... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

(Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Sunday, April 21. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Saturday, April 20. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on April 21 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

With Dave Douglas on trumpet, Chris Potter on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Uri Caine on electric piano, James Genus on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums. CD

Silent film score by trumpeter Dave Douglas – with Jamie Saft on wurlitzer, Marcus Strickland on saxophones, Brad Jones on bass, Gene Lake on drums, and DJ Olive on turntables. Tracks include "Just Another Murder", "Fatty's Day Off", "Famous Players", and "Barnyard Flirtations" – plus a DVD featuring the original 1916 Fatty Arbuckle movie "Fatty & Mabel Adrift" with score by Douglas. CD

Dave Douglas on trumpet, Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor saxophone, Joshua Roseman on trombone, Greg Tardy on clarinet, bass clarinet and tenor saxophone, Uri Caine on piano, James Genus on bass, and Joey Baron on drums. Tracks are a mix of originals and compositions by Mary Lou Williams. CD

Maybe the most beautiful record we've ever heard from bassist Dezron Douglas – an artist who hasn't given us many albums as a leader, but who always creates something special when he does! This set not only follows that legacy, but really knocks it out of the park – as there's a rich, soulful approach to the whole thing that represents a quality that we've always heard lurking in Dezron's music, but which never came through this strongly! The group is really well-matched with warm piano and Fender Rhodes from George Burton (another player we like a lot) – and these angular reed lines from Emilio Modeste, a player who can have a soulful swing at one minute, and a much freer sound the next – especially when driven on by dynamic drum work from Joe Dyson Jr – as the group effortlessly moves between spiritual/modal sounds, and more outside moments. Melvis Santa sings on one cut, "Wheeping Birch" – and other titles include "Luna Moth", "Atalaya", "Rose", "J Bird", "Octopus", "Foligno", "More Coffee Please", and "Jones Beach". LP, Vinyl record album

Dezron Douglas and Brandee Younger are two of our favorite jazz musicians to emerge in the past decade – and this set of duets may well be some of the greatest work that either artist has done on record to date! The setting is unique – material pulled from live stream broadcasts that bassist Douglas and harpist Younger did from their Harlem apartment during the lockdown in Spring of 2020 – and if that makes you think that the material's going to be low-fi or cheap, it's not – as there's a sense of majesty here that's really surprising, given that the album features just two musicians! Dezron's bass has never sounded better – and blended with the harp of Younger, the sound is amazing – as Brandee evokes both Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby on the instrument – but also brings in a spirit that's very much her own. The set features remakes of tracks from both Coltranes, and Pharoah Sanders – plus lots of other surprises and original material too – on titles that include "Gospel Trane", "Force Majeure", "This Woman's Work", "Nothing Stupid", "Sing", "The Creator Has A Master Plan", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "We'll Be Right Back", "You Make Me Feel Brand New", and "Equinox". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever solo album from Doug McCombs – the well-known bassist with a huge legacy that includes work in Eleventh Dream Day and Tortoise – finally getting a chance to shine in the spotlight on his own! The vibe here is more like Doug's work in Brokeback, but even more open and improvised – as McCombs plays guitar and bass on the record, on long tracks that feature some guest instrumentation at points – electronics from Sam Prekop and drums from John Convertino on "Two To Coolness" – and drums and keyboards from James Elkington on "To Whose Falls Shallows". The album's remaining long song, "Green Crown's Step", is solo McCombs. CD

The first-ever solo album from Doug McCombs – the well-known bassist with a huge legacy that includes work in Eleventh Dream Day and Tortoise – finally getting a chance to shine in the spotlight on his own! The vibe here is more like Doug's work in Brokeback, but even more open and improvised – as McCombs plays guitar and bass on the record, on long tracks that feature some guest instrumentation at points – electronics from Sam Prekop and drums from John Convertino on "Two To Coolness" – and drums and keyboards from James Elkington on "To Whose Falls Shallows". The album's remaining long song, "Green Crown's Step", is solo McCombs. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

With Mattie M Clark. LP, Vinyl record album

Carol's at the top of her game in this set of full-sounding disco numbers arranged and conducted by John Davis – singing with that heartfelt tone that still has plenty of great traces of AM radio soul, but which also slides nicely into the smoother, sophisti-club arrangements of the set. There's no real standout singles on the set, but a few of the tracks have some nice hooks – and titles include "Lie To Me", "Life Time Guarantee", "Crime Don't Pay", "Headline News", and "Midnight Love Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

Dave Douglas on trumpet, Louis Sclavis on clarinet and bass clarinet, Peggy Lee on cello, and Dylan Van Der Schyff on drums and electronics. CD

Features Uri Caine on Fender Rhodes and Donny McCaslin on tenor sax! CD

Douglas Ewart on saxophones, flutes, percussion, and vocals; Ignaz Schick on turntables, sampler, and electronics. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from trumpeter Dave Douglas – a half dozen albums recorded for the Black Saint/Soul Note labels, all of which show his depth and diversity – some with Douglas as a leader, some as a key player in other groups! Even at the start, Douglas showed a tremendous ability to step out into new settings and explore new ideas – which he certainly does on the albums in this set – each of which represents a different facet of his abilities, in ways that together make the package one hell of a collection! Albums include Parallel Worlds, which features a quartet with Mark Feldman on violin and Mark Dresser on bass; Force Green, led by bassist Mark Dresser, and featuring very interesting work on voice by Theo Bleckman; Bounce, a record by the John Lindberg Ensemble – led by bassist Lindberg, and also featuring saxes from Larry Ochs, and great drums from Ed Thigpen; Rova's 1995 recording of John Coltrane's Ascension, with three tenor saxes, two altos, two trumpets, two bassists, piano, and drums; Convergence, which features a group with Fedman on violin and Erik Friedlander on cello; and Dave Douglas Five, which has a quintet with Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello, Drew Dress on bass, and Michael Sarin on drums. 6 albums in all – all in tiny LP-styled sleeves. CD

Dizzy Gillespie caught live at Monterey – recorded with a great group during one of our favorite stretches in his career! The combo's kind of a post-Lalo Schifrin quintet, but still shares plenty of the bossa-inspired elements of his tenure with Diz – long tracks, bits of Latin rhythms, and a hip swing that's just right for the 60s! James Moody's in the group on alto, flute, and tenor, Kenny Barron plays piano, Chris White is on bass, and Rudy Collins is on drums – and Jon Hendricks joins the group on vocals for one cut too! Titles include "Morning Of The Carnival", "Dizzy Atmosphere", "Vote Dizzy", "Desafinado", "No More Blues", and "The Cup Bearers". CD

A repackaged version of the album To Is A Preposition, Come Is A Verb – a 70's issue of material that was too raunchy to be released in the 60's! This is Lenny Bruce at his finest, with some of the best little bits that made him famous (including many of the ones that were used in the movie Lenny.) The recordings are live, and capture Bruce with that spontaneous riffing mode that was the best side of his genius – doing routines that include "Dirty Toilet", "To Come", "Tits & Ass", and "I Just Do It And That's All". 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

The second volume in this seminal series from the mid 70s – one that did a great job of documenting some of the formative underground playing that was happening in the New York loft scene, almost more creative work than in previous generations, thanks to a lack of commercial venues, and hence, commercial constraints on the music. Tracks include "And Then They Danced" by Marion Brown, "Locomotif" by Leo Smith, "Naomi" by Ken McIntyre, and "The Need To Smile" by a group with Byard Lancaster, Sonelius Smith, Don Moye, and Olu Dara. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the Last Poets greatest albums – and one of their most sophisticated as well! Gone are the rough-hewn rhymes of the group's first album, and in their place are better arranged, more thought-out tracks that mix in a wealth of musical influences – and which expand the group's verbal expression past simple protests, and into the realm of Jazzoetry that became their trademark during the mid 70s. Tracks include "Related to What", "Black Is", "White Man's Got a God Complex", "Black People What Y'All Gonna Do", and "This is Madness" – and a number of tracks are preceded by strong and forceful chants before the lyrics kick in! LP, Vinyl record album

A great later effort from tenor sax giant Charlie Rouse – a record that's quite different than his 50s hardbop or his 60s modernist work with Thelonious Monk – but still pretty darn great in its own sort of way! The album features Rouse working with a larger ensemble in a batch of tracks that has a distinct Brazilian influence – not one from bossa nova, but from the more sophisticated Brazilian jazz modes of later years – particularly as the style started to pick up from some of the arranging modes used in MPB. The players here are all well-suited to the session – and include Clifford Adams on trombone, Claudio Roditi on trumpet, Dom Salvador on piano, Ted Dunbar on guitar, Amaury Tristao on acoustic guitar, Ron Carter on bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Wilbur Bascomb on bass – all working together in a style that's somewhat complicated, yet which has an open-ended flow, and a very joyous sensibility overall! Arrangements are by Dom Salvador and Amaury Tristao – and titles include Salvador's romping groover "On The Corner – a real jazz dance classic – plus "Sertao", "Desencontro", "Alvorada", "Natal No Interior", and "Cravo Canela". LP, Vinyl record album

Muddy Waters' band meets the vocals and guitar of Luther Snake Johnson – in a sweet little set that's almost a double-header, given the talent on deck! The material's got a gritty feel that's right up there with Muddy's best for Chess – and the group features Mojo Buford on harmonica, Otis Spann on piano, and Waters on guitar (Muddy couldn't sing, due to contractual obligations!) Johnson's got a nice rough approach – almost a touch of soul at times – and the group keeps things nicely in a classic 60s electrified Chicago mode. Titles include "Sad Day Uptown", "I'm So Glad", "Chicken Shack", "Long Distance Call", "Digging My Potatoes", "Coming Home Baby", and "Mud In Your Ear". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from the New York avant scene of the mid 70s – an important series of recordings done by Alan Douglas, and sides that initially broke the creative spirit of the scene to a much wider audience! There's a loose, openly creative spirit to these recordings that's a marked change from the intensity of the New York avant recordings of the 70s – a maturity, and confidence, that's come from some of the players' previous work in avant scenes in Chicago, St Louis, and elsewhere – coming together in New York's limelight with some really amazing energy! This 3CD set brings together tracks from all 5 volumes of the original LPs – over 3 hours' of music, with work by players who include Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and David Murray on tenors; Ken McIntyre, Marion Brown, Oliver Lake, Jimmy Lyons, and Byard Lancaster on alto saxes; Randy Weston, Anthony Davis, and Sonelius Smith on piano; Ted Daniel, Leo Smith, and Olu Dara on trumpet; Khan Jamal on vibes, George Lewis on trombone, Jerome cooper on percussion, and many others too! CD

A really wonderful take on the music of Jimi Hendrix – an all-piano trio headed by Geri Allen, and one that presents Jimi's songs in a wonderful new way! There's a completely different feel to these recordings than any famous Hendrix sides – and Allen really does a great job of unlocking the joy and sensitivity in Jimi's compositions, with some key sonic assistance from pianists Mark and Scot Batson. Titles include "Message To Love", "Cherokee Mist", "Manic Depression", "Wind Cries Mary", "Love Or Confusion", and "1983". CD

A seminal set from Eric Dolphy – one of his most perfectly realized moments at the head of a larger ensemble – and a record that definitely set the tone for countless spiritual jazz sessions of the 70s! Dolphy recorded this session for Alan Douglas in 1962, and it features a larger array of players than you'll find on most of his records for other labels – the cream of the "new thing" players that were around New York at the time, including Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Prince Lasha on flute, Sonny Simmons on alto, and even Clifford Jordan on soprano sax – making a rare appearance on record on that instrument! Together, the players create a set of soundscapes that lies somewhere between Dolphy's Out To Lunch album, and some of the more modernist work by Mingus – a stunning batch of tracks that go out, but never too far. Titles include "Ode to CP", "Burning Spear", "Iron Man", and "Mandrake". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare bit of lost rocky funk, recorded by Alan Douglas for his short-lived 70s label. The record includes a lot of nice keyboards by Neil Larson, funky drums by Phillip Wilson, and some heavy guitars by Buzz Feiten. There are also some guest playing by Airto, Ray Barretto, and Randy Brecker – but the core sound's by the funky Full Moon. Some tracks have vocals that are a bit weak, but there are some nice fuzzy funky moments to make up for them. Titles include "The Heavy Scuffle's On", "To Know", "Midnight Pass", "Selfish People", and "Need Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Wild guitar from Luther Johnson – an obscure earlier session recorded with a nicely gritty feel, and a fair bit of funk in the rhythms too! The group's billed as the Muddy Waters Blues Band – and Muddy appears to be on the record, although the notes are a bit lean – and the album features a number of great instrumentals, with really ripping guitar solos – plus a few vocal tracks too. The record's got a raw sound that's more of a Delmark Chicago blues vibe than a Chess Records one – and titles include "Top Of The Boogaloo", "Sting It", "Natural Wig", "Blues For Hippies", "Remember Me", "Snake", and "Sad Day Uptown". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A great later effort from tenor sax giant Charlie Rouse – a record that's quite different than his 50s hardbop or his 60s modernist work with Thelonious Monk – but still pretty darn great in its own sort of way! The album features Rouse working with a larger ensemble in a batch of tracks that has a distinct Brazilian influence – not one from bossa nova, but from the more sophisticated Brazilian jazz modes of later years – particularly as the style started to pick up from some of the arranging modes used in MPB. The players here are all well-suited to the session – and include Clifford Adams on trombone, Claudio Roditi on trumpet, Dom Salvador on piano, Ted Dunbar on guitar, Amaury Tristao on acoustic guitar, Ron Carter on bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Wilbur Bascomb on bass – all working together in a style that's somewhat complicated, yet which has an open-ended flow, and a very joyous sensibility overall! Arrangements are by Dom Salvador and Amaury Tristao – and titles include Salvador's romping groover "Waiting On The Corner – a real jazz dance classic – plus "Sertao", "Desencontro", "Alvorada", "Natal No Interior", and "Cravo Canela". CD

A tasty collection of some of the best work the Last Poets ever recorded – their early sides for Douglas records, a perfect blend of jazz, percussion, and poetry – hence the very apt "Jazzoetry" title! The album mostly features tracks from the albums Last Poets and This Is Madness – and provides a great distilattion of the energy and intensity that first defined the group. Many of the tunes are written by Jalal Nuriddin – who really introduced the concept of melody and songwriting to the ensemble – and tracks include "Black Is Chant", "On The Subway", "True Blues", "Mean Machine", "Jazzoetry", "Two Little Boys", and "Black Thighs". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best of the Wildflower series of freeform loft jazz sessions – and a record that features a side of work apiece by both Sunny Murray and Roscoe Mitchell. Murray leads his Untouchable Factor group, with David Murray, Byard Lancaster, Khan Jamal, and Fred Hopkins – and the group plays Murray's extended piece "Something's Cookin". The other side of the record features Roscoe leading a trio with Jerome Cooper and Don Moye, on the decidedly more moody "Chant". LP, Vinyl record album

Aerosmith's second album – and a prime slab of badass mid 70s rock – coming close to, maybe even equalling Toys In The Attic as ultimate Aerosmith badassery! It's got a tighter, punchier sound than their debut – courtesy of producer Jack Douglas – who would continue to produce Aerosmith in their pre-blowout 70s best. It opens up with one of their staples, "Same Old Song And Dance" and other tracks include their kickass cover of "Train Kept A Rollin'", plus "Lord Of The Thighs", "Spaced", "Woman Of The World" and "Pandora's Box". LP, Vinyl record album

Michael Carvin on drums – with Marcus Strickland on saxophone, Carlton Holmes on piano, and Dezron Douglas on bass. CD

A seminal set from Eric Dolphy – one of his most perfectly realized moments at the head of a larger ensemble – and a record that definitely set the tone for countless spiritual jazz sessions of the 70s! Dolphy recorded this session for Alan Douglas in 1962, and it features a larger array of players than you'll find on most of his records for other labels – the cream of the "new thing" players that were around New York at the time, including Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Prince Lasha on flute, Sonny Simmons on alto, and even Clifford Jordan on soprano sax – making a rare appearance on record on that instrument! Together, the players create a set of soundscapes that lies somewhere between Dolphy's Out To Lunch album, and some of the more modernist work by Mingus – a stunning batch of tracks that go out, but never too far. Titles include "Ode to CP", "Burning Spear", "Iron Man", and "Mandrake". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from Philip Glass – his second great opera, and a long-overdue follow-up to Einstein On The Beach – a set of music that's every bit as great as that groundbreaking work, but maybe even with stronger, fuller execution overall! The piece looks at the early political years of Gandhi – the title is a term coined by him, as a reference to his philosophy of truth and love – with words by Constance DeJohng, and these amazing minimalist orchestrations by Glass – filled with the kind of long-spun lines you'd find in his instrumental work, but somehow made even more amazing with the presence of lyrics! Douglas Perry handles the role of Gandhi – and the performance is by the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus, directed by Christopher Keene. LP, Vinyl record album

With Dave Douglas on trumpet. CD

With Bob Burridge and Bryan Lynch on trumpet, Ralph Lalama on saxophone, clarinet and flute, Michael Rabinowitz on basoon and bass clarinet, Douglas Purviance on trombone, Carlton Holmes on keyboards, Chip Jackson on bass, and Ron Vincent on drums. CD

Some of the most spiritual work we've heard from Yusef Lateef in years – a set cut with AACM legends Roscoe Mitchell and Douglas Ewart, and done with a sound that takes us back to the legendary sounds of both players in the 70s! Adam Rudolph also joins the quartet, bringing in some great percussion – and the album's a really collaborative affair, with all the musicians shifting through a wide range of instrumentation in their own spheres of expertise – at a level that recalls the work of the Art Ensemble of Chicago at their best. Lateef plays tenor, flutes, oboe, and even vocalizes a bit – as does Ewart, who along with Roscoe Mitchell plays a range of reeds and percussion instruments. Titles include "Voice Prints", "Sound Search", "Harpers Ferry", and "Morning Moves". CD

Notable sidemen include Cameron Brown, Idris Muhammad, Billy Drewes, Joey Baron, Toots Thielmans, Kenny Werner, Dave Douglas, and Mark Dresser. CD

The Monkees had so many fantastic records during their short span of recording, nearly all of them might well be "greatest hits" – but this set does a nice job of slimming the selection down to focus on some of the most long-lasting tracks from the group! There's a few killer Boyce & Hart compositions, produced by the duo too – and the set also features contributions from other 60s pop heavyweights, like Chip Douglas, Neil Diamond, Jeff Barry, and the duo of Carole King & Gerry Goffin – all of whim give the foursome some great material, on tunes that include "Theme From The Monkees", "Last Train To Clarksville", "She", "Listen To The Band", "A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You", "Daydream Believer", "Pleasant Valley Sunday", "Steppin Stone", "I'm A Believer", and "I Wanna Be Free". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice to know that we've lived past the year 2000 – and have managed to miss the holocaust that Kirk Douglas fought in this late 70s film! The movie's just the kind of overdone thriller that Kirk handled late in his career – but thankfully, the music from Ennio Morricone is much deeper overall – done in that brilliant blend of creepy styles that could make anything come together on the screen, even without any good special effects or dialogue! Some numbers have spooky, spare passages with earthy percussion and woodwinds, others have offbeat strings, some have some light electric elements – and overall, the music is nicely understated, always classy, and years ahead of some of the cheaper horror scoring of the time. CD features a whopping 33 tracks in all – the fullest version of the soundtrack we've ever seen – with titles that include "Holocaust", "Computer", "Slogan", "Jesus", "Il Bene Cattivo", "Serie Di Tre", "Strofa Monodica", and "Telefonata Interrotta". CD

If you've ever doubted that Vincent Price was a creepy guy, you've got to hear this album! The 2LP set is a mad exploration into the world of the supernatural – with Vincent speaking on topics that include "Witch Tortures", "How To Communicate With The Spirits", "The Magic Bloodstone", "Instruments Of Magic", "Witch Burning", and "How To Make A Pact With The Devil". The script was written by Terry D'Oberoff, with electronics by Douglas Leedy – but it's Price who makes the whole thing really work, reading in a dark, spooky tone, set in a really echoey space – really making us believe that he knows all about this weird stuff! LP, Vinyl record album

A dramatic soundtrack to this Douglas Sirk film! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare set of Billy Strayhorn tracks recorded in Paris by Alan Douglas. The tracks are incredibly haunting, and mostly feature Strayhorn's solo piano with spare backing by Parisian bassist Michel Goudret. There are a a few short moments on the record that add backing voices or strings – but even in those moments, Strayhorn's tender tentative piano is right up front in the mix. The whole thing's a treasure, and a rare peek at the solo talent that made Ellington's band one of the best. Titles include "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing", "Lush Life", "Strange Feeling", and "Chelsea Bridge". LP, Vinyl record album

Raucous drag strip rockers and driving R&B-fueled instrumentals by The T-Bones – killer material on Liberty from a group of young session wizards – including Hal Blaine, Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, Dave Pell, Steve Douglas and others! It's wildly fun stuff that goes all in with the drag strip novelty – but totally transcends it – with some rubber-burning, rumbling excellence! Killer guitars, sax, organ drums from a one-time relatively anonymous cast of players. Includes "Hey Little Cobra", "Shut Down", "Drag City", "Draggin'", "Scorchin", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Boss Drag" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

We love Wayne Talbert – and think he's one of the great under-discovered talents of his time! Wayne worked in the Sir Douglas Quintet, which is probably how he ended up recorded for Mercury – but he's got a sound that's very distinct, and has this really amazing mix of jazz, soul, and Texas elements – but all with a vibe that's unlike anything else we can think of! Wayne wrote most of the tunes on this set himself, and they often have these jazzy arrangements that includes bits of vibes, modal piano, soaring horns, and other elements that are all jumbled together – with a unique blend that's maybe in the territory of that great Shades Of Joy album on Fontana, with a similar disregard for easy labels or tags! Yet Talbert's soulful vocals also have a charm that really sets this one apart, too – almost Mose Allison meeting Joe Cocker somewhere down near the border – a quality that should have made Wayne huge – on titles that include "Dues to Pay", "What More Can I Say", "Schizophrenic Susan Minnick", "Funky Ellis Farm", and "Hell of a World". CD

Features Steve Turre, Andre Hayward, Douglas Purviance, Joe Alessi, Robin Eubanks, and Steve Davis on trombones – plus Stephen Scott on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. CD

Billy Drewes on alto and soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet, Dick Oatts on alto and soprano saxophone, flute, and piccolo flute, Ralph Lalama on tenor saxophone, clarinet and flute, Rich Perry on tenor saxophone and flute, Gary Smulyan on baritone saxophone, Douglas Purviance, Jason Jackson, John Mosca, and Luis Bonilla on trombone, Frank Greene, Nick Marchione, Scott Wendholt, and Terell Stafford on trumpet, John Clark on French horn, Jim McNeely and Michael Weiss on piano, Phil Palombi on bass, and John Riley on drums. CD

A great little record, and one that definitely hangs strongly on the "and more" promised in the title – as alto sax genius Phil Woods moves very far from the familiar "Charlie Parker With Strings" format you might expect – almost as a statement that shows how much both the setting and Woods have evolved over the decade! There's definitely strings on the set – a full backing that's really seems to inspire Woods towards some of his best work of the period – as does the core rhythm contributions from Ben Arnov on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Douglas Sides on drums – all players who seem to be higher in the mix than the strings, which really emphasizes their presence. The tracks include some long takes on classic Bird/strings songbook material, plus some great surprises – all in nicely different versions. Titles include "April In Paris", "All The Things You Are", "I'll Remember April", "Easy To Love", "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set", "Repetition", "The Best Thing For You Is Me/How Deep Is The Ocean", "Solitude", "Willow Weep For Me", and "I Get Along Without You Very Well". CD

15 songs from Kevin Braheny, Tim Clark, Steve McDonald, Bill Douglas, Constance Demby, Raphael, Robert Rich & Steve Roach, Nik Tyndall, Shiho, Al Gromer Khan, Michael Stearns, and Robert Rich. CD

Sharp tenor from the great JD Allen – a very striking set that's filled with all original compositions – work that really shows the way that Allen's grown strongly as both a writer and player in recent years! There's a sense of darkness to the record right from the start – a brooding intensity that finds a way to both move forward and fold back on itself – this kind of elliptical mode that's very compelling, and brought into strong focus by a quartet that features Eldar Djangirov on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass, and Jonathan Barber on drums. Titles include "Grace", "Chagall", "Load Star", "Cross Damon", "Detroit", "Mass", and "The Little Dipper". CD