Includes a side's worth of material from each pianist – with Garner titles including "Cottage For Sale", "Rosalie", "Stairway To The Stars", "September Song" and more; and Taylor songs including "Mad Monk", "Solace", "Misty Morning Blues" and more, with sidemen including Al Hall, Jimmy Crawfor, John Hardee, Milt Page, John Simmons, and Shadow Wilson. LP, Vinyl record album

The fragile genius of Johnnie Ray is beyond compare! Johnnie had this weird wispy voice that was quite uncommon for male singers of the time (although it probably paved the way for countless falsetto acts of the past two decades) – and his strange way of putting over a song was often misunderstood in his day, but still managed to grab quite a few ears at the time. Til Morning is a jazzier set cut with the Billy Taylor Trio – titles include "My Ideal", "I'm Confessin", "Hands Across The Table", and "Day By Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A great record – or half-great, as the case may be! One part of this album features Billy with his standard trio of Earl May and Percy Brice, playing mellow piano trio versions of tracks that include "Tune For Tex", "Goodbye", "Biddy's Beat", and "Eddie's Theme". Those cuts are fine, but the real strength of the album lies on the last 4 cuts – all killer Latin jazz numbers cut with a rhythm section that includes Machito, Jose Mangual, Charlie Smith, and Uba Nieto. The added conga, bongos, and timbales really make the tracks groove – and you'll find yourself coming back to "I Love To Mambo", "Mambo Azul", "Early Morning Mambo", and "Candido" more than you will the rest of the record. CD

Pianist Billy Taylor builds around the core trio of Christian McBride and drummer Marvin Smith with extensive guest work from Stanley Turrentine on tenor, Ray Mantilla on congas, and vocalist Grady Tate. CD

It might not be the frolic that the title implies, but that's a plus – because this a straight-up solid early album from Taylor – recorded in tight trio format, with that no-nonsense soulful approach that made him a star player from the start! The group features the great (and underrated) Earl May on bass and Kenny Dennis on drums – both of whom help Taylor work some simple magic that flowers wonderfully as the album moves on. There's a tight, sharp, in the pocket groove here that makes Taylor a key precursor for other piano talents to come in the 60s – and titles include "When Lights Are Low", "At Long Last Love", "Poinciana", "Blue Moon", "One For Fun", and "A Little Southside Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great trio date from Billy Taylor – and somewhat overlooked, too! The group features Henry Grimes on bass and Ray Mosca on drums – and the set captures Billy in a perfect spot between his early work for Prestige, and some of his 60s mainstream material – heard here in a mode that's still got some nice soul jazz grit in the grooves. Titles include "Soul Sister", "Biddy's Beat", "La Petite Mambo", "Cu Blu", and "Warm Blue Stream". CD

Billy Taylor on piano. CD

Some of the best work you can get from Billy Taylor – and some of the earliest too! Taylor's 50s trio with Earl May and Percy Brice is augmented by conga work by the great Candido – and this addition brings a lot of fire to the group, giving Taylor's normally safe style a harder percussive edge. Proof of this can be found in the classic reading of "Mambo Inn", one of those Latin piano tunes that's been a jazz dance classic for years. Other tracks include "Love For Sale", "A Live One", and "Bit Of Bedlam". LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty well peak era material from pianist Cecil Taylor – doing his thing with incredible line up of jazz greats on a couple NYC dates from early 1961! A couple of the pieces here are pure magic – we're especially loving the bits where Cecil is kind of hitting the keys heavily, spurring the players from a comfortable, measured gait into something a bit more feral, but it never busts wide open, creating a dynamic tension. The cream of the crop are on board, including Clark Terry, Roswell Rudd, Steve Lacy, Archie Shepp and Billy Higgins. The numbers mostly run north of 8 minutes, for a nicely loose, lingering groove, and titles include "Jumpin' Punkins", "OP", "O Forgot" and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". CD

A solo piano tribute to Billy Taylor. Tracks include "Finally Free", "Blues For BT", "Taylor's Triumph", "Spontaneos Composition & Improvisation No. 1" and "Soul Doctor". CD

A much-needed look at songwriter Chip Taylor – best-remembered for penning the Troggs' classic "Wild Thing", but the man behind some other wonderful work of the 60s as well! As you'll hear in this wonderfully-collected set, Taylor's tunes found plenty of welcome ears in both the rock and soul sides of the music spectrum – no surprise, as his songs often have a timeless, personal quality that we'd rank right up there with the work of Jimmy Webb – although most of Chip's compositions are often a bit more playful as well! As with others in the "songwriter" series from Ace, this volume presents the material with rich track-by-track notes, label scans, and vintage photos – a very detailed look at Taylor's tunes, with titles that include "I Can't Let Go" by Evie Sands, "Country Girl City Man" by Billy Vera & Judy Clay, "Sneakin Up On You" by Peggy Lee, "Picture Me Gone" by Madeline Bell, "Is That You" by Arthur & Mary, "Welcome Home" by Walter Jackson, "Son Of A Rotten Gambler" by The Hollies, "Wake Up John" by Little Eva, "Tommy" by Reparata & The Delrons, "My Johnny Doesn't Come Around Any More" by Debbie Rollins, "His True Love For You" by Al McCarther, "Make Me Belong To You" by Barbara Lewis, "Any Way That You Want Me" by Tina Mason, "Try Just A Little Bit Harder" by Lorraine Ellison, and "I Want The Real Thing" by Chip Taylor himself. CD

Obscure recordings that Hawk did for the Jazztone label in the mid 50s – sides that were not well packaged at the time, and often get confused with other work recorded for different labels. The tracks capture Hawkins at a wonderful period in his career – almost lost between eras, but playing with a sound and tone that demand immediate attention – and which have a timeless quality that we love even more than his earlier work. There's some slight touches of the modern edge that Hawk would pick up more at the end of the 50s – but mostly, the dominant approach is one that features lush and soulful tenor work – almost perfect, with nary a note out of place! Players include Billy Taylor, Milt Hinton, and Joe Jones on the core group – plus Emmett Berry and Eddie Bert – and titles include "Blue Love", "If I Had You", "Get Happy", "Just You Just Me", "Cheek To Cheek", and "Lullaby Of Birdland". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible tribute to the genius of Memphis Soul legend Issac Hayes – one that's overflowing with unreleased material, and presented in a totally cool package! The set's shaped like a 7" single box – and is book-like, with very detailed notes by Stax historian Robert Gordon, alongside page after page of vintage photos and other cool images, too. And inside some of the pages are 4 super-cool CDs – each of which has a different theme that further exposes Ike's genius! CD1 is titled "Soul Songwriter Soul Producer" – and features two dozen tracks that Hayes handled for Stax/Volt – material by The Astors, Danny White, David Porter, Floyd Newman, Johnnie Taylor, Charlie Rich, Judy Clay, The Charmels, Soul Children, Billy Eckstine, The Emotions, Ruby Johnson, and others. CD2 is titled "Volt & Enterprise Singles" – and features all the 7" tracks released by Isaac Hayes during his time on those labels – including two tracks done as a duet with David Porter, two more as Sir Isaac & The Do-Dads, and even a rare Radio Spot too! Things really get interesting on CD3, titled "Cover Man" – which features those cool, long extrapolations of other folks' songs that Hayes pioneered on his albums – but included here with unreleased material too. There's a great never-heard take on "Windows Of The World" – plus unreleased PUSH Black Expo material from 1970 – live takes on "Ten Commandments Of Love", "Just Want To Make Love To You/Rock Me Baby", "I Stand Accused", and "Stormy Monday". CD4 is maybe the coolest of the bunch – titled "Jam Master", with those long grooves that Ike did in the studio while putting together records. Almost all the tracks on CD4 are previously unissued – including "You've Made Me So Very Happy", "Black Militant's Place", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Do Your Thing (extended jam)", "Groove A Thon (extended jam)", and "Hung Up On My Baby (extended jam)". And if all that isn't enough, the set even comes with a cool 7" replica of Ike's first single for the Youngstown label – "Laura We're On Our First Go-Round". CD

An excellent collection of early work recorded under Johnny Hodges' name in the early years – sessions from 1938 and 1939 that were originally issued on 78s, but presented here in a classic Columbia LP! The tracks are a great assortment of small group numbers that focus on Hodges' tremendous tone on alto sax – recorded with Ellingtonian players that include the Duke himself, as well as Cootie Williams on trumpet, Harry Carney on reeds, Lawrence Brown on trombone, and Billy Taylor on piano. The set features 16 tracks in all – and titles include "Empty Ballroom Blues", "Jeep's Blues", "Good Gal Blues", "Skunk Hollow Blues", "Hodge Podge", and "Rent Party Blues". CD

Featuring Jabbo Smith, Sidney De Paris, Benny Carter, and Billy Taylor. CD

Three rare Storyville albums from singer Teddi King – all packaged up here in a cool Japanese paper sleeve set! First up is Now In Vogue – one of a number of great small group sessions done by singer Teddi King for the Storyville label – nicely relaxed, with backing from a septet that features Billy Taylor on piano, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Nick Travis on trumpet, and Gene Quill on alto! The Storyville approach really brings out the best in Teddi's vocals – as the easy-going nature of the record has King sounding a bit more grown-up and adult than before – singing lines in a slightly sultry style, yet still with some of the bird-like notes heard on other albums. Taylor's piano adds a nice grounding to the record – and titles include "Old Folks", "Why Do You Suppose", "I'm In The Market For You", "You Hit The Spot", "Something To Live For", and "Like A Ship Without A Sail". Miss Teddi King is great early work from vocalist Teddi King – a set that's got a lot more dark corners and moody moments than some of her later work! The group here is nice and small – a quartet that features Ruby Braff on trumpet, Jimmy Jones on piano, Jo Jones on drums, and Milt Hinton on bass – all of whom accompany Teddi with a nicely sensitive sound – often augmenting her trilling vocals with some nicely blue tones of their own. The tracks are all familiar ones, but they're done in a mellow late nite feel that really gives them a new life of their own. Titles include "I Saw Stars", "New Orleans", "Love Is A Now & Then Thing", "It's The Talk of the Town", "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan", and "It's All In The Mind". Round Midnight features vocals as dark as they are lovely – a sublime early set from singer Teddi King, served up in a style that's nicely perched between two decades of jazz! There's a moody, intimate feel here that really takes us back to an earlier era – a bit in the way that Lee Wiley often does at the same period, with a sound that's almost timeless, yet never outdated. The only backings here are piano from Beryl Booker – and in a way, the record's almost a duet outing between Teddi and Beryl, with a wonderfully intimate feel overall. Tracks include "Round Midnight", "What's New", "I Concentrate On You", "Little Girl Blue", and "It Never Entered My Mind". CD

Two rare sessions originally recorded for a larger collection called The Birdland Story and gathered here under the title Minor Strain. The first set is led by Lee Morgan and features Wayne Shorter on sax, Bobby Timmons on piano, Jimmy Rowser on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The second half of the record features a septet session with Thad Jones on trumpet, Billy Mitchell and Frank Wess on reeds, Hank Jones on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. CD

Ernie Royal plays with his sextet including Billy Taylor on piano, George Barnes and Sidney Gross on guitar, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. Lucky Thompson's quintet includes Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, Billy Taylor on piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A great look at the Elvis Presley universe – not sounds by the King himself, but music that first inspired his creations – and other songs that have contemporary artists inspired by the records that Presley was releasing during the early years of his career! The collection is fantastic – a great sideline to the famous sounds of Elvis and Sun Records – and there's a really great range of material included throughout, all supported by very detailed notes that really show the thought and care that went into the selection of tracks. The whole thing is as vibrant and colorful as the image on the cover – and titles include "All Shook Up" by David Hill, "Just Because" by The Shelton Brothers, "Baby Let's Play House" by Vince Taylor, "King Creole" by Dick Penrose, "Hard Headed Woman" by Paul Rich, "Baby I Don't Care" by Rodney Scott, "I Beg Of You" by Jimmy Lane, "Hot Dog" by Young Jessie, "I Need Your Love Tonight" by Col Joye & The Joy Boys, "Love Me" by Billy Williams Quartet, "Paralyzed" by Mickie Most & His Playboys, and "Mystery Train" by Vernon Taylor. CD

Jazzy grooves from the global underground – all brought together in a sweet set of tracks for the Free Soul series! Despite the "urban jazz" in the title, the sound here isn't the smooth jazz you might expect – and instead these tracks are mostly small label numbers that are hipper than usual, often with a blend of instrumentation and vocals that really shows the more forward-thinking side of the contemporary underground! Titles include "Already There" by Taylor McFerrin with Robert Glasper, "Hyperballad" by Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra, "Thinkin Bout You" by Becca Stevens Band, "Singularis" by Eric Harland Voyager, "The Look Out" by Richard Spaven, "Lorton" by Zhenya Strigalev, "Nothing Like This" by Erimaj featuring Chris Turner, "Willow" by Elizabeth Shepherd, "7th Avenue North" by Marc Cary, "Sketch For Miguel" by Mark De Clive-Lowe, and "Upstairs By A Chinese Lamp" by Billy Childs with Esperanza Spaulding. CD

A beautiful batch of southern soul tracks – and one of the first times anyone's really made a strong set out of the under-reissued gems from the Jewel/Paula catalog! Most of the interest in the label's reissues has leaned towards the bluesier side of its output – and while this set definitely has a touch of the blues, it's also got a lot more soul numbers than we've ever seen on other Jewel compilations – a really rich array of material that shows just how powerful the Shreveport-based label was in keeping the southern soul flames alive. Plus, the package is very well divided – with one CD of 60s tracks, one of 70s classic soul, and one of smoother modern numbers from the later years of the label – work that never gets reissued that much, and which is a great counterpart to the older songs!. Titles include "A Man In Love" by George Patterson, "What Was I Suppose To Do" by Clarence Carter, "I'm Trapped" by Carl Sims, "Go On & Help Yourself" by Albert Washington, "Losers Win Sometimes" by Billy Keene, "Baby Be Mine" by Eddy Giles, "Ain't That The Way" by Clay Hammond, "Do What You Think Is Best" by Buddy Ace, "Checkin Out" by Lee Shot Williams, "I Want You Back Again" by Johnnie Taylor, "There Goes The Girl" by Banny Price, "Right Now Is The Time" by Willie Morganfield, "Lay It On Me Right Now" by Na Allen, "Heap Of People" by Dee Allen, "Over & Over" by The Conway Brothers, "I Stayed Away Too Long" by Wallace Brothers, and "Funky Broadway" by Bobby Powell. CD

It's no secret that Don Byas made some of his best recordings in Europe, not America – and this tasty little CD is great support of that fact! The set features a dozen numbers that Byas cut in Paris at the end of the 40s – working with a mixture of American and Parisian players that includes Billy Taylor, Bernard Peiffer, Bill Coleman, Peanuts Holland, Tyree Glenn, and Hubert Rostaing. Tracks are short, and Byas' sound on the tenor is sublime – right up there with the best Ben Webster work of the time! Titles include "The Mohawk Special", "Body & Soul", "Ain't Misbehavin", "Rosetta", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", and "Working Eyes". CD

One of the most righteous albums of jazz ever recorded – a brilliant blend of soulful and avant garde styles, backed up by a chorus of voices that have a really soulful sound! The album's the second recorded for Blue Note by the Ghetto Music ensemble of trumpeter Eddie Gale – a lesser-known talent who recorded previously with Cecil Taylor, but who made a turn away from modernism at the end of the 60s, in order to express himself at a level that he felt was more clearly grounded in the people. The result of that effort is sheer brilliance – an album that sounds like nothing else you can imagine. Part of the style shares the energy of similar vocal/jazz projects by Max Roach and Billy Harper, but Gale's conception of the music is much more dynamic, and very carefully rooted in song structures – with a sound that's as powerful today as it was when it was recorded! Titles include "Ghetto Love Night", "Song Of Will", "Ghetto Summertime", "Black Rhythm Happening", and "Look At Teyonda". LP, Vinyl record album

A superb album from vocalist Johnny Hartman – a later date, but one that we'd rank right up there with his important Impulse Records material of the 60s! In fact, the album's something of a return to greatness for Hartman – the kind of date that should have become a jazz standard, had it not gotten lost in the unfortunate fates of the short-lived Beehive label – who did a really tremendous job with this set. Rather than try to make Johnny a modern singer, in any sort of forced idiom – Beehive instead return him to the best modes of yore, and give him simple, soulful support from a small group that features Frank Wess on tenor and flute, Joe Wilder on trumpet, and Billy Taylor on piano. The track list is great – the kind of tunes that really bring out the sophisticated side of Hartman's talents, yet allow him to be sensitive, too – and titles include "Nobody Home", "Wave", "Easy Living", "I Could Write A Book", and "For All We Know". LP, Vinyl record album

With Marty Krystall on tenor, Warren Gale on trumpet, Buell Neidlinger on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – with guests Cecil Taylor on piano and Dennis Charles on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sarah's few albums for Columbia – and quite possibly the best, thanks to some great small group backing, heard on 8 of the album's 12 tunes! The group's a really great one – with Miles Davis on trumpet, Benny Green on trombone, Buddy Johnson on tenor, Tony Scott on clarinet, Mundell Lowe on guitar, and Billy Taylor on piano – all of whom get some surprising solo space on the album, and make the record one of Sarah's best jazz outings of the 50s. The remaining tracks on the set have a lusher ballad style, but are still quite nice – and titles include "Mean To Me", "Goodnight My Love", "Can't Get Out Of This Mood", "East Of The Sun", "Pinky", "Ooh Whatcha Doin To Me", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". 10 bonus tracks too – including unreleased cuts and alternates. CD

Warmly expressive work from trumpeter Kenny Wheeler – a set that's got the same depth of tone as his work for other labels, but which has a bit of a different feel as well. The record has maybe a bit more bite – not necessarily on Wheeler's trumpet or flugelhorn, the latter of which still retains its wonderfully airy sound – but instead on the overall conception, which makes careful but creative use of other group members – especially John Taylor on piano and Dave Holland on bass, as well as Billy Elgart on drums, and Stan Sulzmann on soprano, tenor, and flute. All tunes are originals by Wheeler, and really lovely ones at that – and titles include "Gigolo", "The Little Fella", "Miold Man", "We Salute The Night", and "Everybody's Song But My Own". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Savoy album that compiles sides cut previously for the label by Pres – all apparently during the late 40s years, with players that include Roy Haynes, Junior Mance, Billy Taylor, Cozy Cole, Harry Edison, Buddy Tate, and others. Tracks are offered in master takes, and alternate ones – and titles include "Ghost Of a Chance", "Tush", "Circus In Rhythm", "Exercise In Swing", "Basie English", and "Salute To Fats". Great cover, too – with a guy painting a portrait of Pres! CD

Mid-to-late 50s first wave rock & roll from the London Scene – scrappy, rebellious, joint rockin' numbers from Jimmy Crawford, Danny Rivers, Wee Willie Harris, Roy Young, Sharkey Todd & The Monsters and many more – just as sharp as the firey numbers coming out the south of the US of the era. Raw, rollicking rockabilly and r&b reared proto rock! Titles include "Long Stringy Baby" by Jimmy Crawford, "Teenage Girlie Blues" by Cal Danger, "Love Bug Crawl" by Wee Willie Harris, "Big Fat Mama" by Roy Young, "Red Planet Rock" by Don Lang & His Frantic 5", "Slim Jim Tie" by Terry Wayne, "Jet Black Machine" by Vince Taylor & The Playboys and more. CD