A wonderful album from Gabor Szabo – one with the same freely grooving, slightly-psychedelic sound that he was using on his best records for the Impulse label! Two guitars head up the quintet – those of Gabor and Jim Stewart – and they trade breezy lines throughout, grooving over slyly shifting rhythm patterns from the bass, drums, and added percussion – always with a great mix of Latin, exotic, and modal influences running through the tunes. Titles include "Bacchanal", "Three Kingfishers", "Sunshine Superman", "Some Velvet Morning", "The Divided City", and a cool cover of "Theme From the Valley of the Dolls". LP, Vinyl record album

The guitar genius of Gabor Szabo – set to magnificent arrangements by Gary McFarland! The set's one of the most sophisticated albums Szabo ever cut – and has a slow-building style that steps off of his Impulse years with a deeper, broader vision of music. By the time of the set, McFarland himself was hitting a more contemplative style in his own music – and you can hear that shift in this album as well, especially in the moodier, mellower moments. Instrumentation includes violin, cello, and French Horn – all used sparingly to augment Szabo's small combo with piano by McFarland! Titles include lots of originals – "The Fortune Teller", "Half The Day Is Night", "Galatea's Guitar", and "Lady In the Moon". LP features bonus tracks – single edits of "Fire Dance" and "Ferris Wheel". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Gabor Szabo's best records – a hip small combo session, featuring backup by Gary McFarland, Sadao Watanabe, Richard Davis, and Willie Rodriguez – an odd kind of lineup, but one that goes well with the offbeat grooves of the set! The overall sound has lots of touches of the McFarland Latinized rhythms of the time – but also stretches out with some of those great snakey guitar solos from Szabo – not nearly as extended or trippy here on other albums of the time, but in a really great way that makes for some tight, hip, mod little tracks! The set's one of Gabor's best from the 60s – and titles include "Flea Market", "Walk On By", "Gypsy Jam", "Gypsy '66", and "The Echo Of Love". The whole thing's kind of a compressed take on the sound of Gabor's Spellbinder album – if you know that one! CD

One of Gabor Szabo's best records – a hip small combo session, featuring backup by Gary McFarland, Sadao Watanabe, Richard Davis, and Willie Rodriguez – an odd kind of lineup, but one that goes well with the offbeat grooves of the set! The overall sound has lots of touches of the McFarland Latinized rhythms of the time – but also stretches out with some of those great snakey guitar solos from Szabo – not nearly as extended or trippy here on other albums of the time, but in a really great way that makes for some tight, hip, mod little tracks! The set's one of Gabor's best from the 60s – and titles include "Flea Market", "Walk On By", "Gypsy Jam", "Gypsy '66", and "The Echo Of Love". The whole thing's kind of a compressed take on the sound of Gabor's Spellbinder album – if you know that one! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of enhanting Impulse sets from '67 – Sorceror and More Sorcery – together in a single set! Sorcerer is one of the best albums ever by the great Eastern European guitarist, and a groovy set of spiralling jazz tracks, recorded live at The Jazz Workshop with a two-guitar frontline, and backing by a very tight rhythm combo. The sound is amazing, with lots of choppy modal grooves, and other longer tracks that have a vaguely mystical feel to them. Titles include "The Beat Goes On", "Space", "Mizrab", "O Barquinho", and "Lou-ise". More Sorcery is the great sort of a follow-up – and like that one, it features long tracks that have a spiralling modal feel that's much more serious, much more grooving, and a lot less campish than some of his other albums of the time. The two-guitar lineup mixes rhythm and melody – perfect for the tunes on the set, like "Los Matadoros", "Spellbinder", "Comin Back", and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". CD

A collection of tracks recorded for Skye and Gryphon labels – tracks include "Divided City", "Galatea's Guitar", "Fire Dance", "Some Velvet Morning", and "Theme From Valley Of The Dolls". CD

Two very groovy records – back to back on a single CD! Gypsy 66 is one of Gabor Szabo's best records – a hip small combo session, featuring backup by Gary McFarland, Sadao Watanabe, Richard Davis, and Willie Rodriguez – an odd kind of lineup, but one that goes well with the offbeat grooves of the set! The overall sound has lots of touches of the McFarland Latinized rhythms of the time – but also stretches out with some of those great snakey guitar solos from Szabo – not nearly as extended or trippy here on other albums of the time, but in a really great way that makes for some tight, hip, mod little tracks! The set's one of Gabor's best from the 60s – and titles include "Flea Market", "Walk On By", "Gypsy Jam", "Gypsy '66", and "The Echo Of Love". The whole thing's kind of a compressed take on the sound of Gabor's Spellbinder album – if you know that one! Spellbinder is breezy brilliance from the legendary Gabor Szabo – and one of the grooviest albums the Hungarian guitarist recorded during the 60s! The set's almost a tightening up of the style that Szabo first brought to prominence in his work with Chico Hamilton – a sound that's got roots in gypsy guitar, but which is also influenced by modern, Latin, and soulful styles of the 60s. There's an airiness to Gabor's guitar that's almost trippy – but which never goes too far out on the set, and really keeps a focus on the backings laid down by the album's highly rhythmic combo of Chico Hamilton, Ron Carter, Victor Pantoja, and Willie Bobo. Szabo makes a surprisingly great vocal appearance on 2 tracks – "Bang Bang" and "Autumn Leaves" – both sung in this weirdly dark style that's a great contrast to the lightness of his work on guitar. Other titles include Gabor's hit "Spellbinder", plus "Gypsy Queen", "It Was A Very Good Year", "Yearning", and "Cheetah". CD

A key moment in the career of Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo – a player who'd already been making some great music in the group of Chico Hamilton, but who really cemented his reputation with the sound on this set! Right from the start, Gabor was always a guitarist with something very new, very fresh to offer – an approach that was partly steeped in older European gypsy guitar sounds, but also inflected electrically towards a trippier, more modal, more psychedelic quality – something he'd explore strongly on this sweet little set. The album begins in a bossa mode, then really trips out – as a second guitar weaves lines around Gabor's own – and drums and bass provide a very cool modal groove. Titles include "Los Matodoros", "Corcovado", "O Barquinho", "The Beat Goes On", "Lou-ise", "Space", and "Mizrab". CD

Excellent trippy pop-psychedelia from Gabor Szabo! The record's a bit less jazz than some of his other efforts, with more of that faked-out "eastern"production that you'd get on efforts like these – with occasional voices behind his guitar. Titles include "The End Of Life", "White Rabbit", "Saigon Bride", "Twelve Thirty", "To Sir With Love", and "Are You There?" LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from guitarist Gabor Szabo – a record that really helped to shift his sound and style into the 70s! The groove here is often open and free – taking off from some of the exoticism of Gabor's 60s albums on Impulse and Skye, but with a bit more of the CTI electric groove – thanks to arrangements from Bob James, who also plays keyboards on the set! The mix of Gabor's exotic tones and the deeper groove of CTI is a surprisingly great blend – and really helps to open up the guitarist's sound for a whole new generation. Drums are by Billy Cobham and Jack DeJohnette, who's especially funky on the great track "Thirteen" – and titles also include a great cover of "Summer Breeze", and the cuts "Mizrab", and "Concerto". LP, Vinyl record album

The guitar genius of Gabor Szabo – set to magnificent arrangements by Gary McFarland! The set's one of the most sophisticated albums Szabo ever cut – and has a slow-building style that steps off of his Impulse years with a deeper, broader vision of music. By the time of the set, McFarland himself was hitting a more contemplative style in his own music – and you can hear that shift in this album as well, especially in the moodier, mellower moments. Instrumentation includes violin, cello, and French Horn – all used sparingly to augment Szabo's small combo with piano by McFarland! Titles include lots of originals – "The Fortune Teller", "Half The Day Is Night", "Galatea's Guitar", and "Lady In the Moon". CD features bonus tracks – single edits of "Fire Dance" and "Ferris Wheel". CD

The most mindblowing work we've ever heard from guitarist Amancio D'Silva – a really freewheeling blend of jazz and Indian music, and a set that goes far beyond most of his other albums! The album definitely lives up to the dream sequence promised by the title – as it features one long track that spins out in a beautiful blend of tablas, sitar, flute, percussion, violin, and Amancio's own great electric guitar! The leader crafts these trippy solos that are a bit like the work of Gabor Szabo, but even more open-ended and exotic – and the group also features some great work on sax from Alan Branscombe, plus violin from John Mayer – who'd worked on previous experiments of this nature with Joe Harriott. Despite the length of the track, the record is never over-indulgent or repetitive at all – as D'Silva constantly shifts the mood and the sounds – creating this wonderful interplay that really makes for a scenic richness throughout – an evocative journey in music that holds us completely rapt all the way through. LP, Vinyl record album

A previously unissued album from Indian guitarist Amancio D'Silva – recorded during his legendary run of work at Lansdowne Studios, but making its first-ever appearance here! The work on the set is every bit as far-reaching and progressive as some of D'Silva's official releases – and like those sides, this one does a tremendous job of blending complicated guitar lines, unusual rhythms, and some super-hip instrumentation! Amancio has a way of playing guitar that's a bit like Gabor Szabo – airy and exotic at times, with a free-flowing quality that's really explored nicely here on the longish tunes on the set. Players include Don Rendell on saxophone, Stan Tracey on piano, and Alan Branscombe on flute, vibes, and electric piano – but best of all is the use of sitar and tabla on the record – often employed sparingly, but in a way that adds some great echoes of Indian music. Titles include "A Street In Bombay", "What Maria Sees", "A Song For Francesca", and "Konkan Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning 70s set from the great Paul Desmond – one that has the tremendous alto player finding an even fresher groove than before – yet all without losing any of the class and control that made him so great in the 50s and 60s! Don Sebesky arranged the set, but most of the instrumentation is nice and lean – small group modes that allow Paul's alto to soar out in the lead, often alongside some excellent guitar work from Gabor Szabo and Gene Bertoncini – the latter of whom provides accompaniment that takes us back to some of Jim Hall's music with Desmond. Bob James plays a bit of piano on the record, and rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Ralph MacDonald on percussion – plus a bit of cello from George Ricci, who shades tunes in with a mighty nice sound. But as you'd guess, the main focus is on Desmond's sublime alto sax – on titles that include "Was A Sunny Day", "Take Ten", "Music For A While", and of course, "Skylark". CD

A hell of a record, and one that definitely lives up to its promise of folk, blues, and beyond – as Davy Graham here is as comfortable with influences from Jack Elliott and Leadbelly as he is with Chico Hamilton, Bobby Timmons, and Charles Mingus! The album's a very early instance of a British folk artist bringing lots of jazz changes into his music – maybe a bit less than on some of Davy Graham's records to follow, but still very much there in the way he approaches rhythm, and some of the phrasing on his acoustic guitar – heard most particularly on the album's versions of "Better Git In Your Soul" and "Moanin" – but also on some other tracks that maybe even hit some of the territory that Gabor Szabo was bringing to his work of the period. Other tracks include "Cocaine", "Leavin Blues", "Skillet", "Maajun", "Don't Think Twice It's All Right", "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", and "Sally Free & Easy". CD

Searing work from saxophonist Muriel Grossmann – a player who clearly draws a lot of inspiration from late 60s John Coltrane – but who also turns out a record here that's completely her own! The tracks are long, modal, and very spiritual – and the group has an unusual balance between Grossmann's tenor and soprano, and the guitar of Radomir Milojkovic – whose edgey tones here almost remind us of some of the trippier 60s sounds from Gabor Szabo! The group also features pulsing rhythms from Gina Schwarz on bass and Urus Stamenkovic on drums – a duo who really push things forward, and keep the soulful spirit of the music intact – but it's clearly Grossmann who's the lead star here, as she really blows us away with her work on both tenor and soprano! This is deep stuff – not an easy nod to the spiritual scene, but a much richer record – extremely well-conceived and executed. Titles include "Golden Rule", "Core", "Traneing In", "Trane", "Light", and "Direction". CD

Incredibly great – and one of the best of the late 60s trippy jazz albums on Impulse! Bill Plummer plays electric sitar with the "Cosmic Brotherood", a group that includes Tom Scott on saxes and electronics, Carol Kaye on Fender bass, Milt Holland on tabla, and Mike Craden on a heck of a lot of weird percussion. The tunes are groovy, "eastern" sounding, and have a modal jazzy approach that's similar to some of Scott's work, that of Chico Hamilton, Gabor Szabo, or some of the other groundbreaking, genre-crossing Impulse artists. Includes the totally great "Journey To The East", which has this mad trippy recitation – plus the tracks "Arc 294", "Lady Friend", "Antares", and "Song Plum". CD

Perhaps the best of the early David T Walker albums for Revue – and certainly the one that has the highest concept of all of his work for the label. The tracks move past his usual pop jazz style, and into a stretched-out mode that shows traces of Gabor Szabo, and perhaps a bit of Pat Martino – although David's still playing more in that great chromatic way he has of approaching the strings. Titles include "My Flowers", "Direction Wes", "Look Of Love", "The Sidewalk", "Hurt So Bad", and "Up Up & Away". Backing is by a trio with Mel Brown on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A mixed bag of tracks issued in 1995 to celebrate the history of the legendary Blue Thumb label from the 70s – and although there's a lot of rock numbers on here that we could do without, there's plenty of nice bits for groovers, too! Some of the best cuts are from albums that we can hardly ever find on vinyl, and the album's got a mix of jazz, Brazilian, Latin, soul, and funk tunes. Titles include "Bird's Word" by The Last Poets, "Images" by Sun Ra, "Breezin" by Gabor Szabo, "The Frog" by Joao Donato, "Blackbird" by Bossa Rio, "Fat Jam" by Ben Sidran, "Little Mama" by Luis Gasca, "Put It Where You Want It" by The Crusaders, and "Darkness Darkness" by Phil Upchurch. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive collection of jazzy tracks, and one that maybe has a bit of interest to the soul instrumental scene too – given that these were the kind of cuts that played big with the mod scene in London in the mid 60s! The approach is pretty great – in that each of the 4CDs is divided up by year, and by nation – so that you get two CDs' of British jazz, and two CDs' of American work – all for a whopping total of 78 titles in all. The music runs very strongly towards the soul jazz side of the spectrum – with lots of tenor and organ work – but there's also a few vocal cuts, and some harder-swinging larger groups too – served up in a lineup that includes tracks by Stan Tracey, Johnny Hawksworth, Dick Morrissey, Georgie Fame, Mike Carr, Freddie Roach, Milt Jackson, Tubby Hayes, Joe Harriott, Gabor Szabo, Charles Earland, Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers, Neil Adrley, Kenny Clare, Danny Moss, Dudley Moore, Don Rendell, Gordon Beck, Ian Hamer, Johnny Scott, Les Condon, John Surman, and many others! CD

A hell of a record, and one that definitely lives up to its promise of folk, blues, and beyond – as Davy Graham here is as comfortable with influences from Jack Elliott and Leadbelly as he is with Chico Hamilton, Bobby Timmons, and Charles Mingus! The album's a very early instance of a British folk artist bringing lots of jazz changes into his music – maybe a bit less than on some of Davy Graham's records to follow, but still very much there in the way he approaches rhythm, and some of the phrasing on his acoustic guitar – heard most particularly on the album's versions of "Better Git In Your Soul" and "Moanin" – but also on some other tracks that maybe even hit some of the territory that Gabor Szabo was bringing to his work of the period. Other tracks include "Cocaine", "Leavin Blues", "Skillet", "Maajun", "Don't Think Twice It's All Right", "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", and "Sally Free & Easy". LP, Vinyl record album

Massively groovy work from Chico Hamilton – one of his standout swingers for Impulse Records in the 60s, and a set that really showcases all the changes in music he'd made for the decade! The set features some wonderful reed work from Jerome Richardson and Charlie Mariano, plus some especially great guitar from Gabor Szabo – a player who was rising to fame in Hamilton's group, but also stands out here with lots of the breezy grooves he'd bring to his own dates for Impulse. Tracks are short, but in a good way that really keeps them focused – and other players who complete the groove include Clark Terry on trumpet and Ron Carter on bass – both of whom nicely pick up Chico's sense of adventure and humor. Titles include "Monday Monday", "Daydream", "Stella By Starlight", "Evil Eye", "Manila", "That Boy With The Long Hair", and "Monday Monday". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent collection of rare jazz grooves – the special kind of tracks that effortlessly mix up influences and styles, with a result that makes each and every number a real standout in the set! This is the third volume in the series, and the mix of music is wonderful – tunes from artists who are definitely jazz, and who have sophistication that goes way past familiar funky modes – into territory that's often far-reaching, and influenced by spiritual modes – even though all the tracks have a great little groove! There's plenty of fantastic modal moments in the collection, and although the core energy of the package comes from the 70s underground jazz scene, there's also some great bits from other periods too. Titles include "Nepal" by Bjorn Alkes Kvartette, "Probuzeni" by Jazz Celula "Dawn" by Sangram, "Manteca" by Phineas Newborn Jr, "Pan African Ballet Music" by Karlton Hester & The Contemporary Jazz Art Movement, "Hasta La Victra Siempra" by Copa Salvo, "Impressions" by Stafford James Ensemble, "Middle Passage" by Tyrone Jefferson, "Aladdin's Carpet" by Beaver Harris, and "24 Carat" by Gabor Szabo. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Larry Coryell's greatest albums ever! Barefoot Boy is a much more expansive session than some of Coryell's others, fueled in part by the spiritual intensity of the Impulse Records generation. It's got a momentum that's pretty darn exciting throughout – but the compositions are nice and long, which gives the players plenty of space to explore. Personnel includes Steve Marcus on tenor and soprano sax, Mike Mandel on piano, Roy Haynes on drums, and Larry Killian on congas – working with Coryell on long trippy tracks that remind us a bit of 60s work by Chico Hamilton, Charles Lloyd, and Gabor Szabo. Titles include "Call To The Higher Consciousness", "The Great Escape", and "Gypsy Queen". CD

Searing work from saxophonist Muriel Grossmann – a player who clearly draws a lot of inspiration from late 60s John Coltrane – but who also turns out a record here that's completely her own! The tracks are long, modal, and very spiritual – and the group has an unusual balance between Grossmann's tenor and soprano, and the guitar of Radomir Milojkovic – whose edgey tones here almost remind us of some of the trippier 60s sounds from Gabor Szabo! The group also features pulsing rhythms from Gina Schwarz on bass and Urus Stamenkovic on drums – a duo who really push things forward, and keep the soulful spirit of the music intact – but it's clearly Grossmann who's the lead star here, as she really blows us away with her work on both tenor and soprano! This is deep stuff – not an easy nod to the spiritual scene, but a much richer record – extremely well-conceived and executed. Titles include "Golden Rule", "Core", "Traneing In", "Trane", "Light", and "Direction". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure brilliance from Coke Escovedo – an artist who really finds a way to make so many different things come together perfectly – with results that are even stronger than his previous work in Azteca and Santana! The set's got a warm blend of Latin roots, modern soul, and jazzy fusion – all produced by the great Pat Gleeson with the same sort of genre-bending care he brought to his own work as a musician! Gleeson makes things smooth and spacey, but never slick – really layering the sound at a level that's somewhere in the Mizell family territory, but with a bit of a different vibe. Coke's percussion is wonderful – and the set features vocals from Errol Knowles, plus backing from The Waters, and guest instrumentation from both Joe Henderson on tenor and Gabor Szabo on guitar. The whole thing's great, and titles include the sublime groover "I Wouldn't Change A Thing", a sweet remake of Willie Bobo's "Fried Neckbones & Some Home Fries", and the tracks "Back Seat", "Runaway", "Hangin On", "Somebody's Callin", and "Diamond Dust/Vida". CD

Searing work from saxophonist Muriel Grossmann – a player who clearly draws a lot of inspiration from late 60s John Coltrane – but who also turns out a record here that's completely her own! The tracks are long, modal, and very spiritual – and the group has an unusual balance between Grossmann's tenor and soprano, and the guitar of Radomir Milojkovic – whose edgey tones here almost remind us of some of the trippier 60s sounds from Gabor Szabo! The group also features pulsing rhythms from Gina Schwarz on bass and Urus Stamenkovic on drums – a duo who really push things forward, and keep the soulful spirit of the music intact – but it's clearly Grossmann who's the lead star here, as she really blows us away with her work on both tenor and soprano! This is deep stuff – not an easy nod to the spiritual scene, but a much richer record – extremely well-conceived and executed. Titles include "Golden Rule", "Core", "Traneing In", "Trane", "Light", and "Direction". LP, Vinyl record album