An unusual session of trad jazz for the mostly-west coast World Pacific label – one that features guitarist Eddie Condon at the host of an all-star group that includes Rex Stewart on cornet, Bud Freeman on tenor sax, Herb Hall on clarinet, and Cutty Cutshall on trombone. The sound's in a strongly trad mode overall – but a number of tunes get some longer treatments here, and expand with freedoms of later recording modes. Titles include "Ostrich Walk", "Sensation Rag", "Livery Stable Blues", "Tiger Rag", "Reisenweber Rag", and "Lazy River". CD also features 4 bonus tracks that include "Skeleton Jungle", "Clarinet Marmalade", and "Satanic Blues". CD

With Gene Schroeder on piano, Cutty Cutshall on trombone, Herb Hall on clarinet, Leonard Gaskin on bass, and George Wettling on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Ray Brown on bass, Herb Ellis on guitar, Bobbye Hall on congas, Jake Hanna and Jimmie Smith on drums, and Mike Melvoin on keyboards. LP, Vinyl record album

The beautiful first solo album by Lani Hall – recorded after years of work with Sergio Mendes in the Brasil 66 group – and done in a style that certainly reflects her great vocals with that ensemble, yet which also expands her sound tremendously! The set was arranged and produced by Herb Alpert in a spare, almost folksy style that still has some sweet LA touches – and the album's worth it alone for the leadoff cut – a version of Lesley Duncan's "Love Song", done in a gently grooving mode that's got a real folk-funk feel! The set's also got a great version of "We Could Be Flying" – and other tracks include "Ocean Song", "Vincent", "Come Down In Time", and "You". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet grooving from Lani Hall – a record that's a long way from her roots in Brasil 66, but which has some surprisingly nice touches at times! Herb Alpert produced – and handled arrangements along with Lani and Michel Colombier – and it may well be Colombier's highly rhythmic approach to larger backings that makes the best parts of the album so nice – because some unexpected moments bounce along with a very slight funky undercurrent, offsetting Lani's sometimes overdone vocals with leaner modes that push things past the clutter. Titles include a nicely grooving version of "Send In The Clowns", plus "Early Mornin Strangers", "Mr Blue", "Too Many Mornings", "Sweet Bird", "Dolphins Lullaby", and "At The Ballet". LP, Vinyl record album

Toshiko Akiyoshi in piano, Frank Wess on alto saxophone and flute, Jim Snidero on alto and soprano saxophone, clarinet, flute and piccolo flute, Lew Tabackin on tenor saxophone and flute, Walt Weiskopf on tenor and soprano saxophone, flute and clarinet, Conrad Herwig, Herb Besson, Joe Magnarelli, and Larry Farrell on trombone, Greg Gisbert, John Eckert, and Mike Ponella on trumpet, Scott Robinson on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet, Matt Finders on bass trombone, Rich Flores on congas, Peter Washington on double bass, and Terry Clarke on drums. CD

Features Frank Wess and James Moody on saxophones and flute, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, Urbie Green on trombone, Johnny Coles and Harry "Sweets" Edison on trumpet, Herb Ellis and Kenny Burrell on guitar, and guest vocals from Ernestine Anderson and Ernie Andrews. CD

One of the best early albums cut by John Lewis as a leader – a set that's a fair bit different than John's work with the Modern Jazz Quartet – thanks to strong guest appearances from players who include Paul Gonsalves and Benny Golson on tenor sax, Eric Dolphy on alto, Jim Hall on guitar, and Herb Pomeroy on trumpet. Most of the tracks are a great mix of the mellow, introspective Lewis approach with some of the freer, more relaxed styles of the soloists – an approach that's slightly third stream, but which also has some of the great sounds and tones that Lewis forged on his Afternoon In Paris album with Sacha Distel. Titles include great versions of "Body & Soul" and "Afternoon In Paris", plus Lewis' classic "2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West", as well as "I Should Care" and "I Remember Clifford". LP, Vinyl record album

2 amazing albums from the 2nd version of the Jimmy Giuffre 3! After working with his first combo of Bob Brookmeyer and Jim Hall during the late 50s, Giuffre hooked up with a pair of younger modernists – Paul Bley and Steve Swallow – reintroducing the piano and bass to his trio format, instruments that had been previously missing because Giuffre wanted to explore the possibilities of melodic composition freed from rhythmic constraints. With this trio, Giuffre was still working in that mode – as you'll hear on Bley and Swallow's incredibly free playing. The group's performances are not free jazz by any means, but they're a key link in that tradition – as Giuffre and crew do an excellent job of creating unconventional compositions, most of which feel like little sculptures in sound. There's a total of 20 tracks on 2CDs – and titles include "Cry, Want", "Trudgin", "Jesus Maria", "Ictus", "Sonic", "Whirrrrr", "The Gamut", "Herb & Ictus", and "Flight". Both records originally available on Verve, now repackaged by ECM. CD

Here's a party that we'd love to be invited to – a festive gathering of bongos and other percussion – served up in a mix of different cuts from a surprising array of sources! The music moves from Latin, to exotica, to jazzy modes – and while percussion is at the core of every cut, there's also plenty of other great elements too – flute lines, organ, guitar, vibes, and vocals at points too – all delivered with a sense of spirit that's totally great! Jack "Mr Bongo" Costanzo is the main star of the set – and delivers tunes that include "Inspector Bongo", "Escuadron De Policia", "Boyle Heights", and "Cigarillo" – and other tracks include "The Idea Of The Greater Age" by Sun Ra, "Wild Percussion" by Tak Shindo, "Singing Bongos" by Rene Hall, "Where's Tim's Guitar" by Jill Kroesen, "Cinco Sin Titulo" by Herb Schoenbohm's Quintet Ipanema, and "Bongo Birthday Surprise" by Nicholas Carras. CD features bonus tracks that include "Jungle Duck" by Nicholas Carras, and "Sunny" and "My Sadness" by Herb Schoenbohm's Quintet Ipanema. CD

Ron Carter on bass, Herbie Hancock on piano, Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, James Newton on flute, and Tony Williams on drums. Tracks include "Hat And Beard", "Cantaloupe Island", "Recorda Me", and "Little B's Poem". CD

Another great groover from Herbie's Latin days! The band has a very unusual modal sound, with Herbie's flute next to vibes by Hagood Hardy, guitar by Billy Bean, and percussion by Willie Bobo & Patato Valdes. Includes a nice version of "O Barquino", plus the cuts "Cool Heat", "Free For All", "Meditation", and "Challil". CD

Another great groover from Herbie's Latin days! The band has a very unusual modal sound, with Herbie's flute next to vibes by Hagood Hardy, guitar by Billy Bean, and percussion by Willie Bobo & Patato Valdes. Includes a nice version of "O Barquino", plus the cuts "Cool Heat", "Free For All", "Meditation", and "Challil". LP, Vinyl record album

80s issue of some seminal recordings of some of the most influential, yet unde-documented jazz pianists of the bop and post bop eras. There's three tracks by the Bebop Boys, with Bud Powell, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, Al Hall and Kenny Clarke: "Bebop In Pastel", "Seven Up" and "Blues In Bebop". Following that there's 5 stellar tracks from Lennie Tristano's trio with Billy Bauer and John Levy, performing his cerebral and vastly influential music on two takes of "Supersonic", plus "On A Planet", "Air Pocket" and "Celestia" and fouor popping bop numbers from Herbie Nichols in a small group rolling through "'s Wonderful", "Nichols & Dimes", "Who's Blues" and "My Lady Gingersnap". There's also a batch of trio sides from Dodo Marmarosa and the under-recorded George Wallington, and a nice handful of bop numbers from the Kenny Clarke Quintet featuring Horace Silver. 27 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

Very groovy CD that brings together 2 different albums that Stan Getz cut with larger groups and more baroque orchestrations than usual. The Cool Velvet set is from 1960, and has Stan's breathy alto blowing with arrangements by Russ Garcia. The material has Garcia's usual off-kilter sense, and although the sound is a bit 50's, Getz cuts through the tracks nicely. The real treat, though, is the incredible Voices album, which has stunning arrangements by Claus Ogerman, and beautiful jazz playing by Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, and Artie Butler. We love this album to death, and it's filled with some of Getz's best playing of the 60s. Titles include "Zigeuner Song", "Infinidad", "Darling Joe", "Once", and "Nica's Dream". The whole CD's packaged beautifully, and it's got a total of 21 lovely lovely tracks! CD

Features Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, and Jim Hall on guitar. Tracks include "Yesterdays", "Summertime", "Now's The Time", and "My One And Only Love". CD

Notable sidemen include Don Cherry, Ben Riley, Roy McCurdy, Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Paul Bley, Coleman Hawkins, and others. CD

A tight quartet date – with George Cables on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Eddie Marshall on drums. Titles include "St James Infirmary", "Night In Tunisia", "Giant Steps", and "My Romance". CD

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". CD

Few folks get a classic groove as right as T-Groove – and here, he's working with the George Kano Experience for an even more classic vibe – this wonderful blend of soul, jazz, funk, and boogie – all put together with the best sort of 80s groove production! The album's got a wonderfully understated vibe – so much so, the whole thing almost feels like the kind of lost major label production from back in the day – the sort of the set that was cut with top-shelf talents in the studio, then under-promoted by the record company – only to be discovered years later by rare groove hounds like us! Yet it's contemporary, and hopefully will get the attention it deserves – overflowing with great tracks that include a clubby remake of Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", topped with the lyrics penned by Mark Murphy in the 70s – plus tracks that include "Shallow Naked Love", "Timeless Groove", "Haven", "Do It Baby", and "Secret Lover". CD

Few folks get a classic groove as right as T-Groove – and here, he's working with the George Kano Experience for an even more classic vibe – this wonderful blend of soul, jazz, funk, and boogie – all put together with the best sort of 80s groove production! The album's got a wonderfully understated vibe – so much so, the whole thing almost feels like the kind of lost major label production from back in the day – the sort of the set that was cut with top-shelf talents in the studio, then under-promoted by the record company – only to be discovered years later by rare groove hounds like us! Yet it's contemporary, and hopefully will get the attention it deserves – overflowing with great tracks that include a clubby remake of Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", topped with the lyrics penned by Mark Murphy in the 70s – plus tracks that include "Shallow Naked Love", "Timeless Groove", "Haven", "Do It Baby", and "Secret Lover". CD

Jazz funk genius from Freddie Hubbard in the mid 70s! Gleam was a Japanese-only double album from the jazz giant in its original release – mighty funky at times, too – right up there with some of the best Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock Japanese sets from the 70s! It's a live set captured in March of '75 at Tokyo's Yubin Chokin Hall – long numbers played by a group that includes Freddie on trumpet, Carl Randall on tenor and flute, George Cables on electric piano, Henry Franklin on bass, Carl Burnett on drums, and Buck Clark on percussion! Each player has plenty of space to groove, and it's very well captured – you can hear the most expressive solos and the most subtle nuances. Some great solos by Freddie and the rest of the players – breathless tenor & flute by Randall, keys by Cables that are jazz funk perfection and interplay between Burnett's drums and Clark's congas & percussion that's somehow tense and comfortable at the same time. The shortest number in the set runs more than the 7 minutes and the longest is more than 20 minutes – and none is one second shorter than necessary, actually leaving us pining for more – making it all the more vital in the double album format. Released on 2CDs for the first time ever here! How this great album has been so hard to find over the years is a mystery. Titles include "Kuntu", "Spirits Of Trane", an amazing cover of Stevie Wonder's "Too High", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Ebony Moonbeams", and "Put It In The Pocket". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". CD

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from Sonny Rollins – a strong batch of sessions from 1964, with work from Herbie Hancock on piano, Jim Hall on guitar, and Ron Carter on bass! The set includes unissued material from the year – and titles include "Django", "My Ship", "Three Little Words", "Night & Day", "When You Wish Upon A Star" and "Now's The Time". CD

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". CD

One of the biggest-selling albums ever on the Blue Note label – even though the music here started out in the realm of copyright infringement! Back in the early 90s, the British duo used a big Herbie Hancock sample for an underground club cut – and when Blue Note heard about the track, not only did they not challenge them, they signed them to the label, encouraged them to dig deep into the back catalog – and began a trend that started a huge amount of jazz sample-based records for decades to come! If you know Blue Note, you'll hear plenty of familiar moments here – recast as dance cuts on titles that include the hit "Cantaloop", built up from Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" – plus "I Got It Goin On", "Different Rhythms", "Eleven Long Years", "Lazy Day", "Cruisin", and "I Go To Work". CD

Three albums from this great reedman! Gibraltar features a killer Dutch duo from the end of the 70s – tenorist Harry Verbeke, who's got a bold, clear sound – and pianist Rob Agerbeek, who's been making soulful sides from the 60s onwards! The pair get great accompaniment here from drummer Billy Higgins and bassist Herbie Lewis – the last of whom may be at his best here – with these well-placed, well-rounded lines that help the record groove right from the start – and which give the record a nice bounce, even in gentler moments – followed up strongly by Agerbeek and his strong sense of chord progressions. Most tunes are familiar, but get nice readings by the group – and titles include "Gibraltar, "Holy Land", "Soul Sister", "No Me Esqueca", and "No Problem". It's You Or No One is a gem, as Harry Verbeke's a tenor player we grow to love more and more over the years – especially as we discover more of his obscure Dutch recordings like this album from the 70s! Verbeke's a tenorist who's completely fully-formed and strong-voiced right from the very first note – maybe indicated by his choice of a Barney Wilen tune to lead off the set – as, like Wilen, Harry's one of these great under-discovered European talents who really helped move his instrument forward, but away from recognition on our side of the Atlantic. The rest of the group is top-shelf too – the great Irv Rochlin on piano, Harry Emmery on bass, and Max Bollerman on drums – on titles that include "Blue Bossa", "Prelude In Blue", "Mariette", "Sugar", and "Chelsea Bridge". As for Harry Verbeke Plays Romantic Ballads, the title's no lie, but it can't even begin to get at the very special sound of the record – as there's a lot more going on here than just a saxophonist taking on American standards! Harry Verbeke's got this sense of tone and phrasing that are very much his own – a quality that we love on his harder-swinging records from the 70s, but which opens up with even more individuality here – a raspy sort of charm that's hard to describe in words, but which makes the album very different than so many other tenor outings of this type. Another strong element is the use of organ instead of piano – an instrument played here by Carlo De Wijs, who mostly shades in things under Harry's lead, rather than try to challenge him to a sonic battle – as the core get gentle support from Hein Van De Geyn on bass and Arnoud Gerritse on drums. Titles include "Stella By Starlight", "A Child Is Born", "Chelsea Bridge", "Spring Fever", and "Everything Happens To Me". CD

A sublime live set from British trumpeter Matthew Halsall – a set that maybe sounds even more organic and spiritual than some of his already-amazing work in the studio! There's a great sense of majesty here – as Halsall leads a wonderfully cohesive lineup that stretches out on long tracks that seem to get even more out of the space of the concert venue than they might in a smaller recording room. The group features Matt Cliffe on tenor and flute, Liviu Gheorghe on piano, Gavin Barras on bass, Alan Taylor on drums, Jack McCarthy on percussion, and Maddie Herbert on some especially nice use of harp – understated, and never dominating the music, but a really crucial part of the album's sound! Titles include "Canopy & Stars", "Mindfulness Meditations", "Joyful Spirits Of The Universe", "Harmony With Nature", "Tropical Landscapes", and "Salute To The Sun". LP, Vinyl record album