The first album in many years from this legendary studio project from On-U Sound and Adrian Sherwood – and one that makes us feel as if the passage of decades hasn't happened at all! Sherwood's production is still wonderful – and, if anything, maybe less showy, or more soulful, or less moody – just something that seems to let the work of the group come through with energy that's wonderfully warm and organic, while still resonating with plenty of touches that will make longtime label fans proud! Vocals are shared between Charlie Eskimo Fox and Mr Magoo, and the set also features guest appearances from Prince Far I and Daddy Freddy – on titles that include "That's More Like It" "Jubilee Clock", "Swiftly", "Stonebridge Warrior", "Crown Hill Road", "The People's Sound", and "Whatever It Takes". LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". CD

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". CD

One of the greatest albums ever from organist Charles Earland – a double-length set that's filled with spiritual, soaring grooves! The style here is a perfect blend of the rougher soul jazz of Earland's roots with some of the spacier styles of his later recordings – served up in a sound that's majestic and powerful, almost with an indie soul jazz sort of vibe overall! There's an immediate urgency to most numbers that's totally undeniable – a lesson learned from the electric experiments of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, but fused down into a core essence – then let loose on a soaring journey to the heavens. Earland plays Hammond, moog, clavinet, and Arp on the set – and other players include Joe Henderson on tenor, Dave Hubbard on alto and soprano sax, Eddie Henderson and Freddie Hubbard on trumpets, Marc Elf on guitar, Harvey Mason on drums, and the incredible Patrick Gleeson on synthesizers – bringing in a spacey edge to the record that's really amazing! Rudy Copeland sings a wonderful vocal on the title cut, "Leaving This Planet" – and all other instrumental cuts include "Red Clay", "Warp Factor 9", "Tyner", "Van Jay", "Never Ending Melody", "Mason's Galaxy", and "Asteroid". CD

A classic split album of bop piano from both coasts – kind of a double-header in jazz, and one that really packs a punch! Hamp Hawes represents the west coast – and unlike his cool jazz contemporaries, he's grooving hard in a quartet that includes Larry Bunker on vibes, Larry Marable on drums, and Clarence Jones on bass. Hawes' playing on the record is some of his best of the 50s – and titles include "Terrible T", "Move", "Fanfare", "Hamp's Paws", and "Buzzy". The east coast side of the set is laid down by Freddie Redd – grooving hard in a rare early set, with a trio that includes John Ore on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums. Redd's titles include "Reddy Freddie", "Lady J Blues", and "Debut". LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare 60s soul albums – back to back on a single CD! First up is Soul Superman by The Hesitations – a wonderful album of rare Detroit soul – and quite possibly the best full length set ever recorded by this sublime 60s harmony group! There's a really righteous approach to most of the material – a deeper sound than you might expect from the group's more formal look on the cover – and the set was put together by Jack Ashford and the Pied Piper team – who give the record this great "in the shadows of Motown" vibe – that farther side of the Detroit scene, but with a quality that's top shelf all the way through! The vocal range of the group is fantastic – and not only that, there's a heck of a lot of great writing on the set – what we can tell, nearly every number is exclusive to this set. Titles include "Soul Superman", "You'll Never Know", "She Won't Come Back", "Soul Kind Of Love", "I'll Be Right There", "Wait A Minute", and "I'm Not Build That Way". Next is With A Dab Of Soul – the only full length record cut by Freddy Butler, a heck of a great singer with a really unique voice! Freddy hails from Detroit, and like the best of Detroit singers of the 60s – such as JJ Barnes or Darrell Banks – he's got a style that's got some rootsy touches, especially on the vocals, mixed with production that's tight and focused – which really gives the album a lot of swing! Instrumentation includes some nice use of vibes and piano – no surprise, since Jack Ashford and the Pied Piper team handled the recording – and the album also features some great early compositions by Nick Ashford. Titles include "This Thing", "You'd Better Get Hip Girl", "Never Let Love Go", and "I Fell In Love". CD

Two classic 60s albums from pianist Andrew Hill – back to back in a single set! First up is Point Of Departure – mindblowing work from pianist Andrew Hill – one of the key records during that short initial run when Blue Note was really giving him a special showcase for his talents – and when the label was dabbling in more avant jazz as part of the "new thing" moment on the scene! The group here is really the stuff of legends – as the set features a very late performance from Eric Dolphy on alto, plus Joe Henderson on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all players at the prime of their young talents, soaring to the skies under the leadership of Hill – skittishly working their way into territory that's never truly free, but wonderfully expressive and exploratory – a clear summation of the sense of "modern" in modern jazz! All tracks are originals by the pianist, too – and titles include "New Monastery", "Flight 19", "Spectrum", "Dedication", and "Refuge". Compulsion is one of the most dynamic albums that Andrew Hill ever cut for Blue Note – a record of long tracks, played by a largeish group who seem perfectly suited to Hill's most creative musical ideas! There's an approach here that almost predates some of the more righteous soul jazz ensemble sides of the 70s – as Hill's piano leads a octet that features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, John Gilmore on tenor and bass clarinet, Cecil McBee and Richard Davis on basses, Joe Chambers on drums, and Nedi Quamar and Renaud Simmons on percussion. The percussionists roll out with quite a bit of presence in the set – not so much as on some of the Art Blakey percussion sides for Blue Note, but more with a pronounced sense of "bottom" that you might not always hear from Hill – an earthy, sometimes organic way of riffing that then allows freer solo work from the horns and piano on the top! Titles include "Compulsion", "Legacy", "Premonition", and "Limbo". CD

The album's hardly an overview of Jay Hoggard's career – and instead, it's a nicely focused little session that sparkles with fresh warmth and imagination! Jay's vibes get some great accompaniment from Geri Allen's piano on the date – and both players show a similar style of keeping one ear towards the outside, but mostly playing inside – mixing piano and vibes up nicely with a warmly chromatic feel. Rhythm is from Ed Rozie on bass and Freddie Waits on drums – and titles include "Blues Bags", "Aguacate", "Overview", "Put On A Happy Face", and "Convergence". CD

A beautiful album that we'd rank as one of Freddie Hubbard's greatest recordings ever – a truly sublime set that's quite different than his Blue Note work of the 60s, and which really shows him emerging as a major talent on the trumpet! The set features a core sextet of key players – the legendary John Gilmore on tenor sax, making a rare appearance here away from the Sun Ra Arkestra – plus Curtis Fuller on trombone, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Art Davis on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – the last three of whom provide a soulful, almost spiritual rhythm to the record – elevating Freddie's horn to tremendous heights, possibly for the first time in his career. All tracks are nice and long – and titles include the Hubbard originals "Bob's Place", "Happy Times", and "The 7th Day", all of which roll along on a groove that's not what you'd expect – plus versions of "Summertime" and "Caravan". CD

Seminal work from Freddie Hubbard – an early hardbop session that features some great work by Tina Brooks on tenor, piano by McCoy Tyner, and rhythm from the team of Sam Jones on bass Clifford Jarvis on drums! And although Freddie's great at this early point in his career – playing with a brash, urgent tone that's totally compelling – we're even bigger fans of the Tina Brooks work on this record! Brooks' tone is amazing – right up there with the style he used on his own rare few Blue Note sides, full of fresh fire and a really edgey approach to the tenor – and together with Hubbard, he helps craft a tight little set that's one of Hubbard's best-ever straight sides from the 60s. Titles include "But Beautiful", "One Mint Julep", "Hub's Nub", "Open Sesame", and "Gypsy Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best recordings from Freddie Hubbard's "back to basics" stretch in the early 80s – a time when Freddie returned to a strongly acoustic jazz mode after a mostly electric 70s! The record still has Freddie stretching out on the longer tracks he got used to during the CTI years – but he's working here in tight quartet formation with Kenny Barron on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and the always-great Al Foster on drums – carving out long lines on extended, but well-conceived numbers that echo with a tremendous amount of force. Freddie's lost none of his edge by this point, and the record shows a new sense of energy and focus that are extremely impressive – and also pretty darn soulful! Titles include "Santa Anna Winds", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "The Outpost Blues", "Dual Force", and "Loss". CD

A killer set from Freddie Hubbard's legendary years on CTI! Like the classic Red Clay album, there's 4 tunes here, all longer cuts – where everyone gets a chance to stretch out a bit, over smooth (but not too smooth!) electric grooves, supported by great orchestrations from Don Sebesky! Ron Carter & Billy Cobham provide a tight but elastic rhythmic underpinning – a great foil for solos by players who include Keith Jarrett on electric piano, George Benson on guitar, Hubert Laws on flute, and Freddie himself on trumpet. Airto & Ray Barretto are on percussion, with some nice percolating accents to the grooves – and titles include the classic "Povo", an oft-sampled monster – plus "In A Mist", "The Godfather", and "Sky Dive". LP, Vinyl record album

A definite sweet return from Freddie Hubbard – a record with a cover and title that might appear to be smooth jazz, but one with a sound that's solidly acoustic and soulful all the way through! The album's a great example of Hubbard's amazing work in the early 80s – a time when he was shaking off the larger and electric trappings of the 70s, to return to smaller combo work – but often with a really fluid and warm feel that showed the best lessons learned from the previous decade! Freddie's tone and timing here are impeccable – and the long tracks are especially great, with continually-inventive solo work that holds us rapt with attention. Other players include Lew Tabackin on tenor and flute, Joanne Brackeen on piano, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums – and titles include "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes", "Heidi B", "Sweet Return", "Whistling Away The Dark", and "Calypso Fred". LP, Vinyl record album

Previously-unheard material from Freddie Hubbard – great live sides recorded in Europe during 1969, all with a stretched-out sound that really points the way to some of Freddie's growth in the 70s! The feel here is a bit like Hubbard's excellent Hub Of Hubbard album recorded for MPS around the same time – tracks that have a very spacious sound, much more so than some of his late 60s studio work – but which also are free of the electric modes that Freddie would begin to use at CTI. The balance is almost a bit like that of Hubbard's excellent post-electric sides of the early 80s, but with even more bite at times – played by a killer quartet that features Roland Hanna on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. Titles include "Space Track", "Without A Song", "Hub Tones", "The Things We Did Last Summer", "Body & Soul", and "Blues By Five". CD

2 lost sides of soul jazz – both of them rare gems on vinyl, and back-to-back here in one nicely priced CD package! Doin The Thang is an excellent bit of lost soul jazz piano work – featuring the highly underrated Ronnie Mathews, with a quartet that includes Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Charles Davis on baritone. The sound is very groovy, and very funky, with a feel that's more like some of the classic Blue Notes from the time than it is like the other Prestige recordings. Mathews' piano playing is perfect, and he grooves with a soulful firey edge, and lays down solos that blow away Hubbard and Davis. Tracks include "The Thang", "Ichi Ban", and "The Orient". Pleasure Bent is one of the few albums ever cut by the incredible tenor player Roland Alexander – an artist who appeared briefly on the scene during the early 60s, and the few recording's he's left us with are the consummate picture of hip soulful playing. This 1961 session features Alexander leading a group that includes Marcus Belgrave on trumpet, Ronnie Matthews on piano, Gene Taylor on bass, and Clarence Stroman on drums – and it's a laidback batch of lyrical tunes, nearly all penned by Alexander. Titles include "I'll Be Around", "Dorman Road", "Lil's Blues", and "Orders To Take Out". CD

A key moment in the career of the legendary Freddie McGregor – easily one of the best-known voices in reggae in the post-Marley years! The set captures Freddie at his youthful best – coming off of time doing vocal group work, but really shining strongly as a lead singer on his own – getting this nicely subtle Studio One backing that are heavy on the roots vibe, which makes a nicely deep rhythmic contrast to the sweetly crackling vocals of McGregor! The set came out at the start of the 80s, but it's got an instant classic vibe that resonates almost more strongly with some of the most soulful Jamaican recordings at the end of the 60s. Titles include "Bandulo", "We Need More Love", "What Difference Does It Make", "Go Away Pretty Girl", "Tomorrow Is Like Today", "Bobby Bobylon", "Wine Of Violence", "Gonna Take Over Now", "Rastaman Camp", and "I Am A Revolutionist". CD features 8 bonus tracks – including "Come Now Sister (ext mix)", "Freddie", "Homeward Bound", "Little Girl", "When I'm Ready (ext version)", "Rastaman Camp (ext mix)", and "I Man A Rasta (orig 7" mix)". CD

A legendary meeting of talents in the Studio One studios – the wickedly-grooving Soul Defenders and the heartbreakingly soulful Freddie McKay – both coming together here on an album that was an instant Studio One classic! The Soul Defenders have a slow-stepping groove with a nice current of darkness – a bit like that moodier vibe that some of the more underground soul balladeers were using behind their vocals up north, especially in Philly and New Jersey. The Defenders have a much more Kingston spin, of course, and are graced with excellent lead guitar work from Jah Privy – whose tones ring out nicely next to Freddie's fantastic voice. Tracks include "Picture On The Wall", "You Are Not The Kind", "High School Dance", "Watch Your Step", "Can't Go On", and "Old Joe". CD features lots of bonus tracks – including "I Am A Freeman", "My True Love", "Old & Grey", "Love Is A Treasure (extended)", "Picture On The Wall (version)", "You'll Be Sorry (version)", "Drunken Sailor (version)", and "Picture On The Way (version 3 – with Prince Junior)". CD

A landmark album – not only for Freddie Redd, but for Jackie McLean, who's the real star of the session! In the early 60s, both Freddie and Jackie played together in a hip New York play called The Connection – working as a part of a live jazz band who were hanging out in an apartment, waiting for their "connection" to bring them some heroin. The music on this set was forged during the course of the play – played live, improvised, but tightly honed into some fantastic tunes over the course of the run – so that by the time Blue Note went to record this set, the whole thing had a razor-sharp intensity that blew away even the best other Blue Note work of the time! Redd wrote all the tracks, and he plays with a dark and fiery edge that we've never heard in his work on other records – superbly matched by McLean's alto, which blows these amazingly precise and soulful notes throughout. Titles include "Who Killed Cock Robin", "Wigglin", "Music Forever", and "O.D." CD

An excellent album by Isaac Redd Holt – one half of the incredible Young-Holt rhythm team, bursting out nicely here on his own! This is Redd's second album – first for Paula, as the other one was a jazz effort on Argo back in the 60s – and it's a wild blend of jazz, funk, and a lot of other weird sounds. The introduction's totally cool, and features Redd running through a list of hip little clubs in American cities, then the album launches into the great "Listen to the Drums", which has a tight pounding groove, and moves on to a whole bunch of other jazzy cuts like "Flo", "Slow Funk", and "Let the Spirit In". Redd sings a bit, which isn't too bad (mostly), but it's the grooves that will keep you coming back. Very much in the spirit of Roy Porter's legendary funk albums – but probably a bit tighter! CD

The second half of the recording legacy of the legendary Otis Redding – all material that was issued after his tragic death in 1968 – tracks recorded during the 60s for Stax Records, but issued by Atlantic, who'd taken over the material during the same year that Otis left the planet! When Redding died, interest in his music was at an all-time high – and his non-stop flow of creativity at Stax left behind plenty of gems that were unissued while he was around – presented here initially in four full albums in the box – including The Dock of the Bay, The Immortal Otis Redding, Love Man, and Tell the Truth – all presented with their original artwork. Then, and even cooler, the set features two more LPs' worth of material – all the mono singles that were issued during this time, a total of 24 more tracks that really complete the package. The box is beautiful, and stands as a nice complement to the complete Stax material from earlier years! LP, Vinyl record album

A great tribute to the genius of Alan Shorter – has classic late 60s album, plus a bonus track too! The core of the record is the album Orgasm, a record as striking as its title – and one of the few recorded performances of trumpeter Alan Shorter – brother of Wayne Shorter, and an equally powerful force in avant jazz in the 60s when he got a chance! And although Alan hardly recorded much, this album's a masterpiece – a set that bridges the "new thing" moment of jazz in the mid 60s with some of the freer improvisations that were taking over on both the New York and European scenes – a balance of modes that's similar to some of the Don Cherry albums for Blue Note in the late 60s, and delivered here with a stunning lineup that includes superb early modern tenor work from Gato Barbieri, bass from either Charlie Haden or Reggie Johnson, and drums from either Muhammad Ali or Rashied Ali. Tracks are all originals – and titles include "Parabola", "Straits Of Blagellan", "Outeroids", and "Orgasm". CD also features another key performance by Alan Shorter from a few years earlier – the track "Mephistopheles" from the Wayne Shorter album All Seeing Eye – with Wayne on tenor, James Spaulding on alto, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur III on trombone, and Herbie Hancock on piano. CD

An album of incredible beauty – and one of the key early sides that Shorter cut for Blue Note! It's nearly impossible to describe the genius of these records without playing them – and upon playing, all words disappear in the brilliance of Shorter's incredible tone, solo imagination, and writing! There's a nascent soulfulness here that would emerge quite strongly across the field of jazz in the late 60s and early 70s – bubbling forth here on the session, with a sound that we could only call Shorter-archetypal – and return to again and again over the years, as proof that few players ever measured up as greatly at such a young age! The group's a quintet with Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – and the set list includes "Speak No Evil", "Infant Eyes", "Witch Hunt", and "Wild Flower". CD features a bonus alternate take of "Dance Cadaverous". CD

An album of incredible beauty – and one of the key early sides that Shorter cut for Blue Note! It's nearly impossible to describe the genius of these records without playing them – and upon playing, all words disappear in the brilliance of Shorter's incredible tone, solo imagination, and writing! There's a nascent soulfulness here that would emerge quite strongly across the field of jazz in the late 60s and early 70s – bubbling forth here on the session, with a sound that we could only call Shorter-archetypal – and return to again and again over the years, as proof that few players ever measured up as greatly at such a young age! The group's a quintet with Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – and the set list includes "Speak No Evil", "Infant Eyes", "Witch Hunt", and "Wild Flower". CD

One of the best albums from singer Teri Thornton – a jazz vocalist who was really starting to come into her own at the beginning of the 60s, and shines here in a way that's different from some of her bigger label sets! Backings are by Norman Simmons – a pianist we love on his own, and for his work in small groups with other singers – but a real surprise here for his work on the album's dark-tinged charts, which have a similar undercurrent of modernism to some of the work at the time by Abbey Lincoln. The group's relatively small – and features work by Seldon Powell on tenor, Clark Terry on trumpet, Earl Warren on alto, Freddie Green on guitar, and Wynton Kelly on piano – and titles include a version of Bob Dorough's "Devil May Care", plus dark takes on "My Old Flame", "Dancing In The Dark", "Left Alone", "What's New", and "Lullaby Of The Leaves". LP, Vinyl record album

The last-ever album from this legendary duo – and a set that's maybe their funkiest record too! Of course, that's probably no surprise, given that they're playing the Curtis Mayfield tunes from Superfly here – great tracks that make for a really wonderful setting for the pair's highly rhythmic style – Eldee Young on bass and Isaac Redd Holt on drums – plus great Fender Rhodes lines from pianist Ken Chaney! The set also features a bit of congas from Derf Reklaw, and organ and guitar as well – and the whole thing's a long overdue follow up to the funky electric jazz style of their earlier album Oh Girl, on Atlantic. Titles include great takes on "Freddie's Dead", "Give Me Your Love", "Pusher Man", and "Superfly" – plus a few of the group's own numbers, like "Hey Pancho" and "Mystical Man" – as well as a super-dope cover of "People Make the World Go Round". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool little set – maybe not the deepest dive into the decade of the 70s, in that the package isn't full of unissued tracks or super-rare singles – but it does represent a great look at the decade that goes way past the hits, and much farther than the charts – including the sort of material that was slightly ignored at the time, but has gone on to be really appreciated in more recent years! The book-style set is filled with great choices and unusual tunes – work from both the US and UK scenes, some of it by bigger names represented here by more unusual cuts – some by others who barely cracked the mainstream, but did some great work at the time. There's one full CD of female artists, and a pretty unusual mix of titles – 71 titles in all, by artists who include Murray Head, The Records, Ronnie Lane, Terry Reid, Sandy Denny, Wendy Waldman, Freddie King, Montrose, Tim Buckley, Don Nix, Jerry Williams, Big Star, Tony Joe White, Delaney & Bonnie, John Prine, Michael Franks, Bobby Charles, Andy Pratt, Hirth Martinez, Robert Palmer, Jess Roden, Roy Harper, Patto, Sharks, The Roches, Linda Lewis Valerie Carter, and many others! CD

Featuring music from Freddy King, Jimmy Reed, Bobby Bland, Muddy Waters, BB King, Slim Harpo, Etta James, Little Johnny Taylor, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, Bobby Parker, Johnny Guitar Watson, Earl King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Little Junior Parker, and Earl Hooker – 20 tracks in all. CD

All the great early albums from Creation Rebel – plus their excellent comeback too! The set begins with Dub From Creation – not just the debut album from Creation Rebel, but also a set that marks the first studio work from the young Adrian Sherwood – part of the long On-U Sound legacy to come, and a wealth of other wonderful music! There's a spareness here that's great – maybe a bit less dark than later Sherwood projects, but no less stark – with melodica and keyboards weaving nicely amidst the dubby rhythms! Titles include "Basic Principals", "Dub Fusion", "Liberation", "Rising Star", "Vision Of Creation", and "Creation In A Iration". Next is Close Encounters Of The Third World – an early part of the On-U Sound legacy, even if the set wasn't issued on the label – a key effort by Creation Rebel that features recording work done both in London and Kingston, layered together in a beautifully dubby way! The sound here is definitely underground – full of message-oriented lyrics from Crucial Tony, who sings in a style that definitely earns him his name – with great melodica and organ flowing through the mix next to Lizard's bass – topped with added horn work from The Arabs in all the right spots! The production is superb – flat on the drums, wide on the sides, which makes for a really wonderful groove – on titles that include "Know Yourself", "Conspiring", "Creation Fever", "Natty Conscience Free", and "Joyful Noise". Rebel Vibrations features early production genius from Adrian Sherwood – and a record that sets the tone for all the On-U Sound genius to come! The set's a huge step forward from even the previous excellent Creation Rebel album – as the way the sounds are layered together is incredible – almost modes learned from post-punk production, but used to deliver a pure, righteous dub album – one that drops out all the vocals, and allows you to concentrate even more on the totally wicked instrumentation! The set features stunning drums from Style Scott, heady bass from Lizard, and all sorts of very cool keyboard work from Clifton Morrison – used in these ways that float about like a swarm of sounds, especially when mixed with the melodica of Doctor Pablo. The whole thing's amazing – and titles include "Diverse Doctor", "Hunger & Strife", "Jungle Affair", "Rebel Vibration", "Black Lion Dub", and "Mountain Melody". Starship Africa is a brilliant Creation Rebel effort for On-U Sound from the dawn of the 80s – landing in the futuristic dub spacecraft that is their Starship Africa – percussion heavy and spaced out ingenuity from Adrian Sherwood & co! Tripped, echoey atmospherics that's cast as a soundtrack to movie that doesn't exist, the music is forward thinking, boundary busting dubby grooves exists out of time and sounds great to this day. Includes "Starship Africa" (Sections 1-5) and "Space Movement" (Sections 1-4). On Psychotic Jonkanoo, Crucial Tony is back in the mix for this righteous early 80s album from Creation Rebel – a set that has Adrian Sherwood only furthering his production genius as he layers together stunning instrumental work from the group! The presence of the vocals has the instrumentation slightly back in the mix – but there's still a great run of rhythms throughout, all driven by the mighty heady basslines of Lizard Logan! There's less keyboards than before, but still some nice electronic bits all over the place – and titles include "The Dope", "African Space", "Threat To Creation", "Highest Degree", "Mother Don't Cry", and "Drum Talk". From 2023, Hostile Environment is the first album in many years from this legendary studio project from On-U Sound and Adrian Sherwood – and one that makes us feel as if the passage of decades hasn't happened at all! Sherwood's production is still wonderful – and, if anything, maybe less showy, or more soulful, or less moody – just something that seems to let the work of the group come through with energy that's wonderfully warm and organic, while still resonating with plenty of touches that will make longtime label fans proud! Vocals are shared between Charlie Eskimo Fox and Mr Magoo, and the set also features guest appearances from Prince Far I and Daddy Freddy – on titles that include "That's More Like It" "Jubilee Clock", "Swiftly", "Stonebridge Warrior", "Crown Hill Road", "The People's Sound", and "Whatever It Takes". CD

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". CD

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic session for MPS, one of the few labels smart enough to ever make bassist Richard Davis a leader on a session! The set is arguably his best record as a leader, and it features a great group, playing in a number of different configurations – a killer lineup with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Jerry Dodgion on alto, Pepper Adams on baritone, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, Roland Hanna on piano, and Louis Hayes on drums – a superb set of musicians with a real breadth of experience and styles, working under the leadership of Davis to make for a wonderfully complex record! There's a mix of formations here, from septet down to duos – and titles include "Milktrain", "What Is It", "Toe Tail Moon", and "A Child Is Born". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic split album of bop piano from both coasts – kind of a double-header in jazz, and one that really packs a punch! Hamp Hawes represents the west coast – and unlike his cool jazz contemporaries, he's grooving hard in a quartet that includes Larry Bunker on vibes, Larry Marable on drums, and Clarence Jones on bass. Hawes' playing on the record is some of his best of the 50s – and titles include "Terrible T", "Move", "Fanfare", "Hamp's Paws", and "Buzzy". The east coast side of the set is laid down by Freddie Redd – grooving hard in a rare early set, with a trio that includes John Ore on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums. Redd's titles include "Reddy Freddie", "Lady J Blues", and "Debut". CD

A totally fantastic set from the turn of the 70s, and one of Freddie Hubbard's most soulful, spiritual albums ever – a seminal chapter in the evolution of soul jazz – and a record that was a keen inspiration for changes to come on labels like Strata East and Black Jazz! The group here features Kenny Barron on both electric and acoustic piano – really stretching out with a hip, open sort of sound – possibly his first of this type on record – and other players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Patato Valdes on added percussion – giving a more complicated groove to the best numbers. Tunes are all long and well-penned – three by Freddie himself ("Eclipse", "Spacetrack", "Gittin' Down"), one by Kenny Barron ("Black Angel"), and one by Walter Bishop (the original recording of his classic "Coral Keys"!) CD

Jazz funk genius from Freddie Hubbard in the mid 70s! Gleam was a Japanese-only double album from the jazz giant in its original release – mighty funky at times, too – right up there with some of the best Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock Japanese sets from the 70s! It's a live set captured in March of '75 at Tokyo's Yubin Chokin Hall – long numbers played by a group that includes Freddie on trumpet, Carl Randall on tenor and flute, George Cables on electric piano, Henry Franklin on bass, Carl Burnett on drums, and Buck Clark on percussion! Each player has plenty of space to groove, and it's very well captured – you can hear the most expressive solos and the most subtle nuances. Some great solos by Freddie and the rest of the players – breathless tenor & flute by Randall, keys by Cables that are jazz funk perfection and interplay between Burnett's drums and Clark's congas & percussion that's somehow tense and comfortable at the same time. The shortest number in the set runs more than the 7 minutes and the longest is more than 20 minutes – and none is one second shorter than necessary, actually leaving us pining for more – making it all the more vital in the double album format. Released on 2CDs for the first time ever here! How this great album has been so hard to find over the years is a mystery. Titles include "Kuntu", "Spirits Of Trane", an amazing cover of Stevie Wonder's "Too High", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Ebony Moonbeams", and "Put It In The Pocket". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from Freddie Hubbard – a late fusion outing, done for the Japanese market at a time when most of his American work was returning to more acoustic modes! Freddie's trumpet sparkles brilliantly in the lead – hitting the same sort of soulful, stretching vibe as his best CTI recordings from the mid 70s – served up with an equally great mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation in the arrangements! The lineup of musicians is pretty unique, too – with Art Pepper on alto, George Cables on acoustic and electric piano, Phil Ranelin on trombone, and Roland Bautista on guitars – usually working in these gentle grooving rhythms that have a soulful stepping vibe – and which really let Freddie soar on his trumpet solos. Titles include "Eclipse", "Sunshine Lady", "I Love You", and "Bring It Back Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Freddie Hubbard makes a sweet splash for the 80s in this great little set – one of his last electric outings before a return to more acoustic modes! The vibe's a bit leaner than some of his late 70s albums, with most of the electricity coming from the bass, and from the keyboards by Chester Thompson or Louis Small – but the record's definitely got that soaring sense of flow that Freddie brought to his best work of this nature – that new sound he unlocked during the 70s, which finally seemed to find the right voice for that mighty horn of his! Jeanne Tracy sings a bit of vocals on the set, bringing in a touch of soul to the album – and titles include the stepping classic "Touchdown" – plus "Splash", "Mystic Lady", "I'm Yours", "Jarri", "You're Gonna Lose Me", and "Sister Stine". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic! This is the kind of soul that we still collect vinyl for! Freddie Hughes is one of the great lost voices of the 60s, and this sparkling album of soulful tunes is a real gem! He's not the same singer as the Freddie Hughes from Chicago – and he hailed from San Francisco, a very unlikely source for such great soul music. The session was recorded with Lonnie Hewitt (Cal Tjader's funky piano player) in SF – but it's got that perfect New York Wand/Scepter "deep soul meets uptown" sound. The tracks are mostly written by Hughes or Hewitt – and they are all pretty amazing, filled with hooks that just don't quit, and some heartbreaking verses that match the work of writers like Curtis Mayfield or Garland Green. Titles include "Send My Baby Back", "He's No Good", "Tonight I'm Gonna See My Baby", and "I Gotta Keep My Bluff In". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest albums ever on Blue Note – a set that mixes the trumpet talents of Blue Mitchell with some killer backings from Monk Higgins – all in a groove that more gritty edges than the best funky soundtracks of the time! Higgins keeps the backings full, but always quite lean – fusing all elements together into a sharp, tight rhythm that steps along with some of the slight African touches you might guess from the title – a groove that's not really that authentic, but which resonates with some of the best inspirations that Hugh Masekela was bringing to American music at the time. And while the album might be an attempt to cash in on Masekela's groove, the feel here is really quite different overall – as tracks are nicely stretched out, with plenty of room for jazzy solo work – and a groove that's much harder overall, thanks to Higgins! Other players include Freddy Robinson on guitar, Wilton Felder on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums, and Plas Johnson on tenor – and titles include "HNIC", "Flat Backing", "Na Ta Ka", "Bantu Village", and "Blue Dashiki". CD

A crazy bit of funk from drummer Roy Porter – a player who first rose to fame during the LA bop years of the late 40s, but who sounds even hipper here in the 70s! The album's got a madly skittish approach to funk – one that's highly rhythmic, but often in unconventional ways – somewhat similar to Redd Holt's excellent albums for the Paula label. Roy plays drums, percussion, and sings a bit – and the grooves run from break-heavy instrumentals to even cooler numbers that bring in more of a sense of flow and soul – really opening things up beyond any simple 70s jazz funk cliches, and hitting some really wicked new territory! Instrumentation includes plenty of great horns, electric piano, guitar, and even a bit of Arp – all used in really inventive and creative ways. Titles include the classic crate-digging favorites "Panama" and "Party Time", plus a vocal version of "Jessica", a cover of Jobim's "Waver-ing", and another nice original called "Funny Feelin'"! Tremendous stuff all the way through – and comes with a very cool 7" single – with the rare vocal version of "Panama", and a DJ Muro edit of the track too! LP, Vinyl record album

It's easy to give the great Freddie Redd due respect – especially when the pianist sounds every bit as wonderful here as he did on his classic Blue Note albums from decades back! Freddie's a hell of a pianist, with a very unique vibe – able to be modern in conception, but lyrical in execution – sharp edges and angles warmed with a sense of humanity that always has Redd's music making this beautifully inherent sense, and drawing us right in, right away! The same seems to also be the case for his sidemen – who really flower in the setting – a lineup that includes John Mosca on trombone, Chris Byars on alto and flute, and Stefano Doglioni on bass clarinet. Mosca's trombone is especially nice – a real treat to hear in Redd's music – and titles include "A Night In Nalen", "Reminiscing", "Blue Hue", "I'm Gonna Be Happy", "OD", "Ole", "Lady J Blues", and "Melanie". CD

An album of incredible beauty – and one of the key early sides that Shorter cut for Blue Note! It's nearly impossible to describe the genius of these records without playing them – and upon playing, all words disappear in the brilliance of Shorter's incredible tone, solo imagination, and writing! There's a nascent soulfulness here that would emerge quite strongly across the field of jazz in the late 60s and early 70s – bubbling forth here on the session, with a sound that we could only call Shorter-archetypal – and return to again and again over the years, as proof that few players ever measured up as greatly at such a young age! The group's a quintet with Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – and the set list includes "Speak No Evil", "Infant Eyes", "Witch Hunt", and "Wild Flower". LP, Vinyl record album

An album of incredible beauty – and one of the key early sides that Shorter cut for Blue Note! It's nearly impossible to describe the genius of these records without playing them – and upon playing, all words disappear in the brilliance of Shorter's incredible tone, solo imagination, and writing! There's a nascent soulfulness here that would emerge quite strongly across the field of jazz in the late 60s and early 70s – bubbling forth here on the session, with a sound that we could only call Shorter-archetypal – and return to again and again over the years, as proof that few players ever measured up as greatly at such a young age! The group's a quintet with Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – and the set list includes "Speak No Evil", "Infant Eyes", "Witch Hunt", and "Wild Flower". Plus, the CD includes a bonus alternate take of the track "Dance Cadaverous". CD

Classic King R&B material from Vinson, featuring some great backing by a surprising amount of jazz players! The album includes playing by Frank Foster, Joe Newman, Charlie Rouse, Ed Thigpen, Freddie Green, Paul Quinichette, and Nat Pierce – and the sound owes a lot to Joe Turner's work with Basie. Titles include "Cherry Red", "That's The Way To Treat Your Woman", "Kidney Stew", "Hold It Right There", and "Your Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

The music of Otis Redding – sung by some of his hippest contemporaries, and by a whole new generation inspired by his talents! The tunes here are all numbers you'd know from Redding's famous recordings for Stax and Atlantic – yet the versions are nice and fresh – some done with a gritty down-home feel that's rougher than any of Redding's records, others done with an inventive style that pushes the music forward into new modes – possibly those that Otis might have explored on his own, had he not been taken from us so soon! The package is a great testament to the Otis Redding legacy in soul music – and is filled with a whopping 25 tracks, all of them well-chosen – including "Baby Cakes" by Maxine Brown, "Just One More Day" by Clarence Carter, "Give Away None Of My Love" by Buddy Miles, "Wholesale Love" by Arthur Conley, "Hawg For You" by Tina Britt, "Hard To Handle" by Patti Drew, "Chained & Bound" by Bettye Swann, "I'm Missing You" by Mitty Collier, "Sister Pitiful" by Judy Clay, "These Arms Of Mine" by Albert Washington & The Kings, "Monkey On My BacK" by Jackie Hairston – plus the previously unreleased "Loving By The Pound (part 2)" by Otis Redding himself! CD

The first-ever full length collection of work by Calvin Arnold – a killer 60s soul singer and guitarist, and one who cut some classic funky 45s back in the day, but never got a chance to record an album! All the material here came out on the Venture label – a small label, but one that got great circulation at the time – which helped Calvin's strong style get into more record collections than you might expect! Arnold's a great singer, with a raw southern style – and the use of guitar here really underscores all the best elements in his voice, as does the lean backings, which often have nice drums! The style here kind of takes off where Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle" began – strong praise in our book – and titles include "Snatchin Back", "Funky Way", "Scoobie Doo", "Mini Skirt, "Fool Me Baby", "Lovely Way To Go", "Just A Matter Of Time", "Messin With The Old Folks Home", "Your Love Is Too Much", and "You Got To Live For Yourself". LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". CD

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". CD

Richard Davis and Bill Lee on bass, Sam Brown and Ted Dunbar on guitar, James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Hannibal Marvin Peterson on trumpet, Eddie Henderson on trumpet and flugelhorn, Chick Corea, Consuela Moore, and Stanley Cowell on piano, Billy Cobham, Billy Hart,Freddie Waits, and Sonny Brown on drums, and Frankie Dunlop on percussion. CD

Jimi's legendary live recordings for BBC radio and television – live studio sessions from 1967 to 1969 – remastered from BBC tapes and sounding incredible! Most of the tracks feature the trio of Hendrix, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell at their fiery best, on classics like "Foxey Lady", "Fire", "Love Or Confusion", "Purple Haze", "Hey Joe" and more, plus some great, loosier, bluesier performances, such as"Drivin South", "Hear My Train A Coming" and more. The few guest musician appearances are incredibly notable – Alexis Korner plays some slide guitar on "(I'm Your) Hoochie Choochie Man" – and Stevie Wonder plays drums (!!!) on "Jammin" and "I Was Made To Love Her". Also includes the never before released bonus track "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp", a cover of "Day Tripper" and more. 38 tracks on 3LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Freddie Hubbard's greatest records – a soaring bit of soulful modernism that's almost a precursor to 70s sounds on record labels like Black Jazz or Strata East! Freddie's at his early best here – stepping aside from some of the more serious Blue Note modes, and definitely feeling himself more strongly – reaching out with this righteous vibe that's quite different than later electric work in the 60s – and which, quite honestly, almost comes through best on this record than anywhere else! The group are wonderful too – and James Spaulding turns in some killer flute and alto work for the date – perfect for Freddie's lines on trumpet. Titles include "Backlash", "The Return Of The Prodigal Son", "Little Sunflower", and "On The Que Tee". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Freddie Hubbard's greatest records – a soaring bit of soulful modernism that's almost a precursor to 70s sounds on record labels like Black Jazz or Strata East! Freddie's at his early best here – stepping aside from some of the more serious Blue Note modes, and definitely feeling himself more strongly – reaching out with this righteous vibe that's quite different than later electric work in the 60s – and which, quite honestly, almost comes through best on this record than anywhere else! The group are wonderful too – and James Spaulding turns in some killer flute and alto work for the date – perfect for Freddie's lines on trumpet. Titles include "Backlash", "The Return Of The Prodigal Son", "Little Sunflower", and "On The Que Tee". LP, Vinyl record album

A real gem from Freddie Hubbard's 60s years – an all soul jazz outing, cut with a hip array of players that show that young Fred was definitely on the forefront of jazz at the time! Despite the "blues" in the title, the main groove is spiritual soul jazz – in a style that puts Freddie a few years ahead of the Strata East crew, and working here in a mode that he oddly didn't continue into the 70s. The album's got a really righteous sound overall – with long tracks that really stretch out wonderfully with rich feeling and spirit – thanks to work from players who include Weldon Irvine and Kenny Barron on piano, Bennie Maupin and James Spaulding on reeds, and Freddie Waits on drums. The set's filled with great original tunes that include Freddie's "Latina", "True Colors", and "For BP" – as well as a version of Weldon Irvine's "Can't Let Her Go". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electric Freddie Hubbard – a wonderfully laidback session that's filled with space and soul – hardly what you'd expect from the title! The album follows nicely in the style that Hubbard hit at CTI – an openly flowing groove that has Freddie's trumpet on top of long electric piano lines from George Cables, with occasional fuller backings to flesh out the sound! Arrangements are by Dale Oehler, who's conducting a larger group behind a core quintet that also features excellent reeds from Junior Cook – possibly one of his strongest (and only) appearances on an electric date like this. Cables is the champ, though – and really makes the set cook by changing the vibe strongly with his keys – setting a tone for Freddie throughout. Titles include "Camel Rise", "Crisis", "Too High", "Black Maybe", and "Baraka Sasa". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from Freddie Hubbard – an early hardbop session that features some great work by Tina Brooks on tenor, piano by McCoy Tyner, and rhythm from the team of Sam Jones on bass Clifford Jarvis on drums! And although Freddie's great at this early point in his career – playing with a brash, urgent tone that's totally compelling – we're even bigger fans of the Tina Brooks work on this record! Brooks' tone is amazing – right up there with the style he used on his own rare few Blue Note sides, full of fresh fire and a really edgey approach to the tenor – and together with Hubbard, he helps craft a tight little set that's one of Hubbard's best-ever straight sides from the 60s. Titles include "But Beautiful", "One Mint Julep", "Hub's Nub", "Open Sesame", and "Gypsy Blue". Plus, the CD features bonus alternate takes of "Open Sesame" and "Gypsy Blue". CD

Titles include "Shake", "Respect", "Try A Little Tenderness", and "I've Been Loving You Too Long" by Otis Redding – and "Like A Rolling Stone", "Rock Me Baby", and "Wild Thing" by Jimi Hendrix. Cassette

A great bit of funky guitar work from Freddie Robinson – a player who clearly started out with a bluesy backing, but managed a real super-dope sound by the time of his 70s work for Stax! Part of the sound is that Freddie's using a hollow-body electric – giving him a style that's a bit like Little Beaver on the best tracks. Freddie sings a bit on the set, but his guitar play's his strongest suit – and he's backed here by electric piano from Monk Higgins, and keyboards from Joe Sample! Tracks include "Smoking", "Off the Cuff", "Rivers Invitations", "Try It One Time", and "Medicine Man". LP, Vinyl record album

An album of incredible beauty – and one of the key early sides that Shorter cut for Blue Note! It's nearly impossible to describe the genius of these records without playing them – and upon playing, all words disappear in the brilliance of Shorter's incredible tone, solo imagination, and writing! There's a nascent soulfulness here that would emerge quite strongly across the field of jazz in the late 60s and early 70s – bubbling forth here on the session, with a sound that we could only call Shorter-archetypal – and return to again and again over the years, as proof that few players ever measured up as greatly at such a young age! The group's a quintet with Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – and the set list includes "Speak No Evil", "Infant Eyes", "Witch Hunt", and "Wild Flower". CD

One of the best albums from singer Teri Thornton – a jazz vocalist who was really starting to come into her own at the beginning of the 60s, and shines here in a way that's different from some of her bigger label sets! Backings are by Norman Simmons – a pianist we love on his own, and for his work in small groups with other singers – but a real surprise here for his work on the album's dark-tinged charts, which have a similar undercurrent of modernism to some of the work at the time by Abbey Lincoln. The group's relatively small – and features work by Seldon Powell on tenor, Clark Terry on trumpet, Earl Warren on alto, Freddie Green on guitar, and Wynton Kelly on piano – and titles include a version of Bob Dorough's "Devil May Care", plus dark takes on "My Old Flame", "Dancing In The Dark", "Left Alone", "What's New", and "Lullaby Of The Leaves". CD

Classic Gene Vincent on Capitol – with titles that include "Reddy Teddy", "Vincent's Blues", "Now Is The Hour", "My Baby Don't Low", "I Might Have Known", and "I Got To Get You Yet". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally wonderful session from bassist Leroy Vinnegar – different than some of his other, straighter sides – in that the lineup here is full of wonderful up-and-coming players, plus some key cool forces on the LA scene! The album features vibes from a very young Roy Ayers – working here on one of his first sessions ever – and also features trumpet from Freddy Hill, piano from Mike Melvoin, tenor from Teddy Edwards, and both piano and vibes from Victor Feldman – topped with drums from either Ron Jefferson or Milt Turner, depending on the tracks. Tunes are nice and long, and include some great originals – in a lineup that includes "Restin In Jail", "Motherland", "Hard To Find", "Down Under", "For Carl", and "Wheelin & Dealin". CD

That's a young Isaac Hayes on the cover, sitting at the piano next to David Porter – his key songwriting partner at Stax Records in the 60s – at a time before both artists had gone onto their own solo recordings for the label! The Hayes/Porter team gave Stax some of their best songs during the second half of the 60s – often numbers that have a hip, hard-grooving style that really pushed the boundaries of Memphis soul – and as you'll hear here, the duo's work was not just recorded for their main label, but also handled by a wealth of other artists too – mostly soul singers of the late 60s, but also featured here on a few later tracks as well. Those later cuts are ever bit as soulful as the 60s material that makes up most of the collection – and the package also features some unissued numbers too –served up here in a list of 24 titles that include "Can't Trust Your Neighbor" by Freddie King, "60 Minutes Of Your Love" by Homer Banks, "I'll Understand" by Edwin Starr & Blinky, "Left Over Love" by Ruby Johnson, "Hold On I'm Coming" by The Righteous Brothers, "You Got Me Hummin" by The Hassles, "I'm Dedicating My Life" by Danny White, "Love Is After Me" by Charlie Rich, "Your Good Thing" by Mable John, "You Don't Know Like I Know" by Keith Powell & Billie Davis, "Wrap It Up" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Baby" by Rachel Sweet, "As Long As I've Got You" by The Emotions, "I Take What I Want" by The Bishops, "The Sweeter He Is (parts 1 & 2)" by Soul Children, and an unreleased alternate of "Toe Hold" by Johnnie Taylor. CD

An overlooked gem from the revival years of Impulse Records – a set recorded in the mid 80s, but one that easily matches the soul and spirituality of the label's best work from the late 60s and early 70s! Pianist Henry Butler steps out here with a strong musical vision – one colored by his own bold McCoy Tyner-esque lines on the piano – and embellished by great solo work from Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Azar Lawrence on tenor. Rhythm is by Charlie Haden on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – who definitely match Butler's pulsating, modal-influenced groove here – and additional instrumentation includes bits of flute and oboe, plus a string quartet on 2 numbers – coming off with Alice Coltrane-like brilliance! Great proof that righteous jazz was still being made in the 80s – with titles that include "Fivin Around", "LA Samba", "Improvisation On An Afghan Theme", "Giant Steps", and "Butler's Blues". CD

A record that adds in some sweet alto sax, courtesy of Bud Shank – played with all the great bossa tones that Bud brought to older work with guitarists like Laurindo Almeida and Joe Pass! The album's got a relatively spare setting – Shank on alto, Byrd on guitar, Joe Byrd on bass, and Charles Redd on drums – and titles include "Zingaro", "Speak Low", "Brazilville", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life", and "Saquarema". CD

One of Richard Davis' hippest records of the 70s – a live session recorded with two very strong hornmen in front – Clifford Jordan on tenor and Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, both blowing beautifully in very spacious, and open-ended styles! The album only features two long tracks – each running a side apiece – and although they're familiar jazz standards, Davis really opens them up with his performance – letting the group take them in a space that's somewhere between open loft jazz modes, and more familiar bop improvisation – but definitely at the left fringes of that style! The rest of the group features Joe Bonner on piano and Freddie Waits on drums – and the album's almost more typical of Clifford Jordan's albums from the time, than it is Davis' more tightly-arranged sessions for Muse. Tracks include versions of "Epistrophy" and "Now's The Time" that both run for over 20 minutes! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic session for MPS, one of the few labels smart enough to ever make bassist Richard Davis a leader on a session! The set is arguably his best record as a leader, and it features a great group, playing in a number of different configurations – a killer lineup with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Jerry Dodgion on alto, Pepper Adams on baritone, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, Roland Hanna on piano, and Louis Hayes on drums – a superb set of musicians with a real breadth of experience and styles, working under the leadership of Davis to make for a wonderfully complex record! There's a mix of formations here, from septet down to duos – and titles include "Milktrain", "What Is It", "Toe Tail Moon", and "A Child Is Born". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Richard Davis' hippest records of the 70s – a live session recorded with two very strong hornmen in front – Clifford Jordan on tenor and Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, both blowing beautifully in very spacious, and open-ended styles! The album only features two long tracks – each running a side apiece – and although they're familiar jazz standards, Davis really opens them up with his performance – letting the group take them in a space that's somewhere between open loft jazz modes, and more familiar bop improvisation – but definitely at the left fringes of that style! The rest of the group features Joe Bonner on piano and Freddie Waits on drums – and the album's almost more typical of Clifford Jordan's albums from the time, than it is Davis' more tightly-arranged sessions for Muse. Tracks include versions of "Epistrophy" and "Now's The Time" that both run for over 20 minutes! CD features a bonus take of Jordan's "Highest Mountain". CD

Features a 1965 recording with English trumpeter Freddy Randall, plus 4 tracks from a 1954 date with the Pee Wee Russell sextet. CD

One of the greatest albums ever from organist Charles Earland – a double-length set that's filled with spiritual, soaring grooves! The style here is a perfect blend of the rougher soul jazz of Earland's roots with some of the spacier styles of his later recordings – served up in a sound that's majestic and powerful, almost with an indie soul jazz sort of vibe overall! There's an immediate urgency to most numbers that's totally undeniable – a lesson learned from the electric experiments of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, but fused down into a core essence – then let loose on a soaring journey to the heavens. Earland plays Hammond, moog, clavinet, and Arp on the set – and other players include Joe Henderson on tenor, Dave Hubbard on alto and soprano sax, Eddie Henderson and Freddie Hubbard on trumpets, Marc Elf on guitar, Harvey Mason on drums, and the incredible Patrick Gleeson on synthesizers – bringing in a spacey edge to the record that's really amazing! Rudy Copeland sings a wonderful vocal on the title cut, "Leaving This Planet" – and all other instrumental cuts include "Red Clay", "Warp Factor 9", "Tyner", "Van Jay", "Never Ending Melody", "Mason's Galaxy", and "Asteroid". LP, Vinyl record album

The great thing about Lee Fields is that he just keeps on giving – giving us the sort of deep soul music that first caught our ears back when he was recording in near obscurity for a small southern label – and which has finally gotten the attention it deserves in recent decades! Lee's got the ability to sing at the level of an Otis Redding or James Carr, but without sounding like he's trying to copy the classics – and for good reason too, as Lee is the classic – maybe a bit younger than Redding and Carr, but not by much – and more than able to take southern soul strongly into the contemporary generation, with slow-burning genius on titles that include "Ordinary Lives", "Sentimental Fool", "The Door", "Forever", "Two Jobs", "Without A Heart", "Your Face Before My Eyes", and "Extraordinary Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to come out in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that includes "Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally fantastic set from the turn of the 70s, and one of Freddie Hubbard's most soulful, spiritual albums ever – a seminal chapter in the evolution of soul jazz – and a record that was a keen inspiration for changes to come on labels like Strata East and Black Jazz! The group here features Kenny Barron on both electric and acoustic piano – really stretching out with a hip, open sort of sound – possibly his first of this type on record – and other players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Patato Valdes on added percussion – giving a more complicated groove to the best numbers. Tunes are all long and well-penned – three by Freddie himself ("Eclipse", "Spacetrack", "Gittin' Down"), one by Kenny Barron ("Black Angel"), and one by Walter Bishop (the original recording of his classic "Coral Keys"!) LP, Vinyl record album

A real gem from Freddie Hubbard's 60s years – an all soul jazz outing, cut with a hip array of players that show that young Fred was definitely on the forefront of jazz at the time! Despite the "blues" in the title, the main groove is spiritual soul jazz – in a style that puts Freddie a few years ahead of the Strata East crew, and working here in a mode that he oddly didn't continue into the 70s. The album's got a really righteous sound overall – with long tracks that really stretch out wonderfully with rich feeling and spirit – thanks to work from players who include Weldon Irvine and Kenny Barron on piano, Bennie Maupin and James Spaulding on reeds, and Freddie Waits on drums. The set's filled with great original tunes that include Freddie's "Latina", "True Colors", and "For BP" – as well as a version of Weldon Irvine's "Can't Let Her Go". CD

A classic European date from Freddie Hubbard – recorded right around the vintage of his Red Clay years, but with a sound that hearkens back more towards his Blue Note sessions of the mid 60s! There's a nicely angular feel to this set – that bold, modern quality that really set Hubbard apart from other players of his generation – and while some of the songs show Freddie's growing love of longer, more openly rhythmic tunes – there's also still a sharper focus on the bold talents of the soloists. Freddie's on trumpet throughout, and other players include Eddie Daniels on tenor – still really sounding great at this point, with a surprisingly hard edge – plus Roland Hanna on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. Titles include "Blues For Duane", "The Things We Did Last Summer", and "Without A Song" – and all tracks are long. LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from Freddie Hubbard – an early hardbop session that features some great work by Tina Brooks on tenor, piano by McCoy Tyner, and rhythm from the team of Sam Jones on bass Clifford Jarvis on drums! And although Freddie's great at this early point in his career – playing with a brash, urgent tone that's totally compelling – we're even bigger fans of the Tina Brooks work on this record! Brooks' tone is amazing – right up there with the style he used on his own rare few Blue Note sides, full of fresh fire and a really edgey approach to the tenor – and together with Hubbard, he helps craft a tight little set that's one of Hubbard's best-ever straight sides from the 60s. Titles include "But Beautiful", "One Mint Julep", "Hub's Nub", "Open Sesame", and "Gypsy Blue". CD