Don't confuse this one with Charles Tolliver's album on Strata East of the same name – because this session's a completely different one for Enja, but equally great! The group here is a quartet – not Tolliver's usual Music Inc lineup, but a combo that features Alvin Queen on drums, Ron Mathewson on bass, and regular partner Stanley Cowell on piano – all hitting a groove that's a bit different than the Tolliver sound of Strata East, and sometimes a bit more filled with energy! The date is a live one, and there's a nice roughness here – not to the recording quality, but more to the rhythms, which feel a bit chunkier than Tolliver's usual groove, and seem to push the flowing sound of his trumpet and Cowell's piano perhaps a bit more. Titles include "Brilliant Circles", "Impact", "Truth", and "Prayer For Peace". CD features the bonus tracks "Abscretions" and "Our Second Father". CD

A deep dive into the music of Enja Records – a label that really needs no introduction to most longtime fans of jazz, as Enja's been serving up some of the best sounds from the European scene for the past 50 years – as well as providing some really amazing records by American artists too! Yet there's also an overlooked legacy of spiritual jazz from Enja – sometimes hidden next to the more straightforward jazz releases on the label – and that 70s legacy gets a key showcase here, in an expansive presentation that has the whole thing stretching out with a fair bit of really long tracks! Titles include "Kwadwo Safari" by Prince Lasha, "What It Is" by Mal Waldron with Clifford Jordan, "First Song In The Day" by Cecil McBee, "Lamentation" by Rabih Abou-Khalil, "The Creators" by Bobby Hutcherson, "Pulcie's Dance" by Nana Simopoulos, "Brothers In War" by Mark Levin, "Mother's Land" by Marvin Hannibal Peterson, "Zimbabwe" by Abdulla Ibrahim, "No More" by Jon Hendricks, and "Mwe Malad O" by John Stubblefield. LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work by Dolphy – as essential to his catalog as any of his albums on Prestige from the same time! Although Dolphy broke plenty of musical barriers in the studio, to our ears, it was always in a live setting that he sounded best – freely exploring the kind of space his playing opened up, hitting notes that were more soulful and spiritual than many that he ever recorded on his studio sides. This set is a perfect example of that trend – as Dolphy's working here with a strong straight jazz combo, one that includes the great Benny Bailey on trumpet, in a set that features familiar tunes, turned into haunting explorations of Dolphy's new jazz idiom. One of the highlights is an incredible 15 minute version of Randy Weston's "Hi Fly", with Dolphy doing great work on flute – and other tunes include "Hot House", "Geewee", "When Lights Are Low", "I'll Remember April", and "The Meeting". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, grooviest albums we've ever heard from vibist Dave Friedman – a set that really lives up to the promise we sometimes expect from other records of his, but never find this clearly! Friedman plays both marimba and vibes – the latter with this bold, chromatic quality that comes through even in gentle moments – a bit like Gary Burton, but turned towards much more varied ends here – as the songs really shift in mood and approach, keeping things fresh throughout! Vocalist Rimona Francis lends her lovely wordless singing style to about half the album's tracks – but in a way that's more like an instrument than a conventional jazz singer – and the group also features surprisingly great acoustic piano work from Pat Rebillot (who we mostly know from keyboard sessions), plus Harvie Swartz on bass and Bruce Ditmas on drums. Titles include "Rachel's Samba", "Rodney's Dream Of Fantasy & Self Fullfilment", "Three Pieces", "Trinkle Trinkle", and "A Smile On The Face Of Mourning". LP, Vinyl record album

The young John Scofield is a player with an amazing command of chromes – this way of putting forth all these new changes in jazz, and really transforming the role of the guitar in the music with important 70s records like this! Scofield's part of a generation who maybe came to jazz while also very aware of the use of the instrument in rock – but he also never plays with any sound that's rock-based at all, unlike some of his electric contemporaries – and instead moves the instrument past some of the clean tonal modes of the early years of jazz guitar, into a fiercer, fuzzier mode – one that can be both sinister at times, and soulful at others. All tracks here are nice and long, and augmented by excellent work from Richie Beirach on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums – on the titles "V", "Gray & Visceral", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", and "Leaving". CD also features the tracks "Jeanie" and "Air Pakistan". CD

Don't confuse this one with Charles Tolliver's album on Strata East of the same name – because this session's a completely different one for Enja, but equally great! The group here is a quartet – not Tolliver's usual Music Inc lineup, but a combo that features Alvin Queen on drums, Ron Mathewson on bass, and regular partner Stanley Cowell on piano – all hitting a groove that's a bit different than the Tolliver sound of Strata East, and sometimes a bit more filled with energy! The date is a live one, and there's a nice roughness here – not to the recording quality, but more to the rhythms, which feel a bit chunkier than Tolliver's usual groove, and seem to push the flowing sound of his trumpet and Cowell's piano perhaps a bit more. Titles include "Brilliant Circles", "Impact", "Truth", and "Prayer For Peace". CD also features 2 previously unreleased numbers – "Abscretions" and "Our Second Father". CD

Rez Abbasi on steel string, fretless, and baritone acoustic guitar – with Bill Ware on vibraphone, Stephan Crump on acoustic bass, and Eric McPherson on drums. CD

With Michael Brecker on tenor saxophone, Kenny Kirkland and Tommy Flanagan on piano, Dave Holland and Buster Williams on bass and Daniel Humair on drums. CD

That's "heart bop", not "hardbop" – a title that really gets at the warm feeling and sense of soul on this overlooked date! The album's an early 80s gem from Enja – cut at a time when the label was really finding its own, and doing an especially great job of giving musicians just the right sort of outlet to move forward – in this case not just trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti, but also altoist Phil Woods and pianist Hal Galper – all of whom are great! There's an angular formation to most of the tunes at the start, but they flow with a warm, lyrical energy right from the start as well – supported by the drums of Billy Hart and bass of Mike Richmond – on titles that include "A Flat Miner", "Fairy Boat To Go", "Heart Bop", and "Triple Play". CD

Bruce Barth on piano, Steve Wilson on saxophone, Scott Wendholt on trumpet, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Leon Parker on drums. CD

An early date as a leader for guitarist Nels Cline – done with lots of rich tones and hues, of the sort that his generation really helped bring to jazz guitar! There's some echoes here of the previous ECM range of players, but Cline's also got a sharper focus at points too – still working with modes that have more decay on the sound than attack, but shaping it in darker tones that really shape the quality of the atmospherics. Trio members include Mark London Sims on bass and Michael Preussner on drums – and titles include "Las Vegas Tango", "Mags", "Rampling By The Sea", "Sacred Love", "Lucile's Trip", and "Broasted". CD

Trombonist Marty Cook may not be the biggest name in jazz – but here, he works at the head of a quintet of top-shelf heavyweights, all of whom really serve up something special under his leadership! The great Jim Pepper is in the group on tenor and soprano sax, and Mal Waldron is on piano – often working here with very different qualities than under his own dates as a leader from the same time – a nice change, and proof of Mal's continued vitality over the years. John Betsch is in drums, and definitely makes his presence known – and Ed Schuller handles bass, on titles that include "Spirit War", "It's About Time", "Love Life", "Grab Bag", "Trapeze", and "Face The Nation". CD

A great record – and on that hardly ever shows up on the radar screen of Gil's career! The session was recorded with a very hip group that includes Billy Harper on tenor and flute, Elvin Jones and Alphonze Mouzon on drums, Joe Beck on electric guitar, and Herb Bushler on Fender bass. The sound is a bit electric, but is touched with Evans' far-reaching arranging style, so that it lapses into none of the cliches you might expect. Harper is a treat, as always, and he offers up the original composition "Thoroughbred", one of the nicest on the record. "Blues In Orbit", "Variation On The Misery", "Proclamation", and "Spaced". This is a 1981 repackaging of an album that was originally issued on Apex under the title Gil Evans. CD

Never-failing genius from Art Farmer – recording here in his later years, and working in that long and open-ended mode we love so much! There's few trumpeters who could make a record like this work – but Farmer's got a tremendous ability to stretch out on longer tunes with well-crafted solos that make beautiful use of soundspace and texture – letting his trumpet almost float along in the air and find its own notes, while the trio of Geoff Keezer piano, Kenny Davis bass, and Lewis Nash on drums provide just the right sort of accompaniment. The album's got a grace that matches any of Art's excellent mid 70s sides from Japan – and is proof that his talents never waned as the years went on – making him one of the few talents from his generation who continued to create and invent beautifully over time. Titles include "Soul Eyes", "Isfahan", "Will You Still Be Mine", "Sad To Say", "Time On My Hands", and "Recorda Me". CD

A great pairing of lyrical jazz talents – the piano of Tommy Flanagan and the compositions of Thad Jones – working together here perfectly, at a level that reminds us how great Thad's music can be in a more intimate mode! Tommy's got that amazing command of the keyboard here that's always made his best records so great – an effortless ability to blend full-on lines with more subtle understanding of the true tonal possibilities of the instrument – balanced with the work of Jesper Lundgaard on bass and Lewis Nash on drums – both players who really share Flangan's sensitive approach. Titles include "To You", "Bird Song", "Let's", "Mean What You Say", "Elusive", "Zec", "Quietude", and "Three In One". CD

There's a definite Monkish bent to this one, in case you couldn't guess from the title – but Tommy Flanagan doesn't simply copy Monk's compositions, but also throws in a few great touches of his own! The session's got a depth and complexity that goes beyond other standard tributes to Thelonious Monk – partly due to Tommy's lyrical approach to the keys, which warms some of the tunes nicely, and shades in colors that Monk never seemed to touch. Trio members here include George Mraz on bass and Art Taylor on drums – and titles include "Thelonica", "Off Minor", "Ugly Beauty", "Reflections", "Thelonius", and "North Of The Sunset". LP, Vinyl record album

Later live work from Dizzy Gillespie – working in London here with a very hip ensemble! We're not entirely sure of the date, but given the skinny ties on a few of the players, we're guessing it's from that 80s stretch when Dizzy was still going strong – working in a great mix of Latin and bop modes that's always kept fresh through his creative energies! Slide Hampton's on trombone – and also wrote most of the arrangements – and other players include Arturo Sandoval on trumpet, Paquito D'Rivera on reeds, James Moody on sax and flute, Airto on percussion, and Danilo Perez on vocals – and Flora Purim also joins the group on vocals for a few numbers. Titles include "Kush", "Tanga", "Dizzy Shells", "Night In Tunisia", "Tin Tin Deo", "Seresta", and "Samba For Carmen". CD

One of the greatest trumpeters on the European scene of the past few decades – heard here in a completely sublime setting! Dusko Goykovich has played in many styles and many ways, but hasn't ever done a date with full strings before – a long-overdue placement for his wonderful tone on trumpet – shimmering out front of a larger ensemble, in the manner of classic "with strings" dates by Dizzy Gillespie or Art Farmer! Altoist Peter King arranged the album – and titles are all originals by Dusko, some of which you might know from earlier records – reworked here beautifully for the new setting. King also solos on a handful of tracks too – a rich voice that provides a nice balance with Dusko's trumpet. Strings are never overdone, and the album's always got a nice swing from a core rhythm trio that features Renato Chicco on piano. Titles include "Good Old Days", "Handful O Soul", "Danca Comigo", "St Germain Des Pres", "Adriatica", "In My Dreams", and "I Miss You So". CD

A legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditional Macedonian rhythms into a jazz perspective – but with players like these, it swings in a way any Macedonian album never could – damn soulful, and with a great exotic vibe. Davis is especially great, and plays in a soaring modal vein that's similar to his work on his classic MPS sides, and on the records he cut in America in the early 70s. The album's a beautiful session that often get's overlooked because it blends it with the Enja catalog – but it's really more of a record that belongs in an MPS reissue series, and is a great lost groover that's waiting to be rediscovered by the Dusty Groove crowd. Titles include "Macedonia", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", "Jumbo Uganda", "Bem Basha", "Saga Se Karame", and "The Nights Of Skopje". CD

A hell of a great live set from pianist Hampton Hawes – thanks especially to the other members of the trio! Hawes is at his free, open, 70s best on the piano – but bassist Cecil McBee really takes the record to the next level – spinning out these amazing lines that are as rhythmic as they are melodic – often crafted with that rounded tone that was his important calling card during this stretch! Drummer Roy Haynes is a bundle of energy – bursting out in surprising ways, occasionally in counterpoint to the piano and bass – and the whole thing cooks nicely on a set of extended tracks. Titles on this second volume include "Carson Blues", "Spanish Mood", "Walking Around The Town", "Blue Bird/Blue Hamp", and "My Funny Valentine". CD

With Pheeroan AkLaff on drums, Anthony Davis on piano, Marty Ehrlich on saxes, and Herb Robertson on trumpet. CD

With Tom Rainey, Epizo Bangoura, Regina Carter and Ellery Eskelin. CD

Abdullah Ibrahim's got a great South African group on this gem from the early 90s – a record that really sparkles nicely, thanks to tenor from Basil Manneberg Coetzee, trumpet from Johnny Mekoa, and alto and flute from Robbie Johnson! If you read these pages, you'll know we love Ibrahim's scoring for horns – used in this period as a rich added layer of sound and feeling on top of his already-soulful piano – making for a combination that's extremely evocative all the way through! Other instrumentation includes drums, bass, and guitar next to Abdullah's piano – and on one track, the leader even plays a bit of drums. Titles include "Bayi Lam", "Dindela", "Barakaat", "Mantra Mode", and "Beautiful Love". CD

Ingrid Jensen on trumpet and flugelhorn, Gary Bartz on alto and soprano saxophones, George Colligan on piano and Fender Rhodes, Dwayne Burno on bass, Bill Stewart on drums, and Jill Seifers on vocals. CD

A fantastic set as a leader from drummer Victor Lewis – and one that really takes off with some of that energy he'd explored while working with Bobby Watson a few years before! There's a vibe here that's great – positive, upbeat energy – that new sense of optimism that seemed to come from the American jazz scene in the 80s, as new doors were opened and new horizons broadened – and Lewis harnesses all that great spirit as he works here in an excellent group that includes Seamus Blake on tenor and soprano sax, Stephen Scott on piano, and Terell Stafford on trumpet! Don Alias adds percussion to a number of tracks – giving things a sweet extra kick – and titles include "Vulnerability", "Un-Til", "Alter Ego", "Buttercups", "Shakehandre", and "Here's To You Babe". CD

Abbey Lincoln takes on the legacy of Billie Holiday – in a strong live set recorded with a small group at the end of the 80s! The setting's a bit more relaxed here than on some of Abbey's other albums of the period – a bit looser and sometimes more languid, but only in the best sort of ways to get at the moodiness of Billie Holiday's approach to the tunes. A few numbers seem to bristle with a bit more of that Abbey Lincoln sense of pride – that righteous legacy that runs straight from Billie's classic "Strange Fruit" – but overall, the spirit of Holiday's more traditional approach definitely guides the performance. The group's a quartet – with Harold Vick on tenor – and titles on this second volume include "For All We Know", "No More", "Gimme A Pigfoot", "God Bless The Child", "For Heaven's Sake", and "Don't Explain". CD