Gritty gritty gritty! This live set of soul jazz tracks was recorded in Chicago's Cook County Jail on Friday the 13th, 1972 – and we can hardly think of a darker place to record a soul jazz album! Side one features the aptly-named "Freedom Suite", an extended groover played by Jimmy McGriff, and a 2-guitar group that includes George Freeman and Odonel Levy – and side two has Lucky Thompson playing in a soulful group with Cedar Walton on electric piano, on the tracks "Green Dolphin Street" and "Everything Happens To Me". A pretty incredible event to be recorded – trust us, we drive by the jail a fair bit on the way to work! LP, Vinyl record album

With Von Freeman on tenor sax, Maurice Brown on trumpet, Lloyd Wilson on organ, Gerey Johnson on guitar, Curtice Prince on drums & Kevin Patrick on percussion. CD

Guitarist George Freeman has given his music to the world for many decades – a fantastic live player who still makes magic on the Chicago scene, and a recording artist who's gotten the chance to cut plenty of records over the years, but rarely in a top-shelf setting like this! The lineup is an all-star one – with Joey DeFrancesco on organ, Christian McBride on bass, and either Carl Allen or Lewis Nash on drums – great players, but who also have the maturity to really give George the space to open up and do his thing – especially important now that, in his later years, Freeman is less of a sonic monster than he was in the 70s, yet maybe even more of a sensitive soloist overall. Titles include a remake of his classic "Lowe Groovin" – plus "Mr D", "Up & Down", "The Good Life", and "Sister Tankersley". CD

Gritty gritty gritty! This live set of soul jazz tracks was recorded in Chicago's Cook County Jail on Friday the 13th, 1972 – and we can hardly think of a darker place to record a soul jazz album! Side one features the aptly-named "Freedom Suite", an extended groover played by Jimmy McGriff, and a 2-guitar group that includes George Freeman and Odonel Levy – and side two has Lucky Thompson playing in a soulful group with Cedar Walton on electric piano, on the tracks "Green Dolphin Street" and "Everything Happens To Me". A pretty incredible event to be recorded – trust us, we drive by the jail a fair bit on the way to work! CD

One of the more laidback albums from George Freeman's early 70s run – but still a great little set that shows the mellower side of his talents! Despite the sexy style of the cover, the sound here is relatively straight soul jazz – small combo work with Harold Mabern on acoustic piano, Kenny Barron on electric piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Buddy Williams on drums – all in support of Freeman's snakey guitar lines over the gentle rhythms and slinky grooves. George's sound is slightly less tripped-out than on other records, but still has that undeniable Freeman tone – a raspy edge that's quite different than most of his contemporaries! Titles include "I Ain't Got Nobody", "You've Changed", "Groovy Lady", "Squeeze Me", and "Till There Was You". LP, Vinyl record album

A great session that matches the pre-bop guitarist with the mighty tenorist Bud Freeman! LP, Vinyl record album

This is a five-part piece for 2 amplified pianos and percussion. It is performed by the same people who premiered the work in 1974, a year previous to this recording. LP, Vinyl record album

80s UK package deal that includes Affinity pressings of "Coltranology Vol 2", "Second Genesis", "The High & Mighty Hawk", "Big George", and "Young & Foolish". LP, Vinyl record album

The trad side of the Newport Jazz Festival – a wonderfully open little set with a lineup that includes trumpeter Buck Clayton, tenorist Bud Freeman, trombonist Vick Dickenson, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, and pianist George Wein! Clayton, Freeman, Russell, Dickenson, and Wein are joined by a few other trad players in this classic session cut for Atlantic after the band opened at the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival. As with a lot of the Atlantic trad sessions from this time, the recording quality is excellent, and the relaxed format offers the older players a chance to open up with solo space not afforded to them on earlier recordings. Tracks include "Rose Room", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "Royal Garden Blues", and "Pee Wee Russell's Unique Sound". LP, Vinyl record album

With Red Allen, Tyree Glenn, Gene Schroeder, Bob Haggart, and George Wettling. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Chico Freeman on tenor, Arthur Blythe on alto, George Cables on piano, Santi Debriano on bass, and Yoron Israel on drums! CD

A classic "discovery" of tenor saxophonist Von Freeman – one that was already relatively late in his career, but a key appearance on Atlantic under the auspices of Roland Kirk! The setting here is as loose and laidback as Von needs to really do his thing – backing by a trio that features fellow Chicagoan John Young on piano, plus Sam Jones on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums – all hanging back nicely to let Freeman dominate the set on tenor. The album's noteworthy for its inclusion of a few original tunes by Von – "White Sand", "Portrait Of John Young", "Doin It Right Now", "Brother George", and "Catnap" – all of which mark a nice contrast from some of the more traditional standards that show up on other Freeman albums of the 70s. CD

Trad jazz tunes played by a group led by Newport Jazz Fest impresario George Wein, and featuring players that include Ruby Braff, Marshall Brown, Bud Freeman, Pee Wee Rusell, and Bill Takas. Titles include "The Bends Blues", "Ja-Da", "Keepin Out Of Mischief Now", and "Blue Turning Grey Over You". LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Jess Stacy, George Wettling, Bunny Berigan, Bobby Hackett, Gene Krupa, Pee Wee Russell, Claude Thornhill, Eddie Condon, Red McKenzie, and Cozy Cole. CD

One of Chico's greatest recordings of the 80s – and a hip Japanese-only set that also features work from his father, Von Freeman! The set's a no-nonsense batch of tracks that bridges Chico's spiritual avant leanings and Von's roots in a Chicago hardbop tradition – and the rhythm group of George Cables, Cecil McBee, and Billy Hart is a perfect trio to accompany the styles of both players. The album's one of the few to really showcase Von's strengths as a writer, and his underrecorded ability to solo in a complicated modern style – something that's hardly ever captured on his other sessions from the 70s and 80s, which only ever feature him blowing straight long versions of standards. The set's a beautiful one – very similar to Sonny Fortune's recording for the Why Not label from the same time – and titles include "Sneakin Peakin", "Blue Baby Do", "Ballad For Aisha", "Vonce", "South Express", and "Moment's Notice". CD

Von Freeman and Chico Freeman on saxophone, George Cables on piano, Santi DeBriano on bass, and Gene Jackson on drums. CD

With Jimmy McPartland on trumpet, Pee Wee Russell on clarinet, George Wettling on drums, Milt Hinton on bass, Al Casamenti on guitar, and Dick Cary on piano. CD

One of the most obscure albums to ever be issued on the tiny Mode label – and one that features work by the little-known female trumpeter Clora Bryant! Clora's an unusual talent for the time – and almost more of a novelty than a standout soloist – but she's also singing on the album too, and gets some great support here from a group that includes Ben Tucker on bass, Bruz Freeman (brother of Von and George) on drums, and the great Walter Benton on tenor. There's almost a Chet Baker-esque mix of vocals and trumpet solos on the album – although Clora's actually got a style that's much more soulful than Chet, at least vocally – as she manages to bring out a tune with an earthy style of singing that's pretty great! Titles include "Little Girl Blue", "Makin Whoopie", "Man With The Horn", and "Tea For Two". CD

Spectacular work from one of the most groundbreaking groups of its time – the legendary John Carter/Bobby Bradford Quartet – quite possibly the hippest thing going in the LA scene of the late 60s! The group includes Carter on alto and tenor, Bradford on trumpet – working together in these amazing lines that have both players running off together in a style that's free, but often quite rhythmic – spurred on to move past the new freedoms unlocked by the Ornette Coleman group a few years before! Yet the vibe here is very different than Ornette, too – given the bold, righteous power that comes through in the voices of both players – working here at a level that seems to blow away just about anything else going on in the American avant garde at the time. The group has just two more players to round out its amazing sound – Tom Williamson on bass, and Bruz Freeman (brother of Von and George!) on drums – and all tracks are long and free, yet also fragile and intimate – with an almost painterly sense of beauty and emotion that stands in stark contrast to much of the avant work of the time coming out of the east coast. Titles include "Domino", "Abstractions For Three Lovers", "Woman", and "The Second Set". CD

Smoking tenor work from the legendary Willis Jackson – and a key record in Jackson's transition from 50s R&B to 60s soul jazz! Willis gets some great help on the session from Jack McDuff on organ and Wild Bill Jennings on guitar – both of whom craft some rootsy grooves that further enforce the strength of Jackson's tenor lead, and which also allow for a bit more improvisation alongside the tight grooves of the set. McDuff's got his organ in that full-on early mode – lots of vibrato to fill up the space – and Jennings' guitar comes across with that wonderfully raspy tone that was a good precursor to the work of George Freeman. Titles include "Cool Grits", "Dinky's Mood", "Please Mr. Jackson", and "633 Knock". LP, Vinyl record album

A great later album from Chicago tenorist Eddie Johnson – like Von Freeman, a player who mostly stuck to his local scene for decades, and initially only got the chance to cut a few records over the years! This Delmark date is an overdue follow up to Eddie's excellent 80s set for Nessa – and like that one, it's got a very faithful sound that really captures the kind of soulful expression that Johnson had been bringing to Chicago clubs for years! There's an easygoing swing that has echoes of the way Eddie Harris handled his horn on the scene – and the quartet features John Young on piano, Eddie DeHaas on bass, and George Hughes on drums. Titles include "Whirley Bird", "Gravy Waltz", "Eyes Of Love", "Wanderlust", "You Dirty Dog", and "Trombonio Bustoso Issimo". CD

With sidemen that include Bud Freeman on tenor, Buck Clayton on trumpet, Vic Dickenson on trombone, Eddie Condon on guitar, Ruby Braff on cornet, George Wein on piano, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most obscure albums to ever be issued on the tiny Mode label – and one that features work by the little-known female trumpeter Clora Bryant! Clora's an unusual talent for the time – and almost more of a novelty than a standout soloist – but she's also singing on the album too, and gets some great support here from a group that includes Ben Tucker on bass, Bruz Freeman (brother of Von and George) on drums, and the great Walter Benton on tenor. There's almost a Chet Baker-esque mix of vocals and trumpet solos on the album – although Clora's actually got a style that's much more soulful than Chet, at least vocally – as she manages to bring out a tune with an earthy style of singing that's pretty great! Titles include "Little Girl Blue", "Makin Whoopie", "Man With The Horn", and "Tea For Two". CD

The back cover of this one says "This Album Should Be Titled MONSTER" – and for once, the back cover is right! The album's the only one we've ever seen by the super-dope LA guitarist Cal Green – a wonderful talent with a hard-edge approach to the strings, one that's a bit like that of George Freeman, but a bit more laidback and spaced out. You might know Green from his work on albums by organist Charles Kynard – and Kynard joins Green here in a sweet little quartet session with some very funky moments. The album's got a killer original called "Trippin" which has some super-wonderful work on guitar – and it's also got some surprisingly great covers of "Days Of Wine & Roses" and "My Cherie Amour", taken with the chromatic wandering style of Eddie Fisher. Other highlights are the originals "Sieda", and "Mellow In Blue", plus the slightly offbeat "Johnny's Gone To Vietnam". A monster – indeed! LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection by the great Mary Osborne – an early female star on the electric jazz guitar, and one who learned her talents direct from Charlie Christian! Mary plays a lean hollow-body here with a nice sort of rasp on the tone – almost a bit bluesy at times, but never too much so, as the overall style is definitely jazz – and carried out with a combo that includes Tommy Flanagan on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Jo Jones on drums! There's moments when Osborne hits these great low rumbles – a bit like vintage George Freeman – but she can also come out nice and clean on the strings too, and really soar to the skies on her solos. Titles include "How High The Moon", "Soft Winds", "Samba De Orpheus", "God Bless The Child", "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Body And Soul", "I Surrender Dear", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Bobby Hackett, Hank Jones, Ed Shaughnessy, George Duvivier, George Wettling, Gene Schroeder, Bob Wilber, and Bud Freeman. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great funky albums that Gene Ammons cut for Prestige at the start of the 70s – quite different than his earlier work for the label, and a very different showcase for his tenor genius! The whole lineup here is amazing – a quintet that features heavy drums from Idris Muhammad, piano and Fender Rhodes from Harold Mabern, bass from Ron Carter, and some tremendously smoking guitar from the great George Freeman! Freeman goes nuts on the funky cut "The Black Cat" – and other tracks include "Jug Eyes", "Hi Ruth", "Something", and "Piece To Keep Away Evil Spirits". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of funky killers from tenorist Gene Ammons! Black Cat is one of the great funky albums that Gene Ammons cut for Prestige at the start of the 70s – quite different than his earlier work for the label, and a very different showcase for his tenor genius! The whole lineup here is amazing – a quintet that features heavy drums from Idris Muhammad, piano and Fender Rhodes from Harold Mabern, bass from Ron Carter, and some tremendously smoking guitar from the great George Freeman! Freeman goes nuts on the funky cut "The Black Cat" – and other tracks include "Jug Eyes", "Hi Ruth", "Something", and "Piece To Keep Away Evil Spirits". You Talk That Talk is a set done in collaboration with Sonny Stitt – and these two tenor giants meet in the period slightly before Ammons death, and they're grouped with some of the younger funky players on Prestige, like Leon Spencer, Idris Muhammad, and George Freeman. The sound is fairly traditional, but there's some nice funky moments. Tracks include "Out Of It", which was written by Harold Vick, "The People's Choice", written by Harold Ousley, and the title cut, which is a Leon Spencer original. The 14 track set includes the full titles from 2 LPs, plus 2 bonus cuts from a rare source! CD