A deeply personal project by William Parker in honor of his own Uncle Joe and Aunt Lee – his Bronx dwelling family, paid tribute to with an excellent, timeless soul jazz organ set – we should all by so treasured by uber-talented, passionate kin! Parker holds down the on bass with stellar Cooper-Moore organ grooves, Darryl Foster on tenor and Gerald Cleaver on drums. Titles include "Uncle Joe's Spirit House", "Jacques Groove, "Ennio's Tag", "Document For LJ", "The Struggle", "Oasis" and more. CD

One of the earliest sets issued under the name of the Lighthouse All-Stars – that hip assemblage of west coast players headed by bassist Howard Rumsey – hardly a household name on his own, but well-remembered for all the great work done at this famous club! The lineup is a who's who of key players on the west coast at the time – Shorty Rogers and Maynard Ferguson on trumpet, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper on tenor, Hampton Hawes on piano, Milt Bernhart on trombone, and Shelly Manne on drums – and some tracks are a bit longer than usual, offering up freer solo space than you're likely to get on other west coast dates – a key contribution of the All-Stars recording mode. Titles include "Creme De Menthe", "Four Others", "La Sonicalli", "Morgan Davis", "Bernie's Tune", "Viva Zapata", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra, Sidney Bechet And His New Orleans Feetwarmers, Al Cooper And His Savoy Sultans, Chick Webb And His Orchestra, Coleman Hawkins And His Orchestra, Erskine Hawkins And His Orchestra, Claude Hopkins And His Orchestra, Benny Carter And His Orchestra, Lucky Millinder And His Orchestra, Teddy Hill And His NBC Orchestra, Andy Kirk And His Clouds Of Joy, Jay McShann And His Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, Cab Calloway And His Orchestra, Duke Ellington And His Orchestra, Buddy Johnson And His Orchestra, The Buddy Tate Celebrity Club Orchestra, Tab Smith Orchestra, and Cootie Williams And His Orchestra. CD

An amazing blend of free jazz and fusiony touches – a partially electric session that's a real standout in the New York loft jazz scene! The album was produced by Noah Howard at Ornette Coleman's Artist House studio – but it's got a sound that's quite different from work by either of those big names associated with the set. Daniel plays trumpet and flugelhorn on the record – always with an open, spacious tone that soars one minute, meanders the next – allowing plenty of room for contributions from other group members who include Khan Jamal on vibes, Jerome Cooper on drums, Tim Ingles on electric bass with wah wah, and Richard Daniel on Fender Rhodes – again played with wah wah and echoplex! The added processing really does cool things to the electric sides of the music – spacing them out nicely, and creating a wide-toned sound that's a nice contrast to Jamal's vibes and Daniel's horn. All tracks are long, and titles include "Tapestry", "Sweet Dreams", and "Mozambique". CD also features the previously unreleased bonus track "Asagefo". CD

A compelling collection of work from the Chicago scene of the late 80s – and a set that not only features some lesser-known house, but also a proto-hop hop track from The Village Crew! Other artists include "Two Of A Kind", "Kool Rock Steady", "Tyree Cooper", "Paradise Inc", "debrice King", and "Reggio". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album that has arranger Pete Rugolo working with some of the bigger tunes from the Stan Kenton band – all in a tribute to the time when Pete was Stan's number one arranger, and a key force behind the success of the group! The groove is a mixture of west coast cool and sharper modern touches – played by a very Kentonish batch of players – including Bob Cooper and Dave Pell on tenor sax, Bud Shake and Harry Klee on flute and alto, Milt Bernhart and Frank Rosolino on trombones, Buddy Childers and Don Fagerquist on trumpets, Howard Roberts on guitar, Red Callender on tuba, Claude Williamson on piano, and Shelly Manne on drums. The tunes are nearly all Kenton originals – save for a few co-composed by Rugolo and Kenton – and titles include "Capitol Punishment", "Eager Beaver", "Painted Rhythm", "Concerto For Doghouse", "Minor Riff", and "Opus In Pastels". LP, Vinyl record album

Great early work from Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse group – working here at a level that's almost more freewheeling than on some of their later Contemporary albums! The format's still very much in place here – a host of key All Stars who include Milt Bernhart on trombone, Russ Freeman on piano, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper on tenors, and Shelly Manne on drums – but there's almost a more "live" sort of energy overall – a bit more boppish and open, with each new player leaping freely into the fray. Titles include "Luau", "The Duke You Say", "The Big Top", "Sunset Eyes", "Comin' Thru The Rye Bread" and "Taking A Chance On Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Sheesh, Howard Rumsey sure knew how to stick his name on a lot of records! (He must have been trying to give Norman Granz and Leonard Feather a run for their money!) Fortunately, most of them were also great – like this one, which features flute duets between Bob Cooper and either Bud Shank or Buddy Collette, over rhythms by Sonny Clark or Claude Williamson on piano, Max Roach or Stan Levy on drums, and Howard Rumsey on bass (actually making a rare appearance on wax here!) Titles include "Aquarium", "Still Life", "Bag's Groove", "Hermosa Summer", "Albatross", "Night In Tunisia", "Warm WInds", and "Happy Town". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual album from the west coast scene of the 60s – recorded under the name of the Lighthouse All Stars, but featuring arrangements and compositions by Bob Cooper – who was the real driving force behind the set. Conte Candoli's in the group on trumpet – and other players include Buddy Colette and Bud Shank on alto and flute, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Victor Feldman on vibes and percussion, Stan Levey on drums, and Cooper himself on tenor. The overall sound is relatively tightly constrained, in a "jazz suite" mode – but there's plenty of room for solo space on the set, and Cooper's writing is as fluid as his ability is strong to bring these players together as conductor. The set's got a really great feel that gets way past some of the more academic west coast work of its sort – with a lot more soul than you'd expect. Titles include "Rain Blues", "Genesis (pt II)", "Architectonics", "Directional Suite", and "The Worker". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from Howard Rumsey's early Lighthouse group – and a great example of why they were such a great act at the time! The "solo spotlight" in the title is extremely apt here – as each of the album's tracks features a standout performance by group members who emerge from the larger ensemble beautifully – all players who were in the larger backings on other numbers, but who really sparkle brilliantly on their solos. Soloists include Frank Rosolino on trombone, Richie Kamuca on tenor, Stan Levey on drums, Conte Candoli on trumpet, Bob Enevoldsen on valve trombone, Bob Cooper on tenor, and Bud Shank on alto. Titles are all plenty fresh originals – and include "Funny Frank", "Claude", "Coop", "Stan", "S&B", and "Bud". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Maynard Ferguson & the Big Bop Nouveau Band, the Bill Holman Big Band, the Bob Florence Limited Edition, the Lighthouse All-Stars, the Buddy Childers Big Band, the Lee Konitz Quartet, the Bob Cooper Quartet, the Tom Talbert Jazz Orchestra, the Bud Shank Quartet, and the Mark Masters Jazz Orchestra. CD