "Confirmation". LP, Vinyl record album

With sidemen that include Bobby Hackett, Pee Wee Russell, Bud Freeman, George Brunis, Jess Stacy, Artie Shapiro, and George Wettling. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most hard-burning Johnny Griffin records of the 70s – a cooking live se recorded in Tokyo, with energy that's much more freewheeling and open than his studio records of the time! The tracks are all quite long, and move with a quickly-expressive quality that's totally great – that fast-thinking tenor solo mode that Griff first forged back in Chicago, getting some great support here from a group that includes Horace Parlan on piano, Mads Vinding on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The interplay of the rhythm section really opens up the long tracks to plenty of creative exploration – and titles include "When We Were One", "All The Things You Are", "Wee", "The Man I Love", and "Soft & Furry". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album of dark-hued vocals – sung by Johnny Hartman with a quality that's as smokey as the image of him with a cigarette on the cover! The album set a whole new standard for male vocal jazz in the 60s – and is a distillation and refinement of earlier ideas in music by Billy Eckstine, taken down to more personal and fluid levels by Hartman – and recorded here with great small group baking that includes Illinois Jacquet on tenor, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. The vibe is very mellow, but never sloppy or sleepy – and titles include "Charade", "In The Wee Small Hours", "Stairway To the Stars", "Kiss & Run", "Our Time", "Don't You Know I Care", "If I'm Lucky", and "Don't Call It Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful pairing of this German pianist and American tenor star Zoot Sims – and an album that may well be the greatest that Jutta Hipp ever cut! Hipp was one of the rising stars of the German postwar jazz scene in the 50s – and although she issued other American albums in the decade for Blue Note and Decca, this side's probably the best-remembered of the bunch – thanks to the presence of Zoot, and support from a great rhythm section that includes Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums – both of whom match the modern tones of Jutta's piano, but also give a solidly soulful Blue Note feel to the set. The group's completed by trumpeter Jerry Lloyd, who helps bring a nice sparkle to the frontline – and titles include "Just Blues", "Wee Dot", "Almost Like Being In Love", and "Down Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite a rare album from Peggy Lee – and a strange one too! The album features backings "conducted" by Frank Sinatra, done in a moody, flowing, dreamy and sad style – similar to his own work of the late 50s Capitol years, especially the more melancholy albums that we love so much. Frank's probably not doing the bulk of the work, though, as the record also credits Nelson Riddle with arrangements – and Riddle's sound here is very strong, again in the mood of his best sad work with Sinatra – territory explored on albums like Wee Small Hours or Only The Lonely. Titles include "That's All", "Please Be Kind", "He's My Guy", "Then I'll Be Tired Of You", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy 70s set from the mighty Jack McDuff – one that has him taking a bit of a Charles Earland turn, as he adds in some other keyboards to his work on Hammond – including some nice bits on Fender Rhode and moog! George Benson plays a fair bit of guitar solos on the set, and the record also features Pee Wee Ellis on alto and tenor, and Ray Mantilla on congas and percussion! Titles include some great long groovers – including "Blue Monsoon", "A Long Goodie", and a nice cover of "Don't Mess With Mister T". LP, Vinyl record album

Wail Moody, indeed – a killer set from the 50s that really shows the strong development of James Moody after the initial bebop years – already growing into one of the most forward-thinking jazzman of his generation! The group here is a bit larger than before – a septet, put together with both a mix of modern arrangements and some of the more freewheeling styles of a bop jam session – a great testament to Moody's growing ability as a leader. The lineup is a bit unusual, but in a good way – with work from Pee Wee Moore on baritone, Dave Burns on trumpet, Jimmy Boyd on piano, and William Shepherd on trombone – plus John Latham on bass and Clarence Johnson on drums – and the groove is open – informed by bop, but with a lot of early soul jazz in the mix, too – especially in the ensemble phrasing. Side one features the side-long jammer "Wail Moody Wail" – and other titles include "The Golden Touch", "The Donkey Serenade", and "Moody's Blue Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Sinatra at his lonely best – as emphasized by the cover image, which has him sitting alone at a bar, looking sadly into his drink. The album's got backings by Gordon Jenkins, a bit more flowery than some of Nelson Riddle's, but in that sad dreamy mode that Sinatra worked with on the Wee Small Hours album. The selection of tunes includes the Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen original "When No One Cares", plus sublime readings of "Where Do You Go", "A Cottage For Sale", "I Can't Get Started", and "None But The Lonely Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Frank Sinatra's last great ballad albums for Capitol – a sad and dreamy batch of tunes that kicks off with the incredible "Only The Lonely" – one of those Sinatra torch songs that's so great, so sad, nobody else has ever been able to record a better version, nor have they really tried! The rest of the album's great, too – with arrangements by Nelson Riddle that are very much in the Wee Small Hours mode – expressive, but subtle and sophisticated – at that level that set Sinatra so far apart from most other male singers of the 50s. Despite the creepy cover, there's a mature, adult approach to the whole thing – a new level of emotion that most other singers wouldn't find for a decade. Titles include "Only The Lonely", "Angel Eyes", "What's New", "Ebb Tide", "Spring Is Here", "Goodbye", and the sublime "One For My Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty groovy little album from Dinah Washington – at first glance a set of older standards, but at second glance a date that features some wonderfully swinging arrangements from Quincy Jones! The Q really helps Dinah break from the usual mode here – providing here with an upbeat, tightly snapping sort of groove – that sweetly syncopated Quincy Jones sound that really helped some singers hit new heights in the 60s. And as an added delight, The Dells make a key appearance on a few tracks – singing in a harmony group style that's similar to their one album on Vee Jay – almost more in Four Freshmen modes, but in a really great way! Titles include "Am I Blue", "Tears & Laughter", "If I Should Lose You", "I Just Found Out About Love", "Wake The Town & Tell The People", and "Wee Small Hours". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the folk festival you might expect – especially given that the blues here are electric – and a set that was recorded at a small Chicago club, not some stuffy outdoor concert on the east coast! The album's an early powerhouse meeting of the best Chess blues talents at the time – a date that features Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Howlin Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Willie Dixon in varying settings – mostly getting center spotlight as a solo act with the same backing combo, but also coming together as well at one point too. The whole thing's great – a gritty live record of electric Chicago blues in the 60s – with a strong sense of liveness that really recreates the small club feel! Titles include "Wee Wee Baby", "Sitting & Thinking", "Worried Blues", "Sugar Mama", "Bring It On Home", "Got My Mojo Working", "May I Have A Talk With You", and "19 Years Old". LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible mid 60s album from blues singer and harp blower Junior Wells and his Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy! This is a most pivotal set in which Junior & his players don't sound as if they're trying to imbue blues tradition with urban grit and electricity – it simply seems to happen naturally, and you can really imagine when you hear this how it blue the minds of so many Brit and American rock & blues fellows who would come the recast the style with their own life and experiences, and pretty much take over popular music with it. Titles include "Snatch It Back & Hold It", "In The Wee Wee Hours", "Hey Lawdy Mama", "Hoodoo Man Blues", "Yonder Wall", and "Chitlin Con Carne". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set of 50s west coast chamber jazz – featuring a quintet that includes Harry Babasin on cello, Terry Gibbs on vibes, Demsey Wright on guitar, Ben Tucker on bass, and Bill Douglass on drums. The pairing of cello and vibes in the frontline is really great – and with additional support from guitar, the instruments really swing nicely on the set. The album's the sort that you might miss, because the Premier label was sort of a budget operation – but it's a really nice little side that grooves with a keen late 50s approach that's very much in the manner of similar albums on Dawn or Bethlehem – but arguably better, as it's recorded with an open feel, and some really great sound. Titles include "Hoppy", "De Ge", "On Bear Hill", "Pee Wee", and "Wingo". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer late set by Bloodstone – one that holds on to all the excellent harmonies they brought to their 70s work, but which pushes their groove forward in a whole new direction! There's a warm modern glow to the set – one that works perfectly with the vocals – and the quintet still have a hell of a way with a ballad – singing in that slow-tripping style that was never too overly emotive, yet could pack a hell of a punch back in the day – especially in the wee hours! The tunes here are longer than before, and inflected by some rich arrangements by both the Isley Brothers and McKinley Jackson – and the set's got an Isleys-like approach by putting all the ballads on one side, and the groovers on another. These groovers really hold onto the harmonies wonderfully – making for a great follow-up to the ballads – and titles include the sublime smooth stepping track "We Go A Long Way Back", plus "Go On & Cry", "How Does It Feel", "Nite Time Fun", "My Love Grows Stronger", and "My Kind Of Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest of the James Brown instrumental albums recorded for Smash. Unlike some of the other weaker albums on Smash, this one's got a great batch of material, most of which are originals, and not weak covers of pop tunes. Plus, the tracks are longer than usual, which gives the band a lot of time to stretch out and get really groovy. Tracks include "Grits", "There", "Wee Wee", and "Mister Hip". Very groovy! LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous turning point in the career of James Brown – and an album that points the way strongly to the even deeper funk of the 70s! The album's a hard-wailing batch of instrumental tracks played by the legendary James Brown Band of the late 60s – the pre-JBs ensemble that's gone onto have possibly even more funky influence than the Godfather's combo in the 70s! James plays organ on the set – and supposedly a bit of guitar and drums (according to the notes) – but one of the main stars here is Pee Wee Ellis, whose alto lines really cook up some of the best tracks strongly. Yet possibly even more amazing is the overall rhythmic conception – tight, focused, and always on the money – snapping with a sharpness that's mindblowing even all these many years later – a whole new dimension in funky expression, hardly ever matched since! Titles include "Soul Pride (parts 1 & 2)", "The Chicken", "Sudsy", "The Popcorn", "In The Middle (parts 1 & 2)", "The Chase", and "A New Shift". LP, Vinyl record album

Stone cooking hardbop – done with all the sharp edges of a New York session, even though the material was recorded live in Rio! The setting is an unusual one – a State Department tour of American jazz musicians – but a lineup that moves way past some of the overly-mainstream "ambassadors" out there – given that the players include Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn on tenors, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Herbie Mann on flute, and even Ahmed Abdul-Malik on oud! Tracks are nice and long – very much in a jam session mode on the best numbers, but mixed with some well-played mellower moments too – and titles include "Wee Dot", "Red Door", "Autumn Leaves", and the haunting original "Ismaaa", which has a great Eastern feel, thanks to the oud! LP, Vinyl record album

The Jamfs are definitely coming on this one – as Johnny Griffin opens up into some of his most badass soloing of the 70s, caught here in an open-ended European styled mode! The album really features only 2 long tracks – recorded in the Cafe Montmartre style that Dexter Gordon used most famously at the time, but which Griffin also got a chance at as well, often with even more dynamic results. The group here features Art Taylor on drums, Rein De Graaff on piano, and either Henk Haverhoek or Koos Serierse on bass – and titles include "The Jamfs Are Coming/Wee Dot" and "All The Things You Are" – each taking up one side of the record! LP, Vinyl record album

"Plastic is out and real is in!" declares the liner notes to this obscure blues release on Capitol – and from the sound of the record, you can definitely hear that Capitol was making a pitch for the "real" crowd. The record's got a very nice electric blues sound, with a style that's very Chicago, even though it appears that the record was produced in LA. Titles include "Go To the Mardi Gras", "Wee Wee Hours", "Train & The Horse", "Broke & Hungry", and "Bed Bug Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A near-forgotten gem from Coleman Hawkins excellent late 50s period – recorded for the short-lived Felsted label, and done in a beautifully relaxed way! The tracks here are long and easy-going – at times even more open than Hawkins' work for Verve, and in the style he'd explore even more deeply for Prestige on some albums recorded right after this set. Hawk is playing in a quintet with Buck Clayton on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Mickey Sheen on drums – and titles include "My One & Only Love", "Bird Of Prey Blues", "Get Set", "Ooh Wee Miss GP", "Vignette" and "You've Changed". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredibly haunting early work from Peggy Lee! The record is one of her moodiest, and is essential listening for anyone who's ever though of Peggy only as a schmaltzy pop singer. The arrangements are fantastic, and they have a sad somber quality that we'd compare to those on Frank Sinatra's legendary Wee Small Hours album. The tracks are similar, too – and filled with pain, loss, and longing – really some of the deepest work of Peggy's career at this time! Titles include "So Blue", "What's New", "Street Of Dreams", "Too Late Now", and "Dancing On The Ceiling". LP, Vinyl record album

Around Midnight's just about the best time to listen to Julie London – especially given her sultry late nite style of singing! This album's one that definitely follows in that mode – setting Julie's vocals to backings by Dick Reynolds – a bit fuller than some of her earliest Liberty albums, but still quite moody, and very much in the best spirit of the album's songs of adult love and loss. The song choices are especially great too – with some key mid-century classics that include "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Lush Life", "Lonely Night In Paris", "Something Cool", and "You & The Night & The Music". All that – and a great cover that has Julie posing as the hands of a clock! LP, Vinyl record album

The only full album ever cut by The Majors – a hell of a vocal group from the Philly scene of the early 60s, and one with a fantastic approach that's a bit unlike anyone else we can think of! The group sports soaring lead vocals from singer Ricky Cordo – a singer with a range that's really amazing, and used in these ways that can be really dynamic, even on the mellow cuts – as he's backed by the group's three guys and one gal, who sometimes get a bit more spotlight in the lead – amidst this wonderful palette of instrumental touches, which includes bits of vibes, organ, and other nice touches that really keep things interesting. Titles include "Oh Wee Baby", "Time Will Tell", "She's A Troublemaker", "Don't You Lose Your Cool", "Come One Come On", "What In The World", "A Wonderful Dream", and "Anything You Can Do". LP, Vinyl record album

1954-1955 recordings with Moody on alto and tenor sax, playing in several group settings that includes Dave Burns on trumpet, William Shepard on trombone, Pee Wee Moore on baritone sax, Sadik Hakim on piano, John Latham on bass, Joe Harris on drums, and a few vocal tracks – featuring Eddie Jefferson on the title track and "I Got The Blues", and Iona Wade on 'That Man O' Mine". Other tracks include "I'm Gone", "Over The Rainbow", "Mambo With Moody", "Blues In The Closet", "It Might As Well Be Spring", and "Faster James". 16 tracks in all, and with some nice soulful and bluesy moments! LP, Vinyl record album

A gem of an early album from Lee Morgan – quite different than his work as a leader for the Savoy label during the same period! Although Morgan's only a wee lad at the time, the album's got an incredible sense of warmth and imagination – one that's steeped in lessons learned from Horace Silver and Art Blakey, and played with a style that's as richly expressive as it is soulful – a no-nonsense, no-tricks approach to the trumpet that gave Morgan a voice that was clearly different from predecessors like Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Fats Navarro! The album's got a stellar lineup that includes Horace Silver, Wilbur Ware, and Philly Joe Jones – plus the virtually unknown Clarence Sharpe, who makes a rare appearance on alto on this session! The whole thing's great, and filled with unique titles that include "Reggie Of Chester", "Little T", "Gaza Strip", and "Roccus". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary live performance, and one that's often billed as a high moment in the history of bebop – a special concert-only group that brings together five key bop heavyweights – Charlie Parker on alto, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all coming together in a unique one-off performance! The set was recorded up in Canada, and represents one of the first widely-circulated live recordings of a straight bop set – different than some of the mix of styles you'd get on a JATP record, with long tracks that really show the nonstop creative energy that shifts between the players. The original vinyl release broke the concert out into two records – and this is the quintet material, with titles that include "Perdido", "Salt Peanuts", "All The Things You Are", "Wee", and "Hot House". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever albums from Esther Phillips – an album that really helped her transform her sound for the 70s! The approach here is a lot more jazzy than before – served up with a good dose of funk, thanks to arrangements from Pee Wee Ellis – fresh from his work with James Brown, but even more electrically-oriented here! The groove is great – and the album's one of the best Kudu sides from the early 70s – a perfect blend of soul, jazz, and funk – all wrapped up with a new level of sophistication that benefits all parties involved. Other players include Richard Tee on keyboards, Eric Gale on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, Airto on percussion, and Hank Crawford on alto sax. Titles include an incredible cover of Gil Scott Heron's "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", plus "From A Whisper To A Scream", "Till My Back Ain't Got No Bone", "Your Love Is So Doggone Good", Scarred Knees", and "Baby, I'm For Real". LP, Vinyl record album

Sonny Stitt in a sweet electric funk mode – working here in a style that's almost more CTI/Kudu than the usual Cadet Records groove! Arrangements are by James Brown heavyweight Pee Wee Ellis – who also plays some moog on the set – and other players include Wilbur Bascomb on bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Patti Brown on electric piano! Titles include the classic "Slick Eddie", plus "Bachianas Brasilieras/Funky Interlude", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Spanish Harlem", and "Ocho Rios". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Stanley Turrentine's most obscure sessions for Blue Note – a rare trio side featuring Roy Brooks on drums, and wife Shirley Scott on organ – billed on the original album cover as "Little Miss Cott"! The feel here is a bit more open than usual – no bassist on the set, just Roy's nicely free drums, Shirley's work on the organ keys and pedals, and Stan's soulful blowing over the top – a freewheeling mix that sounds totally great, and which almost hits some of the rootsier sounds of the tenor/organ scene that Stan and Shirley were rooted in at the time. There's a slightly mellow feel to the set, but one that always has plenty of soul – and titles include "Baia", "Wee Hour Theme", "Troubles Of The World", and "My Shining Hour". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty groovy little album from Dinah Washington – at first glance a set of older standards, but at second glance a date that features some wonderfully swinging arrangements from Quincy Jones! The Q really helps Dinah break from the usual mode here – providing here with an upbeat, tightly snapping sort of groove – that sweetly syncopated Quincy Jones sound that really helped some singers hit new heights in the 60s. And as an added delight, The Dells make a key appearance on a few tracks – singing in a harmony group style that's similar to their one album on Vee Jay – almost more in Four Freshmen modes, but in a really great way! Titles include "Am I Blue", "Tears & Laughter", "If I Should Lose You", "I Just Found Out About Love", "Wake The Town & Tell The People", and "Wee Small Hours". LP, Vinyl record album

This great series just keeps on getting better and better – serving up the rare disco and club tracks that we can never seem to find, and doing so in a way that's a heck of a lot hipper than the usual disco set! The groove here isn't really straight disco – it's more a mix of funky club, modern soul, and some of the better rhythms that bubbled around in the underground club scene years back – grooves that were way ahead of their time, and which have still continued to sound fresh over the years! The 2LP set features a total of a dozen tracks – nearly all of which would break your bank if you found them on the original vinyl – and titles include "We Want To Play" by Brief Encounter, "Rebel On The Run (rmx)" by Selection, "Let's Get It On (inst)" by Marini, "Remember To Remember" by Rick Holmes, "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Savana, "Feel So Good" by Mac Thornhill, "Slide Into Your Heart" by Time Spectrum, "Summer Groove" by The Joneses, "City Lights (rasta funk)" by Onyx, "Get It On The Ground" by Joe Coleman, "Ooh Wee Baby" by Ron Richardson, and "I Still Feel Like Dancing" by Newstar Band. LP, Vinyl record album

With Sidney Bechet, Earl Hines, Ed Hall, Cliff Jackson, James P Johnson, Gene Krupa, Hot Lips Page, Pee Wee Russell, Willie Smith, Jess Stacy, and George Wettling. LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring special material by all-star groups that feature Al Sears, Coleman Hawkins, and Buddy Tate on tenor – plus Hilton Jefferson on alto, Jimmy Hamilton and Pee Wee Russell on clarinet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, and Joe Newman on trumpet! LP, Vinyl record album

JJ Johnson and Kai Winding at the height of their dual powers – working together here beautifully at a level that both embraces the modern sound of the trombone in larger 50s ensembles, but also offers up the more fluid personality of the instrument in the smaller combo scene! The pair have a great way of coming together at the start, then splitting off to find their own space on the tunes – a wonderful antidote to some of the too-tight trombone lines of the 50s, and a great reminder that there's always a voice behind the horn. The group on the record features Dick Katz on piano and celeste, plus either Bill Crow or Milt Hinton on bass, and Shadow Wilson or Kenny Clarke on drums. Candido plays a bit of percussion on the track "Caribe" – and the pair play tromboniums on the tune "Tromboniums In Motion". Other tracks include "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe", "The Song Is You", and "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

Early Columbia work from the team of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding – recorded in their classic twin-trombone groove! Winding arranged the tracks on the set – and the group features Dick Katz on piano, Milton Hinton on bass, and "Shadow" Wilson on drums – plus some bonus congas by Candido on the excellent "Caribe". The other songs are "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe", "The Song Is You", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "For You For Me For Evermore", "In The Wee Small Hours", "I'll String Along With You", "Delovely", and "Down In The Depths". LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely different album than some of Peggy Lee's other albums for Capitol Records – a set of sophisticated arrangements, handled by Quincy Jones – which really give Lee the kind of setting to remind the world that she can be as compelling of a jazz singer as she can a vocalist on upbeat groovers! Jones here is coming off of work by his larger groups of the late 50s, and has a wonderful sense of tone and shading – creating this richness that's as deeply blue as the image on the cover, and which really works on the more melancholy currents that Peggy could hit at the right moments – those qualities that would get explored a bit more in later years, but which really find their way to open up here. The group features nice work from Benny Carter on alto and Victor Feldman on vibes – and there's a sense of loss and longing to the record that almost rivals that on the Sinatra album Wee Small Hours. Titles include "As Time Goes By", "If You Go", "I Wish I Didn't Love You So", "I Get Along Without You Very Well", "When I Was A Child", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "I'm Gonna Laugh You Out Of My Life". LP, Vinyl record album