A beautiful album of spacey jazz funk! Eddie Russ was a 70s keyboard genius – right up there with Lonnie Liston Smith and Herbie Hancock in our book, although he never reached the fame of either of those players. This album's one of Eddie's best – and it's got a smoothly produced soul jazz sound that's almost a takeoff on the style of Smith's excellent records for Flying Dutchman – but a bit cooler overall, and with a great feel that links back to Russ' years in the Detroit scene. Tracks are uptempo and jazzy, with a strongly soulful vibe that features lots of electric keyboard work over the top of fast dancing rhythms. A few cuts have sweet female soul backup vocals, and additional instrumentation includes trumpet, sax, and guitar. Tracks include "Zaius", "Salem Avenue", "Poko Nose", and "See The Light". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweetly funky little set from Sonny Stitt – one of his hippest albums ever, and a rare date cut for Ahmad Jamal's short-lived record label! The sound here is a great combination of the late 60s tone that Sonny forged on other east coast indies – and some of the hipper, more open rhythms he'd later hit on the Jazz Masters label in Detroit on his work with Eddie Russ – a sound that's quite unique, and which is a fair bit different than the funk-based Stitt dates for Prestige around the same time. Players here are quite unusual too – Herbie Hancock on piano, organ, and Fender Rhodes – plus Ted Sommer on vibes, and guitar by either Gene Bertoncini, Howard Collins, or John Pizzarelli – depending on the track. Rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on drums – and the arrangements by Dave Ward have a nicely fresh approach to soul jazz – one that really keeps things interesting throughout! Titles include "Sunny", "My Idea", "Jason's Blues", "Out Of This World", "Opus 1", "When Sonny Blows Blue", and "Mac Arthur Park". CD

Free and easy grooves from the great Phil Upchurch – a set that has the guitarist evolving more strongly into the world of fusion, after beginning his career with instrumental soul, shifting to heavier funk, and continuing to really open up his jazz chops as the years went by! Here, Phil's playing with a great lineup that includes plenty of soulful tenor from Eddie Harris, billed as having a "saxophone attachment" – which might be an update of his earlier Varitone sound – plus lots of nice work on keyboards from Russ Ferrante, and bass from Phil's son too. The great Harvey Mason sets the groove on drums – and titles include "Groovin Slow", "Midnite Blue", "Free & Easy", "Reunion", "Moment's Notice", and a nice take on "People Make The World Go Round". CD

Free and easy grooves from the great Phil Upchurch – a set that has the guitarist evolving more strongly into the world of fusion, after beginning his career with instrumental soul, shifting to heavier funk, and continuing to really open up his jazz chops as the years went by! Here, Phil's playing with a great lineup that includes plenty of soulful tenor from Eddie Harris, billed as having a "saxophone attachment" – which might be an update of his earlier Varitone sound – plus lots of nice work on keyboards from Russ Ferrante, and bass from Phil's son too. The great Harvey Mason sets the groove on drums – and titles include "Groovin Slow", "Midnite Blue", "Free & Easy", "Reunion", "Moment's Notice", and a nice take on "People Make The World Go Round". LP, Vinyl record album

Really great work from the Detroit underground of the 70s – by a group that features a young Larry Nozero on saxes, who you might also know for his work with keyboard giant Eddie Russ! This set's a bit more hard-edged than Eddie's work – tracks that open up nicely in the more spiritual side of the fusion spectrum – with Nozero on tenor and soprano sax, Eddie Nuccilli on trumpet, Keith Vreeland on electric piano, John Dana on bass, and Jimmy Pelusa on drums – mostly lesser-known players, but working here together in a very comfortable vibe! All tracks are original, and nice and long – and titles include "Lonely Girl", "Alicia", "Inside Ourselves", and "Spitfire". 2LP version features an "unknown" track that runs for over 20 minutes in length! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best Stitt sessions from the 70's, and a sweet batch of electric tracks with Eddie Russ on the piano. In a way, this is his best album on the Jazz Master label – better than the Tornado album, which seems to show up more. It's got a very nice version of "We've Only Just Begun" that has a super-sample intro, with a jazzy Tribe Called Quest vibe. Other nice ones include the group's version of "Ain't No Sunshine", and a nice long take of "Hill Where The Lord Hides". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible blend of Fender Rhodes and soulful saxophone – a late record from saxophonist Sonny Stitt, but one that also features the young Eddie Russ on keyboards! The record's got a laidback and funky sound that goes deeper than any of Stitt's earlier sides of the 70s – and it sounds a fair bit like Eddie Russ' own record for the Jazz Masters label, thanks to a pretty heavy focus on the keys. Electric piano starts off most of the tracks before Stitt comes in for his solos – and the arrangements are relatively full, with added horns, guitar, and percussion on a fair number of tunes. Larry Nozero plays flute on the record, and some tracks even seem to feature more of him than Stitt – and the range of grooves here is really great. "Tornado" is a rolling funky tune with lots of conga on the bottom, "Escanaba Beat" is a slightly Latin-styled number, "Spinning Wheel" is taken in a jazzily stepping groove that runs for nearly ten minutes, "By My Side" has a nice chunky drum pattern under the Rhodes, and even the album's version of "We've Only Just Begun" is great – with a wicked rolling bassline sample on the intro, and lots of jazzy changes in the groove! LP, Vinyl record album

A sweetly funky little set from Sonny Stitt – one of his hippest albums ever, and a rare date cut for Ahmad Jamal's short-lived record label! The sound here is a great combination of the late 60s tone that Sonny forged on other east coast indies – and some of the hipper, more open rhythms he'd later hit on the Jazz Masters label in Detroit on his work with Eddie Russ – a sound that's quite unique, and which is a fair bit different than the funk-based Stitt dates for Prestige around the same time. Players here are quite unusual too – Herbie Hancock on piano, organ, and Fender Rhodes – plus Ted Sommer on vibes, and guitar by either Gene Bertoncini, Howard Collins, or John Pizzarelli – depending on the track. Rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on drums – and the arrangements by Dave Ward have a nicely fresh approach to soul jazz – one that really keeps things interesting throughout! Titles include "Sunny", "My Idea", "Jason's Blues", "Out Of This World", "Opus 1", "When Sonny Blows Blue", and "Mac Arthur Park". LP, Vinyl record album

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With Buck Clayton on trumpet, Vic Dickenson on trombone, Bud Freeman on tenor, Pee Wee Russell on clarinet, Dick Cary on piano and alto, Jack Lesberg on bass, Cliff Leeman on drums, and Jimmy Rushing on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

With Max Kaminsky, Pee Wee Russell, Brad Gowans, Artie Shapiro, and featuring Fats Waller and Joe Bushkin. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Sidney Bechet, Muggsy Spanier, Tommy Dorsey, Earl Hines, Sid Weiss, Wild Bill Davison, Pee Wee Russell, and Woody Herman – plus vocals from Lee Wiley. 34 tracks on two CD's. CD

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

Freddie King first rose to prominence in the 60s as a hell of a guitarist with a penchant for searing licks – but 70s records like this really put him over the top as a vocalist too! The set was done for Leon Russell's Shelter label – and Russell produced and plays piano and organ on the record, yet still gives Freddie all the space he needs in the lead – which he does wonderfully, both on vocals and his own "singing" guitar! Don Preston is in the small group on second guitar, and there's some nice use of organ as well – and titles include "You Was Wrong", "Can't Trust Your Neighbor", "The Sky Is Crying", "I'd Rather Be Blind", and "Me and My Guitar". CD

Includes 33 tracks featuring Muggsy Spanier, Pee Wee Russell, Hot Lips Page, Benny Morton, and Lee Wiley! CD

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

An excellent gimmick from the United Artists label – a way of mixing their strong run of 60s soundtrack hits with the world of jazz – thanks to Count Basie and his group taking on a whole host of themes from the successful James Bond films! Count Basie brings a soulful swing to the work of John Barry, who scored most of these cuts – hitting hard on the tracks with his own smoking piano, and an orchestra filled with some of his best players – including Al Grey on trombone, Eric Dixon on saxes, and Freddie Greene on guitar – plus guest tenor work from Eddie Lockjaw Davis, an artist who wasn't credited on the session at he time. Arrangements are by Chico O'Farrill and George Williams – and titles include "Thunderball", "From Russia With Love", "007", "Girl Trouble", and "Goldfinger". LP, Vinyl record album

With Dan Grissom, Jimmie Lunceford, Laforet Dent, and Willie Smith on alto saxophone, Earl Carruthers on baritone saxophone, Joe Thomas on tenor saxophone, Eddie Durham, Elmer Crumbley, Henry Wells, and Russell Bowles on trombone, Eddie Tompkins, Paul Webster, Sy Oliver, and Tommy Stevenson on trumpet, Willie Smith on clarinet, Al Norris and Eddie Durham on guitar, Ed Wilcox on piano, Moses Allen on bass, and Jimmy Crawford on drums. CD

Sammy Davis Jr is looking pretty darn hip on the cover – and all the artists inside are sounding pretty darn hip as well – coming together during the glory days of soul jazz, at a time when blues, vocals, and R&B were also criss-crossing into other styles too! There's an upbeat, soul-drenched, ultra-cool vibe to the whole thing – not too-familiar retro jazz numbers, but instead a wealth of rare cuts that often come from the sort of 7" singles that change hands for big money in the funky 45 underground, next to obscure album cuts too – mixed with the kind of unreleased material that the Ace/Kent label has always done such a good job of digging up! The package explodes with groovy musical delights – and titles include "What Is love" by Bobby Jenkins, "Out House" by Eddie Bridges & His Lowriders, "Empire City" by Gene Walker & The Combo, "Pushin The Button Of Soul" by Hank Jacobs, "Fat Man" by Montego Joe, "The Bold" by Russell Evans & The Nite Hawks, "Hey Mrs Jones" by Jimmy Witherspoon, "Poppa Nickel" by The Tempo Rhythms, "Sherry's Party" by Ray Johnson, "Hot Tamale Man" by Harold Betters, "Shank & Grits" by Ray Shanklin, "Pluckin" by Jimmy Mayes & The Soul Breed, "East 24th Ave" by Billy Graham & The Escalators, and "Do The Thing" by Gate Wesley. CD

Recordings from 1946 through 1950 – with sidemen that include Charles Brown, Johnny Moore, Eddie Williams, Ernie Royal, Pee Wee Crayton, Tyree Glenn, Russell Procope, Oscar Pettiford, Wendell Marshall, and others! CD

A rare album from American bassist Tommy Potter – a session recorded in Stockholm in 1956, and originally only issued briefly in the US on Atlantic's short-lived East-West jazz subsidiary! The album's got a hard-edged feel that's quite different than most other Swedish jazz of the time – less of the cool notes the Swedes had picked up from the west coast scene and American modernists of the 50s – and more of the gritty, bottom-grooving styles that were coming into the US mix as hardbop started to give birth to soul jazz. Potter's bass is firmly at the lead on most numbers – and other players include Rolf Ericson on trumpet, Ake Persson on trombone, and Gunnar Hacke Bjorksten and Erik Norstrom on tenor – plus rhythm from Freddie Redd on piano and Joe Harris on drums. Tracks include "Punsch", "Russ & Arlene", "Reets & I", "The Imp", and "TNT". CD

Jazz from the heart of the cold war – not actually recorded in Moscow, but featuring a bunch of hip players on their return from a tour of the Soviet Union – a historic moment in which west met east, with some groovy jazz in the offing! Apart from the tenor of Zoot Sims and alto of Phil Woods, the record also features flute and alto from Jerry Dodgion, trombone from Willie Dennis, trumpets from Markie Markowitz and Jimmy Maxwell, and piano from Eddie Costa – and the set features arrangements from Al Cohn on tracks that hit the 5 minute range – tight at the top, with breakaway solos, as you might hear during some of the Cohn/Sims sides for RCA during the 50s! Titles include "Let's Dance", "Mission To Moscow", "The Sochi Boatman", and the obligatory "Russian Lullaby". LP, Vinyl record album

25 songs from the Carnations, the Serenaders, the Sunsets, Freddie Scott & the Symphonics, Little Pattie Russo & group, the Revelations, Tony Rice & the Overtones, the Butanes, the Shallows, Popular Five, and more. CD

There's a subtle sort of majesty going on here – music that's maybe trying to slightly elevate its game, while also never forcing any sort of agenda too much – rising proud and nicely loud, and standing as one of the strongest musical statements from Ransom! The set features work from Freddie Gibbs, Simone Pash, Raekown, and others – but there's no denying who's at the helm, soaring strongly over production from Eight Bars, Mud, and Dark Night – on titles that include "Road To Perdition", "Kites", "Can't Complain", "Russian", "Sincerely Yours", "Can't Have", "Fallin", "Make A Deal", and "Demise". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Benny Carter, Milt Jackson, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Shirley Scott, Charles Mingus, Johnny Hodges, Clark Terry, Earl Hines, Ben Webster, Yuseef Lateef, Pee Wee Russell and more. CD

Pee Wee Russell on clarinet with Eddie Condon on guitar, Bud Freeman on tenor sax, Jess Stacy on piano, Muggsy Spanier on cornet, Miff Mole on trombone, and many more. Includes "Jig Walk", "Last Time I Saw Chicago", "Deuces Wild", "Embraceable You", "Rosettta", "DA Blues", and "Squeeze Me" – plus a number of alternate takes. 22 cuts in all. CD

A full length Riverside album that brings together two different sessions from the 78rpm years! Side one features trombonist Jack Teagarden working with an octet that also includes Rex Stewart on cornet, Ben Webster on tenor, and Barney Bigard on clarinet – and side two features clarinet genius Pee Wee Russell working with Freddie Green on guitar, Max Kaminsky on trumpet, Al Gold on tenor, James P Johnson on piano, and Dicky Wells on trombone! CD