Stunning sounds from the earliest hardbop years of Blue Note – a brilliant CD issue of material from early 78rpm recordings! CD

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One of the more obscure Dial Records albums – with work from Hank Jones and Dodo Marmarosa on piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, James Moody and Teddy Edwards on tenor, and Howard McGhee on trumpet! LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just a James Moody album – a true proof of his genius in the 60s! The album was put together under the guidance of Tom McIntosh – a very hip young writer and arranger that Moody had been pushing on other records, and who steps into the limelight here with a wonderful set of compositions and arrangements. The backings on the set are larger than usual for Moody, shaded in by McIntosh with a rich array of tones and colors that are perfect for Moody's shifting solos on tenor, alto, and flute. Includes a fantastic reading of "Malice Towards None" – plus the tracks "Opales'que", "Blues Impromptu", "Great Day", "Let's Try", and "The Search". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe not the very beginning of James Moody's career – but definitely some tracks from the early years, recorded overseas in 1949 – with material done both in Paris and Zurich! Some tracks are under Moody's leadership, and some under the name of Max Roach – and Moody blows tenor on almost all numbers, save for two which have him dropping out in favor of Kenny Dorham's trumpet. Other players include Al Haig on piano, Trummie Young on trumpet, Red Allen on alto, and Tommy Potter on bass – and most numbers have that sharp-edged, slightly modern tinge that marked Moody's famous early years. Titles include "Moody & Soul", "Monday Blues", "Maximum", "Tomorrow", "Baby Sis", "Prince Albert", and "Just Moody". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from Moody's "second phase" – the post-Overbrook time in which he picks up the flute, drops a bit of the bop style, and starts working in a much more complicated style that showed that he had a hell of a lot of room to grow as an artist! This album's Moody's second for Argo – recorded in 1959, with help from the brilliant arranger Tom McIntosh. Players include Johnny Coles, Musa Kaleem, Gene Kee, and McIntosh – and the album features the first reading of Moody's famous "Darben The Redd Foxx", plus "Cookie", "RBQ", "Daahoud", and McIntosh's perennial favorite, "With Malice Toward None". CD

James Moody's first record after returning to the US from Paris – an unusual set for Mercury, a label that he didn't record for much at the time! The groups vary a bit throughout – and players include Dave Burns on trumpet, Cecil Payne on baritone, John Acea on piano, and Donald Cole on trombone – and Babs Gonzales sings with Moody on the great "The James Moody Story". Moody plays both tenor and alto sax – and titles include "Until The Real Thing Comes Along", "Moody's Theme", "And Now Moody Speaks", "Serenade In Blue", "Poor Butterfly", "Wiggle Wag", "Moody's Home", and "The Bite". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of electric funk from James Moody – and a great little record to match the grooves he was laying down at the Perception label in the early 70s – with a very unique sound! Moody's working here alongside some sweet work on electric piano by either Jodie Christian or Tennyson Stephens – and with some sly and soulful arrangements by Chicago soul maestro Richard Evans, who also plays bass on the record and gives it a style that's almost an extension of the later Cadet kind of groove. The album features an excellent funky instrumental version of " First Thing I Do In the Morning", originally a funky vocal 45 by Chicago singer Joyce Williams – and other cuts include "Trilby", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely", "World Is A Ghetto", "Good Sense Humor Man", and "Country City Country". CD

A great set from James Moody, nice and edgey, with his genius firmly in place – and done at a time when he was moving past straight bop, and into some more sophisticated modes! Quincy Jones handled the arrangements, and the group swings in a variety of modes. Moody's on alto and tenor – no flute yet at this point – and highlights include "Workshop", a great number with vocals by Eddie Jefferson, one of his best vocalese tracks from the early years, and never issued on any of his own LPs. Other tracks include "Blues In The Closet", "Keepin Up With Jonesy", "I'm Gone", "Mambo With Moody", and "Nobody Knows". LP, Vinyl record album

With Kenny Darron on piano, Todd Coolman on bass, Akira Tana on drums, and Onaje Allan Gumbs on synthesizer. LP, Vinyl record album

Moody plays with Kirk Lightsey on piano, Todd Coolman on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums. CD

Moody plays with Kirk Lightsey on piano, Todd Coolman on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Wail Moody, indeed – a killer set from the 50s that really shows the strong development of James Moody after the initial bebop years – already growing into one of the most forward-thinking jazzman of his generation! The group here is a bit larger than before – a septet, put together with both a mix of modern arrangements and some of the more freewheeling styles of a bop jam session – a great testament to Moody's growing ability as a leader. The lineup is a bit unusual, but in a good way – with work from Pee Wee Moore on baritone, Dave Burns on trumpet, Jimmy Boyd on piano, and William Shepherd on trombone – plus John Latham on bass and Clarence Johnson on drums – and the groove is open – informed by bop, but with a lot of early soul jazz in the mix, too – especially in the ensemble phrasing. Side one features the side-long jammer "Wail Moody Wail" – and other titles include "The Golden Touch", "The Donkey Serenade", and "Moody's Blue Again". CD

An insanely wonderful session from James Moody, and one that's head and shoulders above most of his other work from the early 50s. Moody sort of goes the Dizzy Afro-Cuban route, and he leads a nice little bop combo that includes conga player Chano Pozo. Gil Fuller did the arrangements, and the whole thing's an oft-missed early session of jazz/Latin crossover material. Tracks include "Tin Tin Deo", "Oh Henry", "Mood's All Frantic", "Tropicana", and "Cu-Ba". Great stuff, and with a beautiful cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Two tremendous early 60s sessions from James Moody – both recorded for Argo Records, and both featuring a young Kenny Barron on piano! First up is Comin On Strong – a prime Argo gem from James Moody – and key proof that when he wanted to, he could be one of the hippest cats working in 60s jazz! The approach here is subtle, but amazing – a blend of hardbop with some of the more modern ideas that were coming up in the post-bop generation from the team of Moody and Dizzy Gillespie. The rhythms are quite complicated at times – very fresh and vibrant, but without any of the easy gimmicks that other 60s artists would fall into – like vamping soul jazz or borrowed bossa lines. Instead, working in a combo with a young Kenny Barron, Moody concentrates on fresh timings and complicated changes – modes that push his own work on alto, tenor, and flute far from expected territory – and which also features Barron on piano and organ, George Eskridge on guitar, Chris White on bass, and Rudy Collins on drums. Tracks include "Zanzibar", "Dizzy", "Ole", "Sonnymoon For Two", and a nice version of "Fly Me To The Moon". Another Bag is hip, angular, post-bop material from James Moody – the kind of album that made him one of the key soul jazz innovators of the 60s! The session's one of Moody's excellent outings with arranger Tom McIntosh – a young talent who helped re-shape Moody's musical vision with his deeply colorful arrangements – penned here for a smallish group, but still breaking out with deeper tones than Moody had ever expressed before on record! Tunes are a wonderful mix of modal, soul jazz, and more introspective tunes – played by James on both flute and tenor, alongside hip players that include Kenny Barron on piano, Paul Serrano on trumpet, Marshall Thompson on drums, Ernest Outlaw on bass, and John Avant on trombone. Titles include some excellent McIntosh originals – like "The Cup Bearers", "The Day After", "Minuet In G", and "Ally" – plus equally-fresh tunes "Spastic" and "Pleyel D'Jaime". CD

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With Art Simmons, Don Byas, Dave Burns, Cecil Payne, Bernard Peiffer, Marshall Allen, Ernie Henry, and Art Blakey. CD

The genius of Moody! It's an album like this that you need to prove to your friends that Moody was way way more than a simple bopper. The set was recorded live in San Francisco in 1961, and it's got a hip mix of soul jazz, filtered through some modernist ideals, all played by a great little group that includes Bernard McKinny on trombone, Howard McGhee on trumpet, Musa Kaleem on baritone, and Sonny Donaldson on piano. Eddie Jefferson sits in for 2 numbers – "Disappointed" and "Sister Sadie" – and other tracks include "One For Nat", "Bunny Boo", "Moody Flooty", and "Home Fries". LP, Vinyl record album

One of James Moody's first albums for Argo – and an album that features him shifting from tenor sax over to flute – and playing in a slyly seductive way that would have great implications for generations of soul jazz musicians for years to come! The sound here is never sleepy – and instead shows the flute to be a perfect vehicle for creating more sensitive colors and tones in jazz – in a way that's also offset by a bit of work on alto and tenor on the album as well. The group features some excellent work from trumpeter Johnny Coles and baritonist Pee Wee Moore – plus some sparkling arrangements from pianist Jimmy Boyd – and Eddie Jefferson joins in on 3 great vocal numbers. Titles include "Birdland Story", "I Cover The Waterfront", "Breaking The Blues", "Easy Living", "Richard's Blues", and "Boo's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

Not as funky as Moody's work for Perception, but definitely in a similar mode. The record's got James playing alto, tenor, and soprano – in a group that includes Kenny Barron on electric piano, Roland Prince on guitar, and some guest trumpet by Randy Brecker. The tracks shift from warm and mellow to warm and funky – but still kind of mellowly funky – and titles include a nice cover of "This Masquerade", plus "Sun Journey", "Sun In Pisces", "Clabber Biscuits", and "Last Train From Overbrook". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard swinging work from James Spaulding – still sounding great after all these years! Spaulding's in perfect company here – with Ronnie Matthews on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums, plus horn work by Dan Faulk and Don Sickler, next to the range of flute and alto work supplied by Spaulding. The tracks have a hard soul approach that's a bit Horace Silver, a bit James Moody – and inflected by the modern leanings that Spaulding brought to some of his earlier work. Titles include "Rue Prevail", "John Charles", "Soul Station", "Public Eye", "Hipsippy Blues", and "Vaun Ex". CD

The great John Barry as a young man – stepping out here on songs that are a lot more rocking than his later fame as a soundtrack composer – served up in a massive 3CD box that collects together singles for Parlophone and Columbia, plus some early rock songs from films! The style here is quite different than the Barry of the James Bond years – as the Parlophone tracks include a number of vocal singles that are clearly trying to challenge the US rock hits of the time, mixed with more instrumentals by the John Barry Seven – and the Columbia years follow with more of the instrumental vibe, often using cool production to bring the most out of the twangy guitars or bright trumpet lines. The set concludes with a CD that features the Beat Girl soundtrack and the Stringbeat instrumental album – both a strong extension of the Columbia years – and the package features 92 tracks in all – with a big booklet of notes – titles that include "Get Lost Jack frost", "Big Fella", "Beat For Beatniks", "Hit & Miss", "Zip Zip", "Little John", "Hideaway", "Farrago", "Big Guitar", "Tit Willow Twist", "Watch Your Step", "The Menace", "Blondie's Strip", "The Challenge", "Moody River", "A Handful Of Songs", "Zapata", and lots lots more. CD

A rare session as a leader from trumpeter Johnny Coles – a player who cut some great work in the groups of James Moody and Gil Evans, but who shines even more brightly on this classic Blue Note album! Coles really has an ear for finding the hippest side of his instrument – and he blows with a style that's unlike anyone else we can think of – and certainly far from the mellower tones of his previous leader set for Columbia. This album's got a great mix of hardbop and modern ideas – right up there with the best Blue Note had to offer at the time – and the group's filled with equally hip players who include Joe Henderson on tenor, Leo Wright on alto and flute, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and either Pete LaRoca or Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "Heavy Legs", "Hobo Joe", "Jano", and "Little Johnny C". Very hip, very hard, and very swingin! CD

A rare session as a leader from trumpeter Johnny Coles – a player who cut some great work in the groups of James Moody and Gil Evans, but who shines even more brightly on this classic Blue Note album! Coles really has an ear for finding the hippest side of his instrument – and he blows with a style that's unlike anyone else we can think of – and certainly far from the mellower tones of his previous leader set for Columbia. This album's got a great mix of hardbop and modern ideas – right up there with the best Blue Note had to offer at the time – and the group's filled with equally hip players who include Joe Henderson on tenor, Leo Wright on alto and flute, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and either Pete LaRoca or Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "Heavy Legs", "Hobo Joe", "Jano", and "Little Johnny C". Very hip, very hard, and very swingin! CD

A rare early side of Miles Davis – recorded in postwar Paris in the company of Tadd Dameron! The group's a quintet – with Miles on trumpet and Tadd on piano – and although the overall vibe certainly shows a lot of bop generation spirit, there's also a strong indication of the deeper ideas that were already becoming a part of both artists' music. The group features some excellent work on tenor from James Moody – plus bass from Barney Spieler and drums from Kenny Clarke. Tunes include a fair bit of familiar numbers from the Charlie Parker camp – and titles include "Rifftide", "Good Bait", "Don't Blame Me", "Lady Bird", "Wah Hoo", "Allen's Alley", "Embraceable You", "Ornithology" and "All The Things You Are". CD

A rare early side of Miles Davis – recorded in postwar Paris in the company of Tadd Dameron! The group's a quintet – with Miles on trumpet and Tadd on piano – and although the overall vibe certainly shows a lot of bop generation spirit, there's also a strong indication of the deeper ideas that were already becoming a part of both artists' music. The group features some excellent work on tenor from James Moody – plus bass from Barney Spieler and drums from Kenny Clarke. Tunes include a fair bit of familiar numbers from the Charlie Parker camp – and titles include "Rifftide", "Good Bait", "Don't Blame Me", "Lady Bird", "Wah Hoo", "Allen's Alley", "Embraceable You", "Ornithology" and "All The Things You Are". CD

Features James Moody on tenor sax. Tracks include "Desert Storm", "Nuestro Bolero", Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You", "Out Of Nowhere", "Giant Steps", and "Linda's Moody". CD

Features James Moody on tenor sax. Tracks include "Desert Storm", "Nuestro Bolero", Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You", "Out Of Nowhere", "Giant Steps", and "Linda's Moody". LP, Vinyl record album

Terry Gibbs on vibes and vocals – with Nicholas Payton on trumpet, James Moody on tenor and alto sax, and Sam Most on flute! CD

A legendary bit of cubop! Diz is playing here with the band that virtually invented Latin Jazz – the one that featured Chano Pozo on conga, plus great soloists like James Moody and Ernie Henry – all blowing beautifully in a style that's one of the most perfect realizations of the cubop Latin Jazz groove of the time! The recording was done live, but the quality's strong – and titles include "Good Bait", "Emanon", "Ool Ya Koo", and a classic reading of "Manteca"! CD

A rare 60s meeting of groovy talents from both sides of the Atlantic – and a record that matches the trumpet of Dizzy Gillespie with the hiply swinging vocals of The Double Six Of Paris! The group were a wonderfully groovy precursor to the Swingle Singers – and sung in a scatting approach to jazz vocals that was very much in the tradition of Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross – but also drew inspiration from the earlier work of Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure, and others. Their sound is great – much more 60s groovy than some other vocal groups – and pairing them with Dizzy gives this record an added punch that some of their other sessions are missing! Backing is small combo throughout – with either Bud Powell or Kenny Barron on piano, Kenny Clarke on drums, and James Moody on tenor – and with the presence of Diz, most of the material here is of bop orientation – taken at a fast and lively clip! Lalo Schifrin arranged the whole session too – and titles include "One Bass Hit", "Blue N Boogie", "Emanon", "Groovin High", "Ow", "The Champ", "Tin Tin Deo", "Hot House", and "Con Alma". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Savoy bop work from Diz – featuring some sides cut with the orchestra of Johnny Richards, plus some cut with the "Bepop (sic) Boys", a group that includes Milt Jackson, James Moody, Hank Jones, Dave Burns, and John Brown. The Richards sides are great – a bit more swinging than the ones he and Diz cut on Verve, but no less well-conceived. Titles include "Interlude In C", "Lullaby Of The Leaves", "The Things I Love", "Moody Speaks", "For Hecklers Only", and "Boppin The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Hip stuff from Dizzy – with John Lewis on piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Chano Pozo on congas, Cecil Payne on baritone sax, James Moody on tenor, and Dave Burns on additional trumpet! LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record – one that showcases the continuing commitment of Dizzy Gillespie to exploring the world of Latin and Caribbean rhythms, but in a way that's very different than his early cubop experiments of the 40s! The tracks are nice and long here – very open and flowing, with that combo mode that Dizzy picked up near the end of the 50s – with key contributions from James Moody on tenor and flute, Kenny Barron on piano, and Chris White on bass and guitar – plus some great Latin percussion at the core! The tunes trip nicely with a really sparkling sort of energy – and Diz is always out front, almost leaping ahead of the arrangements especially on groovers that include "Fiesta Mojo", "Jambo", "Trinidad, Hello", and "Don't Try To Keep Up With the Joneses". CD

A damn funky record from Dizzy Gillespie – not the bebop of his early years, nor the longer Latiny tracks of the 60s – but instead this great set of short, tight instrumentals that are all arranged by funky genius Ed Bland, then topped with some wicked solos from Dizz! The group also features excellent work from James Moody – blowing flute and tenor, and very much into the spirit of the groove – alongside an ultra-hip lineup that features more saxes from Joe Farrell and Eddie Pazant, guitar from Billy Butler and Cornell Dupree, organ from Ernie Hayes, and drums from Ray Lucas. The record is wonderful all the way through – killer heavy drums, heavy electric bass, searing solos from Diz and Moody – all produced with a mad mad full-on funk sound that will make your jaw drop! Titles include "Blue Chuchifrito", "Chicken Giblets", "Rutabega Pie", "The Fly Fox", "Pot Licka" "Stomped & Wasted" and "Casbah Melon". CD

A damn funky record from Dizzy Gillespie – not the bebop of his early years, nor the longer Latiny tracks of the 60s – but instead this great set of short, tight instrumentals that are all arranged by funky genius Ed Bland, then topped with some wicked solos from Dizz! The group also features excellent work from James Moody – blowing flute and tenor, and very much into the spirit of the groove – alongside an ultra-hip lineup that features more saxes from Joe Farrell and Eddie Pazant, guitar from Billy Butler and Cornell Dupree, organ from Ernie Hayes, and drums from Ray Lucas. The record is wonderful all the way through – killer heavy drums, heavy electric bass, searing solos from Diz and Moody – all produced with a mad mad full-on funk sound that will make your jaw drop! Titles include "Blue Chuchifrito", "Chicken Giblets", "Rutabega Pie", "The Fly Fox", "Pot Licka" "Stomped & Wasted" and "Casbah Melon". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant album of Latiny grooves from Diz! The disc takes off from the soulful/modal mood of the early 60s groups with Lalo Schifrin and Kenny Barron – and features a young Mike Longo crafting some fantastic lines on piano, stretched out over tight rhythms on electric bass and drums, with Dizzy soloing on trumpet, and James Moody adding in washes of color and emotion on alto, tenor, and flute. The best tracks are long groovers that really show the group stretching out – especially on the album's 16 minute reading of Dizzy's classic "Kush", the title track "Swing Low Sweet Cadillac", and a great version of "Mas Que Nada"! CD

Way more than the simple Charlie Parker tribute promised in the title! For starters, the set's got two of the best cuts by Gillespie's mid 60s group with James Moody – "Um-Hmmm" and "Groovin High" – both of which have Moody playing in an incredibly unbridled tone that's just great! Next up are Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge fronting a hip group with Billy Taylor on a long version of "Now's The Time". Taylor also makes an appearance on Dave Lambert's scatted vocal version of "Donna Lee", as well as on a large group medley of the tunes "Bird Watcher" and "Disorder At The Border". Finishing off the set is an amazing Lee Konitz solo version of "Blues For Bird", his own composition, played as a spare solo tune on alto! 9 tracks in all. CD

"Power" is right, as this is one of Dex's few great group sessions from the late 60's. Unlike a lot of other records from the time – in which he solos long and meanderingly with a piano trio backing him up, on standards he's played a million times – this one has him playing with a tight group that includes James Moody, Barry Harris, Buster Williams, and Albert Heath, on a set of nice original material with titles like "Fried Bananas", "Boston Bernie", and "Sticky Wicket". There's also 2 jazz standards – "Lady Bird" and "Meditation" – but they're both taken in a nice tight way, and in keeping with the rest of the album. LP, Vinyl record album

With original compositions accompained by Brother Jack McDuff, Stevie Wonder, and James Moody tunes. CD