Milestone 70s two-fer collecting the recordings of the classic (and best) Evans trio caught live at the Village Vanguard in 1961. This is the group that established Evans outside of the Miles group, playing a typical Evans set of standards, with a wonderful open sound that would influence generations to come. 13 numbers in all, including "My Foolish Heart", "Waltz For Debby", "Detour Ahead", "My Romance", "Some Other Time", "Gloria's Steps", "All Of You", "Jade Visions", "Porgy", and "Milestones". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album from Bill Evans – and maybe THE record you need in your collection if you're trying to understand his contribution to jazz! The album's one of Evan's first sides from the Village Vanguard – and features the legendary trio that included Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums – both players who could shake free from conventional rhythmic roles in a piano trio, yet who also support Evans' lyrically modal playing here beautifully! The tracks are a bit longer than Bill's studio sides from the time, allowing for even more magical interplay on the keys – and titles include "My Foolish Heart", "Waltz For Debby", "Detour Ahead", "My Romance", "Some Other Time", and "Milestones". Features bonus tracks – "Porgy", plus alternates of "Waltz For Debby", "My Romance", and "Detour Ahead". CD

With 14 tracks including "Body & Soul", "Serenade In Blue", "Detour Ahead", "It Never Entered My Mind", "Corcovado", "Moonlight In Vermont", and "Girl From Ipanema". CD

An incredible session from the legendary Tribe Records scene – an equal effort from leader Doug Hammond and keyboardist David Durrah, who contributes some groundbreaking Fender Rhodes and moog work to the set! Hammond handles drums plus a bit of vocals and synthesizer on the session – working alongside Durrah in a groove that mixes electric and acoustic instrumentation into a totally righteous sound with lots of heavy Afro Jazz leanings. A number of tracks feature great vocals from Hammond – righteous, and with a beautifully soulful message-oriented approach – and a few other tracks, such as the classic "Space I" and "Space II", feature a sparer all-electric sound. The whole thing's wonderful – skittishly rhythmic, warmly flowing, and righteously beautiful. Titles include "Sea Of Nurnen", "Fidalgo Detour", "Reflections", "Space II", and "For Real". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 70s electric work from the great vibist Milt Jackson – a record that has him hitting some nicely moody modes, and in a spacious style that's almost a 70s remake of the energy of the Modern Jazz Quartet! Cedar Walton plays piano and Fender Rhodes – and Hubert Laws is in the group on flute – providing these lyrical lines next to Milt's more understated vibes – in a setting that's almost got the same sense of space and timing as some of Laws' records from the period – bigger ideas at play, but never too complicated – really flowing with a subtle sense of sound and tone. Freddie Hubbard plays guest trumpet on the track "SKJ" – the hardest-hitting number on the set – and other titles include "Opus De Funk", "Detour Ahead","Goodbye", and "Old Devil Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

Two CTI label gems from vibist Milt Jackson – back to back on a single CD! Sunflower is proof that Milt Jackson was easily the hippest member of the Modern Jazz Quartet – and one of the few who could really open up into different sounds away from that combo! This sweet 70s set for CTI is totally great – a whole new chapter for Jackson's vibes, and a real re-setting of the soulful modes he'd explored as a leader in the 60s. There's a wonderfully warm and chromatic feel to the set from the start – as Milt's vibes are set in fuller arrangements from Don Sebesky – with added instrumentation from Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Phil Bodner on reeds. The highlight of the album is a nice long take on "People Make The World Go Round", but it's all pretty sweet, and other titles include nice versions of "Sunflower" and "What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life" – and Jackson's own "SKJ" and "For Someone I Love". Goodbye is classic work from vibist Milt Jackson – opening up his bag a lot for the 70s, in a way that makes for some wonderfully casual grooves! The album's not as moodily funky as some of Jackson's other CTI records, but it is a nice batch of laidback tunes played with a distinctly soulful edge – handled by a group that features Cedar Walton on piano, Hubert Laws on flute, Ron Carter bass, Steve Gadd drums – and some guest trumpet from Freddie Hubbard on the track "SKJ". Other titles include "Opus De Funk", "Detour Ahead","Goodbye", and "Old Devil Moon". CD

Warmly soulful work from Tyshawn Sorey – a set that marks a different sound from some of his more serious avant material, and which represents this great organic chapter in his career! The group's a really well-matched trio – Aaron Diehl on piano and Matt Brewer on bass – players who clearly know themselves, and their path forward as a unit – so that they can take the music in all these really inventive directions that push the record past any sort of easy expectations you might have! Even familiar tunes are given some very fresh structures and readings – and titles include "Two Over One", "From Time To Time", "Detour Ahead", "Autumn Leaves", and "REM Blues". CD

Sublime swamp rock from the great Tony Joe White – one of his groundbreaking albums cut for the Monument label at the end of the 60s – a killer blend of southern rock steeped in funky soul! The backings are heavy in Hammond and fuzzy guitars – underscored by some really mighty drums, and just a bit of horns – giving the set a vibe that's somewhere between Memphis and Muscle Shoals, but with a definite detour into the garagey underground too! The grit in the grooves is totally wonderful – able to play on both sides of the fence – and titles include the funky "Woodpecker" – plus "Rainy Night In Georgia", "Elements & Things", "For Le Ann", "Old Man Willis", "Woman With Soul", and "The Migrant". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible early work from Joe Williams – harder, rawer, and spookier than any of his more famous sides from the late 50s and 1960s! The album's got a style that's almost R&B in parts – and features Joe effortlessly swinging his way through a set list that includes "It's Raining Again", "Detour Ahead", "Every Day", "Blow Mr Low", "Always On The Blue Side", and the incredible "Safe Sane & Single". The recording quality is great, too – looser and rougher than some of Joe's Verve work, with a nice toothy edge! LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible early work from Joe Williams – harder, rawer, and spookier than any of his more famous sides from the late 50s and 1960s! The album's got a style that's almost R&B in parts – and features Joe effortlessly swinging his way through a set list that includes "It's Raining Again", "Detour Ahead", "Every Day", "Blow Mr Low", "Always On The Blue Side", and the incredible "Safe Sane & Single". The recording quality is great, too – looser and rougher than some of Joe's Verve work, with a nice toothy edge! LP, Vinyl record album

The record that proved to the world that Vanessa Williams wasn't going to be let down after an unfortunate detour in the press – one that she answered with this classic album of crossover soul! Williams' isn't out to make anyone believe she's the next Aretha Franklin, but she's right at home in the upbeat arrangements of these tunes – stepping along with a bright and bouncy feel that more than matches the backings – and the feel of late 80s mainstream soul of the time. Titles include "The Right Stuff", "He's Got The Look", "Dreamin", "I'll Be The One", "Am I Too Much", "Be A Man", "Whatever Happens", and "Security". CD

The record that proved to the world that Vanessa Williams wasn't going to be let down after an unfortunate detour in the press – one that she answered with this classic album of crossover soul! Williams' isn't out to make anyone believe she's the next Aretha Franklin, but she's right at home in the upbeat arrangements of these tunes – stepping along with a bright and bouncy feel that more than matches the backings – and the feel of late 80s mainstream soul of the time. Titles include "The Right Stuff", "He's Got The Look", "Dreamin", "I'll Be The One", "Am I Too Much", "Be A Man", "Whatever Happens", and "Security". CD

An amazing, largely unheard collection of recordings by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys! If you're not down with the lore, what's now known as The Tiffany Transcriptions is a series of recordings that the western swing pioneers cut for Tiffany Music, Inc. in the mid-to-late 40s, which were intended only for syndicated radio play at the time – but Tiffany went bust shortly thereafter, and a lot of went unheard for years and years. Wills and his Playboys are really at a peak level here – bridging rural dancehall music with swing jazz in landmark fashion and folksy charm. We've always been huge fans of Playboys singer Tommy Duncan, and he's in top form here, - and the set includes some excellent instrumentals, too. It features 50 tracks on 2CDs – 30 of which have never been reissued, or included on earlier Tiffany Transcriptions anthologies – and 20 of the 50 have never been released before now! Includes "Put Another Chair At The Table", "Travelin' Blues", "Bubbles In My Beer", "Detour", "Sliver Dew On The Blue Grass Tonight", "On The Alamo (Instrumental)", "Ragtime Annie (Instrumental)", "Goodnight Little Sweetheart", "I Wonder If You Feel The Way I Do", "She's Gone", "Still Water Runs The Deepest" and many more. Deluxe package, too! CD

A solo piano set – tracks include "Where Or When", "So Blue", "For Seana", "Love Letters", and "Detour Ahead", which features the pianist accompanying himself on vocals. CD

Herb Ellis gets a hearty helping of horns on this set – working with key performances from Jimmy Giuffre, Charlie Mariano, and Harry Edison – all of whom really round out the sound of the record! Herb's guitar is certainly at the forefront of the record, but it's sitting nicely in a lineup that features Harry Edison on trumpet and Jimmy Giuffre on tenor sax, baritone, and clarinet – plus the alto of Charlie Mariano for all of side two of the record – and rhythm by Oscar Peterson on piano and Ray Brown on bass (with whom Ellis was then working in the Peterson Trio), plus Alvin Soller on drums. Ellis' solos dominate most of the record, but they're often set in some slightly tight, freshly modern, and unfortunately uncredited arrangements that have lots of Giuffre touches – warmed up considerably by Edison's trumpet. Titles include "Pogo", "Detour Ahead", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "A Simple Tune", "It Could Happen To You", and "Ellis In Wonderland". CD

A tribute to Billie Holiday – with Johnny Griffin's tenor fronting some larger backing on strings and brass – but hipper than most efforts of this type, thanks to some great arrangements by Melba Liston and Norman Simmons! The record's a good change from some of Johnny's more full-on bop sessions from the same time – and it's nice to hear that his tenor works equally well on mellow tracks and ballads, stretching out with a deep edge and a wonderful tone. Other players include Clark Terry on trumpet, Barry Galbraith on guitar, and Ron Carter on bass – and titles include "God Bless The Child", "Gloomy Sunday", "Travelin' Light", "Left Alone", and "Detour Ahead". CD

Soulful harmonies-laded Jamaican music from The Inturns – who also recorded as The Viceroys and with other monikers from the mid 60s onward – and are really in peak form here in the later 70s! It's beautiful stuff, with rhythmsthat balance a rawer grit with a lighter touch – laid down at Channel One by Sly & Robbie, Ansell Collins, Skully Sims and other prime scene players – but it's really the soul-steeped vocals that carry the vibe here. The Pressure Sounds pedigree for underappreciated archival reggae continues to blow us away! Includes "Send Us", "Consider Yourself", "Detour", "Jah Ho Jah", "Nothing Is Impossible", "Get To Know", "Do We Have To Fight", "Sing A Good Song", and "Jah Ho". CD also includes the bonus 12" mixes of "Nothing Is Impossible" and "Detour". CD

Sweet 70s electric work from the great vibist Milt Jackson – a record that has him hitting some nicely moody modes, and in a spacious style that's almost a 70s remake of the energy of the Modern Jazz Quartet! Cedar Walton plays piano and Fender Rhodes – and Hubert Laws is in the group on flute – providing these lyrical lines next to Milt's more understated vibes – in a setting that's almost got the same sense of space and timing as some of Laws' records from the period – bigger ideas at play, but never too complicated – really flowing with a subtle sense of sound and tone. Freddie Hubbard plays guest trumpet on the track "SKJ" – the hardest-hitting number on the set – and other titles include "Opus De Funk", "Detour Ahead","Goodbye", and "Old Devil Moon". CD