With James Cammack on bass and Idris Muhammad on drums! CD

Magical early work from Ahmad Jamal – a scintillating blend of piano, percussion, and bass – with a sound that was incredibly fresh at the time, and which still sounds pretty much so to our ears! The album crackles with imagination and rhythm – really hitting on all burners without burning itself out – and showing that even in these early days, Jamal's approach was one that could be as striking as it was mellow. Bass is by the incredible Israel Crosby, and drums are by Vernell Fournier – and tracks include "Taboo", "The Girl Next Door", "Should I", "Secret Love", and "Squatty Roo". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing album from Ahmad Jamal – a fantastic start to the 70s, and a set of music that shows just how far the pianist had come in just a few short years! The album's all acoustic, but has some of that spacious flow that Jamal would bring to his work on Fender Rhodes – with an approach that's even more open in terms of song structure than his earlier trio material – as if Jamal's choosing to omit more notes than he's including – but all with a quality that still keeps the music very full and rhythmic – pulsating with a special sort of energy that's neither Bill Evans, nor McCoy Tyner – but instead this really amazing sound that's all Ahmad's own. The trio features equally wonderful work from Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums – and titles include "The Awakening", "I Love Music", "Patterns", "Wave", and "Dolphin Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from Jamal's early Chicago years – and a perfectly titled set that really gets at the differences he made in modern jazz! The tunes are wonderfully fluid, soulful, and swinging – but not in the gutbuckety style of other trios of the time, more in a lightly modern style that features almost equal interplay between Jamal's piano, the bass of Israel Crosby, and the guitar of the wonderful Ray Crawford – who really ads an amazing touch to the record. Tracks include the great original "New Rhumba", plus cool versions of "Jeff", "Darn That Dream", "Spring Is Here", and "All Of You". CD

Really fantastic music from pianist Ahmad Jamal – a set of tracks that's a really nice change from some of the recordings he was doing for Chess Records in the early 60s, and which definitely point the way towards the more stretched-out performances to come on Impulse Records! As the title implies, the setting is live – and Jamal really stretches out here on a number of tunes – working with a free-flowing sense of lyrical beauty that's even more stunning than in the shorter space of a studio cut – really skilled with that ear for tone and timing that made his work such a fresh voice on the piano scene at the time, and a subtle hint at righteous modes to come in the following generation. Chuck Lampkin is on drums throughout, and one set features Richard Evans on bass, the other Jamil Nasser – on long takes of "Bogota", "Minor Adjustments", "All Of You", "Squatty Roo", "Keep On Keeping On", "Minor Moods", "Lollipops & Roses", "Tangerine", and "But Not For Me". CD

Really fantastic music from pianist Ahmad Jamal – a set of tracks that's a really nice change from some of the recordings he was doing for Chess Records in the early 60s, and which definitely point the way towards the more stretched-out performances to come on Impulse Records! As the title implies, the setting is live – and Jamal really stretches out here on a number of tunes – working with a free-flowing sense of lyrical beauty that's even more stunning than in the shorter space of a studio cut – really skilled with that ear for tone and timing that made his work such a fresh voice on the piano scene at the time, and a subtle hint at righteous modes to come in the following generation. Chuck Lampkin is on drums throughout, and one set features Richard Evans on bass, the other Jamil Nasser – on long takes of "Bogota", "Minor Adjustments", "All Of You", "Squatty Roo", "Keep On Keeping On", "Minor Moods", "Lollipops & Roses", "Tangerine", and "But Not For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Piano genius Ahmad Jamal is really taking off here – letting his solos stretch out and his impeccable sense of timing really move things forward from his studio sides of the time – allowed plenty of freedom in the space of the Penthouse nightclub in Seattle during the mid 60s! The package features three different performances, all of which have sublime work on bass from Jamil Nasser – easily one of Jamal's greatest accompanists, and a player whose sense of rounded energy seems tied to the keys of Ahmad's piano at every single moment. Drums are by a different player on each date – Chuck Lampkin, Vernel Fournier, and Frank Gant – and titles include long versions of "Concern", "Feeling Good"," My First Love Song", "Who Can I Turn To", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "Invitation", and "Poinciana". CD

Ahmad Jamal on piano, James Cammack on bass, Idris Muhammad on drums, and Manolo Badrena on percussion. CD

The long-overdue reissue of some of Ahmad Jamal's first recordings – early sides for the Okeh and Columbia labels, all tunes that would go on to have a huge influence on the use of the piano in jazz! All tracks on the set were recorded in the early 50s with Jamal's great drumless trio that featured Ray Crawford on guitar and either Eddie Calhoun or Israel Crosby on bass – the latter of whom is tremendous here, working as a player who really helped set his instrument free from its traditional role in jazz. The trio's blend of guitar, bass, and piano is completely unique – extremely inventive at both a rhythmic and melodic level, as each instrument often fills both roles equally well – dancing around with an internal groove that emerges outwardly as an especially fluid approach to the tune. If you've never heard Jamal at his early best like this, the CD's gotta be one of the best places we can think of to start – as it features 21 titles in all, all beautifully remastered with impeccable sound that goes far beyond even our original albums! Titles include "Poinciana", "Black Beauty", "Something To Remember You By", "Pavanne", "Perfida", "Rica Pulpa", "Old Devil Moon", "Autumn Leaves", "Ahmad's Blues", and "Aki & Ukthay". CD

Wonderful open-ended Ahmad Jamal music from the end of the 60s – and a set that really shows his growth as a player at the time! The "revisited" in the title refers to Jamal's earlier success on Argo records with a recording of "Poinciana" – one that forever made the tune his, thanks to a long-flowing approach that took the familiar standard, and turned it into the perfect foil for Jamal's expressive piano style. But the vibe here is very different – even more open than before, with a beautiful 9 minute reworking of the tune that's worth the price of admission alone! The trio features Jamil Sulieman on bass and Frank Gant on drums – and titles include "Poinciana", "Call Me", "Lament", "How Insensitive", and "Have You Met Miss Jones". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous live performance from Ahmad Jamal – one that has the piano genius stretching out on some very long tracks, in a spirit that's similar to the magic he brought to his early 70s records for the Impulse label! As on those, Jamal here also plays a bit of Fender Rhodes – in the company of drummer Frank Gant and bassist Jami Nasser – both players whose sense of open flow really matches Ahmad's energy on the piano – as the tracks take off, open up, and sparkle with creative imagination throughout! The whole thing is a key addition to the small catalog of records from this moment – which include Outertimeinnerspace and Awakening – and titles include long takes on "Bogota", "Effendi", and "Manhattan Reflections". LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking work from the legendary Ahmad Jamal – not just in his own career, but in live jazz in general! The album's a classic recording of Jamal's trio with Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – captured at the Pershing Lounge on the south side of Chicago, where Jamal was clearly wowing the crowd with his amazing talents on the piano. The groove here is sublimely fluid and soulful – clearly the next wave of expression on the piano in the 50s, and as important to the Chicago scene as Bill Evans was to that of New York at the time. The recording quality is wonderful – clear enough to capture the subtleties of Crosby's amazing bass, and the lightly tippling sound of Fournier's drums – and titles include a classic extended reading of "Poinciana", plus "What's New", "But Not For Me", and "No Greater Love". CD

Groundbreaking work from the legendary Ahmad Jamal – not just in his own career, but in live jazz in general! The album's a classic recording of Jamal's trio with Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – captured at the Pershing Lounge on the south side of Chicago, where Jamal was clearly wowing the crowd with his amazing talents on the piano. The groove here is sublimely fluid and soulful – clearly the next wave of expression on the piano in the 50s, and as important to the Chicago scene as Bill Evans was to that of New York at the time. The recording quality is wonderful – clear enough to capture the subtleties of Crosby's amazing bass, and the lightly tippling sound of Fournier's drums – and titles include a classic extended reading of "Poinciana", plus "What's New", "But Not For Me", and "No Greater Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Piano genius Ahmad Jamal is really taking off here – letting his solos stretch out and his impeccable sense of timing really move things forward from his studio sides of the time – allowed plenty of freedom in the space of the Penthouse nightclub in Seattle during the mid 60s! The package features three different performances, all of which have sublime work on bass from Jamil Nasser – easily one of Jamal's greatest accompanists, and a player whose sense of rounded energy seems tied to the keys of Ahmad's piano at every single moment. Drums are by a different player on each date – Chuck Lampkin, Vernel Fournier, and Frank Gant – and titles include long versions of "Concern", "Feeling Good"," My First Love Song", "Who Can I Turn To", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "Invitation", and "Poinciana". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice range of tracks from Ahmad, and one that really illustrates the diversity of styles he was using in the 70s. Some cuts feature acoustic piano, and others electric – but the best moments are those when the groove gets nice and funky, with that spacey expanded tip that was used to push Ahmad's style way past the cliches of the 60s. Titles include "Genetic Walk", "Chase", "La Costa", and "Don't Ask My Neighbors – all of which were arranged by Richard Evans, the latter two both nice covers! LP, Vinyl record album

Ahmad Jamal from the 80s – and we love it! The record has Ahmad stepping into yet another guise and handling it wonderfully – blending together smooth soul and string arrangements with some sweet jazzy piano lines that soar over the top! The strings and orchestrations are handled by Gil Askey, stepping along with a nice soulful bounce – as Ahmad plays acoustic piano with lots of dark overtones and really nice edges. The whole thing really sparkles, a lot more than you might think from the date – and it's got some great jazzy steppers tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

A great little set from Ahmad – laidback, mellow, with a slowly spiralling groove that's slyly funky at times. Ahmad's playing acoustic piano and clavinet on the record – and arrangements are by Bones Howe, Richard Evans, Ahmad, and Mike Melvoin. A few tracks feature a larger group with more electric horns or strings – and about half the album's played by a sextet that includes Calvin Keys on guitar. Tracks include "Jet", "Festival", "Dynamo", "Sumayah", and a nice version of "Black Cow"! LP, Vinyl record album

Ahmad Jamal on piano, Reginald Veal on double bass, Herlin Riley on drums, and Manolo Badrena on percussion. CD

A live set – one of many fine ones that Jamal recorded for Argo during the early 60s – recorded at his own Alhambra Club in Chicago, with the classic trio that included Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums. Tracks are light and lively – and very Jamal – and titles include "Time On My Hands", "Angel Eyes", "You Go To My Head", "Star Eyes", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing album from Ahmad Jamal – a fantastic start to the 70s, and a set of music that shows just how far the pianist had come in just a few short years! The album's all acoustic, but has some of that spacious flow that Jamal would bring to his work on Fender Rhodes – with an approach that's even more open in terms of song structure than his earlier trio material – as if Jamal's choosing to omit more notes than he's including – but all with a quality that still keeps the music very full and rhythmic – pulsating with a special sort of energy that's neither Bill Evans, nor McCoy Tyner – but instead this really amazing sound that's all Ahmad's own. The trio features equally wonderful work from Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums – and titles include "The Awakening", "I Love Music", "Patterns", "Wave", and "Dolphin Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

A great later session from pianist Red Garland – recorded in the early 80s with support from Ahmad Jamal's old trio-mates – Jamil Nassar on bass and Frank Gant on drums! The Garland heard here is a gentler one than on his earlier recordings – playing with a nice Jamal-like sense of spacious exploration and mellow grooving. Tunes are mostly standards, but they're handled here in a manner that makes them feel much more like personal statements of expression than familiar chestnuts – and titles include "This Can't Be Love", "Misty", "But Not For Me", "Over The Rainbow", and "If I Were A Bell". CD

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

A massive overview of the genius that was Impulse Records in the 60s and 70s – presented here as a 38 track collection that runs through all different modes of music at the label! The 4CD collection is a great counterpart to the book of the same name – but even if you don't pick up the book, the music alone tells a fantastic story – the evolution of jazz in from initial modern moments at the end of the 50s, through spiritual exploration and new freedoms of the 60s, to new righteous messages of the early 70s – all recorded beautifully by one of the greatest labels in the jazz business during the entire stretch! Perhaps our only complaint here is that the package leans too heavily on already-reissued material on Impulse, and doesn't really bring anything new to the table – but as an overview, it can't be beat – and features work by artists who include Charles Mingus, Albert Ayler, Paul Gonsalves, Gil Evans, Oliver Nelson, Freddie Hubbard, John Handy, Chico Hamilton, Ahmad Jamal, Chico O'Farrill, Pharoah Sanders, John Coltrane, Sonny Stitt, Gabor Szabo, and many more! CD

Features work by Ahmad Jamal, Benny Golson & Art Farmer Jazztet, Al Grey, Lorez Alexandria, Buddy Rich, James Moody, Roland Kirk, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

A set that goes much farther back than the others in this series, and which has a much wider range of music, too – not just drumbreaks and basslines, but a mix of many different elements that have been sampled in recent years! Given that the package includes cuts samples by artists who include Chance The Rapper, Jay Z, Wu Tang Clan, Amy Winehouse, Prodigy, and Damian Marley, you can bet there's a good sense of variety going on – and the 2LP set features 28 tracks in all – with titles that include "Black & Tan Fantasy" by Thelonious Monk, "Walk On By" by Cal Tjader, "Angel Eyes" by Ahmad Jamal, "Rags & Old Iron" by Nina Simone, "Russian Lullaby" by Ella Fitzgerald, "Sign Of The Times" by Bob James, "Yesterdays" by Clifford Brown & Max Roach, "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" by Dinah Washington, "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" by Gil Scott Heron, "All Through The Night" by Ella Fitzgerald, "Exodus" by Ferrante & Teicher, "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones, "I'm Shakin" by Little Willie John, "Lonely Bull" by Herb Alpert, "God Bless The Child" by Billie Holiday, and "Time Out For Tears" by Chris Connor. LP, Vinyl record album

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Very tasty stuff indeed – one of the few rare sessions cut for Prestige by Chicago pianist John Wright – a very soulful player who emerged from the Windy City at the end of the 60s! Wright's got a really fluid style here – one that nicely links some of the uptown class of Ahmad Jamal and Ramsey Lewis with some of the grittier, bluesier modes that had been coming from the south side for many years before! There's a sense of grace and poise here that goes way beyond simple soul jazz cliches – a sense of depth that's really great, even on the more blues-based numbers. The rest of the trio features Wendell Marshall on bass and JC Heard on drums – and titles include the Wright originals "Pie Face", "Yes I Know", "You Do It", and "The Wright Way" – plus versions of "Things Are Getting Better" and "Witchcraft". LP, Vinyl record album

Although you might think this is just some cheapo major label compilation of fake funky tracks, it's actually a darn nice selection of material that spans the full range of all the Polygram related labels, and it even includes some killer unreleased tracks! Highlights include the previously unissued cut "Party Sex" by Roy Ayers, a great funky cut that ranks with his best; a rare long version of "To My Brother", one of our fave lost cuts by the JBs; "Use Me", also by the JBs, and issued only on 45; and "Monticello", a nice mellow groover by Monty Alexander, never before issued in the US! There's a total of 29 cuts on 2 CDs – with tracks that include "Superstition" and "Boatride" by Ahmad Jamal, "On Broadway" by Jess Roden, "Candido's Funk" by Candido, "Fickle Funk" by Chick Corea, "Water Torture" by Bennie Maupin, and "The Baron" by Chico Hamilton. Nice nice – and a wonderful collection of jazzy funk! CD

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". LP, Vinyl record album

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". CD features 1 bonus track – "Some Other Time". CD

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". Includes the bonus track "Some Other Time". CD

A rocketing bit of South African funky soul – and of the few great records released on Ahmad Jamal's short-lived Jamal label! The session's a lot hipper than some of the South African work that was issued in the US around the same time – and the feel here is almost more in a London post-colonial mode, with a strong criss-crossing of elements, but also a good sense of roots. There's an undercurrent of funk, too – tightly vamping rhythms, killer percussion, and it's peppered with sharp jazz solos from Gwangwa on trombone and Du Du Pukwana on sax – an overall groove that's almost like some of the Perception/Today label jazz funk of the early 70s! Some cuts feature vocals from Mamsie, and titles include "Dark City", "Switch #2", "Switch #1", "Szaba Szaba", "Kwatula", "Chant", "Who", and "African Sausage". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly wonderful set from Wynton Kelly – really fluid and swinging, and with a unique approach on half the material! The core group of the set features Kenny Burrell on guitar, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but then Jones sits it out on the second side of the record, making for a drum-less approach that's looser and freer than we might expect from Kelly. Not necessarily Ahmad Jamal, but really nice and fresh – and with tracks that include "Action", "Dark Eyes", "Strong Man", "Ill Wind", and "Whisper Not". LP, Vinyl record album

Wicked electric funk from Ahmad Miller – aka Madlib, aka Yesterday' New Quintet! The feel of the record is very much in the vein of the Yesterdays New Quintet singles – a fluttering mix of vibes, Fender Rhodes, keyboards, and funky percussion – kind of like the best bits of a classic 70s CTI session, or the best stripped down and electric Ahmad Jamal albums! The whole thing's instrumental, with a really mellow funky chilled out vibe – and the whole thing's great! Titles include "Now Or Later", "Traffic Zone", "Arroyo", "Little Angel", and "Windy C". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from James Moody & His Orchestra, Gene Ammons Sextet, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims Quartet, Ahmad Jamal, Benny Goodman Orchestra, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Burrell Trio, Ramsey Lewis, Ray Bryant, Oliver Nelson, and more. CD

Pure genius from a great lineup – an assortment of players who've made quite a name recording sets like this one for the Japanese market! Tenorist Eric Alexander is very firmly in place on the set – giving it the same gentle soul and well-crafted sound as his own great albums – and other players include Jim Rotondi on trumpet, David Hazeltine on piano, Joe Farnsworth on drums, and Steve Davis on trombone. The horns in the frontline are beautifully poised throughout – tightly crackling on the head arrangements, then breaking out in soulful solos – in a way that reminds us a lot of some of the legendary work by the Benny Golson-Art Farmer Jazztet. It's no surprise that the group covers the Jazztet standard "Killer Joe" – and the album also features great versions of Duke Pearson's "You Know I Care" and Ahmad Jamal's "Night Mist Blues" – plus originals "Island" and "Hot Sake". CD

Pure genius from a great lineup – an assortment of players who've made quite a name recording sets like this one for the Japanese market! Tenorist Eric Alexander is very firmly in place on the set – giving it the same gentle soul and well-crafted sound as his own great albums – and other players include Jim Rotondi on trumpet, David Hazeltine on piano, Joe Farnsworth on drums, and Steve Davis on trombone. The horns in the frontline are beautifully poised throughout – tightly crackling on the head arrangements, then breaking out in soulful solos – in a way that reminds us a lot of some of the legendary work by the Benny Golson-Art Farmer Jazztet. It's no surprise that the group covers the Jazztet standard "Killer Joe" – and the album also features great versions of Duke Pearson's "You Know I Care" and Ahmad Jamal's "Night Mist Blues" – plus originals "Island" and "Hot Sake". CD

A classic compilation of material from the hip later years of Impulse – put together with a title that's a bit misleading, given that some of this stuff was clearly getting some play on underground FM radio! There's some key righteous classics here – like "Attica Blues" and "Money Blues" by Archie Shepp, "Astral Traveling" by Pharoah Sanders, "Galaxy In Turiya" and "Blue Nile" by Alice Coltrane, and "Worry Bout It Later" by Cliff Coulter – alongside other tracks that include "Larry Of Arabia" by Chico Hamilton, "Wave" by Ahmad Jamal, and "Crystalized Tears" by John Klemmer. LP, Vinyl record album

Spirit, swing, and a whole lot more – a mighty collection of music all hand-picked by the legendary Nicola Conte! There's a deeply soulful groove to the whole thing – and a touch of the exotic as well – and the package really reminds us a lot of the great Gilles Peterson Universal collections that were out a few years back – full of deep tones and rich colors, and proof that when you've got the right guy at the helm, a collection of older jazz tracks can be way more than just the sum of its parts! In addition to Universal label work – originally issued on Decca, Emarcy, and other labels – the package features some Fantasy/Prestige tracks too – including some great gems we might have missed otherwise. Almost 75 minutes of music – with titles that include "Taboo" by Dorothy Ashby, "New Delhi" by James Clay, "Big P" by New Jazz Orchestra, "Juan-Les-Pins" by Staffan Abeleen, "Subo" by Klaus Weiss, "Spanish Castles" by George Gruntz, "Modette" by Roy Haynes, "My Favorite Things" by Sound Of Feeling, "Jungle Fantasy" by Yusef Lateef, "Feeling Good" by Pat Bowie, "The Hooter" by Ernie Wilkins, "Afro Blue" by Abbey Lincoln, "Bogota" by Ahmad Jamal, and "Baltimore Oriole" by Lorez Alexandria. CD