One of the tightest 70s albums from Buddy Rich – a record that's got some smooth and soulful touches, and a groove that's quite different than most of his other work! Chicago soul maestro Richard Evans handled the arrangements for the record – and he's got a great way of making things groove, even with a larger groove – leaving plenty of space for key solos from players who include Jon Faddis on trumpet, Joe Farrell on tenor sax, Ross Trout on guitar, and Kenny Barron on electric piano! Most numbers are somewhat upbeat and clubby – like some of the funky fusion on the Kudu label from the time – and a few numbers feature chorus vocals from a trio of female soul singers that includes Rhetta Hughes, Vivian Cherry, and Lain Grooves. Titles include "Yearnin Learnin", "Speak No Evil", "Fight The Power", "Sneakin Up Behind You", and the great "How Long" – which features the famous "Betcha Got A Chick On The Side" sampled by Salt N Pepa! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful meeting of two of the biggest 50s talents on the drums – and a session that's great not only for the expected firey percussion, but also for the horn work by other members on the set! Given the "drum battle" style of the record, the tracks are long and very open – done in a studio mode that recalls some of the Krupa/Rich meetings at JATP, and like the JATP sides, featuring plenty of space for players to take longer solos. Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, Flip Phillips, and Roy Eldridge get in some nice licks on the set – and other players include Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, and Ray Brown. Titles include "Gene's Blues", "Bernie's Tune", "Buddy's Blues", and "I Never Knew". CD also includes bonus tracks "Sunday" and "Monster". CD

We've always loved Buddy Rich in a small group setting – and this collection is overflowing with great material that really let the sidemen open up and solo! Includes material from the records Swinging Buddy Rich, Sing & Swing With Buddy Rich, Buddy & Sweets, Swinging Buddy Rich, Wailing Buddy Rich, This One's For Basie, Buddy Rich In Miami, The Driver, The Rich Rebellion, Playtime, and Blues Caravan – plus bonus tracks! CD

Pretty darn great stuff from Buddy Rich! The album's got Buddy working in a tight funky mode – with strong players like Steve Marcus on soprano and tenor, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Ray Armando on congas, Greg Kogan on piano, and Lloyd Michaels on trumpet – all of whom come together in a really solid, really hard hitting funky big band style! The best tracks are strongly driving, almost in a blacksploitation soundtrack mode – and titles include "Three Day Sucker", "Pieces Of Dreams", "Ease On Down The Road", and a pretty darn sublime 12 minute medley of tunes from The Who's "Tommy", done at a fast funky pace! LP, Vinyl record album

A lively little set done strongly in a Basie mode – as you might guess from the title! Buddy's on drums, but the real maestro here is Marty Paich – who handled the arrangements, and most likely brought together the batch of west coast jazzers who inhabit the group – including Pete Condoli on trumpet, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Bob Enevoldsen on valve trombone, Bob Cooper on tenor, Buddy Collette on flute and baritone, and Jimmy Rowles on piano. The set's less Buddy-like than it is Marty-ish – and the grooves here have that very fluid Paich approach throughout – but recast slightly to reflect the strong Basie/Hefti groove of the 50s. Titles include "Shorty George", "Ain't It The Truth", "9:20 Special", "Jump For Me", "Blues For Basie", and "Blue & Sentimental". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the legendary Buddy Rich – one of his Pacific Jazz albums from that stretch when Buddy was opening up his bag, and getting very groovy in his music! The album's a live one – and as with the rest from the decade, really has the Buddy Rich sound moving forward, thanks to some great younger players – in this case the up and coming Bobby Shew on trumpet and Ernie Watts on alto – plus the lesser-known Chuck Findley on trumpet and Jay Corre on tenor. Arrangements are by some older west coast talents – including Bill Holman and Shorty Rogers – but the feel is very 60s, and very groovy throughout. Cathy Rich sings on the album's funky version of "The Beat Goes On" – and other titles include "Wack Wack", "Norwegian Wood", "Monitor Theme", "Big Swing Face", and "Mexicali Nose". CD

Groovy stuff! We'd normally never say a bad word about Buddy (or else he'd sock us one!), but this album is particularly nice – as it features Rich's swinging late 60s group doing some pop/jazz covers of groovy 60s tunes, plus some very tasty originals! All tracks are pretty short, and the band plays with a tight fire that reminds us of some of the best moments on the Blue Juice compilations. Includes covers of "Hello, I Love You", "Soul Kitchen", "Comin Home Baby", and "Love And Peace" – plus tasty originals like "Wonderbag", and "Soul Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

A hard and heavy side from Buddy, and true to his reputation and the title of the LP, he comes out swinging! The set features a top notch mid 60s group, and from the sound of the numbers on this set, ol' Buddy did need to hand out any of his famous lectures on the bus afterwards, with some crisp soloing and great ensemble playing. Includes "Basically Blues", "The Critics Choice", "My Man's Gone Now", "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" and "Sister Sadie". CD

Buddy keeps things nice and Sweet on this session – pairing up with trumpeter Edison in a nicely swinging set of tunes that opens up with the best Verve approach of the 50s! The group features Jimmy Rowles on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, and John Simmons on bass – working with Rich to provide some nice backdrops for Edison's well-chosen solo work. Titles include "All Sweets", "Easy Does It", "Now's The Time", and "Barney's Bugle" – an original by Rich that runs for nearly 10 minutes. CD

Although we were never big fans of Buddy, we can endure him for this nice relaxed Verve session, because it offers some great playing by Prez in a very stripped down setting. The record also features an obscure pianist named "Aye Guy", who is actually Nat King Cole – not named on the cover because of contractual reasons! Cole and Young trade lines in a very nicely relaxed format, and even though the record's mostly all standards ("The Man I Love", "Mean To Me", "I've Found A New Baby", etc), the group works well with the material. The one original track – "Back To The Land" – is a live improvised one, recorded in the studio with no overdubs, and with great results! LP, Vinyl record album

2 great sessions that pair trumpeter Harry Edison and drummer Buddy Rich – each of them a bit unique! The first 4 tracks on the set are from the album Wailing Buddy Rich – all numbers that not only features the trumpet of Eidson, but also some exceptional work from altoist Sonny Criss – heard here in a really unique format that has all players stretching out with plenty of space! The four numbers all have that relaxed jam session mode of Verve at its best – with rhythm from Jimmy Rowles on piano and John Simmons on bass, on tracks that include "The Two Mothers", "A Smooth One", "Broadway", and "Blues In The Closet (aka Sonny & Sweets)". Next up is the full set list from Buddy & Sweets – a bit shorter than the first in the format of the tracks, but a nicely swinging set that opens up with the best Verve approach of the 50s! The group features Jimmy Rowles on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, and John Simmons on bass – working with Rich to provide some nice backdrops for Edison's well-chosen solo work. Titles include "All Sweets", "Easy Does It", "Now's The Time", and "Barney's Bugle" – an original by Rich that runs for nearly 10 minutes. CD

A lost gem from Buddy – recorded in the years between his more famous work for Verve in the 50s, and his later 60s comeback as the hard-swinging leader of a big band! The album's a really unusual one for Buddy, in that it really plays around a lot with the rhythms in the tunes – not just using the "blues" phrasing that you might expect from the title, but also hitting bits of lighter, Latiny styles – as well as some slightly modal moments that emerge from longer solo drum passages by Rich. Part of the album's strength is the players – as Buddy's working here with Mike Mainieri on vibes, Sam Most on flute, and Rolf Ericson on trumpet – as well as the unusual rhythm team of Johnny Morris on piano and Wyatt Ruther on bass, neither of whom we really know. Tracks include "Caravan", "Blow'n The Blues Away", "BR Blues", "Late Date", and "I Remember Clifford". CD

Groovy jazz from 2 very cool labels – the related Skye and Gryphon companies of the late 60s and mid 70s, respectively – home to some very very cool bits! Skye's best known as the home of Cal Tjader and Gary McFarland in their post-Verve years – and the label's got a feel that's very much in the spirit of both artists – often blending together jazz, Latin, and easy grooves with a dreamy floating sort of quality. Gryphon recordings came a few years later – and had a warm and mellow 70s jazz sort of feel – using richer production to deeply color work by a variety of well-known artists who got a chance to stretch out in their albums for the label. Despite the difference of a few years between them, the work from both labels sits very nicely together here – thanks to an expert job of compilation by Toru Hashimoto, the force behind the Cafe Apres Midi and Free Soul series! Titles include "Mixing" by Airto, "What's Going On" and "My Favorite Things" by Louis Hayes, "Tandoori" by Barry Miles, "Flea Market" and "Suburbia" by Gary McFarland, "Theme From Peter Gunn" by Chuck Rainey, "Don't Fence Me In" by Grady Tate, "Viva Peraza" by Armando Peraza, "La Pasionaria" by Michel Legrand, "You'll Never Get To Heaven" and "Armando's Bossa" by Cal Tjader, "Bluesette" by Mel Torme & Buddy Rich, and "Change Partners" by Phil Woods. CD

Sweetly mellow jazz, bossa, and vocal pop – all pulled from the wonderful Skye and Gryphon labels, and wrapped up in a sweet Cafe Apres Midi style package by master compiler Toru Hashimoto! The mode here is similar to the other Skye/Gryphon set put together by Toru – but mellower, gentler, and with a peaceful sort of side that makes the album a perfect one for the wee hours! The Skye titles are mostly in a breezy Verve-styled mode – and the Gryphon titles have a warmer sort of 70s sound – one that follows nicely from the first round of tracks, but which smoothes things out a bit more. There's nearly 80 minutes of music on the set – and titles include "Desafinado" and "Here There & Everywhere" by Gary McFarland, "Little Sunflower" by Louis Hayes, "Watch What Happens" by Lena Horne & Gabor Szabo, "Johanna" by Franco Ambrosetti, "Sack Full Of Dreams" and "Nightwind" by Grady Tate, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by Bob Brookmeyer, "Ferris Wheel" by Gabor Szabo, "The Paisley Window Pane" by Wendy & Bonnie, "I Won't Last A Day Without You" by Mel Torme & Buddy Rich, and "Amazon" and "Walk On By" by Cal Tjader. CD

With Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Dillespie on trumpet, Flip Phillips, Lester Yong, and Illinois Jacquet on tenor, Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

An intensely jamming album from guitarist John McLaughlin – and a record that set a whole new tone for electric jazz in the 70s! The album was recorded shortly after McLaughlin's work with Miles Davis on Bitches Brew and Tony Williams on the first Emergency album – and in a way, it's a key piece of the jazz-rock fusion puzzle that has those two sets as cornerstones. McLaughlin's working here with keyboardist Larry Young from the Emergency group – playing both his usual organ on the record, plus a bit of electric piano – and the rest of the group includes bassist Billy Rich, plus superdrummer Buddy Miles – really giving a lot of power to the album's sound at the bottom! McLaughlin is getting into a bit of his mystic trip on the record, but is still playing with a lot of electric power here – plenty distorted and fuzzy on most numbers, and really jamming throughout! Titles include "Devotion", "Dragon Song", "Marbles", "Siren", "Don't Let The Dragon Eat Your Mother", and "Purpose Of When". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite of Verve's "genius of" collections of Charlie Parker's work – largely because it includes some wonderful and oft-overlooked vocal tunes! 4 of the tracks on the set feature Bird blowing with a vocal chorus arranged by Dave Lambert – in a style that shouldn't work, but does – thanks to Lambert's keen bop sensibilities (heard here before his Lambert Hendricks & Ross years), and to players in the group that include Hal McKusick, Max Roach, and Charles Mingus. Other tracks have Parker either playing in a quartet with Buddy Rich, Ray Brown, and Hank Jones – or in a different group with Kenny Dorham and Tommy Turk. Titles include "Cardboard", "Visa", "Segment", "Passport", "Diverse", "I'm In the Mood For Love", "If I Love Again", and "Star Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Mix of small group sides – features Ray Brown, Percy Heath, or Curly Russell on bass; Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, or Art Taylor on drums. CD

An early trio session by Lester Young – recorded with Buddy Rich on drums! The record also features an obscure pianist named "Aye Guy" – Nat King Cole under another name! Guy and Young trade lines in a very nicely relaxed format, and even though the record's mostly all standards, the group works well with the material. The one original track – "Back To The Land" – is a live improvised one, recorded in the studio with no overdubs – and other titles include "I've Found A New Baby", "I Cover The Waterfront", and "Somebody Loves Me". CD

2 classic 50s sessions – on a 2LP 80s set! On the first self-titled abum, Prez plays nice easy-going solos with a combo that includes Jessie Drakes on trumpet, Gildo Mahones on piano, John Ore on bass, and Connie Kaye on drums. The style of the tracks is in a warm mellow tone, which fits perfectly with Young's sweet sweet solo style. Tracks include "Another Mambo", "Somebody Loves Me", "Rose Room", and "Kiss Me Again". Next is the Pres & Sweets album – a classic Verve pairing of two of its greatest soloists, Lester Young and Harry Sweets Edison – both recorded here in a laidback, easily-swinging session that allows both players to shine equally! Young's tenor is always a welcome addition to any set of this nature, and Edison's playing here in a gentler, relaxed mode that's a wonderful fit to the easygoing groove laid down by the rhythm section of Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and Buddy Rich. Titles include "Mean To Me", "That's All", "She's Funny That Way", and "Red Boy Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A triple-trumpet session with a really wonderful sound – the kind of all-star date that only a label like Verve could have done so well! As you'll guess from the title, the record's a showcase for the three trumpeters in the lead – and the tracks are long, with plenty of space for each player to state their case in a very distinct solo voice. Rhythm is by a familiar quartet that features Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums – and the use of guitar in a set like this creates an especially ringing tone at the bottom, one that often seems echoed by the brighter notes of the trumpet over the top. The album's got a great extended "Ballad Medley", plus long takes on "Tour De Force" and "Steeplechase". CD

One of Lionel Hampton's great small combo sides for Verve from the 50s – done mostly with accompaniment from a trio of Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, and Buddy Rich – plus the addition of guitar from Herb Ellis on a few of the album's shorter tracks. It's the longer ones that are really the best, though – loose takes of "Tenderly", "Hamp's Boogie Woogie", and "Hallelujah" that really get at the inventive power of Hampton during his ever-popular live dates. Shorter tunes are nice too, but a bit less compelling – and titles include "A Foggy Day" and "Honeysuckle Rose". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those great 50s small combo sets that vibist Lionel Hampton did for Verve – music that's so different than the larger group material that he was best known for! Here, the approach is open, with a strong focus on Hamp's work on the vibes – in a great combo that also includes Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums! Tracks are nice and long – and titles include "The High & The Mighty", "Date With Oscar", "Love Is Here To Stay", and "But Beautiful". LP, Vinyl record album

A great CD that combines 2 Verve albums by Hamp – both in the mode of his excellent early 50s side! Unlike earlier work, Hamp here plays in a small group setting – working with Buddy Rich, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, and Buddy De Franco, carving out long tracks that have a heck of a lot of room for soloing, and which are handled in an open-ended mode that's much more like the Verve Jam Session style than some of the other sets on the label at the time. Two of the tracks stretch over 10 minutes long, and others are all pretty nicely timed too – leaving Hamp and the others with plenty of room for solos! Titles include "These Foolish Things", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Je Ne Se Pas", "Sunny Side Of The Street", and a very long version of "Flying Home". CD

Japan's legendary drummer steps out here with a killer combo – definitely a "big 4", given that the group features excellent tenor work from Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto, plus Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano from Hideo Ichikawa! Kawaguchi's famous sense of swing really gets the whole thing going – that big, round approach to the drums that was somewhere in a space between Art Blakey and Buddy Rich – and which was definitely hitting some of its hipper tones by the time of this 70s set. The group also features Takashi Mizuhashi on bass – and titles include "Invader 7", "Albatross", "Monday Samba", and "Sleepy's Funk". CD

An amazing early package from Norman Granz – proof that even in the early days, the man really knew how to put together a record! The set features different batches of music from key Verve artists – including a Charlie Parker with strings batch, an Oscar Peterson section, Buddy Rich trio material, and some great Coleman Hawkins small group tracks – plus some nice jam session tracks with Harry Edison and Lester young! LP, Vinyl record album

Count Basie taken down a few notches – not in quality, but in terms of the size of the group – as Oscar really opens up some of the Count's standards in a whole new way, by playing them with a stripped-down quartet that features Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. Given that Rich is working with the Peterson trio, their sound has a bit more bottom than on some other Verve sides from the time – grooving things nicely in a true Basie way, on a set of tunes that includes "Blues For Basie", "Broadway", "Topsy", "One O'Clock Jump", and "Jive At Five". LP, Vinyl record album

Big Mama Thornton may well be best-remembered as the woman who gave the world "Hound Dog" – which later catapulted Elvis to fame – but over the years she continued to be a hell of a singer, with a rich legacy of music that more than stands on its own! Witness this mid 60s performance from London – with the singer backed by small group instrumentation that includes Shakey Horton on harmonica, Eddie Boyd on piano and organ, and a young Buddy Guy on guitar – players who are definitely blues, but who often bring some slight funky soul currents to the music, too – which seems to give Thornton one of her best showcases ever on record. The album's a gem – maybe one of her best – and titles include "Down Home Shake Down", "Sweet Little Angel", "The Place", "Little Red Rooster", "Swing It On home", and "Session Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Verve pairing of two of its greatest soloists – both recorded here in a laidback, easily-swinging session that allows both players to shine equally! Young's tenor is always a welcome addition to any set of this nature, and Edison's playing here in a gentler, relaxed mode that's a wonderful fit to the easygoing groove laid down by the rhythm section of Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and Buddy Rich. Titles include "Mean To Me", "That's All", "She's Funny That Way", and "Red Boy Blues". CD

An interesting little album by Basie – most notable in that it features him playing a bit of organ, which is always a treat! Basie's not the greatest talent on the organ, but he is one of the first jazz players to use the instrument in a wider context, and hearing the album's a good way to check out the organ jazz scene and sound before Jimmy Smith got his hands atop the Hammond and shook the whole thing up! Players on the set include Freddie Green, Paul Quinichette, Buddy Rich, and Joe Newman – and titles include "Stan Shorthair", "Count's Organ Blues", "KC Organ Blues", "Royal Garden Blues", and "Basie Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

A definite set of giants – one of those excellent small combo 50s records from vibist Lionel Hampton – with players who include Barney Kessel on guitar, Harry Edison on trumpet, Art Tatum onp iano, and Buddy Rich on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes three tunes from a 1945 session by the Capitol International Jazzmen, with Bill Coleman on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet, Benny Carter on alto, Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Nat King Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, John Kirby on bass, Max Roach on drums, and Kay Starr on vocals; four tunes by the Metronome All Stars from 1947 and 1951, with sidemen that include Dizzy Gilletpie, Buddy DeFranco, Flip Phillips, Nat King Cole, Buddy Rich, Miles Davis, Max Roach, and others; and a side's worth of material from Louis Bellson's Just Jazz All Stars from 1952, with Clark Terry, Juan Tizol, Wardell Gray, Billy Strayhorn, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic meeting of two giants from the early years of bop – altoist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie – brought together here in a session that Norman Granz would later list as one of the truest realizations of his vision for recording jazz music! Parker's sharp lines are a great contrast to the robust horn work of Diz – and the players work here with a rhythm section that features Thelonious Monk on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. Titles include "Relaxin With Lee", "Leap Frog", "Oscar For Treadwell", and "Mohawk". The LP also includes a number of alternate takes, and has a nice photo of the 2 jazz giants on the cover. This CD version includes all the takes from the sessions, including chatter between takes, 20 b9it restoration, new liner notes, photographs and cover art. CD

A classic meeting of two giants from the early years of bop – altoist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie – brought together here in a session that Norman Granz would later list as one of the truest realizations of his vision for recording jazz music! Parker's sharp lines are a great contrast to the robust horn work of Diz – and the players work here with a rhythm section that features Thelonious Monk on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. Titles include "Relaxin With Lee", "Leap Frog", "Oscar For Treadwell", and "Mohawk". The LP also includes a number of alternate takes, and has a nice photo of the 2 jazz giants on the cover. LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of sides cut by Powell for Norman Granz, in the early 50s, originally issued on 10"s. Bud's in fine, fiery form, presented here solo and in a trio setting with Ray Brown and Buddy Rich. The second half is almost all solo piano work. 12 tracks in all, including "Parisienne Thoroughfare", "Hallucinations", "Oblivion", "The Last Time I Saw Paris", "Tea For Two" and "A Nightingale Sang In Berkely Square". CD also features 2 bonus tracks! CD

Lester Young definitely swings here – on material from a number of different Verve albums of the early 50s – with work from Nat King Cole on piano and Buddy Rich on drums on one session – plus more work from either Hank Jones or John Lewis on piano, and Buddy Rich and Jo Jones on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Verve pairing of two of its greatest soloists – both recorded here in a laidback, easily-swinging session that allows both players to shine equally! Young's tenor is always a welcome addition to any set of this nature, and Edison's playing here in a gentler, relaxed mode that's a wonderful fit to the easygoing groove laid down by the rhythm section of Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and Buddy Rich. Titles include "Mean To Me", "That's All", "She's Funny That Way", and "Red Boy Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Fetures work by the bands of Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Harry James, Duke Ellington, and Lionel Hampton. CD

Killer guitar work from a legendary label – tracks that were all recorded for the Groove Merchant imprint in the 70s – a company that really valued the sound that a hip guitarist could bring to the funky side of jazz! Some of the tracks here feature a Hammond player in the lead, but also showcase a great guitar solo in the middle – while others are by guitarists as leaders, including some players who maybe sounded their best when recording for Groove Merchant! Titles include "Misty", "We've Only Just Begun", "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky", and "Love Will Never Die" by O'Donel Levy – plus "Happy Fingers" and "Groovy lady" by George Freeman, "A Clue" by Jimmy Ponder, "When The Night Is Right" and "Favors" by Lonnie Smith, "Soul Sermon" by Joe Thomas, "Blues Train To Georgia" by Jimmy McGriff, and "Soft Winds" by Buddy Rich. CD

A really beautiful pairing of musicians – the fantastic vibes of Lionel Hampton, set up in sweet small group work with Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums! All tracks are nice and long – and the sessions really bring out the best of all players involved – very different than Hampton's other material too. LP, Vinyl record album

Features JC Heard, Buck Clayton, Lee Young, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Flip Phillips, Hank Jones, Lester Young, Gene Krupa, and others. CD

A jazz treasure chest – an extraordinary bounty of Bird on Verve! You get absolutely everything here, master takes, alternate takes, loads of previously unissued material, rehearsals, incomplete takes, you get it all! Sidemen include Benny Carter, Kenny Clarke, Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, Gil Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, John Lewis, Machito, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Ben Webster and Lester Young. There's 177 (!!) tracks in all, so we can't list all the titles here, but some of them include "Blues For Norman", "The Bird", "Repetition", "No Noise", "Okiedoke", "The Opener", "Lester Leaps In", "Flyin' Home", "Perdido", "Everything Happens To Me", "April In Paris", "Summertime", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "Bloomdido", "Mohawk", "My Melancholy Baby", "Leapfrog", "East Of The Sun", "I'll Remember April", "Au Privave", "KC Blues", "Swedish Schnapps", "Estrellita", "Funky Blues", "Jam Blues", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Love For Sale". CD

A set that brings together the famous Charlie Parker performance on one of Verve's Jam Session albums in the early 50s – with other material too! Parker plays alto alongside Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges – in a group that also includes Ben Webster on tenor, Oscar Peterson on piano, and Barney Kessel on guitar – on a long "Ballad Medley", plus "Jam Blues", "Funky Blues", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". Also features a sextet with Flip Philips on tenor and Charlie Shavers on trumpet – on Blues For The Midgets", "Cottontail", and "If I Had You" – plus a quintet with Benny Carter, Oscar Peterson, and Buddy Rich – on "I Got It Bad", "Long Ago & Far Away", and "I've Got The World On A String". LP, Vinyl record album

Recordings from 1947 by Barry Ulanov & His All Star Metronome Jazzmen, with Fats Navarro on trumpet, John LaPorta on clarinet, Charlie Parker on alto, Allen Eager on tenor, Lennie Tristano on piano, Billy Bauer on guitar, Tommy Potter on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums, with Sarah Vaughan on vocals; plus three tunes recorded in 1948 at the Royal Roost by Tadd Dameron & His Orchestra with Allen Eager and Wardell Gray on tenor, Curley Russel on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Buddy Rich, Chubby Jackson, and more. 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Features work by Buddy Rich, Cozy Cole, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Lionel Hampton, Shelly Manne, and Wilie Rodriquez! LP, Vinyl record album