... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Very unusual material from this famous pianist – given that the group here features John Hardee on tenor sax and Milt Page on organ! Titles include "The Bug", "Misty Morning Blues", "Solace", "Monk's Mood", and "Night & Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A flurry of fantastic recordings from the legendary Billy Taylor – material the pianist recorded for Prestige Records in the early 50s – at a time when he was really helping to transform the sound of the piano in jazz! These sides have Taylor showing that a small combo piano date can be just as exciting as a larger set with horns – and in a way, these recordings really helped move the instrument past some of the bluesier modes of 30s small group recordings, or some of the more cocktail-styled sounds of 40s instrumentalists. The trio formation is key to this – a great balance between the excellent bass of Earl May and drums of Charlie Smith – both of whom give things a lot of rhythmic intensity. Tracks on this first volume include "Man With A Horn", "Hey Lock", "Let's Get Away From It All", "Lover", and "All Too Soon". LP, Vinyl record album

A flurry of fantastic recordings from the legendary Billy Taylor – material the pianist recorded for Prestige Records in the early 50s – at a time when he was really helping to transform the sound of the piano in jazz! These sides have Taylor showing that a small combo piano date can be just as exciting as a larger set with horns – and in a way, these recordings really helped move the instrument past some of the bluesier modes of 30s small group recordings, or some of the more cocktail-styled sounds of 40s instrumentalists. The trio formation is key to this – a great balance between the excellent bass of Earl May and drums of Charlie Smith – both of whom give things a lot of rhythmic intensity. Tracks on this second volume include "That's All", "Nice Work", "Surrey With The Fringe On Top", "Cool & Caressing", "Tenderly", "Bird Watcher", and "B.T.'s D.T.'s". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Billy Taylor in a trio that's hipper than usual – thanks to Doug Watkins on bass and Ray Mosca on drums! The group has a different vibe than some of Taylor's records on ABC – and titles include "I Sigh", "You Tempt Me", "Interlude", "Did You Dream Too", and "Here Today Gone Tomorrow Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare Roost sides from Billy Taylor – recorded with a unique combo that features Charles Mingus on bass and Marquis Foster on drums! Mingus' bass tones are extremely pronounced in the set – bolder and more aggressive than we're used to hearing with Taylor at the time – and Taylor himself is nicely open on the keys, and plays with a hard left hand touch at some points. Titles include "Laura", "All The Things You Are", "Lady Bird", "What Is This Thing Called Love", and "I'm Beginning To See The Light". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Think what you want about Billy Taylor, this session's a nice little cooker that was cut around the same time as Argo's famous hard swing sets by Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Woode, and Clark Terry – possibly the same time as those sessions, as they all seem to overlap personnel and mood quite a bit. This one's got more than a few Ellingtonians in tow – including Gonsalves, Terry, Earl May, Ed Thigpen, and Harry Carney – but the mode of swinging is shorter and harder, with all tracks written by Taylor. Titles include "Tune For Tex", "Cu Blu", "Biddy's Beat", "Theodora", and "Mood For Mendes". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great live set by Billy Taylor and his early trio with Earl May on bass and Percy Brice on drums – recorded at Town Hall in 1954! Taylor is actually pretty darn amazing on the set – very much the virtuoso, playing with an incredible range and an almost modern approach to the tunes – one that seems looser, and more expressive than some of his previous studio sessions for Prestige Records – in a way that makes this album a gem well worth seeking out! Titles include "Theodora", "A Foggy Day", "How High The Moon", and "I'll Remember April". 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. LP, Vinyl record album

That's "Dr Billy Taylor" to you – although we've always known him as just plain Billy Taylor, from a run of great jazz records from the postwar years onward – part of a fantastic musical legacy that's made Taylor one of the most active talents of his generation! Billy started out in jazz, but had also risen to fill many roles by the 60s – a voice in the Civil Rights movement and larger cultural endeavors too – all of which is captured here in Taylor's own version of his life and music. Billy's story is shaped by co-author Teresa Reed, and the book is 227 pages, hardcover, and features some black and white photos. Book

Early work by Billy Taylor – cut at the height of his 50s popularity, with his famous trio of Percy Brice on drums and Earl May on bass. The title gives it all away – as Taylor plays soulful renditions of standards like "But Not For Me", "Cheek To Cheek", "It's Too Late Now", "All The Things You Are", and "More Than You Know". Not groundbreaking, but pleasant enough! LP, Vinyl record album

A great early session from Chicago trumpeter Ira Sullivan – a very strong player who came out strongly in the late 50s as one of the big jazz hopefuls from the Windy City. This set has Ira backed by the Billy Taylor Trio – presented by Billy on ABC, where the Taylor trio was recording at the time. Tracks have a nice open-ended feel, and a lot more drive than Billy's own work at the time, and the best numbers feel like they were recorded for a Prestige blowing session. Titles include "Strolling", "Leslie's Gauge", "You Don't Know What Love Is", and "So In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An early 60s session by Cecil Taylor for Candid, and a record that's one of our favorites by him from the early years! Despite the seemingly odd use of the term "R&B" in the title, the record's actually got a sound that's a bit more soulful than usual for Cecil, with surprising use of blue chords and deep rhythms that make for tunes with a different feel at points – yet a groove that's still as modern as you might expect from Taylor! Neidlinger was actually the leader on this session, which we think wasn't issued except for the Jazzman and Barnaby series that dug through the Candid vaults some years after this it was recorded – so they took advantage of Taylor's greater notoriety when they cooked up the packaging. Other sidemen include Archie Shepp, Billy Higgins, Dennis Charles, Clark Terry, Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd. 4 numbers in all, "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", "Cell Walk For Celeste", "OP", and "Cindy's Main Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the only few albums to ever feature the vocals of Judy Clay – a wonderful deep soul singer who also cut a handful of excellent singles for Stax in the late 60s! Like some of that work – specifically her Stax duets with William Bell – this set really showcases Judy's strength as a partner in song – a really great match for Billy Vera, who sounds way better here than you might expect! Billy and Judy trade lines in this really fantastic way – often blue-tinged and melancholy, a style that is quite different from most of the peppier male/female work of the 60s – although there's also two tracks on which Vera sings solo. Backing is by a small combo with Vera on electric guitar, Chip Taylor on acoustic guitar, and Paul Griffin on piano – and titles include "Storybook Children", "Ever Since", "When Do We Go", "Just Across The Line", "Soul Man", "Good Morning Blues", "Bring It On Home To Me", and "So Good (To Be Together)". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully bold setting for the bass clarinet of Jason Stein – a heady trio that features Paul Giallorenzo on keyboards and electronics, and the great Chad Taylor on drums – a musician who can't help but bring a sense of swing to this very far-reaching session! Taylor's always been one of our favorites – a musician who sometimes has the elliptical swing of a Billy Higgins or Hugh Walker, but can also be totally free as well – and here, he somehow manages to balance both sides of his music – while Stein blows bass clarinet the way most folks might handle a tenor – and Giallorenzo manages to color all the empty spots with nicely subtle work from his electric forces. Titles include "Slowly Drifting Outward", "Slippery Slope", "Treeline"," Back & Forth", "Future Told", "Frencher Frosty's Book", and "Electroradiance". CD

A wonderful collection of work by some of the best alto sax talents in the non-Charlie Parker world of jazz at the end of the 40s – including a few that are sadly under-represented on their own albums as leaders! The session features some great work from the 78rpm era – collected onto a well-annotated LP – and titles include "Night Wind" and "Sam Pan" by Johnny Hodges with Billy Taylor's Big Eight, "It All Depends On You" and "That's My Weakness Now" by Pete Brown Quintet, "Funky Feelin Blues" and "I Wanna Get Nasty" by Marshall Royal & Orchestra, "Minor Blues" by Willie Smith with Corky Corcoran Orchestra, and "She Didn't Say Yes" by Joe Thomas with Hilton Jefferson. LP, Vinyl record album

Coltrane's last live show ever – in case you couldn't guess from the title – recorded in 1967, but never officially released! The set features a group with Pharoah Sanders, Jimmy Garrison, Rashied Ali, Alice Coltrane, Algie DeWitt, and possibly Jumma Santos on percussion. As you'd guess from the added percussion, there's a pronounced spiritual approach to the set, although the solo work by Trane, Alice, and Pharoah is also quite free. The set features a short introduction by Billy Taylor, and 2 long tracks: "Ogunde" and "My Favorite Things". CD

Incredible material from both John Coltrane and Lee Morgan – some of their best of the early 60s, and a record that always gets shamefully overlooked! The record features a side apiece of work by Morgan and Coltrane, each acting as the leader for a small group in perfect format. Coltrane is playing with an unusual quartet that includes McCoy Tyner, plus bassist Steven Davis and drummer Billy Higgins. Higgins' gives Coltrane a modal groove that's incredible, and Trane hits these riffs that are almost Nathan Davis-ish on tracks like "Exotica" and "One & Four". The Morgan material is a bit more straight ahead hardbop – but equally excellent – and he's got a tight tight group that features Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons, Jimmy Rowser, and Art Taylor. Shorter is incredible, and tracks include "Minor Strain", "Bid For Sid", and "Suspended Sentence". Killer work all-around – and a must-have LP for fans of either player! LP, Vinyl record album

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 cool chapter in the Savoy Records blowing session scene of the late 50s – an unusual group with Bill Harris on trombone, Bobby Jaspar on tenor, Joe Wilder on trumpet, Pepper Adams on baritone, Eddie Costa on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Billy Ver Planck handled arrangements – and titles include "You Gotta Be A Good Man", "Each Side Of The River", "What Could I Do", and "Where You Gonna Run To". LP, Vinyl record album

Four great 70s albums from George Jones – all back to back in a single collection! First up is the self-titled George Jones – tremendous work from George Jones' 70s years at Epic Records – a record that maybe hides behind an understated title, but which offers all the power of the maturing singer as he moved on from his styles in the 60s! The great Billy Sherrill is at the production helm, but he keeps things from the more commercial territory of some of his other crossover country work at the time – really allowing a very strong focus on George's vocals, which are hitting this mature quality that's drenched in all his many years of booze and sadness! Instrumentation is relatively traditional, and often surprisingly lean – and titles include "We Can Make It", "All The Praises", "Let's Make History", "The King", "The Last Letter", and "I'll Take You To My World". In A Gospel Way has George Jones returning to some of the spiritual modes he explored earlier in his career – but with a more mature, more world-experienced voice that makes the message in the music even more powerful than before – especially since by this time, most of the world knew Jones more as a sinner than a saint. That tension really makes the music sparkle – and titles include "Mama's Hands", "Why Me Lord", "A Man I Always Wanted To Meet", "The Baptism Of Jesse Taylor", and "I Can't Find It Here". Memories Of Us is a stone classic from the golden 70s years of George Jones – a time when the singer was sounding very different than at his start – really done in by the loves and losses of life, but in a way that makes his interpretation of the music even more meaningful than before! The songs are mostly mellow, and filled with a sense of blueness and emptiness that's certainly telegraphed by the title – produced with a nicely understated style by Billy Sherrill – on titles that include "What I Do Best", "Memories Of Us", "Touch Of Wilderness", "She Once Made A Romeo Cry", and "I Just Don't Give A Damn". The Battle is fantastic – a set that's got George working in very mellow territory, but with a quality that still has a surprising amount of bite – songs that are slow and laidback, but which have that sense of personal pain and individual vision that always made Jones one of the most fantastic singers to ever handle this sort of material – a claim that we'd extend way past the world of country music too! Production is laidback, too – Billy Sherrill at his best – with often a tinkling piano line or steel guitar part to provide some direction for the vocals, but always in a way that lets Jones forge his own emotional path forward. Titles include "I'll Come Back", "I Can't Get Over What Lovin You Has Done", "I'll Come Back", "Love Coming Down", and the classic "The Battle". CD

The first issue of one of our favorite music magazines of all time – the legendary Kicks, a publication that was years ahead of its time when it first hit the racks in 1979! Kicks is an important precursor to current magazines like Mojo, Flashback, Ugly Things, and Shindig – and like those, it does a wonderful job of digging far far back in the past – and providing very rich, very thorough coverage on overlooked corners of rock and roll. This first issue is black and white, and production is more of a zine-style – but the issue is super-thick, and filled with writing by later Norton Records legends Miriam Linna and Billy Miller – on artists who include The Shaggs, Vince Taylor, Flamin Groovies, The Raiders, Keith Allison, and The Velvets – plus lots more great bits in shorter articles too. Magazine

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". LP, Vinyl record album

Not much of a cover and a title, but a great little live date from Gerry Mulligan – material recorded in France in 1958, and easily on a par with any of his Verve work of the 50s! The tracks have a clean, crisp feel that hardly belies their concert setting – a sharpness that really brings out the best in Gerry's modern baritone lines, and which also showcases the talents of other players on the dates – including Art Farmer on trumpet, Billy Taylor or Claude Williamson on piano, and Dave Bailey on drums. There's a lean feel on most numbers – showcasing the sound that Mulligan was working on in his drum-based sextet and quartet groups – and titles include "North Atlantic Run", "Taurus Moon", "Out Back Of The Barn", "Festive Minor", and "Jeru". CD

Charlie Parker takes on the music of Cole Porter – with results that make for some of his most classic moments at Verve! Parker's horn is as hard-bitten as always, but it's also working here in a slightly lyrical vibe – one that brings out the warmth that Charlie could have at just the right moments – that sense of soul that made his contribution to jazz one of the more formative sounds of the century! Porter's music takes on tones that we might never have expected – especially in some of the album's alternate versions, which give key proof that Bird was always working out new ideas with each new solo. The group features Walter Bishop on piano, Billy Bauer or Jerome Darr on guitar, Teddy Kotick on bass, and Roy Haynes or Art Taylor on drums – on titles that include "Just One Of Those Things", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "Love For Sale", and "I Love Paris. LP, Vinyl record album

Charlie Parker takes on the music of Cole Porter – with results that make for some of his most classic moments at Verve! Parker's horn is as hard-bitten as always, but it's also working here in a slightly lyrical vibe – one that brings out the warmth that Charlie could have at just the right moments – that sense of soul that made his contribution to jazz one of the more formative sounds of the century! Porter's music takes on tones that we might never have expected – especially in some of the album's alternate versions, which give key proof that Bird was always working out new ideas with each new solo. The group features Walter Bishop on piano, Billy Bauer or Jerome Darr on guitar, Teddy Kotick on bass, and Roy Haynes or Art Taylor on drums – on titles that include "Just One Of Those Things", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "Love For Sale", and "I Love Paris. CD

A lost classic that needs to be in every hip rock collection! Terry Reid is one of those talents who never got his due when his albums first came out – like Tim Buckley, Nick Drake, Billy Nichols, Colin Blunstone, Curt Boettcher, and countless others that are all getting the "I'm sorry, forgive me, I'll love you forever" treatment from the rock cognoscenti. And even though Terry's style is a bit harder and more rocking than all of the above, his place in the music is similar – in that he had a really unique way of putting things together, kind of a blend of tight pop, blue-eyed soul, and some trippy influences – all wrapped up in some very tight production that makes the album sparkle like a lost pop gem. Titles include strong originals like "Erica", "Tinker Taylor", "Without Expression", "Sweater", and "When I Get Home" – plus covers of "Season Of The Witch" and "Bang Bang". LP, Vinyl record album

A key record in the evolution of Tony Williams as a drummer – and kind of a powerful summation of all the changes he'd made in the 70s – before a return to straighter jazz in the next decade! Williams' drumming here is incredibly fierce at points – almost at a Billy Cobham level – but he also shows the sensitivity to deeper sounds that he first brought into play during the 60s – and manages to mix an ear for fusion modes with some freer elements too – thanks to help from a lineup of players that includes Herbie Hancock and Brian Auger on keyboards, Cecil Taylor on piano, Jan Hammer on Fender Rhodes, Stanley Clarke on bass, Ton Scott on lyricon, and Ronnie Montrose on guitar. Titles include "Tony", "Coming Back Home", "Morgan's Motion", "Eris", "Open Fire", and "Hittin On 6". Great CD reissue – full notes, and a 20 page booklet with the usual Reel Music attention to detail! CD

A key record in the evolution of Tony Williams as a drummer – and kind of a powerful summation of all the changes he'd made in the 70s – before a return to straighter jazz in the next decade! Williams' drumming here is incredibly fierce at points – almost at a Billy Cobham level – but he also shows the sensitivity to deeper sounds that he first brought into play during the 60s – and manages to mix an ear for fusion modes with some freer elements too – thanks to help from a lineup of players that includes Herbie Hancock and Brian Auger on keyboards, Cecil Taylor on piano, Jan Hammer on Fender Rhodes, Stanley Clarke on bass, Ton Scott on lyricon, and Ronnie Montrose on guitar. Titles include "Tony", "Coming Back Home", "Morgan's Motion", "Eris", "Open Fire", and "Hittin On 6". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of music – 66 tracks that show the huge influence of Cuban rhythms in American music during the mid-century years – presented here in a wider range of styles than you might expect! This isn't just Latin music, made by Cuban cats hitting the New York scene – and instead, these are tracks that show the very deep penetration of sounds from Havana – at a level that has the rhythms emerging in soul, hardbop, R&B, and even more standard blues material! The CD divides the music up into three different CDs, each with a different theme – one that looks at rumba in jazz music, another the influence of the mambo, and the third the range of slower Cuban rhythms well into the 60s. Titles include "Dem Tambourines" by Don Wilkerson, "Cuba Doll" by Lloyd Glenn, "Summertime" by Red Saunders, "Soony Roony" by Slim Gaillard, "De Laff's On You" by Louis Jordan, "Conga Brava" by Duke Ellington, "I Come From America" by Chris Powell, "Jock A Mo" by Sugar Boy Crawford, "Woke Up This Morning" by BB King, "Fool Burro" by Mabel Scott, "Cu-Blue" by Billy Taylor, "Arabian Love Call" by Art Neville, "Out Of Nowhere" by Cal Tjader, "I've Waited So Long" by Eddie Cochran, "She Wants To Mambo" by The Chanters, "Mambo Hop" by Oscar Saldana, and "Mambocito Mio" by Illinois Jacquet. CD

Promo EP featuring snippets from ABC releases by Quincy Jones, Jackie & Roy, Zoot Sims, Don Elliott, Oscar Pettiford, Billy Taylor, and more. 7-inch, Vinyl record

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". CD