A lovely later recording from Stan Getz – very spare and spacious, and recorded with a casual approach that's quite striking, and really fresh! The album features Stan playing alongside pianist Albert Dailey – with no other rhythm accompaniment, just piano and tenor sax. The tunes are mostly familiar numbers, played in a relaxed, improvised mode that makes the whole thing feel like you're getting a lucky glimpse of Stan and Albert playing together in an after hours session or rehearsal. There's a bit of roughness in the recording, but given the depth of soul and color from both players, that quality also emerges as an honest humanity that only serves to make the recording more compelling! Titles include "Tune Up", "A Child Is Born", "Confirmation", "Round Midnight", and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most". CD

One of the few 70s albums as a leader from pianist Albert Dailey – a player who was making great magic with Stan Getz at the time, but who also seems to have a completely different voice on his own! Dailey's got a way of being open, joyous, and very creative – but always in a style that's never too familiar, nor ever aping the modes of some of his more famous 70s contemporaries – which creates a very fresh sound to the whole record, that kind of special, stand-alone spirit that maybe graces some of the best of the Japanese-recorded trio dates of the 70s, and a rare few American sessions too. Accompaniment is superb – Buster Williams on bass and Billy Hart on drums – both players with more than enough imagination to both keep up with Dailey's creativity, and augment him in just the right way – on titles that include "Body & Soul", "Yesterdays", "Lover Man", "Music That Makes Me Dance", and "That Old Feeling". CD

A lovely later recording from Stan Getz – very spare and spacious, and recorded with a casual approach that's quite striking, and really fresh! The album features Stan playing alongside pianist Albert Dailey – with no other rhythm accompaniment, just piano and tenor sax. The tunes are mostly familiar numbers, played in a relaxed, improvised mode that makes the whole thing feel like you're getting a lucky glimpse of Stan and Albert playing together in an after hours session or rehearsal. There's a bit of roughness in the recording, but given the depth of soul and color from both players, that quality also emerges as an honest humanity that only serves to make the recording more compelling! Titles include "Tune Up", "A Child Is Born", "Confirmation", "Round Midnight", and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from this great pianist – one of his few dates as a leader, and maybe the boldest of them all – as the session really soars with a heck of a lot of spiritual energy! The vibe here is maybe more in the Muse Records side of the spectrum than Strata East, but that's OK with us as the whole thing really soars with all this searching, modal energy – delivered by a very cool group that features Carter Jefferson on soprano and tenor sax, Cecil McBee on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums! Cheryl Alexander sings on one track – giving the record a slightly soulful vibe. Titles include "Dues We Have To Pay", "Black Raspberry", "I Love You", "Gee Monetti", and "Autumn Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

A lovely later recording from Stan Getz – very spare and spacious, and recorded with a casual approach that's quite striking, and really fresh! The album features Stan playing alongside pianist Albert Dailey – with no other rhythm accompaniment, just piano and tenor sax. The tunes are mostly familiar numbers, played in a relaxed, improvised mode that makes the whole thing feel like you're getting a lucky glimpse of Stan and Albert playing together in an after hours session or rehearsal. There's a bit of roughness in the recording, but given the depth of soul and color from both players, that quality also emerges as an honest humanity that only serves to make the recording more compelling! Titles include "Tune Up", "A Child Is Born", "Confirmation", "Round Midnight", and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most". CD

One of Archie Shepp's most fragile and most beautiful albums – a set of mellower tunes dedicated to John Coltrane, played on tenor and soprano sax with support from a trio that includes Albert Dailey on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums! The album's a real standout in Shepp's aging stretch – a session that's much more straight ahead than his earlier work, but which also benefits from his years of more exploratory blowing – experience that echoes out here in powerful notes and phrasings that he brings into the tunes at delightfully unexpected moments. As with Shepp's earlier Four For Trane album for Impulse, the sound here is not a copycat of Coltrane at all – but a fresh new vision that takes inspiration from the creativity of the master, and works with the same sense of soul and striving. Titles include "Soul Eyes", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "Wise One", "Where Are You", and "Theme For Ernie". CD

Overlooked spiritual jazz genius from Chicago trumpeter Malachi Thompson – a player who was making 70s-styled sessions when most folks had given up on the music! The vibe here is right between Strata East and some of the more righteous 70s sessions on Muse – and the group features superb work from tenorist Carter Jefferson, who's at the level of his Rise Of Atlantis work from back in the day – in a group that also features Albert Dailey on piano, James King on bass, Nasar Abadey on drums, and Randy Abbott on congas. Arnae Burton sings on the track "Back To The One", Leon Thomas guests on "No More Hard Times" – and other instrumental tracks include "A Rising Daystar", "Spirit Of Man", "Dhyia Malika", and "I Remember Clifford". CD features the bonus track "Dearly Beloved". CD

The great one blows in a sweet 50s modern harbop mode – in a group with Red Rodney on trumpet, Albert Dailey on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. Titles include "Little Chico", "Social Call", "Half Nelson", "Greenhouse", "Darn That Dream", and "Casbah". LP, Vinyl record album

Early soul jazz brilliance from a young Gary Bartz – music that pre-dates his Ntu Troup, and his work with Larry Mizell! Libra is fantastic early work from Gary – and probably his rarest record ever! The album was cut at a time when the young Bartz was first coming to prominence in the hip late 60s soul jazz group of Max Roach – and Bartz's playing at the time is a perfect model of mid-Coltrane searching with some of the tighter sides of soul jazz that were being forged at labels like Blue Note by players like Hank Mobley or Lee Morgan. The record's a masterpiece of youthful soulful energy – and the group includes Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, Albert Dailey on piano, and Billy Higgins on drums, all players who are perfectly matched to fit Bartz's stridently creative vision. His solos on alto are impeccable – some of the most meaningful we've ever heard on the instrument from the time – and the album's a great one all the way through! Titles include "Air & Fire", "Eastern Blues", "Libra", "Freedom Of The Day", and "Cabin In The Sky". Another Earth is amazing too – one of the first that Gary Bartz ever cut – done during a time when he'd been working with Max Roach and a super-hip group of younger soul jazz players who would go onto shape the sound of the 70s. Bartz leads a group that includes Stanley Cowell, Freddy Waits, Charles Tolliver, Pharoah Sanders, and Reggie Workman – and the music sounds like it was lifted from one of the best albums on Strata East from the 70s. There's no funk, no vocals, no weird rhythms – just pure spiritual jazz, played to perfection, and filled with a creative vitality that most of the players had lost a few years later. Tracks include the album-side "Another Earth", plus "Dark Nebula", "UFO", and "Perihelion & Aphelion". Note: CD omits the track "Disjunction" from Libra – due to space restrictions. CD

Extremely soulful work from young tenor giant Ricky Ford – one of a number of really strong sides he cut for Muse early on in his career, and a set that continues the indie soul jazz vibe of the 70s nicely! The group's a no-nonsense ensemble that features Albert Dailey on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, Jimmy Cobb on drums, and Jack Walrath on trumpet – and all of the songs are Ford originals and titles include "This Our Love", "Christmas Cheer", "Hour Samba", "Saxaceous Serenade", "Portrait Of Love", "Orb", and "Arcadian Eclipse". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – with Ricky Ford on tenor, Bruce Forman on guitar, Albert Dailey on piano, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Billy Hart on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A great amalgamation of players – and a quintet with powers far beyond their hokey name! The group's working in a polished approach to post-bop – a bit like styles heard on some of the Timeless and Steeplechase sessions of the late 70s, but with a more directive approach that really pushes the strong tunes on the set. The quintet features Charlie Rouse on tenor, Benny Bailey on trumpet, Albert Dailey on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Keith Copeland on drums – all working their way through longish tunes by composers that include John Hicks and Fritz Pauer, as well as Rouse and Dailey. The album features a beautiful take on Hicks' great tune "Naima's Love Song", plus the tracks "After The Morning", "Spelunke", "Lil Sherry", and "Mr McGhee". CD

Early soul jazz brilliance from a young Gary Bartz – music that pre-dates his Ntu Troup, and his work with Larry Mizell! Libra is fantastic early work from Gary – and probably his rarest record ever! The album was cut at a time when the young Bartz was first coming to prominence in the hip late 60s soul jazz group of Max Roach – and Bartz's playing at the time is a perfect model of mid-Coltrane searching with some of the tighter sides of soul jazz that were being forged at labels like Blue Note by players like Hank Mobley or Lee Morgan. The record's a masterpiece of youthful soulful energy – and the group includes Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, Albert Dailey on piano, and Billy Higgins on drums, all players who are perfectly matched to fit Bartz's stridently creative vision. His solos on alto are impeccable – some of the most meaningful we've ever heard on the instrument from the time – and the album's a great one all the way through! Titles include "Air & Fire", "Eastern Blues", "Libra", "Freedom Of The Day", and "Cabin In The Sky". Another Earth is amazing too – one of the first that Gary Bartz ever cut – done during a time when he'd been working with Max Roach and a super-hip group of younger soul jazz players who would go onto shape the sound of the 70s. Bartz leads a group that includes Stanley Cowell, Freddy Waits, Charles Tolliver, Pharoah Sanders, and Reggie Workman – and the music sounds like it was lifted from one of the best albums on Strata East from the 70s. There's no funk, no vocals, no weird rhythms – just pure spiritual jazz, played to perfection, and filled with a creative vitality that most of the players had lost a few years later. Tracks include the album-side "Another Earth", plus "Dark Nebula", "UFO", and "Perihelion & Aphelion". Note: CD omits the track "Disjunction" from Libra – due to space restrictions. CD

The title's an apt one, as the set's a great batch of back-to-basics work from Larry Coryell – a player who first started out bold and strong in the 60s, and never really had a time to lay back in a more relaxed set like this! There's still a spacious approach that really marks the Coryell approach to guitar – but Larry's never too dramatic, nor too noodly here – and instead often hits a nicely soulful mode that's right at home in the Muse Records setting. Other players include Albert Dailey on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – and Julie Coryell sings vocals on one track, a version of "It Never Entered My Mind". Other titles include "Glorielle", "Good Citizen Swallow", "Twelve & Twelve", and "No More Booze Minor Blues". CD

A Heavy Hitter from tenorist Eddie Lockjaw Davis – recorded a bit late in his career, but with a sound that's mighty nice – and every bit as great as some of his 60s recordings for Prestige! The combo's small, swinging, and soulful – Albert Dailey on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums – coming together with a perfect punch that makes Davis sound better than he'd sounded in years – blowing with that raspy, human tone that nobody else did so well – grabbing us from the get-go, even on familiar tunes! Titles include "Comin Home Baby", "Jim Dog", "Just One Of Those Things", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". CD

A Heavy Hitter from tenorist Eddie Lockjaw Davis – recorded a bit late in his career, but with a sound that's mighty nice – and every bit as great as some of his 60s recordings for Prestige! The combo's small, swinging, and soulful – Albert Dailey on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums – coming together with a perfect punch that makes Davis sound better than he'd sounded in years – blowing with that raspy, human tone that nobody else did so well – grabbing us from the get-go, even on familiar tunes! Titles include "Comin Home Baby", "Jim Dog", "Just One Of Those Things", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from tenor legend Budd Johnson – and a record that nicely updates his sound by pairing him with a hip 60s-styled group! The album's got a jaunty feel that's like the best soul jazz sessions on Impulse at the time – taking Budd's tenor and placing it next to trumpet by Joe Newman, piano by Albert Dailey, bass from Richard Davis, and drums by Grady Tate. Upbeat tracks bounce along in a swinging take on mainstream soul jazz – and the mellower cuts feature some really wonderful blowing from Budd – done with a raspy tone that's got a nice earthy quality! Includes the jazz dancer "Off The Wall", the samba-styled "Strange Music", a snapping take on "Baubles Bangles & Beads", and the syncopated groover "Playin' My Hunch". LP, Vinyl record album