David Newman on tenor sax and flute – with Steve Nelson on vibraphone, Kirk Lightsey on piano, David Williams on bass, and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums. CD

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One of the more open-ended sessions that Brother Jack cut for Atlantic – with less of the tight larger soul arrangements that the label usually saddled him with. (Not that we mind those, though!) David Newman plays a variety of saxes, and the group also includes a young Melvin Sparks on guitar. Tracks are longish, and the album includes the originals "Duffin 'Round", "Esperanto", and "More Head" – as well as stunning versions of "Sunny" and "But It's Alright"! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the sweetest, funkiest 70s sets from reedman David Fathead Newman – an album that has the saxophonist blowing over some great arrangements from William Eaton – who brings in a full sound that almost gives the album a soundtrack sort of vibe! Newman's tenor, alto, and flute get plenty of solo space throughout – and the richer arrangements by Eaton really bring in a strong set of feeling to the record – a depth that David wouldn't have been able to achieve on his own, and which really seems to influence the level of his solos. Other players are great too – and include Richard Tee on organ, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Bernard Purdie on drums – and the set includes a number of tracks by Allen Toussaint, including "Yes We Can Can", "Happy Times", and "Freedom For The Stallion". Other titles include "Missy", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", and "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong". LP, Vinyl record album

One of David Newman's grooviest albums of the 60s – a stripped-down set that features a quartet with Hammond and guitar – all in a vibe that's a bit more relaxed than some of Newman's other sessions for Atlantic! There's a gritty edge to the record – with organ by the obscure Kossie Gardner, and a young Ted (listed as "Tod") Dunbar on guitar – in a combo that also features Milt Turner on drums. This less "iconic" presentation seems to open up a new side of Newman's tenor (as well as flute) – and titles include a great version of Cedar Walton's "The Holy Land", plus the Newman originals "Little Sister", "Blue New", "Miss Minnie", and "House Of David". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Features work with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Aaron Neville, and Jimmy Scott. Tracks include "Blues Waltz", "Fathead", "That's Enough", "For Buster", "Ramblin", "Day By Day", and "Chained No More" – 27 tracks in all. CD

4 classic albums on 2 CDs. CD

David Newman on flute and tenor and alto saxophone, Benny Powell on trombone, Winston Byrd on flugelhorn and trumpet, Howard Johnson on baritone saxophone, David Leonhardt on piano, John Menegon on bass, and Yoron Israel on drums. CD

David "Fathead" Newman on alto and tenor saxophone and flute, Cedar Walton on piano, Bryan Carrott on vibraphone, David Williams on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. CD

Another great double release from the Muse vaults – both of which showcase Newman on a variety of reeds plus flute. Resurgence features a great group including Cedar Walton, Ted Dunbar, Marcus Belgrave, Buster Williams, and Louis Hayes. Still Hard Times features Howard Johnson on baritone, Charlie Miller on trumpet, Larry Willis on piano, and Steve Nelson on vibes! CD

A tribute to the late Ray Charles, who gave David Fathead Newman his start back in 50s, where he emerged as a key soloist before breaking out on his own. The album features Newman on tenor, plus Steve Nelson on vibes, John Hicks on piano, John Menegon on bass, and Winard Harper on drums! CD

Texas tenors locked in hard formation! The set's a wonderfully stripped-down set that has James Clay and David Fathead Newman playing head-to-head in a rootsy Texas tenor style jazz session – one that's a bit more open-ended and earthy than some of the faker tones on Newman's early work for Atlantic! The setting is nicely relaxed – New York blowing session, taken down south – and rhythm is from a trio that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Tracks are long, with lots of focus on the solos – and the set includes two hip compositions by Babs Gonzales – "Wide Open Spaces" and "Figger-ation" – plus the titles "Some Kinda Mean", "What's New", and "They Can't Take That Away From Me". CD

Features Bryan Carrott on vibes, John Hicks on piano, Steve Novosel on bass, Winard Harper on drums, and guest vocals from Cadino Newman. CD

Features Steve Turre on trombone and John Hicks on piano! CD

David "Fathead" Newman on tenor saxophone, Curtis Fuller on trombone, John Hicks on piano, John Menegon on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. CD

With Hank Crawford on alto, Howard Johnson on baritone, Charlie Miller on trumpet, Larry Willis on piano, and Steve Nelson on vibes! Newman plays flute, sorpano, alto, and tenor. LP, Vinyl record album

A great package of work that features material from some of the famous 40s films directed by Otto Preminger for 20th Century Fox – served up on two CDs' worth of hard-to-find soundtrack recordings! Fallen Angel is from 1945, and features a lovely main theme by David Raksin with a few jazzier and mellower variations – plus the vocal number "Slowly", sung in two versions – one by Alice Faye and one by Dick Haymes! Where The Sidewalk Ends is a gem from 1950 – and has a city-styled score by Cyril Mockridge that's mighty nice – complete with Alfred Newman's theme "Street Scene", and mixed with dramatic numbers that paint a nicely gritty urban scene! Laura is represented by the longer "Laura Suite" by David Raksin – featuring the main theme with some great orchestra variations. Daisy Kenyon is from 1947, and is represented by two longer Raksin numbers – "Daisy Kenyon" and "Love On The Cape". Last is the thrilling Whirlpool from 1949 – done with a heady Raksin score that has lots of differing mood and instrumental changes – a total of 17 tracks that almost work like a sonic movie themselves! CD

An early 80s look at Latin jazz from David Amram – with a who's who of Latin jazz players and stellar jazz musicians of other realms – including Paquito D'Riveria, Candido, Machito & Machito Jr, Brazilian percussion guru Duduca Fonseca, David Fathead Newman, Jimmy Knepper, Pepper Adams and others others! What could have come out as clinical or academic comes through with passion and affection, partly because Amram could get such incredible players on the record, but mostly because the multi-instrumentalist ring leader is genuinely celebrating the music rather than simply replicating it. Includes "En Memoria De Chano Pozo, "New York Charanga", "Brazilian Memories", "Celebration", "Song Of The Rainforest" and more. CD

Without a doubt, one of the most famous scores to come out of Hollywood in the 40s – David Raksin's enduring soundtrack for Laura – and it's as beautiful now as ever! The theme was recorded time and time again over the next few decades – in vocal and instrumental versions, by hundreds of artists. The entire score is wonderful though – and mighty influential, too! It's lush and lovely, with noirish touches – seemingly serving as a template for so many dramatic scores to come! This version includes "The Laura Suite – Theme & Variations" conducted by Alfred Newman, plus Bernard Herrmann's score to Jane Eyre – conducted by the composer himself! CD

A beautiful early Verve recording by Basie – one that's packaged here in a great David Stone Martin cover, with a red and blue watercolor of Basie himself. Players include Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Ernie Wilkins, Marshall Royal, Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Bennie Powell, and Freddie Green – plus Basie, of course. Titles include "Two Franks", "Ska Di Didle Dee Bee Doo", "Rails", "Blues Backstage", and "Perdido" – and there's a very strong focus on the best soloists in the group! (Note: this material was also issued under the title The Band Of Distinction – but this is the first version.) LP, Vinyl record album

A great live album, with a definite jazzy feel – thanks to work from David Newman on tenor sax and Marcus Belgrave on trumpet! Titles include "The Right Time", "I Got A Woman", "Blues Waltz", "Hot Rod", "Sherry", and "Talkin Bout You". LP, Vinyl record album

Hank's blowing it in that stock soulful style he used with Ray Charles – over slightly larger arrangements that feature players like Wendell Harrison, David Newman, Melvin Latiste, and Carl Lynch. Jack McDuff plays piano on "In The Heat Of The Night", and other tracks include "Glue Fingers", "Jimmy Mack", "Double Cross", and "Mud Island Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

With Larry Golding on piano and organ, Willie Weeks on bass, and Steve Jordan on drums and percussion – plus special guests Dr John, Mavis Staples, Warren Haynes, and David Fathead Newman! CD

Features George Mraz, David Fathead Newman, Joe Beck, Larry Willis, and others. CD

Includes music by Wallace Roney, Sonny Criss, Woody Shaw, Sonny Stitt, Johnny Lyttle, Richie Cole, David Fathead Newman, Willis Jackson, and Richard Groove Holmes. CD

Label sampler with selections by Kensington Market, Joni Mitchell, Eric Andersen, The Collectors, Tiny Tim, David Blue, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Arlo Guthrie, Randy Newman, The Fugs, The Electric Prunes, Tom Northcott, and Van Dyke Parks. LP, Vinyl record album

31 tracks from Hank Crawford, Hank Crawford with the Marty Paich Orchestra, and Hank Crawford with Ray Charles, David Newman, Jimmy McGriff, BB King, and Etta James. CD

Teddy Edwards at the height of his powers – packing a tight, soulful punch that made him one of the most popular players on the west coast in the early 60s – and a great link between earlier R&B tenorists and the leaner sound of 60s jazz! Edwards has a nice gutbuckety tone at times – the qualities you might hear from Hank Crawford or David Newman in the way they blended their sounds – but the overall feel is leaner and cleaner, too – not many cliches, and a kind of straightforward sound that really shows the new inroads that the LA soul jazz scene was making at the time. The set features a shifting lineup – piano from Amos Trice, Joe Castro, and Ronnie Ball – bass from Leroy Vinnegar and Ben Tucker – and drums from Al Levitt and Billy Higgins – on titles that include a whopping batch of originals like "Teddy's Tune", "Tempo De Blues", "Vintage '57", "Sunset Eyes", and "Takin Off". Plus, this CD's got some great notes, excellent packaging, and even includes 3 unreleased bonus cuts! CD

Stunning live material from the great Ray Charles – a 3CD set that brings together a wealth of stage performances from May of 1962, in setting that often lets us focus as much on Ray's incredible piano work as it does his trademark vocals! Charles' talents need no introduction from us, but they're in fantastic formation here – without some of the studio trappings that he was beginning to use in the 60s, and much more of the jazzy flourishes that he was using towards the end of his time at Atlantic Records – played here by a group that includes Marcus Belgrave on trumpet, Hank Crawford on alto, and David Fathead Newman on tenor. The package features 52 live tracks – including "Blue Stone", "The Danger Zone", "From The Heart", "Margie", "One Mint Julep", "Doodlin", "Careless Love", "Hit The Road Jack", and "I Believe To My Soul". Also features a few bonus studio cuts – including work with Louis Jordan! CD

One of the most highly-regarded albums of Hank Crawford's 60s run on Atlantic Records – a set when everything seems to come together just right – and provide an even better showcase than usual for Hank's soulful lines on alto sax! The set also features tenor from David Newman – easily a perfect companion to Crawford for the record – and the rhythms have a nicely laidback, easygoing vibe – almost more Prestige Records soul jazz than the usual Atlantic style of the time. The set's got some warm mellow instrumental versions of blues classics, plus a few originals like "Lorelei's Lament", "Blue Stone", and "Playmates". LP, Vinyl record album

A later groover from Jimmy McGriff – but done in a style that's nicely old school overall! The sound here is almost a Prestige Records mid 70s mode – somewhat tighter than the early 70s jazz funk years of the label, but still quite far from the slicker modes you might expect from a 90s date – thanks to classic production work from Bob Porter, the kind of a guy who always knew that it was best to let players like these just lay back and do their thing! McGriff plays Hammond B-3, alongside David Newman on tenor, Red Holloway on tenor and alto, Mel Brown on guitar, and Bernard Purdie on drums – on titles that include "Don't Blame Me", "Fleetwood Stroll", "Red Not N New", "McGriffin", "Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away", and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". CD

Lost genius from trumpeter Lee Morgan – a session recorded for Blue Note in 1967, but not issued until the late 70s – and even then, only for a very short time! The session has Morgan moving into that wonderful last stage of his career – working in tight formation towards a sound that still had that groovier hardbop styles of earlier recordings, but which also unfolds towards a more ambitious spiritual jazz mode. The writing on the session is superb – original tunes that crackle with energy in a surge of dark notes and shadowy moods, inspiring the soloists to express themselves at levels that rank with their best work of the time! The group features David Newman on tenor – sounding completely different, and far more righteous, than on his Atlantic sides of the 60s – plus Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. A great sound overall – right up there with Tom Cat or The Gigolo for lyrical modernism – and with titles that include "Sneaky Pete", "The Mercenary", "Sonic Boom", and "Mumbo Jumbo". LP, Vinyl record album

Lost genius from trumpeter Lee Morgan – a session recorded for Blue Note in 1967, but not issued until the late 70s – and even then, only for a very short time! The session has Morgan moving into that wonderful last stage of his career – working in tight formation towards a sound that still had that groovier hardbop styles of earlier recordings, but which also unfolds towards a more ambitious spiritual jazz mode. The writing on the session is superb – original tunes that crackle with energy in a surge of dark notes and shadowy moods, inspiring the soloists to express themselves at levels that rank with their best work of the time! The group features David Newman on tenor – sounding completely different, and far more righteous, than on his Atlantic sides of the 60s – plus Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. A great sound overall – right up there with Tom Cat or The Gigolo for lyrical modernism – and with titles that include "Sneaky Pete", "The Mercenary", "Sonic Boom", and "Mumbo Jumbo". Plus, the album is expanded here by 6 more tracks – all recorded in 1969, and only briefly issued on a 2LP late 70s album called The Procrastinator. These tunes have a slightly different, almost sadder feel – with a group that includes Julian Priester, George Coleman, and Harold Mabern – on more wonderful originals that include "Cla Til Da", "Uncle Rough", "Mr Johnson", and "The Stroker". CD

Features Kenny Barron on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums – plus David Fathead Newman on sax. CD

A bit smoother than Ben's earlier albums – but a great little set all the way through – and about as classic as you can get for Sidran in the 70s! The album's got a bit more soul in the mix, but still has some jazzy elements in the backings – and where things were sometimes messed up in the past, they're much more straightforward here – in ways that make the record really sparkle nicely! Ben's voice is still really compelling, and as on his best albums, there's some nice funky grooves in the mix that keep things fresh. Players include Phil Upchurch on bass and guitar, Woody Shaw on trumpet, David Newman and Sonny Seals on saxes, and Richard Tee on organ. Titles include the great instrumental "Let's Make A Deal" – a fast groover with guitar and keyboards riffing away, sounding like some lost jazz funk gem from the Fantasy Records catalog – plus "Beg For It", "Cuban Connection", "Free In America", "New York State Of Mind", and "Feel Your Groove". LP, Vinyl record album

A dozen songs from David "Fathead" Newman, Les McCann & Eddie Harris, Hank Crawford, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Herbie Mann, Ornette Coleman, Mose Allison, John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Yusef Lateef, and Charles Mingus. CD