A long-overdue reissue of the three Blue Note albums recorded by tenor sax giant Don Wilkerson! Wilkerson's one of the lesser-known artists to record for the label – a deep-throated Texas tenorman with a style that's a bit more R&B influenced than other Blue Note artists. The label took this huge talent, and set it up in some perfectly-conceived settings, inflecting Wilkerson's rootsiness with some of the soul jazz modernism of players like Grant Green, John Patton, Sonny Clark, and Ben Dixon. The set features all the tracks from the albums Elder Don, Preach Brother, and Shoutin – and titles include "Jeanie Weenie", "Lone Star Shuffle", "Drawin A Tip", "Movin Out", "Happy Johnny", "Sweet Cake", "Scrappy", "Pigeon Peas", and "Dem Tambourines". 18 tracks in all! CD

One of the few albums ever made as a leader by tenorist Don Wilkerson – a hell of a talent who was usually working in the background of the Ray Charles band, but got this chance to step out as a leader for Blue Note – in a session that's also one of the rarest on the label! Brother Don plays lean and mean, in a nice tight group that features Grant Green on guitar, Sonny Clark on piano, and Billy Higgins on drums – all of whom give Wilkerson a freer setting than he ever got working with Ray Charles – a groove that's right in the best soul jazz pocket of early 60s Blue Note! The groove has a freer edge than on some of Wilkerson's few other albums, with touches that almost reach a Latin sound at times – an influence most likely from Green's exotic work on guitar, and Higgins' wonderfully free rhythms. Titles include "Pigeon Peas", "Camp Meetin", "Jeanie Weanie", and "Dem Tamborines". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever made as a leader by tenorist Don Wilkerson – a hell of a talent who was usually working in the background of the Ray Charles band, but got this chance to step out as a leader for Blue Note – in a session that's also one of the rarest on the label! Brother Don plays lean and mean, in a nice tight group that features Grant Green on guitar, Sonny Clark on piano, and Billy Higgins on drums – all of whom give Wilkerson a freer setting than he ever got working with Ray Charles – a groove that's right in the best soul jazz pocket of early 60s Blue Note! The groove has a freer edge than on some of Wilkerson's few other albums, with touches that almost reach a Latin sound at times – an influence most likely from Green's exotic work on guitar, and Higgins' wonderfully free rhythms. Titles include "Pigeon Peas", "Camp Meetin", "Jeanie Weanie", and "Dem Tamborines". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever made as a leader by tenorist Don Wilkerson – a hell of a talent who was usually working in the background of the Ray Charles band, but got this chance to step out as a leader for Blue Note – in a session that's also one of the rarest on the label! Brother Don plays lean and mean, in a nice tight group that features Grant Green on guitar, Sonny Clark on piano, and Billy Higgins on drums – all of whom give Wilkerson a freer setting than he ever got working with Ray Charles – a groove that's right in the best soul jazz pocket of early 60s Blue Note! The groove has a freer edge than on some of Wilkerson's few other albums, with touches that almost reach a Latin sound at times – an influence most likely from Green's exotic work on guitar, and Higgins' wonderfully free rhythms. Titles include "Pigeon Peas", "Camp Meetin", "Jeanie Weanie", and "Dem Tamborines". CD

One of the rarest albums by this great Texas tenor player – and the kind of album we're very happy to see reissued! This heavy little gem was one of the few sides that Wilkerson cut under his own name – and it was the only one recorded away from Blue Note, as part of Cannonball Adderley's short-lived "Cannonball Presents" series. The core group features Wilkerson's Texas tenor right out front (a lot louder than on the Blue Note sides), set against the piano of Barry Harris, the bass of Leroy Vinnegar, and the drums of Billy Higgins. Nat Adderley plays cornet on a few tracks – and titles include "Jelly Roll", "The Twister", "Morning Coffee", "Idiom", and "Media". CD

One of those great "never was" Blue Note sessions – recorded in the 60s, but never issued until years later – even though the label had assigned it a cover, title, and catalog number! The album was the last session by baritone sax player Leo Parker – a bop and R&B legend who sadly passed along at the young age of 36, but left a really rich legacy of music. Parker has a way with the baritone that's almost as lean as a tenorist – blowing the horn with sharp, well-placed notes that really make this session cook – somewhere in the R&B-influenced territory of Don Wilkerson's work on Blue Note. Other players include the great Dave Burns on trumpet – always a welcome presence on any date – plus Bill Swindell on tenor sax, Johnny Acea on piano, Al Lucas or Stan Conover on bass, and Wilbert Hogan or Purnell Rice on drums. Tracks include "The Lion's Roar", "Rollin With Leo", "Jumpin Leo", "Talkin The Blues", "Mad Lad Returns", and Illinois Jacquet's "Music Hall Beat". CD

Very groovy stuff! Most of the cuts on these albums were pulled from rare 50s and 60s sides – and although you might recognize the artists, the material is hard to find, especially on vinyl! There's a total of 16 cuts in a groovy package, and titles include "Milestones" by Mark Murphy, "The Squash" by Hank Marr, "Dem Tambourines" by Don Wilkerson, "Soul Dressing" by Booker T & The MGs, "Mambo With Moody" by James Moody, "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (part 2)" by Jimmy Smith, "Kingston Calypso" by John Barry, "Goodness Gracious Me" by Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren, and "Just One Of Those Things" by Lalo Schifrin & Bob Brookmeyer. CD

One of those great "never was" Blue Note sessions – recorded in the 60s, but never issued until years later – even though the label had assigned it a cover, title, and catalog number! The album was the last session by baritone sax player Leo Parker – a bop and R&B legend who sadly passed along at the young age of 36, but left a really rich legacy of music. Parker has a way with the baritone that's almost as lean as a tenorist – blowing the horn with sharp, well-placed notes that really make this session cook – somewhere in the R&B-influenced territory of Don Wilkerson's work on Blue Note. Other players include the great Dave Burns on trumpet – always a welcome presence on any date – plus Bill Swindell on tenor sax, Johnny Acea on piano, Al Lucas or Stan Conover on bass, and Wilbert Hogan or Purnell Rice on drums. Tracks include "The Lion's Roar", "Rollin With Leo", "Jumpin Leo", "Talkin The Blues", "Mad Lad Returns", and Illinois Jacquet's "Music Hall Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work from the early years of soul music – and a special set that focuses on sounds created in and around Los Angeles – a city that's not nearly as well known for 60s soul as Chicago, Detroit, or New Orleans! Yet during the postwar years, LA had just as much going on as those eastern cities – a huge new population influx, who'd move over from the south during the wartime years – and new labels that had cropped up to capture their sounds and serve their audience! 50s LA was already humming with R&B material, which gave the rising styles of soul plenty of places to get recorded – so much so, that there's even some work on this set that was never issued at the time! The vibe is great – similar to other Birth Of Soul sets from Ace/Kent – in that the music carries a bit of R&B and blues bite from earlier years, mixed with more romping and tighter soul styles – in a smoking set list of 24 tracks that include "But What About My Broken Heart" by Don Wyatt, "Everybody's Got A Lover But Me" by Richard Berry, "Have You Heard" by The Vows, "With These Hands" by The Wonders, "You Better Watch Out Girl" by The Imperialites, "Lose My Cool" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Let Him Walk Away" by Darlene Love, "My Pillow" by The Numbers, "Help Me With My Broken Heart" by Sylvester Stewart, "That Other Guy" by The Mandarins, "Don't Drop It" by The Question Marks, and "Young Lover" by Wilks & Wilkerson. CD

8 Bold Souls have been one of the most consistent (and compelling!) jazz units working in Chicago over the past 20 years – and thanks to the notable leadership of reed player Ed Wilkerson, the group has continued to grow and flourish, bridging a gap between an older AACM south side tradition, and the younger underground players on the north side. No surprise, then, that this album came out on the indie/post-rock stronghold Thrill Jockey – but don't let that put you off if you're a real jazz fan, because Wilkerson's vision is clearer and purer than ever, and the set bristles with excitement through a batch of sparkling original compositions written in a vaguely Mingus-y style. Titles include "Pachinko", "Gang Of Four", "Brown Town", and "Odyssey". CD

One of those great "never was" Blue Note sessions – recorded in the 60s, but never issued until years later – even though the label had assigned it a cover, title, and catalog number! The album was the last session by baritone sax player Leo Parker – a bop and R&B legend who sadly passed along at the young age of 36, but left a really rich legacy of music. Parker has a way with the baritone that's almost as lean as a tenorist – blowing the horn with sharp, well-placed notes that really make this session cook – somewhere in the R&B-influenced territory of Don Wilkerson's work on Blue Note. Other players include the great Dave Burns on trumpet – always a welcome presence on any date – plus Bill Swindell on tenor sax, Johnny Acea on piano, Al Lucas or Stan Conover on bass, and Wilbert Hogan or Purnell Rice on drums. Tracks include "The Lion's Roar", "Rollin With Leo", "Jumpin Leo", "Talkin The Blues", "Mad Lad Returns", and Illinois Jacquet's "Music Hall Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those great "never was" Blue Note sessions – recorded in the 60s, but never issued until years later – even though the label had assigned it a cover, title, and catalog number! The album was the last session by baritone sax player Leo Parker – a bop and R&B legend who sadly passed along at the young age of 36, but left a really rich legacy of music. Parker has a way with the baritone that's almost as lean as a tenorist – blowing the horn with sharp, well-placed notes that really make this session cook – somewhere in the R&B-influenced territory of Don Wilkerson's work on Blue Note. Other players include the great Dave Burns on trumpet – always a welcome presence on any date – plus Bill Swindell on tenor sax, Johnny Acea on piano, Al Lucas or Stan Conover on bass, and Wilbert Hogan or Purnell Rice on drums. Tracks include "The Lion's Roar", "Rollin With Leo", "Jumpin Leo", "Talkin The Blues", "Mad Lad Returns", and Illinois Jacquet's "Music Hall Beat". CD

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