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Mindblowing music from the great Don Cherry – quite a statement, given how much fantastic sounds Cherry had already given us by this point in his career! In the years before this set, Don had worked in some very free, avant modes – and also explored a fair bit of global styles too – yet this set has this great electric vibe – one that mixes the freedom of Cherry's trumpet with spacey instrumentation and really great production – almost even funky at points! Players include Ricky Cherry on electric and acoustic piano, Charlie Haden on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Frank Lowe on tenor – and one cut has Bunchie Fox on electric bongos and Verna Gillis on voice. All tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Degi Degi", "Brown Rice", "Malkauns", and "Chenrezig". LP, Vinyl record album

Don Cherry really breaks out here on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. First part of the sessions feature the tracks "Total Vibration", "Sun Of The East", "Brilliant Action", and "Terrestrial Beings". LP, Vinyl record album

Don Cherry really breaks out here on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. Titles include "Total Vibration", "Sun Of The East", "Brilliant Action", "Terrestrial Beings", "Bamboo Night", "The Mysticism Of My Sound", "Psycho Drama", "Smiling Faces Going Places", "Teo Teo Can", and "Dollar Brand/Spontaneous Composing/Exert Man On The Moon". CD

Don Cherry really breaks out here on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. Titles on this second part include "Bamboo Night", "The Mysticism Of My Sound", "Psycho Drama", "Smiling Faces Going Places", "Teo Teo Can", and "Dollar Brand/Spontaneous Composing/Exert Man On The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first truly important records from Don Cherry as a leader – and an amazingly well-crafted session that brings together ideas from his early years with Ornette, and expands them with some of the freedoms he was learning from the European scene! The record boasts a format and lineup that's quite unusual for Blue Note at the time – 2 side-long "suite" tracks, performed by a group that features Cherry on cornet, Pharoah Sanders on tenor and piccolo, Karl Berger on vibes and piano, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Ed Blackwell on drums, and both Jean-Francois Jenny- Clark and Henry Grimes on bass! There's a fair bit of room for creative improvising on the session, but the overall album's a bit more structured than contemporary free jazz outings – and clearly shows the mark of Cherry's interpolation of styles at the time. Two long suites are entitled "Symphony For Improvisers" and "Manhattan Cry" – with shorter passages that include "Nu Creative Love", "Infant Happiness", "Manhattan Cry", and "Lunatic". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first truly important records from Don Cherry as a leader – and an amazingly well-crafted session that brings together ideas from his early years with Ornette, and expands them with some of the freedoms he was learning from the European scene! The record boasts a format and lineup that's quite unusual for Blue Note at the time – 2 side-long "suite" tracks, performed by a group that features Cherry on cornet, Pharoah Sanders on tenor and piccolo, Karl Berger on vibes and piano, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Ed Blackwell on drums, and both Jean-Francois Jenny- Clark and Henry Grimes on bass! There's a fair bit of room for creative improvising on the session, but the overall album's a bit more structured than contemporary free jazz outings – and clearly shows the mark of Cherry's interpolation of styles at the time. Two long suites are entitled "Symphony For Improvisers" and "Manhattan Cry" – with shorter passages that include "Nu Creative Love", "Infant Happiness", "Manhattan Cry", and "Lunatic". CD

Two Don Cherry classics – back to back in a single set! Where Is Brooklyn is easily one of the most powerful albums ever cut by Don Cherry – a searing set of tracks done for Blue Note in the late 60s – and featuring some tremendous tenor work by Pharoah Sanders! There's a tightness and level of energy here that surpasses even Cherry's other excellent Blue Note sessions – a rawness that recalls the style forged often on key ESP albums of the 60s, but honed here into a slightly tighter mode. Sanders' horn is especially well-placed in the set – and pushes Cherry past the spacier notes of other recordings, in a way that unlocks fire from the years with Ornette – but which opens up into a much freer groove. The rest of the group includes Henry Grimes on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums – both a perfect match for the quartet – and titles include the 17 minute "Unite", plus "There Is A Bomb", "Awake Nu", "Taste Maker", and "The Thing". Eternal Rhythm is one of Don Cherry's most hypnotic albums ever – a full album-length performance that features one of his first experiments with mixing jazz and global elements! The set was captured at the 1968 Berlin Jazz Festival – and mixes Cherry's amazing work on cornet, flute, and a myriad of world instruments with key contributions from European improvisers who include Eje Thelin on trombone, Bernt Rosengren on tenor and oboe, Karl Berger on vibes, Joachim Kuhn on piano and prepared piano, and Albert Mangelsdorf on trombone! There's even a bit of gamelon elements in some of the music, and Sonny Sharrock plays guitar too – and although free at times, the music comes together with an amazing sense of cohesion by the end – a vision that would inspire others to move into new territory in the decade to come. CD

A really fantastic record from this groundbreaking trio – a group who cut some seminal albums for ECM in the 70s, but who sound even more raw and spontaneous in this rare live recording from 1978! The lineup enough will let you know that you're in for something great – as the trio features Don Cherry on trumpet and flute, Nana Vasconcelos on berimbau and cuica, and Collin Walcott on sitar, tablas, and kalimba – working together in these cross-cultural modes that blend Indian, African, and Brazilian elements into some jazz-based improvisation! Players shift up instrumentation throughout, and also vocalize a bit too – less lyrics than use of the voice as instrument – and Cherry also plays a bit of doussn'gouni too. Titles include "Let Thy Wish Become My Desire", "Mumakata", "New Light", "Que Fraser", and "Like That Of Sky Togo" – plus the unusual Stevie Wonder/Ornette Coleman medley of "Race Face/Sortie/Sir Duke". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most striking work we've heard from Neneh Cherry in years – and a great follow-up to her previous project with The Thing! This set has Neneh working with producer Kieran Hebden – who returns Cherry to the offbeat, arty sound of her early years on the British scene – particularly her excellent work with Rip Rig & Panic! As with that period, the rhythms here are key – but are also rhythms that really veer from the usual – odd basslines and beats that provide a jagged bottom underneath Cherry's soulfully flowing vocals – a sense of counterpoint that really gives the album a lot of power. Titles include "Naked", "Spit Three Times", "Blank Project", "Cynical", "422", "Out Of The Black", "Dossier", and "Everything". CD

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One of the nicest albums that Ferrante & Teicher cut for United Artists! The record has bits of prepared piano over exotic backings – perhaps not as crazy as some of their albums for Westminster, but still with some good off-beat touches that make the album one of the few that's really worth seeking out by them. Plus, the Exotica arrangements give the piano pair a different sound than usual – a bit less staid, with a pretty nice batch pad groove. Titles include "Taboo", "Shangri La", "Moon Of Manakoora", "Negligee", "Jungle Drums", and "Adventures In Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album

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Excellent work by pianist Clare Fischer – a musician who really got a chance to express his most creative sides on the Revelation label! That's definitely the case here – as Clare plays with just the bass of Bobby West for accompaniment – on titles that include an 11 minute take on "I'll Take Romance", and a 10 minute version of "Easy Livin" – plus a nice version of the Joao Donato tune "Aquarius". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet trio and solo set – with help from Chuck Domanico on bass and Cloni Bailey on drums. Titles include "The Blues Reclaimed", "Soon", "Pensativa", and "WPA Work Chant". LP, Vinyl record album

Early trio work from pianist Clare Fischer – definitely surging ahead at this point in his career! The set's got a bit more of a freewheeling sound than some of Fischer's later, more arranged material – lots of tight piano from Clare in the lead, swung with a good blend of soul jazz energy mixed with Latin and Brazilian influences – with support from a few different rhythm teams, players who include Gary Peacock, Ralph Pena, and Albert Stinson on bass – and Gene Stone, Larry Bunker, and Colin Bailey on drums! Some of the tracks are a bit longer than you'd expect for such a record – taking things nicely past conventional trio expectations – and titles include "Billie's Bounce", "Way Down East", "Davenport Blues", "Strayhorn", "This Can't Be Love", and "Without A Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A great session – spare and laidback, which offers a perfect chance to hear Gary Foster's great tone on alto and flute! Fischer plays piano and Fender Rhodes – and there's no other instrumentation at all. Titles include "Bluesome", "Brazilian Waltz", "Starbright", and "Sippin At Bells". LP, Vinyl record album

With Martin Wind on bass and Tim Horner on drums. CD

Jesse Fischer on piano, rhodes, wurlitzer, Hammond B-3, Moog Little Phatty, Prophet Rev2, Juno 106, mandolin, voice and percussion, Billy Bass on trumpet, Godwin Louis on soprano and alto saxophone, Morgan Guerin on tenor saxophone and drums, Jordan Peters on guitar, David Cutler on bass, Obed Calvaire on drums, Keita Ogawa and Mino Cinelu on percussion, Daniel Winshall on upright bass, and Michael Valeanu on guitar. CD

Arrangements by Bill Finnegan of Sauter-Finnegan fame. LP, Vinyl record album

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Conducted by Eugene Ormandy, with sidemen that include Les Robinson, Billy Butterfield, Cootie Williams, Slam Stewart, and Nick Fatool. LP, Vinyl record album

Georg Graewe on piano, Marcio Mattos on acoustic bass, and Micheal Vatcher on drums. CD

A great look back at a small but wonderful slice of 60s jazz – the very groovy compositions of pianist Clare Fischer – a player who could easily absorb influences from bossa nova and Latin music, and really give them a special sort of California vibe! Clare worked often with Cal Tjader back in the day – and to showcase that side of his sound, Morten Gronvad handles vibes in the lead here, next to the alto of Jens Sondergaard – an instrument that's not as often associated with Fischer compositions, and which makes them sparkle here with a warm sense of energy that's totally great! The rest of the combo features Thomas Borno on piano, Niels Knudsen on bass, and Niclas Campagnol on drums – and titles include versions of Fischer tunes that include "Morning", "Carnaval", "Pensativa", "Elizete", "Gososo", "Gaviota", and "Wistful Samba". CD

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Features performances by Coleman Hawkins, Rex Stewart, Roy Eldridge, Red Allen and Chu Berry. Tracks include "Sing, Sing, Sing", "Sugar Foot Stomp", "Phantom Fantasie", "Harlem Madness", "Jangled Nerves" and "Riffin" – 21 cuts in all. CD

An incredible collection – the best document you'll ever find of the undeniable genius of Fletcher Henderson! CD

Two fantastic early albums by Al Hudson – working here with his initial group, The Soul Partners! First up is Especially For You – a record that's kind of a first chapter to all the excellent work by One Way to come – even though Al's not using that group name at this time! The record's got this cool, classy vibe – an update of an earlier Detroit soul mode, and one that maybe followed that city's shift a few years later than 70s soul changes in Philly during the decade – and handled with a similar blend of groovers and mellow cuts! The vibe is similar to the great shift The Dramatics were making on ABC Records at the time – and Al and the group work here with production by Al Perkins and arrangements by Jimmy Roach. Titles include "Baby Let Me Love You", "I Got A Notion You Got The Motion", "Real Love", "You're So Wonderful", and "Trying To Prove My Love". Cherish is a funky soul classic from Al Hudson and the Soul Partners – a second full length set, and one that really has Hudson finding his groove! The rhythms are funkier than before – thanks to strong work on bass from Kevin McCord, who also joins Al a bit on vocals – in a mode that still continues the group's strong work on midtempo numbers, but also maybe answers a 70s disco wave with more of a Detroit funk overall! Great work from the group that would later turn into One Way – with titles that include "Tripped, Slipped, Stumbled, & Fell", "If You Get Caught", "If You Feel Like Dancing", and "I Like Everything About You". CD also features bonus tracks – "Feelings (7" version)" and "If You Feel Like Dancin (12" version)". CD

One of Bobby Hutcherson's most important albums ever – and an essential piece of "new thing" jazz that ranks up there with such key Blue note sessions of the genre as Tony Williams' album Life Time, Dolphy's Out To Lunch, and Jackie McLean's One Step Beyond! Hutcherson's sound on the vibes is amazing – metallic, yet melodic – in a sublime blend of the modern and the soulful, all wrapped up in tones and colors that few other players have ever managed to get from the instrument! All the other players on the session really rise to the occasion too – and the album features tremendous work from Sam Rivers on tenor, soprano, bass clarinet, and flute – plus Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Andrew Hill on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all Blue Note modernists at their prime! Titles include "Ghetto Lights", "Catta", and "Idle While". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bobby Hutcherson's most important albums ever – and an essential piece of "new thing" jazz that ranks up there with such key Blue note sessions of the genre as Tony Williams' album Life Time, Dolphy's Out To Lunch, and Jackie McLean's One Step Beyond! Hutcherson's sound on the vibes is amazing – metallic, yet melodic – in a sublime blend of the modern and the soulful, all wrapped up in tones and colors that few other players have ever managed to get from the instrument! All the other players on the session really rise to the occasion too – and the album features tremendous work from Sam Rivers on tenor, soprano, bass clarinet, and flute – plus Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Andrew Hill on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all Blue Note modernists at their prime! Titles include "Ghetto Lights", "Catta", and "Idle While". CD also features the bonus track "Jasper" – not on the original LP! CD

One of Bobby Hutcherson's most important albums ever – and an essential piece of "new thing" jazz that ranks up there with such key Blue note sessions of the genre as Tony Williams' album Life Time, Dolphy's Out To Lunch, and Jackie McLean's One Step Beyond! Hutcherson's sound on the vibes is amazing – metallic, yet melodic – in a sublime blend of the modern and the soulful, all wrapped up in tones and colors that few other players have ever managed to get from the instrument! All the other players on the session really rise to the occasion too – and the album features tremendous work from Sam Rivers on tenor, soprano, bass clarinet, and flute – plus Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Andrew Hill on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all Blue Note modernists at their prime! Titles include "Ghetto Lights", "Catta", and "Idle While". CD also features the bonus track "Jasper" – not on the original LP! CD

One of the greatest Bobby Hutcherson albums for Blue Note – a classic session recorded in quartet form, with a style that seems to set a whole new standard for the vibes in modern jazz! The group here is sublime – Herbie Hancock on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all working with Bobby in cool, blocky chords, with a sound that lies somewhere on the road to "out", but has more of a swing than Hutcherson's "new thing" recordings! The balance is a perfect one – exciting and fresh, but still always soulfully grooving – and titles include a sublime version of Herbie's "Maiden Voyage" – plus originals by Hutcherson that include "The Omen", "Aquarian Moon", "Rojo", and "Head Start". CD

One of the greatest Bobby Hutcherson albums for Blue Note – a classic session recorded in quartet form, with a style that seems to set a whole new standard for the vibes in modern jazz! The group here is sublime – Herbie Hancock on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all working with Bobby in cool, blocky chords, with a sound that lies somewhere on the road to "out", but has more of a swing than Hutcherson's "new thing" recordings! The balance is a perfect one – exciting and fresh, but still always soulfully grooving – and titles include a sublime version of Herbie's "Maiden Voyage" – plus originals by Hutcherson that include "The Omen", "Aquarian Moon", "Rojo", and "Head Start". CD

One of the greatest lost sessions ever! Legendary vibist Bobby Hutcherson recorded this set of tracks in his early days with Blue Note – but the set's never come out until now, and its release is cause for rejoicing! The material shows Hutcherson playing in a straight-ahead format, tinged with some of the modernist new thing elements of other recordings from the time, but mostly filled with a soulfulness not always heard on his Blue Note albums at the time. The group includes Duke Pearson on piano, whose lovely lyrical approach works perfectly with Hutcherson's vibes. Joe Henderson plays some great hard-edged tenor, cutting nicely through all the tracks – and Grant Green sits in on half of the material, playing some nice spiralling modal lines on guitar. Many of these titles have been recorded in other versions on later Blue Note albums – but they're all in fantastic versions here, including "Bedouin", "The Kicker", "Step Lightly", and "Mirrors". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful later Blue Note album from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a set recorded after his famous association with Harold Land, but with a groove that's wonderfully soulful in a whole different way! Bobby plays marimbas instead of vibes this time around, and he's working with his own arrangements for a slightly larger group – one that has some sweet fusion overtones, and these wonderful mellow funk inflections – so that even the mellow cuts have this warmly glowing, ultra-soulful sound that's mighty nice – a bit like some of the work from Gene Harris around the same time. Other players include Jerry Peters on Fender Rhodes, who also helped out with the arrangements – plus Harvey Mason on drums and Ernie Watts on reeds – and a few tracks feature sweet backing vocals from The Waters. The highlight here is a nice moody extended version of "People Make The World Go Round", but all cuts are great, and titles include "Silver Rondo", "Manzanita", "NTU", and his dark cover of "Theme From MASH". CD

A lost set of work from the team of Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land – recorded right around the same time as their famous San Francisco album! The album's overflowing with the soulful, righteous tones the pair could create together – sublime vibes from Hutcherson, both tenor and flute from Land – and a top-shelf supporting cast that includes Stanley Cowell on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums! Like others of this nature, Blue Note never issued the material at the time – but wisely released it as an album at the start of the 80s – a great contribution to Hutcherson's catalog for the label – of which we can never get enough! Titles include "Ungano", "Avis", "Comes Spring", and "Orientale". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bobby Hutcherson's greatest records ever – and a session that never got released at the time! The album's an excellent quartet session, one that's very much in the best spirit of Bobby's great Happenings album on Blue Note – and it features a similar group that includes Hutcherson on vibes, Herbie Hancock on piano, Albert Stinson on bass, and Joe Chambers, one of Hutcherson's best accompanists from the 60s, on drums. The format's a bit more modal than Happenings – and the set features 6 wonderful little tracks that mix together the "new thing" sound of earlier Hutcherson Blue Notes, with some of the nascent soulfulness that started creeping into his work at the end of the 60s. The album was recorded in 1967, but only first issued in Japan in at the end of the 70s – and then later in the US, and even then only briefly – but we'd still rank the set as one of Bobby's best for Blue Note! Titles include "Til Then", "Mr Joy", "Subtle Neptune", and "Theme From Blow Up". CD

One of Bobby Hutcherson's greatest records ever – and a session that never got released at the time! The album's an excellent quartet session, one that's very much in the best spirit of Bobby's great Happenings album on Blue Note – and it features a similar group that includes Hutcherson on vibes, Herbie Hancock on piano, Albert Stinson on bass, and Joe Chambers, one of Hutcherson's best accompanists from the 60s, on drums. The format's a bit more modal than Happenings – and the set features 6 wonderful little tracks that mix together the "new thing" sound of earlier Hutcherson Blue Notes, with some of the nascent soulfulness that started creeping into his work at the end of the 60s. The album was recorded in 1967, but only first issued in Japan in at the end of the 70s – and then later in the US, and even then only briefly – but we'd still rank the set as one of Bobby's best for Blue Note! Titles include "Til Then", "Mr Joy", "Subtle Neptune", and "Theme From Blow Up". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bobby Hutcherson's greatest records ever – and a session that never got released at the time! The album's an excellent quartet session, one that's very much in the best spirit of Bobby's great Happenings album on Blue Note – and it features a similar group that includes Hutcherson on vibes, Herbie Hancock on piano, Albert Stinson on bass, and Joe Chambers, one of Hutcherson's best accompanists from the 60s, on drums. The format's a bit more modal than Happenings – and the set features 6 wonderful little tracks that mix together the "new thing" sound of earlier Hutcherson Blue Notes, with some of the nascent soulfulness that started creeping into his work at the end of the 60s. The album was recorded in 1967, but only first issued in Japan in at the end of the 70s – and then later in the US, and even then only briefly – but we'd still rank the set as one of Bobby's best for Blue Note! Titles include "Til Then", "Mr Joy", "Subtle Neptune", and "Theme From Blow Up". CD

The sticks are up, and Bobby Hutcherson is at the top of his game – hitting a whole new groove here in this sublime session of modal numbers for Blue Note – a slightly warmer set than his more modern albums of the "new thing" years, and a great indication of the directions he'd take in the 70s! Bobby's vibes are set up wonderfully here in a quintet that includes Joe Henderson on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who bring key elements to the groove. Tyner's got an obvious ear for the modal rhythms that Hutcherson's heading for; Higgins' drum work is freely lyrical in all the best ways; and Henderson's horn sharpens the edges of the tunes a bit, bringing in some nice darker sounds. The kickoff track is an amazing modal reading of Ornette's "Una Muy Bonita", and the rest tracks are all Hutcherson originals, including "Summer Nights", "8/4 Beat", "Black Circle", "Verse", and "Blues Mind Matter". CD

A brilliant collaboration between vibist Bobby Hutcherson and reedman Harold Land – the first Blue Note album to feature the talents of the pair together, and a stone classic from the very first note! Hutcherson had already been making big waves for the label with his earlier sides – some avant, some soulful, all great – but adding Land's magical tenor and flute to the mix really opens his sound up a lot, and unlocks a lyrical quality in Bobby's music that really points the way to his flourishing years in the 70s! Yet all is not totally sweet – as both Land and Hutcherson maintain an edginess on the record that makes it more of a progression from the "new thing" years than a break – and pianist Chick Corea is on hand, moving through a very similar path in his own music too. Other players include Reggie Johnson on bass and Joe Chambers on drums – and the tracks are nice and long, with that free-wheeling soulful sound that Land seemed to nicely bring to Hutcherson's playing. Titles include "Herzog", "Same Shame", "Maxtrix", "Total Eclipse", and "Pompeian". CD

2 of the nicer Bobby Hutcherson albums of the past 20 years, put together back to back on another one of those nifty 32 Jazz CD packages dedicated to helping jazz fans today rediscover lost gems of the past. Both records have a nice spare straight-ahead jazz sound, which is a refreshing change after some of Hutcherson's forays into larger formats during the 70s. Good Bait features a group with George Cables, Ray Drummond, Philly Joe Jones, and Branford Marsalis – and includes the cuts "Love Samba", "Montgomery", "Israel", and "Good Bait". Color Schemes features Mulgrew Miller, John Heard, and Billy Higgins – and the record has a mix of tracks that includes "Never Let Me Go", "Recorda Me", Bemsha Swing", and "Whisper Not". Hutcherson's tone is amazing on both albums – and it's incredible to hear that even in his third decade of playing the vibes, he was still stretching his work to reach new levels, and lay down notes on the instrument that sound like nobody else! CD

A classic speech by Jesse Jackson – one that became quite a hit for Stax's Respect subsidiary, and which was one of the better selling albums of its type in the early 70s. The album was recorded back in the days before Jesse had become a bit of a cliche, when he appeared to be emerging as the heir to Martin Luther King's crown, with possibly as much potential for social change and political motivation. The record contains Jesse's famous "I Am Somebody" speech – which included the title chant that would be taken up often in the 70s, even on funky records, as well as into the 80s and 90s, when it was frequently sampled by hip hoppers. LP, Vinyl record album

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Features Jimmy Johnson on guitar and vocals – on titles that include "Heap See", "Missing Link", "Happy Home", "Chicken Heads", "Little By Little", and "When My First Wife Quit Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful work from a pair we wish we could have heard more often together! Steve Lacy's early records are all pretty darn great, but this album's a really special gem – a rare pairing with trumpeter Don Cherry, and an album with an incredibly haunting sound! There's almost a bit more warmth here than some of Lacy's other early records – and more than Cherry's too, for that matter – as the pair move together marvelously through space that might be dubbed modal, but which also has a somewhat airy and open sense of freedom. Lacy brings in some of his usual love of Thelonious Monk, but the rhythmic progressions often move away from standard Monk modes – partly from the absence of piano on the set. Drummer Billy Higgins is especially great – playing with an almost melodic approach to his kit at times – and the quartet's completed by bassist Carl Brown, who's really won our attention with his work on the date. Titles include an incredible reading of Duke Ellington's "The Mystery Song" – plus the tracks "Something To Live For", "Let's Cool One", "Who Knows", "San Francisco Holiday", and "Let's Cool One". CD

Amazing work from one of the first hip ladies on Capitol Records – with other work recorded for Okeh, Imperial, Liberty, and Decca too! CD

Excellent west coast doo wop from Marvin & Johnny – a duo who sometimes featured Jesse Belvin as the "John", but who here includes singer Emory Perry next to Marvin Phillips – a great pairing of voices that was equally well-suited to sweet harmony material and rawer jump-styled grooves! The work on this set is their best – and includes a big number of rare singles for the Modern label, including key early 50s tracks that really helped the west coast scene rival some of the better-known vocal group work back east! As always with Ace, the presentation is fantastic – notes and great sound, and a set list that includes their classic double-entendre hit "Cherry Pie", plus "Oh Me Oh My", "Sweet Dreams", "Butter Ball", "Vip Vop", "Honey Girl", "Kiss Me", "Forever", "Sweet Potato", "I Wanna", "Will You Love Me", and "Baby Won't You Marry Me" – plus some solo Marvin Phillips tracks too. CD

A great 2 CD set that brings together both of James Moody's LPs for Perception – The Teachers and Heritage Hum! The Teachers is one of the best albums that Moody ever recorded – and it's a great batch of crackling jazz funk, jazzy riffing, and nicely arranged little bits that sound like they might be lifted from a cool early 70's soundtrack. The album's got some nice jazzy breaks, and Moody's flute is hard and funky, sounding a lot like 70s funksters like Jeremy Steig or the flautist in the group SOUL. Titles on The Teachers include "Hello Goodbye", "The Teachers", "Street Talk Suite", "Behind Every Good Man", and "The New Spirit". Heritage Hum is a little bit more subdued – but has a great slinking groove to it, and features nice playing by Michael Longo, who was also in Dizzy's funky 70s group at the time. Eddie Jefferson sings vocals on a hilarious version of "Pennies From Heaven", and other titles include "Heritage Hum", "Road Runner", "Soul Searching", and "Travel On". CD

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