An incredibly hip album from guitarist Howard Roberts! Roberts is best known for his simple and groovy work for Capitol during the 60s – but this far-reaching album on Impulse from the 70s has him moving into a baroque concept approach to jazz, in a manner that's similar to the work of David Axelrod from the same time. The record's sort of a trippy exploration of freeway culture in the US of the early 70s – and it's a montage of sound effects, atmospheric sounds, funky jazz, spare instrumentation, and a lot more. The record's got some nice breakaway licks and subtle grooves, but the real appeal is the overall package – which is pretty amazing. Titles include "Five Gallons Of Astral Flash Could Keep You Up For Thirteen Weeks", "Roadwork", "Sixteen Track Firemen", and "Dark Ominous Clouds". LP, Vinyl record album

Howard Roberts' first album as a leader – a unique little session recorded for Verve, and one that's done with a different feel than his later work for Capitol! And in fact, the session's even different than most Verve work from the time – as it's got Roberts soloing over larger group and small combo backing – in a mode that's similar to records cut for other labels by players like Joe Puma or Sal Salvador, with a real focus on deeper tones and colors overall. Backings change from track to track – and include arrangements by Marty Paich, Bob Enevoldsen, Bill Holman, and Roberts himself – and we almost think that the session might have been recorded for another label and leased by Verve – given how different it is from most of their work of the time. The players change as often as the arrangements – but some musicians include Bob Cooper on tenor, Pete Jolly on piano, and Herb Geller on alto – on tracks that include "Serenata Burlesca", "The Innocents", "Ah Moore", "An Orchid For Miss Sterling", and "Jillzie". LP, Vinyl record album

Jaunty is a pretty darn great way to describe the Howard Roberts sound on Capitol Records – upbeat, grooving, and wonderfully well-rounded – bringing in a bit of funk, a bit of bossa, a bit of groovy, and coming up with a whole new sound in the process! Roberts guitar is wonderfully clean on the set – and sounds perfect alongside organ work from a young Dave Grusin, who's in the group alongside the always-wonderful Emil Richrads – who contributes some nice percussive touches! Titles are all pretty darn groovy – and include versions of "The Face I Love", "A Man & A Woman", "So Nice (Summer Samba)", and "Music To Watch Girls By". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful gem from the great Howard Roberts! This mid 60s Capitol album features the guitarist working with organist Henry Cain – an underdiscovered west coast talent, and a player who's got a nicely stripped-down sound, very much in the vein of Walter Wanderley. Given that Roberts' style is influenced more than a bit by the bossa, the match sounds great – filled with breezy groovers that hold up very nicely over the years! Titles include "Soft Winds", "Mr Lucky", "Work Song", "The In Crowd", and "Desafinado". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous little set from guitarist Howard Roberts – recorded in the years before his better-known records for Capitol, and done in a looser, more relaxed mode! The setting's a quartet with Pete Jolly on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – plus some especially sharp-edged tenor from Bill Holman, who rounds out the group to a quintet on about half the album's tracks. Holman handled arrangements on a few of the album's numbers, and Marty Paich on a few others – but the overall feel here is a lot less arranged than any of Roberts' later sessions – and is much more in the openly creative style of some of the best LA sessions for the Mode or Tampa labels during the same era. Titles include "Godchild", "The More I See You", "Easy Living", "Will You Still Be Mine", "All The Things You Are", and "Terpsichore". CD

More excellent groovy material from guitarist Howard Roberts – cut for Capitol in the famous jazz/pop/easy style that he used often on the label. Players include Charles Kynard, Carol Kaye, Henry Cain, and Pete Jolly – and most tracks have an excellent guitar/organ/bass sound to them. Titles include "Goodies", "More", "Summer Wind", "Girl Talk", "Love", and "Fly Me To The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record – with some very groovy guitar! This is the kind of session that we used to pass up years ago because we never thought it was that pure. Now, though, thanks to beatheads worldwide, the great talents of Howard Roberts' Capitol years are finally getting recognized again. This album's a gem, with tight little arrangements that pit Howard's terse jazzy guitar against some very groovy organ riffs – and the sound is very fresh, and very lively. Includes the sampled track "Dirty Old Bossa Nova", plus "Deep Fry", "Rough Ridin", "Watermelon Man", "Smolderin", and "Turista". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent early work by guitarist Howard Roberts – recorded in the late 50s for Verve, years before his sides at Capitol – but not issued until the late 60s, and then only briefly, as part of this Verve Special Products package. The tunes feature Roberts in a laidback quintet setting – with some excellent tenor work by Bill Holman, and rhythm by a group that includes Pete Jolly, Red Mitchell, and Stan Levey. One more track features Roberts in a quartet with Bob Cooper on tenor – and the album's got a warm wonderful swing – perfect for the Verve years of the late 50s. Titles include "Jillzie", "When The Sun Comes Out", "Godchild", "All The Things You Are", and "Terpsichore". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest albums ever from the always-groovy guitarist Howard Roberts – thanks to some killer Capitol 60s production from David Axelrod! There's a great lineup here, too – Tom Scott is on saxes, Dave Grusin plays organ and electric piano, and Roberts' guitar is a lot more unbridled than on some of the other Capitol albums! Titles include "Captain Bacardi", "Cantaloupe Island", "Bros Of Serendipity", "Spinning Wheel", and "More Today Than Yesterday". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice one in the Verve jazz/easy tradition of the 60s – with Roberts' guitar right out front, and lots of light, lilting strings and woodwinds behind him. There's more "velvet" than "groove" on the record, but the whole thing does have a gentle easy swing to it. Titles include "Serenata Burlesca", "Indian Summer", "The Innocents", "An Orchid For Miss Sterling", and "Easy Living". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful gem from the great Howard Roberts! This mid 60s album features the guitarist working with organist Henry Cain – an underdiscovered west coast talent, and a player who's got a nicely stripped-down sound, very much in the vein of Walter Wanderley. Given that Roberts' style is influenced more than a bit by the bossa, this match sounds great – and the album's filled with some nice breezy groovers that include "Pussy Cat", "Manha De Carnaval", "Taste Of Honey", "This Is The Life", "Sweet September", and "The Shadow Of Your Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

Howard Roberts on guitar, Ross Tompkins on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Jimmie Smith on drums. CD

Ahhhhh . . . The sublime tone of Howard Roberts! The record's not as funky as his mid 60s gems, or as experimental as his trippy sides for Impulse, but there's still some wonderful little moments – with Howard riffing away in broad chromatic washes, and a small combo grooving underneath with electric piano and tight rhythm. Tracks include "This Masquerade", "We've Only Just Begun", "Indulge Me", "Last Tango In Paris", "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", and a tasty reading of "Moondance". LP, Vinyl record album

Compelling work from the LA modern scene of the 50s – two rare 10" LPs originally issued on the Nocturne label, both of which feature bassist Harry Babasin and trombonist Bob Enevoldsen! Like most of their contemporaries on the scene, both players worked on other instruments besides their main one – and on the first date, Babasin also plays a bit of jazz cello, with Enevoldsen filling in on bass on those numbers – alongside remaining group members Larry Bunker on vibes, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Roy Harte on drums. The second date is a bit straighter – led by Enevoldsen on both trombone and tenor, and featuring Babasin on bass, Marty Paich on piano, Howard Roberts on guitar, and Don Heath on drums. CD features all tracks from both 10" LPs – a total of 14 numbers that include "La Rosita", "Skylark", "Tangerine", "The Girl Friend", "Danca Do Brasil", "Fast Buck", "Babo-Ling", "Where Did The Gentleman Go", and "Snootie Little Cutie". CD

One of two rare albums recorded by organist Jimmy Caravan in the 60s – a really great talent on the Hammond, and a player with a really clean, lean, and groovy sound! Jimmy's style here borrows a lot from the Capitol jazz scene of players like Howard Roberts or Henry Cain – an approach to organ jazz that's a bit more stripped down and less gritty than that of labels like Blue Note or Prestige – and one that uses the cleaner sound to bring even more rhythm into the mix, letting the organ leap around the tunes in a groovily playful way! Caravan's got a great sound throughout, and although the other players aren't listed, the album's got a nice small combo sound all the way through. Titles include "Off A Brass Monkey", "Equinox", "UFO", "Cyclops", and a groovy version of "Hey Jude". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete works of Helen Carr – one of the best female jazz singers to record for the Bethlehem label, and an icy-voiced siren with a wonderful style. The set features 20 tracks in all – lifted from one full LP and a shorter 10" set – and all cuts feature small group backing, with players like Howard Roberts, Don Fagerquist, Max Bennett, Red Mitchell, and Charlie Mariano, whose icy alto really adds a new dimension to the set. The CD's worth it alone for Carr's classic reading of "Down In The Depths Of The 90th Floor" – but also includes many other great tracks, like "Lonely Street", "Do I Worry", "Not Mine", "I Don't Want To Cry Anymore", and "Memory Of The Rain". CD

A hip little album from Buddy Collette – one that's ostensibly based around the then-popular idea of a set of Paris-inspired tunes – but which comes off with a sound that's a lot deeper than you might expect! David Axelrod produced the set – it was one of his early projects for Specialty Records – and Buddy Collette plays alto, tenor, and flute – in a group with Frank Rosolino on trombone, Howard Roberts on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Bill Richmond or Bill Douglass on drums. Red Callender joins in on some tracks, and his deep tones mixed with Rosolino's trombone, really help offset the lighter sounds of Collette's reeds in a nice way. Titles include "Domino", "Mam'Selle", "Pigalle", "I Love Paris", "La Vie En Rose", and "Under Paris Skies". CD features 4 bonus alternate takes, too! CD

Recorded at The Haig in Los Angeles on September 9, 1952; with Wardell Gray, Art Farmer, Shelly Mann, Joe Mondragon, Amos Trile, Hampton Hawes, and Howard Roberts. LP, Vinyl record album

50s work from Pete Jolly – a set that features some trio material – with Curtis Counce on bass and Shelly Manne on drums – and some material with a larger group that also includes Shorty Rogers on trumpet, Jimmy Giuffre on tenor and baritone, and Howard Roberts on guitar! LP, Vinyl record album

Killer early work from pianist Pete Jolly – one of the key records that really has him taking off in a way that marked him as one of the key groove-masters of the west coast scene at the time! Pete's expanded here from trio modes nicely – so that the group has a young Howard Roberts on very groovy guitar, alongside Chuck Berghofer on bass and Larry Bunker on drums, plus Kenny Hume on added percussion – who brings a very nice kick to the rhythms. The centerpiece here is Jolly's groovy hit version of "Little Bird", a jaunty little soul jazz number – but the whole album swells in an easily swinging groove that holds up throughout – with other titles that include "My Favorite Things", "To Kill A Mockingbird", "Never Never Land", and "Three Four Five". CD

Great work from one of the grooviest pianists of the 60s – a player who could always keep things lively and swinging, even in a small combo session! The album's one of Pete Jolly's gems for the Ava label – a follow-up to his semi-hit Little Bird, and like that one, a record done with some slight additional help from Howard Roberts on a few tracks. But this time around, Roberts' work is only on a few of the titles – leaving Pete's core trio to take over most of the grooves themselves, building strongly from warmly rolling rhythms by Chuck Berghofer on bass and Larry Bunker on drums, topped by Jolly's surprisingly soulful lines on piano – all in a blend that reminds us of the great balance between lyricism and groove we always find in the best work of Vince Guaraldi. Titles include "Sweet September", "Can't We Be Friends", "Any Number Can Win", "Soft Winds", "Oleo", "Yours Is My Heart Alone", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", and "Kiss Me Baby". CD

Two early albums from Julie London – back to back on a single CD! First up is Julie Is Her Name – a landmark album in 50s vocal jazz – spare, moody, and evocative tunes from Julie London – sung in a stripped-down setting that few other singers would dare at the time! The sound of the set is as sexy as the cover – intimate, personal, and breathily sung in a mode that comes across with a brashly adult presentation of the material. Backing only features Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass – leaving Julie plenty of room to take over the record with her vocals – a real masterpiece of understatement, given the setting! Titles include her famous version of "Cry Me A River" – virtually THE version of the tune – plus "I Should Care", "Say It Isn't So", "Gone With The Wind", "Laura", and "Can't Help Loving That Man". Volume 2 is a lesser-known follow-up to Julie London's classic Julie Is Her Name album. The approach here is similar to the first set – with Howard Roberts backing up Julie's vocals, in a style that's quite similar to that used by Barney Kessel the first time around. Red Mitchell's bass is really the only other instrumentation – and the spareness of the set is stunning – with a nakedness that gets past even Julie's heavy turtleneck on the cover! Titles include "If I'm Lucky", "Little White Lies", "Hot Toddy", "Blue Moon", "Goody Goody", and "Spring Is Here". CD

Hip vocalist Bobby Troup pays tribute to another fairly hip LA songwriter – the great Johnny Mercer, the man who helped to build Capitol Records in the late 40s! Mercer's tunes really helped pave the way for some of Troup's own writing – and Bobby's cool, laidback style makes the numbers sparkle even more than in any of Johnny's originals – a bit less hoke, and a lot more jazz. Part of that aspect also comes from the presentation – which has Troup working with west coast players who include Howard Roberts on guitar and Bob Enevoldsen on trombone – a lineup that gives the album a warm jazzy swing throughout. The set includes a nice version of "I'm With You", which Troup wrote with Mercer – plus classics like "Midnight Sun", "Cuckoo In the Clock", "Skylark", and "One For My Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Compelling clarinet work from Jerry Fuller – a player with a long musical legacy in other groups, and one who hardly ever recorded as a leader! This set's quite different than Jerry's work in more traddish jazz combos – and instead has the clarinetist sounding nice and modern – really fitting the late 50s LA setting of the record with his horn, and blowing with a tone that's totally great. Other players include Howard Roberts on guitar, Gene Estes on vibes, and Bob Florence on piano – and although a few tracks hearken back towards older modes, Fuller and the other players keep things cool and west coast throughout. Titles include "Benny's Idea", "Raz-Ma-Taz", "Somebody Loves Me", "That's A Plenty", "Judy", "Minor Epic", and "On Green Dolphin Street". CD

An excellent album of LA bop – and one of the best sides ever recorded by trombonist Herbie Harper! The record's got Harper working with a crack sextet that includes Jay Core on tenor, Howard Roberts on guitar, Marty Paich on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and either Frankie Capp or Mel Lewis on drums – and the playing is a lot tighter and more exciting than on the usual Mode side from the time. We don't know Core – and feel that he may be another player operating under a "nom-de-date" – but his playing is excellent, and drives the group nicely with his riffs. Titles include "Jay's Tune", "That's For Sure", "Skylark", and "Little Orphan Annie". CD

A trio of classics from this electronic duo – all brought together in a single set! First up is In A Wild Sanctuary – one of the best records ever from Beaver and Krause – largely because there's not so much noodling! This one features the pair on moog and organ, with help from Dave Grusin on piano, Milt Holland on percussion, Howard Roberts on guitar, and Bud Shank on reeds. The sound isn't jazz at all – but more a mix of spacey grooves and bubbling bits, with much more of a song-like structure than on other records. There's a few nice cuts here that almost hit a groove, and even when they don't, they still have a nice stripped down moogy sound that's very pleasing. Titles include "Spaced", "Salute To The Vanishing Bald Eagle", "People's Park", "Walking Green Algae Blues", and "Another Part Of Time". Gandharva is a cool mixture of rock and electronics – a perfect example of the Beaver & Krause team at their best! The ensemble on this one is bigger than usual, and the players includes jazz musicians like Mike Bloomfield, Gerry Mulligan, and Howard Roberts – but Beaver & Krause still play a lot of moog, though, and the songs are pretty groovy – although a little short. Side 2 was recorded at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Titles include "Soft/White", "Walkin By The River", "Walkin", "Nine Moons In Alaska", "Bright Shadows", and "Short Film For David". All Good Men is a higher concept album than usual for the team of Beaver & Krause – a record that still features plenty of cool moog and electronics by the pair, but which also has them teamed up with arranger Jimmie Haskell in a set of tunes that mixes older themes with original numbers! A fair bit of tracks here have vocals – either by Krause, or by female vocalists Cris Williamson, Adrienne Anderson, or Elisabeth Wilson – plus the "celestial choir" on a few tracks. There's a hearkening back here that's a bit confused at some moments – mixing Scott Joplin with the then-common apology to Native American mode – but things sound best on the original numbers, which have picked up a groove a bit more than before, and even have some nice warmer tones we really like. Titles include the spacey spinner "Between The Sun & The Rain", plus "Loves Of Col Evol", "Sweet Williams", "Bluebird Canyon Stomp", "Looking Back Now", "Child Of Morning Sun", and "All Good Men". CD

Easily one of our favorite of the Jazz Studio series on Decca – and despite the "from Hollywood" in the title, a great set of serious jazz! Geller works with a group that includes Milt Bernhardt on trombone, John Graas on French horn, Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Marty Paich on piano, and Howard Roberts on guitar – supported by the team of Curtis Counce on bass and Larry Bunker on drums. The overall approach is tight, but with lean and mean solos – similar to work by these players on labels like Mode or Nocturne at the time. Tracks are longish, and titles include "Do It Again", "Graas Point", "Laura", "Here Come The Lions", and "Paicheck". LP, Vinyl record album

Proof that even a tiger can change his stripes! The album's a rare instrumental outing from Denny McLain – a 60s pitching star on the Detroit Tigers, but also a heck of a nice little organ player in a small combo setting! Denny's working here in a mod take on organ jazz of the 60s – almost in a Howard Roberts style of setting, but with a mode that's a bit jauntier and more jagged. His combo features a number of lesser-known players from his local Detroit gigs – and the lineup includes tenor, trumpet, bass, and drums. But the real focus is on Denny's organ work – played here with the stops all out, and a lot of the vibrato you'd find in the ballpark on the instrument – set to tunes that have a heck of a lot of rhythm, and which dance around with a nice little playful groove! This isn't a set that will make you shelve your Jack McDuff albums or anything, but it's a surprisingly nice little record – with tracks that include "Extra Innings", "Hurdy Gurdy Man", "For Me", "Don't Give Up", "Watch What Happens", "Cherish", "Nice N Easy", and "The Look Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A two-record superjam from blues rocker Neil Merryweather – one that features contributions from a rich array of guest stars that include Howard Roberts, Steve Miller, Barry Goldberg, and Charlie Musselwhite. The overall groove is blues rock, as you'd expect – but there's also some nice soulful undercurrents to the album, as you might guess with Miller in the picture. Our favorite track is the long instrumental "Mrs Roberts' Son", which features lead fuzz guitar from Howard, and which gets a bit funky at times. Other tracks include "Teach You How To Fly", "Sun Down Lady", "News", "The Hard Times", and "Licked The Spoon". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful late session from Art Pepper – with Stanley Cowell on piano, Howard Roberts on guitar, Cecil McBee on bass, and Carl Burnett on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Hip vocalist Bobby Troup pays tribute to another fairly hip LA songwriter – the great Johnny Mercer, the man who helped to build Capitol Records in the late 40s! Mercer's tunes really helped pave the way for some of Troup's own writing – and Bobby's cool, laidback style makes the numbers sparkle even more than in any of Johnny's originals – a bit less hoke, and a lot more jazz. Part of that aspect also comes from the presentation – which has Troup working with west coast players who include Howard Roberts on guitar and Bob Enevoldsen on trombone – a lineup that gives the album a warm jazzy swing throughout. The set includes a nice version of "I'm With You", which Troup wrote with Mercer – plus classics like "Midnight Sun", "Cuckoo In the Clock", "Skylark", and "One For My Baby". CD

A landmark album – and one of the best records you'll ever find by Mary Lou Williams! The record's a mixture of jazz and spiritual themes, and it features Mary Lou's piano set in some super-hip jazz arrangements that include players like Grant Green, Budd Johnson, Larry Gales, Melba Liston, Ben Tucker, and Percy Heath. The bass and piano work is amazing, and many tracks have a dark groove that's very subtle, but very compelling. About half the tunes feature hip choral vocalizing – in the mode of some of the Donald Byrd or Max Roach albums from the same time – mostly handled by the group of Howard Roberts. Includes the classic groover "A Grand Nite For Swinging", plus "A Fungus Amongus", "Anima Christi", "Miss DD", "The Devil", "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "My Blue Heaven". Great stuff all around – and even better than we're describing it! CD adds some extra tracks to the original recording, too – with titles that include "Koolbonga", "Forty Five Degree Angle", "Nicole", "Chunka Lunka", and "Praise The Lord". CD

A really unique little session – for a number of reasons! Firstly, the set features pianist Claude Williamson playing versions of Gerry Mulligan compositions – nearly all of them tracks that Mulligan wrote specifically to be played by his piano-less groups of the early 50s – in a fluid style that has most of the rhythm coming from the horns. By bringing piano back into the mix, Williamson comes up with completely different takes on the tracks – really exploding them with rhythm on the keys, and bopping them up significantly from Mulligan's original readings. The second unusual feature of the set is that the album features Williamson working in piano duets in the lead – with himself! Through the early magic of overdubbing, Claude's playing twin piano parts for the set – making the piano approach to Mulligan even fuller and more key-complicated – supported by rhythm from the trio of Howard Roberts on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. Tracks include "Ontet", "Line For Lyons", "Walkin Shoes", "Westwood Walk", "A Ballad", and "Utter Chaos". CD

A fantastic live set from reedman Gary Bartz – captured here with his ultra-hip NTU group – who you might know from their classic albums on Milestone in the 70s! Gary's soaring out with a hell of a lot of pride and power right from the start – effortlessly spinning these long lines on soprano sax and alto, and bringing a bit of his voice into the mix too – working with a very sharp group that features Charles Mimms on both electric and acoustic piano, Curtis Robertson on bass, and Howard King on drums – players who follow Gary's lead wonderfully, and stretch out on some very long tracks that are even different than the spirit of the double-length live album that Bartz recorded around the same time. Titles include a smoking 24 minute take on "I've Known Rivers" – plus "Nation Time/Juju Man", "Rise/Celestial Blues/Sounding Song/Incident/Uhuru Sasa", "For The Love Of You", "Sweet Tooth", and "Peace & Love/Sifa Zote". CD

A fantastic live set from reedman Gary Bartz – captured here with his ultra-hip NTU group – who you might know from their classic albums on Milestone in the 70s! Gary's soaring out with a hell of a lot of pride and power right from the start – effortlessly spinning these long lines on soprano sax and alto, and bringing a bit of his voice into the mix too – working with a very sharp group that features Charles Mimms on both electric and acoustic piano, Curtis Robertson on bass, and Howard King on drums – players who follow Gary's lead wonderfully, and stretch out on some very long tracks that are even different than the spirit of the double-length live album that Bartz recorded around the same time. Titles include a smoking 24 minute take on "I've Known Rivers" – plus "Nation Time/Juju Man", "Rise/Celestial Blues/Sounding Song/Incident/Uhuru Sasa","Sweet Tooth", and "Peace & Love/Sifa Zote". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic live set from reedman Gary Bartz – captured here with his ultra-hip NTU group – who you might know from their classic albums on Milestone in the 70s! Gary's soaring out with a hell of a lot of pride and power right from the start – effortlessly spinning these long lines on soprano sax and alto, and bringing a bit of his voice into the mix too – working with a very sharp group that features Charles Mimms on both electric and acoustic piano, Curtis Robertson on bass, and Howard King on drums – players who follow Gary's lead wonderfully, and stretch out on some very long tracks that are even different than the spirit of the double-length live album that Bartz recorded around the same time. Titles include a smoking 24 minute take on "I've Known Rivers" – plus "Nation Time/Juju Man", "Rise/Celestial Blues/Sounding Song/Incident/Uhuru Sasa", "For The Love Of You", "Sweet Tooth", and "Peace & Love/Sifa Zote". CD