An odd little session for Blue Note, but a great one too! The record is odd in that it features a host of players who weren't normally part of the label's off-used roster of big-name sidemen, and odd in that it features a swinging style that's a bit of a nod to earlier jazz days than the early 60s – but it's also a great revival of a player from an earlier generation of jazz! Baritonist Leo Parker cut some heavy sides for labels like King and Savoy – but on this Blue Note session he really opens up in a hard-swinging way that you don't always hear on his earlier recordings. The group's a firey sextet, with John Burks on trumpet, Bill Swindell on tenor, and Yusef Salim on piano – but the real star is Parker, who swings the baritone harder and faster than just about anyone else we've heard. Titles include "Blue Leo", "Glad Lad", "Parker's Pals", "Low Brown", and "Vi". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – a longer take on "Low Brown" and "The Lion's Roar". CD

One of those great "never was" Blue Note sessions – recorded in the 60s, but never issued until years later – even though the label had assigned it a cover, title, and catalog number! The album was the last session by baritone sax player Leo Parker – a bop and R&B legend who sadly passed along at the young age of 36, but left a really rich legacy of music. Parker has a way with the baritone that's almost as lean as a tenorist – blowing the horn with sharp, well-placed notes that really make this session cook – somewhere in the R&B-influenced territory of Don Wilkerson's work on Blue Note. Other players include the great Dave Burns on trumpet – always a welcome presence on any date – plus Bill Swindell on tenor sax, Johnny Acea on piano, Al Lucas or Stan Conover on bass, and Wilbert Hogan or Purnell Rice on drums. Tracks include "The Lion's Roar", "Rollin With Leo", "Jumpin Leo", "Talkin The Blues", "Mad Lad Returns", and Illinois Jacquet's "Music Hall Beat". CD

From Leo Parker ; "Woody", "Rolling With Parker", "Leo Leaps In (Take 2)", "Solitude", "Rolling With Parker", "Leo Leaps In (Take 1)", and "Leo Leaps In (Take 3)". From Sax Gill "Crisco Jump", "Dancer's Delight", "Shortening Bread", "Bull Frog Bounce", "That's The Groovy Thing", "Mel's Jump", and "That's The Groovy Thing". CD

The earliest days of a legendary jazz label – some of the first 78rpm material recorded by Prestige Records, all of it pretty darn great! The first half of the set features work by the group of tenorist Don Lanphere – a great player we don't really know at all, but one who's got Fats Navarro blowing trumpet on most of the tracks on the set! Piano is by Duke Jordan on the first two tracks, and Al Haig on all the rest – and titles include "Spider's Web", "Strike Up The Band", "Wailing Wall", "Go", "Stop", and "Infatuation". Next are some rare sides from saxophonist Leo Parker – playing alto here in addition to his usual baritone – in a group with Al Haig on piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Max Roach on drums – on tunes that include "Mad Lad Returns", "Who's Mad", "Mona Lisa", "Darn That Dream", and "I Cross My Fingers". Last are some sweet bop sides from a trio with Al Haig on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums – on the titles "Liza", "Stars Fell On Alabama", "Opus Caprice", and "Stairway To The Stars". CD

A collection of recordings from three different sessions and three different years featuring the likes of Teddy Edwards and Dextor Gordon. The first session is from 1947 and features Edwards and Gordon on tenor sax, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Red Callender on bass and Roy Porter on drums. Some of their tracks are "Blues In Teddy's Flat" and "The Duel". The next session was recorded in 1950 and features Lee Parker on baritone sax, Henry Durant on tenor sax, James Robertson on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Curley Russell on bass and Eddie Bourne on drums for three takes of "On the House" and "Rollin' With Leo" among others. The final session was recorded in 1955 and features "Wardell Gray on tenor sax, Tate Houston on baritone sax, Gene Phipps on trumpet, Norman Simmons on piano, Victor Sproles on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums for "Hey There" and "Dat's It' among others. LP, Vinyl record album

One of those great "never was" Blue Note sessions – recorded in the 60s, but never issued until years later – even though the label had assigned it a cover, title, and catalog number! The album was the last session by baritone sax player Leo Parker – a bop and R&B legend who sadly passed along at the young age of 36, but left a really rich legacy of music. Parker has a way with the baritone that's almost as lean as a tenorist – blowing the horn with sharp, well-placed notes that really make this session cook – somewhere in the R&B-influenced territory of Don Wilkerson's work on Blue Note. Other players include the great Dave Burns on trumpet – always a welcome presence on any date – plus Bill Swindell on tenor sax, Johnny Acea on piano, Al Lucas or Stan Conover on bass, and Wilbert Hogan or Purnell Rice on drums. Tracks include "The Lion's Roar", "Rollin With Leo", "Jumpin Leo", "Talkin The Blues", "Mad Lad Returns", and Illinois Jacquet's "Music Hall Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those great "never was" Blue Note sessions – recorded in the 60s, but never issued until years later – even though the label had assigned it a cover, title, and catalog number! The album was the last session by baritone sax player Leo Parker – a bop and R&B legend who sadly passed along at the young age of 36, but left a really rich legacy of music. Parker has a way with the baritone that's almost as lean as a tenorist – blowing the horn with sharp, well-placed notes that really make this session cook – somewhere in the R&B-influenced territory of Don Wilkerson's work on Blue Note. Other players include the great Dave Burns on trumpet – always a welcome presence on any date – plus Bill Swindell on tenor sax, Johnny Acea on piano, Al Lucas or Stan Conover on bass, and Wilbert Hogan or Purnell Rice on drums. Tracks include "The Lion's Roar", "Rollin With Leo", "Jumpin Leo", "Talkin The Blues", "Mad Lad Returns", and Illinois Jacquet's "Music Hall Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those great "never was" Blue Note sessions – recorded in the 60s, but never issued until years later – even though the label had assigned it a cover, title, and catalog number! The album was the last session by baritone sax player Leo Parker – a bop and R&B legend who sadly passed along at the young age of 36, but left a really rich legacy of music. Parker has a way with the baritone that's almost as lean as a tenorist – blowing the horn with sharp, well-placed notes that really make this session cook – somewhere in the R&B-influenced territory of Don Wilkerson's work on Blue Note. Other players include the great Dave Burns on trumpet – always a welcome presence on any date – plus Bill Swindell on tenor sax, Johnny Acea on piano, Al Lucas or Stan Conover on bass, and Wilbert Hogan or Purnell Rice on drums. Tracks include "The Lion's Roar", "Rollin With Leo", "Jumpin Leo", "Talkin The Blues", "Mad Lad Returns", and Illinois Jacquet's "Music Hall Beat". CD

There's a wonderful layering of sounds going on here – tremendous work from a team of improvisers who really know how to fill in the spaces alongside each other, and build up a performance that only increases in intensity as things move on! William Parker's bass, as always, is a key factor in the sound here – and on the album, he also plays gralla and shakuhachi as well – next to the drums of Francisco Mela and piano of Leo Genovese, topped and driven forward by incredible work from Daniel Carter on saxes! The music here is based on a poem by carter about non-stop motion in New York – and there's definitely that sense of action here – on titles that include "Intertext Salute", "Shine Hear", and "Glisten Up". CD

There's a wonderful layering of sounds going on here – tremendous work from a team of improvisers who really know how to fill in the spaces alongside each other, and build up a performance that only increases in intensity as things move on! William Parker's bass, as always, is a key factor in the sound here – and on the album, he also plays gralla and shakuhachi as well – next to the drums of Francisco Mela and piano of Leo Genovese, topped and driven forward by incredible work from Daniel Carter on saxes! The music here is based on a poem by carter about non-stop motion in New York – and there's definitely that sense of action here – on titles that include "Intertext Salute", "Shine Hear", and "Glisten Up". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Lol Coxhill on soprano saxophone, Anthony Braxton on soprano and alto saxophone, flute, and clarinet, Evan Parker on soprano and tenor saxophone, Leo Smith on trumpet and flute, Derek Bailey on guitar, Tristan Honsinger on cello, Maarten van Regteren Altena on bass, and Han Bennink on drums, viola and banjo. CD

A nice collection of Gene Ammons' work that doesn't always get as well remembered as his sides for Prestige or Chess – a 1947 bop session for Savoy with Howard McGhee on trumpet, Leo Parker on baritone, Junior Mance on piano, Gene Wright on bass, and Chuck Williams on drums; and early 50s sesssions with Johnny Coles on trumpet, Lino Murray on trombone, Mack Easton on tenor and baritone, John Houston on piano, Ben Stuberville on bass, and George Brown on drums; done in a wonderfully full-voiced tone! The set features Gene's classic "Red Top", plus the great two part "Big Slam", and the titles "Chips", "Goodtime Blues", "Fuzzy", "Jim Dawgs", and "Street Of Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

The near complete studio recordings done by Dexter Gordon as a leader for Savoy in the mid 40s – key 78rpm recordings that helped redefine the sound of the tenor in jazz! The material here is all strongly boppish – and presented with alternate takes on a number of the sessions, making for a whopping 23 tracks that cover most of Dexter's master takes and a good number of unissued alternates! First up are 4 tracks with a 1945 quartet that includes Sadik Hakim on piano – followed by 8 more from a 1946 session with Bud Powell on piano, Max Roach on drums, and Leonard Hawkins on trumpet. These are followed by 3 great tracks from Gordon's 1947 session with Leo Parker on baritone and Tadd Dameron on piano – which roll into the last 8 tracks, all from a 1947 session that includes Fats Navarro on trumpet and Dameron again on piano. Titles include "So Easy", "Dexter's Riff", "Dexter's Deck", "Blow Mr Dexter", "Dexter's Minor Mad", "Dexter Digs In", "Dexter Rides Again", "Long Tall Dexter", and "Index". CD

With Sir Charles Thompson, Emmett Berry, Bill Doggett, Joe Newman, Fats Navaro, Leo Parker, and JJ Johnson. CD

A collection of recordings pulled from mid-40s sessions – with personnel including Charles Mingus, Bill Doggett, Trummy Uoung, Freddie Green, Leo Parker, Joe Newman, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Illinois Jacquet on tenor saxophone, John Brown and Ray Perry on alto saxophone, Arthur Dennis and Leo Parker on baritone saxophone, Trummy Young on trombone, Joe Newman on trumpet, Russell Jacquet on trumpet and vocals, Wynonie Harris on vocals, Freddie Green and Ulysses Livingston on guitar, Bill Doggett and Sir Charles Thompson on piano, Al Lucas, Charles Mingus, and John Simmons on bass, and Al Wichard, Denzil Best, and Shadow Wilson on drums. CD

An excellent set that brings together Fats Navarro's recordings for Savoy – late 40s sides that were always poorly packaged and annotated on record, which are compiled here wonderfully, with great notes, and a few unissued tracks! Players include Leo Parker, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, Ernie Henry, Tadd Dameron, Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey, and Charlie Rouse – and the set's got a huge amount of titles, including "Boppin A Riff", "Fat Boy", "Everything's Cool", "Webb City", "Fracture", "Calling Dr Jazz", "Red Pepper", "Spinal", "Fat Girl", "Ice Freezes Red", "A Bebop Carol", and "The Tadd Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

A definite all-star set from pianist Charles Thompson – one that features killer work from Charlie Parker on alto, Dexter Gordon on tenor, Leo Parker on baritone, and Buck Clayton and Joe Newman on trumpets! LP, Vinyl record album

Features Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, and Leo Parker. CD

Excellent early recordings from the team of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding – the kind of sides that always remind us how great their twin trombone work could be! The album's lacking the cliches of later albums, and presents both players at their best – soulful and stripped down, grooving in a few different groups – with players who include Billy Bauer on guitar, Leo Parker on baritone, and Charles Mingus on bass. The album also features a solo track by each – and titles include "Coop", "The Major", "Lament", "Bernie's Tune", and "Blues For Trombones". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge chapter of work from the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – one that not only includes their own albums for the ECM label, but also related solo and side projects too! The set begins with four Art Ensemble albums – Nice Guys, Full Force, Urban Bushman, and The Third Decade – all of which came out as a statement of the group's strengths in the late 70s and early 80s – their first mainstream appearance after a few years of being very underground, and material that helped set a whole new standard for avant jazz expression in the generation to come! Next is the fantastic album Divine Love, by trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – not necessarily an Art Ensemble album, but one that does feature great work from trumpeter Leo Smith – plus trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, bassist Charlie Haden, and vibist Bobby Naughton. Next are four albums by Lester Bowie – two smaller group, and two with his Brass Fantasy ensemble – the records The Great Pretender, All The Magic/The One & Only, I Only Have Eyes For You, and Avant Pop. Then, after Bowie's early passing, the Art Ensemble recorded their beautiful Tribute To Lester – as a trio lineup with Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors, and Don Moye. Mitchell takes the helm next – on a surprisingly big flurry of projects for ECM – records that often show a deeper compositional strand in his music – on records that include Nine To Get Ready, Composition/Improvisation, Far Side, Bells For The South Side, and Boustrophedon – the last of which was led by Evan Parker, with Mitchell in the Transatlantic Art Ensemble. Last up are three records by drummer Jack DeJohnette for ECM – New Directions and New Directions In Europe, both featuring a group with Lester Bowie on trumpet – and Made In Chicago, which features Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, and Muhal Ricard Abrams. Recordings were made between 1978 and 2015 – and comes in a box set with a big booklet of notes! CD

Amazing work from the early, legendary years of Billy Eckstine – that time when he was fronting one of the hippest backing groups a vocalist could hope to have! Eckstine's voice was already becoming the stuff of legend by the time of these recordings – but thanks to contributions from a host of famous boppers, his band was getting equal fame, too – a really legendary lineup that includes such greats as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie,Kenny Dorham, and Fats Navarro on trumpets; Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, and Gene Ammons on tenor; Leo Parker on baritone; Art Blakey on drums; and many other huge names too! The band was virtually a school for a whole generation of jazzmen to come – allowing them to play together, get to know each other, and spin off in important small groups – much in the way the Kenton group a few years later allowed so much development on the west coast. And amidst all this great music, Billy's vocals have never sounded better – much bolder and hard-swinging than in later years! 2CDs, great notes, and a whopping 41 tracks in all. CD

Great work from the early years from Billy Eckstine – including one track with Billy on trumpet! Band members include Fats Navarro on trumpet, Gene Ammons and Budd Johnson on tenors, Leo Parker on baritone, and Art Blakey on drums! The set also features some vocals from Lena Horne and Sarah Vaughan too! CD

Recorded live in New York City with Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, Leo Parker, Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson, Kenny Clarke, and others! CD

Features Tony Malaby on saxophones, Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet, William Parker on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. CD

R&B, gritty blues, and some killer tenor talents – a wicked collection of vintage masters from legendary indie United Records! Musically, the package is very much on a par with Ace/Kent collections of this type – the sort that might feature material from King or Modern/RPM Records from the same vintage – and our hat's off to Delmark for doing such a great job of bringing back these crucially overlooked sounds from Chicago! Titles include "Cool Leo" by Leo Parker", "Cut That Out (alt)" by Junior Wells, "Organ Grinder" by Jimmy Coe, "Walking Home" by JT Brown, "Let's Get High" by Morris Pejoe, "Crazy Walk" by Tab Smith, "In The Dark" by Grant Jones, "Nona" by Paul Bascomb, "Goodbye" by The Pastels, "Tiny's Boogie" by Tiny Grimes, "Sophisticated Lady (alt)" by Jimmy Forrest, and "Come In The Room" by Robert Anderson. CD

Includes cuts from two 40s sessions – from 1944 with Dizzy Gillespie, Vic Coulsen, Ed Vanderveer, Leonard Lowry, Leo Parker, Don Byas, Budd Johnson, Clyde Hart, Oscar Pettiford, and Max Roach; and from 1949 with Hubert Fol, Nat Peck, Jean-Paul Mengeon, Pierr Michelot, and Kenny Clarke. LP, Vinyl record album

A sharply focused session from Cecil Taylor – one that's driven by plenty of his free flights on the keys of the piano, but which also receives key support from a larger group! There's a great match here between the dynamism of solo Cecil and some of the collaborations of his earlier years – and in a way, the recording is one of a stretch that almost has Taylor reconciling the solo years of the 70s with the early group recordings of the 60s. Players here are Cecil's excellent Unit group – and include Carlos Ward on reeds, Leroy Jenkins on violin, William Parker on bass, and Thurman Barker on drums – and the set features one long performance that runs for nearly 70 minutes in length! CD

The roots of modern jazz never sounded this great before – and this is the first time ever that all the early bop recordings by Savoy have been properly brought together in one place! Savoy was one of the most important labels to record the early bop pioneers – and had a dedication to the music that begin in 1945, and moved well into the 50s – as the label captured some of the brightest young stars who'd go onto shape a generation! Almost all of this material was originally issued just as 78rpm singles – then later scattered and repackaged in a confusing way – although many tracks here also never made it into the LP or CD generation, either. The folks at Mosaic have worked incredible magic to correct that error – and have pulled together a stunning 10CD package that finally presents this amazing legacy of music in its proper form – complete with notes and session details that were never given in later years, too. There's way too much here to list in this space – but the set features dates recorded under the name of Dexter Gordon, Fats Navarro, Stan Getz, JJ Johnson, Sonny Stitt & Kenny Dorham's Bebop Boys, Allen Eager, Kai Winding, Ray Brown, Eddie Davis, Serge Chaloff, Kenny Hagood, Leo Parker, Tadd Dameron, Teddy Reig, Brew Moore, Milt Jackson, Kenny Clarke, and Gil Fuller – all with groups that are filled with equally hip and important musicians too. We love Mosaic all the time – but with a collection of 78rpm material, they really knock it out of the park – and do us, and the jazz history books, a mighty big favor! CD

Great work from the early years from Billy Eckstine – including one track with Billy on trumpet! Band members include Fats Navarro on trumpet, Gene Ammons and Budd Johnson on tenors, Leo Parker on baritone, and Art Blakey on drums! The set also features some vocals from Lena Horne and Sarah Vaughan too! LP, Vinyl record album

With Charlie Hunter on 8 string guitar and Leon Parker on drums and percussion. CD

Features Leon Parker on congas, bells, caxixi, snare drum, and piano – plus Steve Wilson on alto, soprano sax, and flute, and additional percussion from Natalie Cushman. CD

Features Jacky Terrasson on piano, Mark Turner on tenor sax, David Sanchez on soprano sax, Lisa Parker on flute, and others. CD

With Steve Wilson on saxophone and flute. CD

Features Dewey Redman on tenor, Regina Carter on violin, Danilo Perez on piano, Leon Parker on drums, and Valtinho Anastacio on percussion. Tracks include "Exit In", "Las Almas", "Madrid", "Petals Danse", and "Samba Do Amor". CD

Hunter's getting a lot more sophisticated in his style, and is moving past the heavy funky sound of early days – to a mix of soulful styles that opens him up a lot more. This sextet session features drummer Leon Parker, who always works well with Hunter – plus tenorist Peter Apfelbaum, and percussionists Stephen Chopek and Robert Perkins. Titles include "Two For Bleu", "Al Green", "Rendezvous Avec La Verite", "Flau Flau", and "Cloud Splitter". Also features a nice solo version of Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free". CD

You might not recognize the group's name, but you'll definitely know the three leaders – pianist Brad Mehldau, tenorist Mark Turner, and guitarist Peter Bernstein – coming together here in a session that's a real standout in the catalogs of all three musicians! Brad Mehldau somehow seems to have more of an edge, Mark Turner is warmer than usual, and Peter Bernstein makes his guitar ring out with bold colors and tones that really seem to hold the whole thing together! Remaining quintet members include Larry Grenadier on bass and Leon Parker on drums – both players who deserve equal billing with the M, T, and B – and titles include two takes on the great Jackie McLean tune "Little Melonae" – plus a version of Wayne Shorter's "Limbo, Horace Silver's "Peace", and the original tunes "Afterglow", "Phatasm", and "Belief". CD

Featuring Mike Stern, John Scofield, Mick Goodrick, Leni Stern, Gene Bertoncini, Winard Haper & Leon Parker. CD

With Leon Parker on drums. CD

Late work from avant tenor legend Dewey Redman – and surprisingly great, with all the best energy of his sides from older years! The album features Dewey playing in a trio with Cameron Brown on bass and Leon Parker on drums – plus guest appearances on about half the tracks by a young Joshua Redman, who really helps flesh out the sound of the set – at a point when he was just starting to let the world know about his talents. Redman senior is still the main attraction, though – blowing strongly on alto, tenor, and even a bit of musette – but also letting Joshua take all the horn parts on one track. Titles include surprisingly great readings of two standard ballads – "Everything Happens To Me" and "Imagination" – plus the tracks "Le Clit", "For Mo", and "O'Besso". CD

Jacky Terrasson on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, and Leon Parker on drums. CD

Features Terrasson on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, and Leon Parker on drums. CD

Jacky Terrasson on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, Leon Parker on drums. CD

Beautiful sounds from two dark-tinged improvisers – coming here together in a performance that's supposedly a tribute to John Coltrane, but which comes across in a spirit that's very much their own! Shipp is able to serve out these effortless clusters of notes with that new sense of imagination that's really marked his growth in the past decade – notes that are always full of brooding energy, but never in a way that's sleepy or sloppy. Parker responds with some of his sharpest, fastest lines in years – blowing both tenor and soprano sax, but never in ways that are Coltrane-like – which is no surprise, as Evan's helped evolve jazz tremendously in the decades since Trane's passing. The CD features one extended improvisation "Leonine Aspects 1", which runs for 51 minutes – and the shorter "Leonine Aspects 2". CD

The overdue debut as a leader for reedman Josh Johnson – once part of our scene here in Chicago, but also a musician with a wide range of experience that includes work with Leon Bridges, Jeff Parker, and Marquis Hill! Yet despite those ties, Josh breaks out here as a musician with a vibe that's completely his own – doubling up on other instruments at times, and working with contributions from Gergory Uhlmann on guitar, Anna Butterss on bass, and Aaron Steele on drums – in a fluid mix of live instrumentation, effects, and other touches – not as edited as some of the work on International Anthem, but also not a conventional jazz record either. We're hoping to hear plenty more from Johnson to come – but right now we're really digging the cuts that include "Western Ave", "Eclipsing", "Bowed", "Nerf Day", "856", "Return Recoil", and "False Choice". Japanese pressing features the bonus track "Western Ave (extended play)". CD

One of the greatest soul albums of the past 20 years – an instant classic the day it was released! When this killer came out in the UK in 1991, it was one of the best soul records we'd heard in years. Carleen Anderson, the then-unknown daughter of Bobby Byrd & Vicki Anderson, sung some of the deepest vocals we'd heard in years – and she was backed by funky soundscapes filled with references and homages to greats like Roy Ayers, Leroy Hutson, Leon Ware, 24-Carat Black, and many others – all now well-remembered artists from the rare groove years of the 70s, but at the time just barely-remembered echoes from the past who were being kept alive in the British soul scene. The record was (and is) impeccable – a wondrous treat for fans of the kind of rare groove material we stock at Dusty Groove – and it features stellar performances by the likes of Carleen Anderson, Master Ace, Johnny Lytle, Maceo Parker, and others! This US version features a few remixes from the original UK album – and titles include "All I Have (Young Ideas mix)", "Funky Yeh Funki (Mek It)", "Talkin What I Feel", "Move On", "Apparently Nothin (Soul River)", "Get Yourself Together (parts 1 & 2)", "Freedom Suite", "Step Right On (original mix)", and "As We Come (To Be)". CD

Abrams is joined by Anthony Braxton, Leonard Jones, Steve McCall, and Henry Threadgill. The songs are all attributed to Abrams, though they seem to be strongly influenced by the presence of Braxton with song titles like "OQA" and "RITOB". Other song titles include "Charlie In The Parker", "Balladi", and "Arhyth Songy". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically bold breath of life from the contemporary Polish jazz scene – a record that begins with a sublime tribute to the great Billy Harper, then takes off into even more mindblowing territory as things move on! The group's led by trumpeter Piotr Damasiewicz, who created the record as a tribute to some of the best Polish modern jazz giants of decades past – but with a voice that's completely fresh, and very much his own – served up by a killer ensemble that features soaring horns, bold solo moments, and two different bassists holding down the core! The tunes instantly explode with color and life – hitting a rich spirit that marks Piotr as a musician we're going to keep our eye on in coming years – with other musicians who include Maciej Obara on alto, Adam Pindur on soprano, Pawel Niewiadomski on trombone, Gerard Lebik on tenor, and Dominik Wania on piano. Titles include "Billy", "Psalm For William Parker", "Polska I", and "Kleofas". CD

Forget the "hustle" and "bump" in the title – as the set's not a disco cash-in set by the Godfather – and instead is an overlooked funky gem from the 70s! The set still follows strongly in the best modes of the early 70s – with that sharp JB-styled groove underneath – and in a way, the record's bit like Breaking Bread was to that group's great run – maybe a bit more focused, and slightly more upbeat – but still with a righteous approach to funk overall! David Matthews conducts, and players include Fred Wesley on trombone, Maceo Parker on alto, St Clair Pickney on tenor, and both Charles Sherrell and Leon Pendarvis on clavinet – and a few tracks are remakes of older numbers, nestled next to some newer gems. The set features the standout funky cuts "Your Love", which has a great break at the beginning, and "Superbad Superslick" – and other titles include "Hustle", "Turn On The Heat & Build Some Fire", "Calm & Cool", and a remake of "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag". LP, Vinyl record album

Eddie certainly was the "hit man" on this one – a tight album of hard stepping soul tracks, mostly cut in Eddie's famous "boogie" mode of the mid 70s! The cuts mix wonderful soul vocals with some tight jazzy instrumentation – laid down by players like Wah Wah Ragin, Harvey Mason, Ray Parker, and Leonard Caston, who produced the album with Frank Wilson. The record's got swirling strings around harder instrumentation – in a mode that's perfect for Eddie's sweet vocal style – and the sound is right up there with classic work by Marvin Gaye or Barry White. Includes the nice long cut "Body Talk", plus "Happy", "If Anyone Can", "Fortune Teller", "I've Got To Be", and "Skippin' Work Today". LP, Vinyl record album