Amazing music by one of our favorite saxophone players of all time – captured here at the height of his 60s genius on the European scene! The tracks here have never been issued at all – but stand as a perfect complement to the killer MPS/Saba albums by Nathan Davis – and are served up with a similar blend of soulful hardbop and modernist edges – qualities that are already present in the fantastic phrasing of Davis on tenor and flute, pushed even further by the equally great work of French piano legend Georges Arvanitas! Although Arvanitas could be out when he wanted, he could also swing like the best of them – and his pairing with Davis here is perfect, and really brings out both the soul and edge in both players – especially in the company of George's fantastic rhythm duo of Charles Saudrais on drums and Jacky Samson on bass. The set's full of other surprises, too – including a bit of organ from Arvanitas, and an appearance by Jack Dieval – and the whole thing is beautifully recorded by French Radio. Tracks are all long – and include "Mid Evil Dance", "Blues For Southeast Asia", "The Hip Walk", "Rules Of Freedom", "A5", "The Thing", "Love Ye The Neighbor", "Nathalie's Dance", and "Yesterdays" in both flute and tenor versions. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual setting for the legendary T Bone Walker – one of those fantastic records he made while hanging out on the French scene in the late 60s and early 70s – a time when he was able to work in a crossroads of styles that really opened up his sound! That's definitely the case here – as although Walker is very much his strong self on guitar and vocals, he's backed by a wonderfully unusual group – one that features French jazz legend George Arvanitas on piano, delivering some surprisingly bluesy lines – and which also includes tenor sax from the great Hal Singer, another musician who was really able to bridge worlds on the Parisian scene! George's fantastic bassman Jacky Samson is at the core, helping the groove – and titles include "Leaving You Behind", "I Hate To See You Go", "Ain't That Cold Baby", "Late Blues", and "Someone Is Going To Mistreat You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever recorded by Guy Lafitte – a wickedly soulful set that's overflowing with Latin and modern touches! Lafitte's in the lead on tenor, backed by a group that features the groundbreaking George Arvanitas trio at its core, plus trombone from Sonny Grey and guitar from the great Jimmy Gourley. Arvanitas' group features some incredibly strong rhythm work from the team of Jacky Samson on bass and Charles Saudrais on drums – a pair that were one of the greatest bass/drum units working during the 60s on either side of the Atlantic – and equally well-suited to gently soulful moments as they were to full-on rhythmic romps! The album bristles with excitement from the word go – and features some surprising soul jazz groovers that have Arvanitas playing a bit of organ – as well as some great late nite numbers that really have Lafitte opening up on his horn. Titles include "Jambo", "Cote A Cote", "Jamaica", "African Night", and "Jamboree". CD

A really great setting for Pepper Adams – a rare European live date that has his baritone sax matched with the mighty talents of the George Arvanitas trio! Arvanitas' piano is always great, but we especially love the rhythm work here by bassist Jacky Samson and drummer Charles Saudrais – two amazing players who help Pepper find a groove on the record that's quite different than usual. The set begins with the 11 minute "Bossa Noveau" – a Brazilian-styled groover that reminds us a lot of the Samson/Saudrais work with Marco Di Marco and Chris Woods – and the same sort of vibe follows on the 17 minute "Min & Maj Blues" too. "Ephemera" and "Body & Soul" are a bit straighter, but totally great. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great setting for Pepper Adams – a rare European live date that has his baritone sax matched with the mighty talents of the George Arvanitas trio! Arvanitas' piano is always great, but we especially love the rhythm work here by bassist Jacky Samson and drummer Charles Saudrais – two amazing players who help Pepper find a groove on the record that's quite different than usual. The set begins with the 11 minute "Bossa Noveau" – a Brazilian-styled groover that reminds us a lot of the Samson/Saudrais work with Marco Di Marco and Chris Woods – and the same sort of vibe follows on the 17 minute "Min & Maj Blues" too. "Ephemera" and "Body & Soul" are a bit straighter, but totally great – and the CD also features the bonus track "Dear Old Stockholm". CD

A really great later album from Anita – one recorded live in Berlin, with some backing by the George Arvanitas trio – at the time when they had the kick-ass rhythm section of Jacky Samson on bass and Charles Saudrais on drums. Anita's in a much more swinging groove than usual – opening up in an MPS-like setting that's quite different from her Verve albums. The highlight of the record is a nice funky version of "Sunny", which starts with a great drum bit at the beginning – and other tracks include "Soon It's Gonna Rain", "Your Wings", "On A Clear Day", and a medley of "Yesterday" and "Yesterdays". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual setting for the legendary T Bone Walker – one of those fantastic records he made while hanging out on the French scene in the late 60s and early 70s – a time when he was able to work in a crossroads of styles that really opened up his sound! That's definitely the case here – as although Walker is very much his strong self on guitar and vocals, he's backed by a wonderfully unusual group – one that features French jazz legend George Arvanitas on piano, delivering some surprisingly bluesy lines – and which also includes tenor sax from the great Hal Singer, another musician who was really able to bridge worlds on the Parisian scene! George's fantastic bassman Jacky Samson is at the core, helping the groove – and titles include "Leaving You Behind", "I Hate To See You Go", "Ain't That Cold Baby", "Late Blues", and "Someone Is Going To Mistreat You". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from Chris Woods – a genius reed player on alto sax and flute! Chris had a similar history to Nathan Davis, another richly talented American reed player from the same era – in that he was an American, but moved to Europe and achieved greater fame by becoming a seminal part of the scene during the early 60s. Woods recorded albums with Ted Curson, Marco Di Marco, and Georges Arvanitas – whose trio with Jacky Samson and Charles Saudrais is backing Chris up on this album. A few of the tunes are in a more standard jazz mode than Woods' other recordings, but there's also some great ones – like "My Lady", which is a soulful dancing waltz, and "Monsieur Lesbois In Paris", which has a nice stepping groove that's right up there with Woods' most soulful recordings! Other tracks include "Au Privae", "Love Theme For a Very Special Friend", and "Dreaming At The Woodside". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual setting for the legendary T Bone Walker – one of those fantastic records he made while hanging out on the French scene in the late 60s and early 70s – a time when he was able to work in a crossroads of styles that really opened up his sound! That's definitely the case here – as although Walker is very much his strong self on guitar and vocals, he's backed by a wonderfully unusual group – one that features French jazz legend George Arvanitas on piano, delivering some surprisingly bluesy lines – and which also includes tenor sax from the great Hal Singer, another musician who was really able to bridge worlds on the Parisian scene! George's fantastic bassman Jacky Samson is at the core, helping the groove – and titles include "Leaving You Behind", "I Hate To See You Go", "Ain't That Cold Baby", "Late Blues", and "Someone Is Going To Mistreat You". CD

The funky side of New Orleans soul – from a series that has been giving us some of the best underground nuggets for many years, and at a level that goes farther than most of the 60s-centric collections of Crescent City funk! This time around, there's a great rare unissued track from Robert Parker – the excellent instrumental take of "The Hiccup", paired with his vocal version of the tune too – next to titles that include "What's His Name Black Samson" by Willie West, "Stink Bomb" by Eddie Bo, "Tweedie Pie" by Raymond Winnfield, "Da Boys From Across The Tracks" by George Porter's Joy Ride, "Accept What You Expect" by Louisiana Purchase, "Water Hole" by Sam & The Soul Machine, "Things Could Be Better" by Raymond Winnfield, and "Sweet Thing" by Willie Tee. LP, Vinyl record album