Excellent funky work from Lou Donaldson – and a groundbreaking record that was the first to feature him playing on Blue Note with drummer Idris Muhammad – who is listed on the session under his birth name, Leo Morris! Muhammad gives the album that crackling funky bottom sound that instantly defined Lou's later years at Blue Note – a hard and heavy approach to soul jazz that's had incredible repercussions in the world of hip hop, as well as soul and funk. The rest of the group features soul jazz burners Lonnie Smith on organ, Melvin Lastie on trumpet, and George Benson on guitar – and the album includes the highly successful "Alligator Boogaloo", plus hard groovers "The Thang", "Aw Shucks!", and "One Cylinder". CD

Includes the songs "Cheek To Cheek", "Cookin'", "Lou's Blues", "Dorothy", "Herman's Mambo", "The Blues Walk", "The Masquerade Is Over", "Funky Mama", "Caracas", "What Will I Tell My Heart", "Alligator Bogaloo", "Peepin'", and "Caravan". CD

A pivotal album in the career of saxophonist Lou Donaldson – a set that really has him finding his own groove – a slow-stepping, soul-drenched mode that's a nice change from the bop of his roots! A key part of the record's charm is conga work by Ray Barretto – a player used often on early soul jazz dates like this – not in the Latin style of Ray's bigger work to come, but more in this extra-percussion mode that's a great blend with the drum work in the group by Dave Bailey – creating this mellow groove that's a great platform for Lou's smoking solos on alto! The rest of the group is great too – the wonderful Herman Foster on piano, plus Peck Morrison on bass – a great match for Bailey – on titles that include "Play Ray", "Callin' All Cats", and "Blues Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album in the career of saxophonist Lou Donaldson – a set that really has him finding his own groove – a slow-stepping, soul-drenched mode that's a nice change from the bop of his roots! A key part of the record's charm is conga work by Ray Barretto – a player used often on early soul jazz dates like this – not in the Latin style of Ray's bigger work to come, but more in this extra-percussion mode that's a great blend with the drum work in the group by Dave Bailey – creating this mellow groove that's a great platform for Lou's smoking solos on alto! The rest of the group is great too – the wonderful Herman Foster on piano, plus Peck Morrison on bass – a great match for Bailey – on titles that include "Play Ray", "Callin' All Cats", and "Blues Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album in the career of saxophonist Lou Donaldson – a set that really has him finding his own groove – a slow-stepping, soul-drenched mode that's a nice change from the bop of his roots! A key part of the record's charm is conga work by Ray Barretto – a player used often on early soul jazz dates like this – not in the Latin style of Ray's bigger work to come, but more in this extra-percussion mode that's a great blend with the drum work in the group by Dave Bailey – creating this mellow groove that's a great platform for Lou's smoking solos on alto! The rest of the group is great too – the wonderful Herman Foster on piano, plus Peck Morrison on bass – a great match for Bailey – on titles that include "Play Ray", "Callin' All Cats", and "Blues Walk". CD

An overlooked later album from alto player Lou Donaldson – done both after his 60s Blue Note work, and his 70s material for bigger labels – and a great back to basics session all the way through! Lou is reunited with the great Herman Foster on piano – a player who made some of his early 60s pre-funk records really sound so great – and the duo take off with all the warmth and spontaneous imagination of those excellent early years – getting help in the quartet from Geoff Fuller on bass and Victor Jones on drums. Titles include "Confirmation", "Whiskey Drinkin Woman", "This Is Happiness", "Exactly Like You", "Don't Blame Me", "Melancholy Baby", and Donaldson's terrific centerpiece "Tracy". CD

An overlooked later album from alto player Lou Donaldson – done both after his 60s Blue Note work, and his 70s material for bigger labels – and a great back to basics session all the way through! Lou is reunited with the great Herman Foster on piano – a player who made some of his early 60s pre-funk records really sound so great – and the duo take off with all the warmth and spontaneous imagination of those excellent early years – getting help in the quartet from Geoff Fuller on bass and Victor Jones on drums. Titles include "Confirmation", "Whiskey Drinkin Woman", "This Is Happiness", "Exactly Like You", "Don't Blame Me", "Melancholy Baby", and Donaldson's terrific centerpiece "Tracy". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool cooker from the great Lou Donaldson – and a record that's ever bit as tasty as its cover! Lou's really hitting his soul jazz stride here – stepping off his 50s bop years, and moving into a more gutbuckety groove that's delivered with wonderful accompaniment from a quartet that features Grant Green on guitar, John Patton on Hammond, and Ben Dixon on drums! The style is loose and open – and tracks are long, with tight solos, especially from Patton and Green, always a winning combination – really stepping out here with an early raw fury! Titles include "Caracas", "Bad John", "Holy Ghost", and "Good Gracious!". Nice cover, too, with a photo of Lou checking out a sexy model, while speaking the title! CD

An early 60s killer from Lou Donaldson – one that more than lives up to the promise of its great cover and compelling title! The lineup has Lou blowing in an easy, soulful style – working with a combo that includes Herman Foster on piano, Ben Tucker on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – plus additional conga work by Alec Dorsey, which gives the session a wonderfully rolling groove. The tunes lope along with a nice mellow vibe – that midtempo rolling soul jazz mode that Prestige was also handling at the time, with a touch of Latin from the congas – and Lou blows it clean and lean on titles that include "Gravy Train", "Twist Time", "Avalon", and "South Of The Border". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual session from the heart of Lou Donaldson's return to Blue Note in the late 60s – a mellower date that stands in strong contrast to his funkier albums of the time! As you might guess from the title, there's a lusher feel going on here – one that has Lou's alto sax augmented by larger backings from Duke Pearson – who manages to score things perfectly with a balance of soul and sophistication. The album's hardly a "Donaldson with strings" date – and instead is done in the more mature mode that Duke was using in some of his own sides from the time, and on work with players like Donald Byrd or Stanley Turrentine. Other players here include Wayne Shorter on tenor, Pepper Adams on baritone, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Garnett Brown on trombone – plus core rhythms from the trio of McCoy Tyner on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Harewood on drums. Titles include "Sweet Slumber", "The Good Life", "Sweet & Lovely", "Stardust", and "You've Changed" – and the album was recorded in the 60s, it was only first issued in Japan in 1980 – and even then only later in the US! CD

A really formative album – not just as part of the key second chapter of alto genius Lou Donaldson, but also as the start of a huge generation of jazz funk grooves to come! The key element here is drummer Idris Muhammad – working in the group of Donaldson, but under his birth name of Leo Morris – and still already graced with that fantastic sense of rhythm that has him stretching out the beats, and creating grooves that would push the 60s soul jazz generation into more electric funk modes in the decade to come! The record's a perfect bridge between the two generations – with long tracks that draw plenty from Idris' drums and Lou's alto – plus work from Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Lonnie Smith on organ, and the young George Benson on guitar – still hard and soulful, in that style he had been using in the 60s group of organist Jack McDuff. If you know the heavily sampled side of Lou Donaldson's work, you'll know the greatness you're getting here – on cuts that include "Dapper Dan", "Midnight Creeper", "Bag Of Jewels", and "Love Power". LP, Vinyl record album

A really formative album – not just as part of the key second chapter of alto genius Lou Donaldson, but also as the start of a huge generation of jazz funk grooves to come! The key element here is drummer Idris Muhammad – working in the group of Donaldson, but under his birth name of Leo Morris – and still already graced with that fantastic sense of rhythm that has him stretching out the beats, and creating grooves that would push the 60s soul jazz generation into more electric funk modes in the decade to come! The record's a perfect bridge between the two generations – with long tracks that draw plenty from Idris' drums and Lou's alto – plus work from Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Lonnie Smith on organ, and the young George Benson on guitar – still hard and soulful, in that style he had been using in the 60s group of organist Jack McDuff. If you know the heavily sampled side of Lou Donaldson's work, you'll know the greatness you're getting here – on cuts that include "Dapper Dan", "Midnight Creeper", "Bag Of Jewels", and "Love Power". CD

One of Lou's more unique sides of the 60s – as the album features him as the main soloist over arrangements by a group headed up by Oliver Nelson. As has been ably demonstrated on many sides on labels like Verve, Impulse, and Capitol – there's no better talent than Nelson for taking a strong soulful player, and putting him into a context that will let him solo at his best, and not be overwhelmed by the band. There's some nice organ in the group, and titles include "Tippin In", "Back Talk", "Huffin N Puffin", and "Ignant Oit". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic meeting between alto giant Lou Donaldson and Blue Note's crack Three Sounds combo – the great piano trio led by the mighty Gene Harris! The formula was one that Blue Note employed on a number of sessions from the time – and it makes a lot of sense, because the Three Sounds are a very tight rhythm group, just waiting for a strong soloist to front their rolling soulful grooves – in ways that really set sessions like this apart from their standard albums for the label. On this one, the Sounds give Lou a nice tight backing, and he repays the favor by laying down some very tight, very in-the-pocket solos with a good soul jazz groove. Tracks include "Jump Up", "Confirmation", "Smooth Groove", and "Blue Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the excellent Chess Records session that Lou Donaldson recorded in between his two different stretches on the Blue Note label – a small combo date that has a soulful take on the style of his early 60s Blue Note material – with a killer group that includes the mighty Herman Foster on piano, plus Sam Jones on bass, Richard Landrum on congas, and a young Idris Muhammad on drums – listed here when he was still named Leo Morris! Titles include "Relaxing In Blue", "Herman's Mambo", "Pazzing Zone", and "The Wheeler Dealer". CD

A pivotal album in the career of saxophonist Lou Donaldson – a set that really has him finding his own groove – a slow-stepping, soul-drenched mode that's a nice change from the bop of his roots! A key part of the record's charm is conga work by Ray Barretto – a player used often on early soul jazz dates like this – not in the Latin style of Ray's bigger work to come, but more in this extra-percussion mode that's a great blend with the drum work in the group by Dave Bailey – creating this mellow groove that's a great platform for Lou's smoking solos on alto! The rest of the group is great too – the wonderful Herman Foster on piano, plus Peck Morrison on bass – a great match for Bailey – on titles that include "Play Ray", "Callin' All Cats", and "Blues Walk". CD

The title's no lie – because the album is one of the shining jewels of Lou Donaldson's legendary funk years for Blue Note – that second period when he returned to the label at the end of the 60s, and really helped redefine the sound of soul jazz at the time! The format here is very much the same as other Donaldson classics from the time – like Hot Dog or Possum Head – in that the tracks are long, open, and plenty darn grooving – locked in some funky rhythms that feature Idris Muhammad on some very heavy drums! Other players are great too – and include Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Lonnie Smith on Hammond – all cooking things up nicely on tracks that include "West Indian Daddy", "Donkey Walk", "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky", and "Hamp's Hump". CD

The title's no lie – because the album is one of the shining jewels of Lou Donaldson's legendary funk years for Blue Note – that second period when he returned to the label at the end of the 60s, and really helped redefine the sound of soul jazz at the time! The format here is very much the same as other Donaldson classics from the time – like Hot Dog or Possum Head – in that the tracks are long, open, and plenty darn grooving – locked in some funky rhythms that feature Idris Muhammad on some very heavy drums! Other players are great too – and include Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Lonnie Smith on Hammond – all cooking things up nicely on tracks that include "West Indian Daddy", "Donkey Walk", "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky", and "Hamp's Hump". LP, Vinyl record album

A really formative album – not just as part of the key second chapter of alto genius Lou Donaldson, but also as the start of a huge generation of jazz funk grooves to come! The key element here is drummer Idris Muhammad – working in the group of Donaldson, but under his birth name of Leo Morris – and still already graced with that fantastic sense of rhythm that has him stretching out the beats, and creating grooves that would push the 60s soul jazz generation into more electric funk modes in the decade to come! The record's a perfect bridge between the two generations – with long tracks that draw plenty from Idris' drums and Lou's alto – plus work from Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Lonnie Smith on organ, and the young George Benson on guitar – still hard and soulful, in that style he had been using in the 60s group of organist Jack McDuff. If you know the heavily sampled side of Lou Donaldson's work, you'll know the greatness you're getting here – on cuts that include "Dapper Dan", "Midnight Creeper", "Bag Of Jewels", and "Love Power". CD

A massive little record, and a real turning point for alto genius Lou Donaldson – as he uses the set to move from the tight bop of earlier years into a whole new spectrum of funky grooves! Key to this project is drummer Idris Muhammad – who's on the kit, already kicking it up in the way that would make him a jazz funk legend as the 70s began – but so young here, he's working under his original name of Leo Morris! The rest of the group is equally great – with the up-and-coming Lonnie Smith on Hammond and Jimmy Ponder on guitar – plus tight trumpet from Blue Mitchell, who's really hitting his most soulful sound of the 60s. Titles include Donaldson's fantastic funky reworking of "Ode To Billie Joe" – a very famous sample cut over the years – plus the soulful groovers "The Humpback", "Peepin", "The Kid", and a nice take on "The Shadow Of Your Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

Firey guitar work from one of the all-time greats! Grant Green was one of the most incredible jazz guitarists of all time, and his early Blue Note work has always been some of the best guitar jazz ever recorded. With this great album, Blue Note has finally unearthed an amazing early session by Green – recorded in trio format with drummer Ben Dixon and organist John Patton. Both Patton and Green originally hailed from St. Louis, but were picked up on a tour by Lou Donaldson to join his band – and brought by Donaldson to Blue Note when the group hit New York. This set of tracks, dedicated to their boss, shows Patton and Green in sparkling interplay – trading lines with an ease, confidence, and rawness that would make most other organ/guitar teams weep with joy to achieve! The CD's a perfect one if you're a fan of Green's First Stand or Green Street albums – and it includes the tracks "Blues For Lou", "Big John", "Look At That Girl", and "This Little Girl Of Mine". CD

Hammond player Jim Alfredson works here in a setting that's nicely full and rich – one that mixes his sharp work on the organ with just the right sort of horn contributions – in a mode that's got some of the best energy of the Lonnie Smith or Lou Donaldson late 60s organ years on Blue Note! Part of the record's strength comes from the wonderfully snapping drums of EJ Strickland, sounding even funkier than usual – and really providing the right sort of crackle to push lean and groovy performances from the trombone of Michael Dease, trumpet of Alex Sipiagin, and tenor of Diego Rivera – all players we're not used to hearing in such a setting! The group also features guitar from Will Bernard and percussion from Kevin Jones – on original titles that include "Foster Blues", "The Side Eye", "Reo Town", "Strange Matter", "For Miles", and "Verna". CD

A classic album from Gene Ammons – one that features the tenor legend at his prime, working in two different settings! The first batch has Ammons "battling" Sonny Stitt in a set of stuff that features hard twin tenors in the frontline, with the kind of cutting contests the two of them would perform live all over the country. Titles on that one include "Stringin The Jug", "New Blues Up & Down", and "You Can Depend On Me". The other side of the record features Ammons in one of those great Prestige open-ended groups – with crack players like Art Farmer, Lou Donaldson, and Freddie Redd – all soloing long and soulfully on two tracks – "Woofin & Tweetin" and "Juggernaut". CD

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 "Split Kick", "Quicksilver", "Mayreh", and "A Night In Tunisia". CD features 2 bonus tracks, and great remastering! CD

A landmark concert from the mid 80s – one held to honor the resurrection of the Blue Note label, featuring a wealth of some of the best players for the label – from the 80s back to the 50s bebop years. This is the third of 4 LPs, issued both separately and in a box set format. This volume features an all-star line-up with Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Curtis Fuller, Walter Davis Jr., Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Lou Donaldson, Kenny Burrell, Reggie Workman, Grady Tate, and Grover Washington Jr. Tracks include "Moanin'", "A Child Is Born", "The Jumpin' Blues", "Summertime", "I'm Glad There Is You", and "Medley: Blues Walk/Getting' Sentimental Over You". CD

One of our favorite-ever albums on Blue Note – a great 60s session that features one of the most unique reed players to ever record for the label! George Braith takes a bit of a page from Roland Kirk – in that he handles a variety of oddly-tuned reed instruments, but with a wonderfully soulful focus – mixing this nice edge with more familiar soul jazz modes, at a level that makes his records of the time completely unique! The group also features some sublime organ lines from Billy Gardner – a player you might know more from previous records with Lou Donaldson on piano, but who's very open and expressive here – almost echoing Larry Young at times – which is great next to the work of Grant Green's guitar on the record! Braith's playing is incredible – slightly exotic, but also quite soulful – and titles include "Nut City", "Sweetville", and "Extension". CD

A well-done 70s album that compiles some of Clifford Brown's best moments for Blue Note – including sides that were recorded under the leadership of JJ Johnson and Lou Donaldson, plus a few from sessions under Brown's own name. Titles include "Wail Bait", "Hymn Of The Orient", "Easy Living", and "De Dah". Some of the best work you'll ever find by Brown on record, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from one of the greatest trumpeters of the postwar years – captured here right before his famous association with drummer Max Roach in the final years of his life! The set brings together everything that Clifford Brown recorded for both the Blue Note and Pacific Jazz labels – including sides done with Lou Donaldson as a co-leader, in the groups of drummer Art Blakey and trombonist JJ Johnson, and as as leader on his own. Includes some alternate takes as well! CD

Clifford Brown only recorded a handful of sides for Blue Note – but all of the best ones are included in this excellent album – a full length set that culls together Brown's material from the 10" years, issued as a memorial to his early death in 1956! Side one features Brown with the modernist Gigi Gryce on flute and alto sax – plus Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – a lineup that has a strong sense of soul, balanced with a dose of modernism – on titles that include the classic "Hymn to the Orient" – worth the price of the album alone – plus "Easy Living", "Cherokee", "Wail Bait", and "Minor Mood". Side two features an equally sharp group – with Lou Donaldson on some excellent alto, and the great Elmo Hope on piano – on titles that include "Brownie Speaks", "De Dah", "Cookin", "You Go To My Head", and "Carving The Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

Clifford Brown only recorded a handful of sides for Blue Note – but all of the best ones are included in this excellent album – a full length set that culls together Brown's material from the 10" years, issued as a memorial to his early death in 1956! Side one features Brown with the modernist Gigi Gryce on flute and alto sax – plus Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – a lineup that has a strong sense of soul, balanced with a dose of modernism – on titles that include the classic "Hymn to the Orient" – worth the price of the album alone – plus "Easy Living", "Cherokee", "Wail Bait", and "Minor Mood". Side two features an equally sharp group – with Lou Donaldson on some excellent alto, and the great Elmo Hope on piano – on titles that include "Brownie Speaks", "De Dah", "Cookin", "You Go To My Head", and "Carving The Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from an alto player with a very unique conception – a player who was unlike Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, or some of his precursors on the instrument – and instead really took off in bold new directions, like Lou Donaldson or fellow Chicagoan Sonny Cox in the mid 60s! Bunky's got a very sharp edge on his horn – one that's deft and skillful, but never too boppish. Instead, he really uses space and timing to carve out a new sort of groove – one that's punctuated slightly by the rhythms of the combo, but which also firmly takes its cue from Bunky's own forcefully blown horn. Players here include Cleveland Eaton on bass, Willie Pickins on piano, and Harold Jones on drums – and titles include "Playin For Keeps", "Mi Compasion", "Brazilano", "Mama Looka Boo Boo", and "What Can I Do". LP, Vinyl record album

Grant's First Stand – and a mighty one at that! The set was recorded when Green was a guitarist fresh on the scene – showing up in New York from St Louis, where he'd been discovered by Lou Donaldson and brought to Blue Note with great acclaim! For this first date, Green's heard in really stripped-down company – just Hammond from Baby Face Willette and drums from Ben Dixon – a spare trio setting that makes for a madly cooking little record, and one without some of the smoother edges of Greens' later years! The set's as raw and soulful as Willette's own Blue Note classics – and is very much in the side of the spectrum that Donaldson was bringing to the label at a time – a much-needed dose of new energy from the Prestige Records side of the tracks. Every track's a winner – and titles include "Blues For Willarene", "Baby's Minor Lope", "Miss Ann's Tempo", and "A Wee Bit O Green". LP, Vinyl record album

A funky nugget from the second Blue Note chapter of guitarist Grant Green – that wonderful point when he shifted into more funk-based styles from his hardbop work at the start – and found a way to unlock a whole new side of his talents! The approach here is similar to some of the funky Lou Donaldson albums from the time – like Hot Dog or Say It Loud – in that tracks are nice and long, and have some great funky currents at the bottom from the drums of Idris Muhammad – who kicks up lots of those chunky funky breaks that we always love so much! Green's work on guitar is especially nice – stretched out, but never trippy, with a tight single note style that really gets the most out of the grooves – in a great lineup that features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Claude Bartee on tenor, Emanuel Riggins on Hammond, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Candido on congas. Neal Creque contributed two great tracks to the set – "Windjammer" and "Dracula" – and the album also sports a great long version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now", and a sweet cover of "A Day In The Life"! CD

A funky nugget from the second Blue Note chapter of guitarist Grant Green – that wonderful point when he shifted into more funk-based styles from his hardbop work at the start – and found a way to unlock a whole new side of his talents! The approach here is similar to some of the funky Lou Donaldson albums from the time – like Hot Dog or Say It Loud – in that tracks are nice and long, and have some great funky currents at the bottom from the drums of Idris Muhammad – who kicks up lots of those chunky funky breaks that we always love so much! Green's work on guitar is especially nice – stretched out, but never trippy, with a tight single note style that really gets the most out of the grooves – in a great lineup that features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Claude Bartee on tenor, Emanuel Riggins on Hammond, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Candido on congas. Neal Creque contributed two great tracks to the set – "Windjammer" and "Dracula" – and the album also sports a great long version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now", and a sweet cover of "A Day In The Life"! LP, Vinyl record album

A funky nugget from the second Blue Note chapter of guitarist Grant Green – that wonderful point when he shifted into more funk-based styles from his hardbop work at the start – and found a way to unlock a whole new side of his talents! The approach here is similar to some of the funky Lou Donaldson albums from the time – like Hot Dog or Say It Loud – in that tracks are nice and long, and have some great funky currents at the bottom from the drums of Idris Muhammad – who kicks up lots of those chunky funky breaks that we always love so much! Green's work on guitar is especially nice – stretched out, but never trippy, with a tight single note style that really gets the most out of the grooves – in a great lineup that features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Claude Bartee on tenor, Emanuel Riggins on Hammond, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Candido on congas. Neal Creque contributed two great tracks to the set – "Windjammer" and "Dracula" – and the album also sports a great long version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now", and a sweet cover of "A Day In The Life"! LP, Vinyl record album

A funky nugget from the second Blue Note chapter of guitarist Grant Green – that wonderful point when he shifted into more funk-based styles from his hardbop work at the start – and found a way to unlock a whole new side of his talents! The approach here is similar to some of the funky Lou Donaldson albums from the time – like Hot Dog or Say It Loud – in that tracks are nice and long, and have some great funky currents at the bottom from the drums of Idris Muhammad – who kicks up lots of those chunky funky breaks that we always love so much! Green's work on guitar is especially nice – stretched out, but never trippy, with a tight single note style that really gets the most out of the grooves – in a great lineup that features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Claude Bartee on tenor, Emanuel Riggins on Hammond, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Candido on congas. Neal Creque contributed two great tracks to the set – "Windjammer" and "Dracula" – and the album also sports a great long version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now", and a sweet cover of "A Day In The Life"! CD

Wicked early work from Milt Jackson – a record that's got a lot more of an edge than some of his later work with the Modern Jazz Quartet – a near-perfect modernist bop sound that's every bit the best side of Blue Note in the early 50s! The groups here are really great – one a quintet that features Jackson's partners in the MJQ – John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums (who was in the first rendition of the quartet) – the group's also joined by Lou Donaldson on alto sax, who blows with this boppish edge that really deepens the sound! And the other quintet is even better – with Thelonious Monk on piano and Sahib Shihab on alto sax. Milt's vibes ring out in this boldly chromatic way – clearly a sense of discovery in process during the session – and titles include "Bag's Groove", "On The Scene", "Willow Weep For Me", "Criss Cross", "Eronel", "Tahiti", and "What's New". LP, Vinyl record album

Whatever you may think of Milt Jackson's later work, this stuff from the early 50s, recorded in his pre-MJQ years, shows the vibist as a lively talent, playing head to head with boppers that he'd never dare face in later years. Players include Lou Donaldson, John Lewis, Thelonious Monk, and Shadow Wilson – and Kenny "Pancho" Hagood sings vocals on 2 tracks. Tracks include "On The Scene", "Tahiti", "Lillie", "Epistrophy", and "Misterioso". 17 tracks in all – with some alternate takes, and great remastering! CD

A fantastic cut from Main Source – one that steps loud and proud with a killer Lou Donaldson sample and some mighty Idris Muhammad drums! "Vamos A Rapiar" is one of the overlooked nuggets on their first album – served up here on a limited and mighty nice 7" picture disc single! 7-inch, Vinyl record

If the cover image of a Akira Miyazawa fishing in a trout stream wasn't already enough to make us love this one, the music on the disc certainly is – as the album's a real shining jewel in the Japanese jazz scene of the 60s, the kind of record that really set a whole new standard for the players involved! Miyazawa's got a tone here that's really incredible – an approach to the alto that's a bit like Lou Donaldson during his bop years for Blue Note, but which is also recorded here with a great sense of space that echoes out wonderfully – even when Akira's just doing a little. The group is relatively large, but all focused around Miyazawa's horn – and other players include Sadao Watanabe on flute and Masahiko Sato on piano. Titles include the great originals "Yamame" and "Fly Casting", plus "Out Of Nowhere", "Like Sonny", and "Le Crespuscule Enbaume". CD