The drums are certainly unlimited here – and the album's a really unique one, in that it shows Max Roach in 2 different settings – one with a group, and one that's simply solo! One batch of tracks has Max in the company of a tight group of soul jazz players like Freddie Hubbard, Roland Alexander, James Spaulding, and Ronnie Matthews. The group is very tight, and they've got hard wailing sound similar to a Blue Note group, but with a bit more of a soul jazz feel. They play on two long tracks – "Nommo" and "In the Red". The rest of the tracks – "Drums Unlimited", "The Drum Also Waltzes", and "For Big Sid" – feature Max playing solo, which is a rare treat for a recording of this vintage. The tracks are great, with a very musical groove, and lively playing by Max that never gets too self indulgent. LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff by Max Roach – and 2 albums that prove what a great talent he had for finding other lesser-known jazz players! The first album in the set features Max's trio with an amazing piano player named Hasaan – one that we can't find on any other records, and who has a power and approach that ranks him with modernist greats like Monk, Randy Weston, and Herbie Nichols. The album includes the tracks "Off My Back Jack", "Almost Like Me", and "Din-Ka Stret", all written by Hasaan. The other album's a great one, too – and features 2 sides of Max's own playing. One batch of tracks has Max in the company of a tight group of soul jazz players like Freddie Hubbard, Roland Alexander, James Spaulding, and Ronnie Matthews. The group is very tight, and they've got hard wailing sound similar to a Blue Note group, but with a bit more of a soul jazz feel. They play on two long tracks – "Nommo" and "In the Red". The rest of the tracks – "Drums Unlimited", "The Drum Also Waltzes", and "For Big Sid" – feature Max playing solo, which is a rare treat for a recording of this vintage. The tracks are great, with a very musical groove, and lively playing by Max that never gets too self indulgent. CD

Quite possibly the best-remembered album from Pharoah Sanders' legendary run at Impulse Records – a set that crossed over big, and sold to countless folks who might not have bought a jazz album this hip otherwise! The record was Sanders' first in the wake of Coltrane's passing – and it's a beautiful extended suite of tracks that flows with a sense of grace, power, and majesty that's simply breathtaking – a new level of expression in spiritual jazz – and virtually the blueprint for an entire generation to come! The album features the classic track "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – spanning a tremendous amount of space and time – and featuring Leon Thomas' classic vocals on the lyrics! Thomas also returns on the cut "Colors", which is a bit more outside, and quite free overall – and other players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, James Spaulding on flute, Julius Watkins on French horn, Ron Carter and Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Waits and Billy Hart on drums. 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

A seminal album from this genius tenorist – a classic session from the late 60s that has Wayne Shorter pushing into a searching, spiritual groove, but one that's still filled with all the taught electricity of his earlier recordings on Blue Note! Shorter's accompanied by youthful modernists like James Spaulding on alto, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – plus the mighty Curtis Fuller on trombone, whose instrument here proves to be the same key extra ingredient that it was on the best Art Blakey sextet sessions of the 60s – bringing some deeper currents to the album that are completely sublime! There's a tight, soulful feel here that's sublime – an Adams Apple sort of groove, but a bit fuller – and titles include the classic "Tom Thumb", plus "Playground", "Schizophrenia", "Kryptonite", "Miyako", and "Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album from this genius tenorist – a classic session from the late 60s that has Wayne Shorter pushing into a searching, spiritual groove, but one that's still filled with all the taught electricity of his earlier recordings on Blue Note! Shorter's accompanied by youthful modernists like James Spaulding on alto, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – plus the mighty Curtis Fuller on trombone, whose instrument here proves to be the same key extra ingredient that it was on the best Art Blakey sextet sessions of the 60s – bringing some deeper currents to the album that are completely sublime! There's a tight, soulful feel here that's sublime – an Adams Apple sort of groove, but a bit fuller – and titles include the classic "Tom Thumb", plus "Playground", "Schizophrenia", "Kryptonite", "Miyako", and "Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A great Wayne Shorter session from the mid 60s – recorded then, but not issued until 1979, for some incredibly unexplained reason – especially given the strength of the set! The group is distinctly modern, and features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto, and McCoy Tyner on piano – all of who were committed to heavily pushing the boundaries of their playing at the time. Added to the mix is the youthful Tony Williams on drums, fresh from work with Miles Davis, and playing with an incredibly free hand on the kit – plus the great Ron Carter on bass. The resulting mix of tracks is a beautiful example of how these mid-60s Blue Note sessions could keep firmly in touch with modern developments in jazz, yet never lapse into the kind of sloppiness that could sometimes ruin sets like these on other labels – always with a keen sense of timing and rhythm, and a sharpness that made Blue Note's "new" newer-sounding than most. Titles include "Lost", "Angola", "The Big Push", and an amazing jazz take on Sibelius' "Valse Triste"! CD

A totally fantastic set from the turn of the 70s, and one of Freddie Hubbard's most soulful, spiritual albums ever – a seminal chapter in the evolution of soul jazz – and a record that was a keen inspiration for changes to come on labels like Strata East and Black Jazz! The group here features Kenny Barron on both electric and acoustic piano – really stretching out with a hip, open sort of sound – possibly his first of this type on record – and other players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Patato Valdes on added percussion – giving a more complicated groove to the best numbers. Tunes are all long and well-penned – three by Freddie himself ("Eclipse", "Spacetrack", "Gittin' Down"), one by Kenny Barron ("Black Angel"), and one by Walter Bishop (the original recording of his classic "Coral Keys"!) CD

An album with a classic modernist cover image – and one that's also got the same sort of sound to match – brilliant early work from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, who's really coming into his own as a leader with this date! Freddie's really finding a voice here – a sharper edge than on some of his later albums, at the beginning of a more modernist phase in the mid-60s – when his efforts would mark him as one of the more straight ahead players of the "new thing" scene. There's a careful balance in Hubbard's work here – spurred on by youthful energy of group mates Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, and Clifford Jarvis on drums. Hubbard is really brimming over with new ideas – as are the other players – and titles include "Lament for Booker", "Prophet Jennings", "Hub Tones", "For Spee's Sake", and "You're My Everything". LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a classic modernist cover image – and one that's also got the same sort of sound to match – brilliant early work from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, who's really coming into his own as a leader with this date! Freddie's really finding a voice here – a sharper edge than on some of his later albums, at the beginning of a more modernist phase in the mid-60s – when his efforts would mark him as one of the more straight ahead players of the "new thing" scene. There's a careful balance in Hubbard's work here – spurred on by youthful energy of group mates Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, and Clifford Jarvis on drums. Hubbard is really brimming over with new ideas – as are the other players – and titles include "Lament for Booker", "Prophet Jennings", "Hub Tones", "For Spee's Sake", and "You're My Everything". CD also includes 3 alternate takes of titles on the album. CD

An essential Blue Note album by the great vibist Bobby Hutcherson, and a record that's split into 2 different sides, each of which display different aspects of Hutcherson's talents. The first four tracks are mellow and lyrical, with the kind of lovely melodic writing that is best illustrated by the cut "Little B's Poem" – included here, and still one of Hutcherson's most enduring works. The next four tracks show Hutcherson more as the accomplished modernist, working with edgey talents like James Spaulding on alto and flute, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and the great Joe Chambers on drums – who also wrote all 4 of the tracks in this segment. The work is a key example of Hutcherson's devotion to the Blue Note "new thing" sound, and titles include "Air", "Juba Dance", and "Pastoral". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost Blue Note Records session by tenor genius Hank Mobley – originally recorded in 1966, but not officially issued until 1979 – and then only briefly until another short issue in the mid 90s! The record has Mobley really reaching out into a new bag – hitting a more soulfully arranged sound than on some of his other straighter Blue Notes – a full, rich groove that's totally wonderful! Duke Pearson arranged the group, and it's slightly larger than usual – with James Spaulding on alto, Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Kiane Zawadi and Howard Johnson providing a very unique tuba/euphonium bass part – hardly the clunky horns you might expect, and instead sort of a rumbling bottom-end sound that's really great. Titles include "Hank's Other Bag", "Touch Of Blue", and "A Slice Of The Top". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest sets that Duke Pearson ever recorded – and an all-out Blue Note soul jazz set that's even better than Pearson's classic Sweet Honey Bee! Duke's style is deeper and more farther-reaching here – with echoes of styles used at the time by Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan – carried off with some of the more tightly-arranged modes used by Pearson on his backdrops for other players at the time. The group here includes James Spaulding on alto, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, Garnett Brown on trombone, and rhythm by Gene Taylor on bass and Grady Tate on drums. Tracks have a strong overall focus on the groove – rolling around in that rollicking mid 60s Blue Note style that Pearson helped establish as the label's trademark at the time – but titles are also touched with some of Duke's lighter lyricism, especially on his own solos. Titles include "Make It Good", "Chili Peppers", "Rotary", "Los Malos Hombres", and "Scrap Iron". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Blue Note groover – the funkiest album by Duke Pearson, and a killer batch of piano-heavy soul jazz tunes! Duke really blew out the box for this one – not only coming up with a great batch of original tunes, and playing them with an incredibly soulful touch – but also working with a top-shelf batch of players that includes Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and James Spaulding! The great Mickey Roker is on drums, playing away with a nice scatter-shot modal mode that grooves in all the right parts – and titles include "Big Bertha", "Sweet Honey Bee", "Sudel", "Ready Rudy?", and "Empathy". CD

Wahoo is right – as Duke Pearson sets up one of his hippest sessions of the 60s, a lyrical batch of soul jazz tracks, with that slight edge of darkness that he was putting into his best work as the decade progressed! Players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor, and Donald Byrd on trumpet – and the overall feel is perhaps a bit like some of those Byrd sessions that were heavily influenced by Pearson, but also with a bit of the later expansive style of writing for horns that you'd find on albums like Pearson's Prairie Dog or Bobby Hutcherson's The Phantom. Titles include "ESP", "Fly Little Bird Fly", "Farewell Machelle", "Bedouin", and "Amanda". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the best-remembered album from Pharoah Sanders' legendary run at Impulse Records – a set that crossed over big, and sold to countless folks who might not have bought a jazz album this hip otherwise! The record was Sanders' first in the wake of Coltrane's passing – and it's a beautiful extended suite of tracks that flows with a sense of grace, power, and majesty that's simply breathtaking – a new level of expression in spiritual jazz – and virtually the blueprint for an entire generation to come! The album features the classic track "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – spanning a tremendous amount of space and time – and featuring Leon Thomas' classic vocals on the lyrics! Thomas also returns on the cut "Colors", which is a bit more outside, and quite free overall – and other players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, James Spaulding on flute, Julius Watkins on French horn, Ron Carter and Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Waits and Billy Hart on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest albums from Archie Shepp's post-new thing years for Impulse – a nicely grooving session that mixes soul-based tracks with more righteous spiritual jazz moments! The approach here is a nicely varied – a laidback, collaborative spirit that's even quite different from Shepp's work in France at the time, or even from some of his other sessions for Impulse. At one moment, Archie's playing in a gently spare and soulful mode – foreshadowing his late 70s sides – but at another, he'll be opening up with intensity, egged on by a group of well-matched players who include Woody Shaw, Grachan Moncur III, James Spaulding, and Cedar Walton. Side 2 features the extended "Un Croque Monsieur" – a modally building number with some free post-Coltrane energy, and a righteous poem from Chinalin Sharpe. Sharpe returns in a completely different spirit on "I Got It Bad" – singing the lyrics in a Billie Holiday mode alongside Shepp's solo – and Leon Thomas sings on the soul-based number "Stick Em Up", again very different than usual! Titles also include a great version of Cal Massey's "What Would It Be Without You" and the funky groover "Abstract". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible run of music from the legendary Wayne Shorter – 11 full albums for Blue Note Records, each presented here in a tiny LP-styled sleeve! Shorter on Blue Note is the stuff of legend – already a stellar leader on his first three records for the label – Night Dreamer, Juju, and Speak No Evil – then one who really broke out even further, with a range of experimental modes to follow! Shorter's not just a hell of a musician – his solos here are sublime throughout – but also an extremely inventive writer and arranger, one who brings out tremendous performances from all his many sidemen on the sessions – a lineup that includes Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan on trumpets, Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner on piano, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Ron Carter on bass, Elvin Jones and Tony Williams on drums, and even a bit of guitar from a young John McLaughlin! Box includes the full albums Night Dreamer, Juju, Speak No Evil, The Soothsayer, Etcetera, All Seeing Eye, Adam's Apple, Schizophrenia, Super Nova, Moto Grosso Feio, and Odyssy Of Iska. CD

A great Wayne Shorter session from the mid 60s – recorded then, but not issued until 1979, for some incredibly unexplained reason – especially given the strength of the set! The group is distinctly modern, and features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto, and McCoy Tyner on piano – all of who were committed to heavily pushing the boundaries of their playing at the time. Added to the mix is the youthful Tony Williams on drums, fresh from work with Miles Davis, and playing with an incredibly free hand on the kit – plus the great Ron Carter on bass. The resulting mix of tracks is a beautiful example of how these mid-60s Blue Note sessions could keep firmly in touch with modern developments in jazz, yet never lapse into the kind of sloppiness that could sometimes ruin sets like these on other labels – always with a keen sense of timing and rhythm, and a sharpness that made Blue Note's "new" newer-sounding than most. Titles include "Lost", "Angola", "The Big Push", and an amazing jazz take on Sibelius' "Valse Triste"! LP, Vinyl record album

Great large group genius from tenor giant Stanley Turrentine – one of a number of 60s Blue Note albums that have Stan exploring a format that he'd use even more strongly in the 70s! Here, the results are superb – thanks in strong part to the great Duke Pearson, whose growing talents as an arranger are perfect for the sound of Turrentine's horn – warmly soulful and lyrical, but still with a nice sense of bite – one that's furthered by work from James Spaulding on alto, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Pepper Adams on baritone, Grant Green on guitar, and McCoy Tyner on piano. The whole thing comes of wonderfully – with some open tunes that never feel too tightly constricted, which results in some great solo moments – on the tunes "Baptismal", "Feeling Good", "Shake", "Walk On By", and "And Satisfy". CD

An excellent set by Grant Green – recorded in 1964, but not issued until close to 1980, when Blue Note first pulled it out of the vaults, and dropped it on the world! The session's a great one – with an unusual lineup that features Green's guitar in a sextet, with McCoy Tyner on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Joe Henderson on tenor, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – a really wonderful group who help bring something different to the proceedings – helping showcase the great change in Green's second chapter for Blue Note. The album's got a mix of modal grooving and piano-driven hardbop – with a harder groove than some of Green's other non-organ sides for Blue Note. Titles include "Solid", "Minor League", "Ezz Thetic", "Grant's Tune" and "The Kicker". Also features the bonus track "Wives & Lovers". CD

An excellent set by Grant Green – recorded in 1964, but not issued until close to 1980, when Blue Note first pulled it out of the vaults, and dropped it on the world! The session's a great one – with an unusual lineup that features Green's guitar in a sextet, with McCoy Tyner on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Joe Henderson on tenor, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – a really wonderful group who help bring something different to the proceedings – helping showcase the great change in Green's second chapter for Blue Note. The album's got a mix of modal grooving and piano-driven hardbop – with a harder groove than some of Green's other non-organ sides for Blue Note. Titles include "Solid", "Minor League", "Ezz Thetic", "Grant's Tune" and "The Kicker". CD also features the bonus track "Wives And Lovers". CD

Quite an unusual session for trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – a set done during his early run of albums for Blue Note, but one that's got some much darker, more modern qualities than the rest! The music here almost verges on some of the "new thing" material of the period on the label – although is not as far outside as some of the others – and the record features two different groups – both with excellent early work from James Spaulding on alto and flute, and really unique use of euphonium from Kiane Zawadi, whose depth on the instrument really explores the darker currents of sound. In addition to Freddie's trumpet work, the set also features Joe Henderson and Hank Mobley on tenors, Harold Mabern and McCoy Tyner on pianos, and Clifford Jarvis and Pete LaRoca on drums. Big Black also adds in percussion on the cuts "Cunga Black" and "Soul Surge" – and other titles include "Outer Forces", "Blue Spirits", and "Jodo". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual session for trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – a set done during his early run of albums for Blue Note, but one that's got some much darker, more modern qualities than the rest! The music here almost verges on some of the "new thing" material of the period on the label – although is not as far outside as some of the others – and the record features two different groups – both with excellent early work from James Spaulding on alto and flute, and really unique use of euphonium from Kiane Zawadi, whose depth on the instrument really explores the darker currents of sound. In addition to Freddie's trumpet work, the set also features Joe Henderson and Hank Mobley on tenors, Harold Mabern and McCoy Tyner on pianos, and Clifford Jarvis and Pete LaRoca on drums. Big Black also adds in percussion on the cuts "Cunga Black" and "Soul Surge" – and other titles include "Outer Forces", "Blue Spirits", and "Jodo". CD

A landmark set for Blue Note – one that features Freddie Hubbard working in raw, firey, freewheeling territory – given space that few other players at the label were getting at the time! The two volume set features tracks recorded live at Club La Marchal in Brooklyn – and have Hubbard working with a completely hip group that features Lee Morgan, James Spaulding, Harold Mabern, Larry Ridley, Pete La Roca, and Big Black on conga. The sound is incredible – a full on burner that easily earns the "cookers" status of the title – and which sounds quite different from most other live jazz albums of the time! Each side of the album features one long track – and this 2CD set features both volumes, with 4 extended titles that include – "Pensativa", "Walkin", "Jodo", and "Breaking Point". CD

A really heady set of tracks from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a record that has him stepping away from the harder sounds of his early modern years – and moving into the sublime mix of soulful and modal styles that would really grow strongly by the end of the 60s! The album's a treasure through and through – warm, subtle interpretations of the music by a group that features Hutcherson on vibes, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Stanley Cowell on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all working together in modes that are quite like Hutcherson's music with Harold Land – but slightly looser and freer at points too. The album includes a fantastic version of Cowell's "Effi", which was later recorded by Charles Tolliver a few times, plus other beautiful compositions by Joe Chambers – including "Patterns", "Ankana", "Irina", and "Nocturnal". Also features a bonus alternate of the title track! CD

A lost Blue Note Records session by tenor genius Hank Mobley – originally recorded in 1966, but not officially issued until 1979 – and then only briefly until another short issue in the mid 90s! The record has Mobley really reaching out into a new bag – hitting a more soulfully arranged sound than on some of his other straighter Blue Notes – a full, rich groove that's totally wonderful! Duke Pearson arranged the group, and it's slightly larger than usual – with James Spaulding on alto, Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Kiane Zawadi and Howard Johnson providing a very unique tuba/euphonium bass part – hardly the clunky horns you might expect, and instead sort of a rumbling bottom-end sound that's really great. Titles include "Hank's Other Bag", "Touch Of Blue", and "A Slice Of The Top". CD

Tenor sax and bass clarinet player's excellent series of Octet efforts for Black Saint in the 80s – a run of brilliant albums with lineups featuring Henry Threadgill, Olu Dara, Butch Morris, George Lewis, Anthony Davis, Bobby Bradford, Hugh Ragin, James Spaulding and other great players – 5 albums in a CD box set in the Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note series! It includes the Ming album from 1980, Home from '82, Murray's Steps (released in '83), New Life from '87 and Hope Scope from '91 – each in a cardboard sleeve with the original album art and each remastered. CD

A classic Blue Note groover – the funkiest album by Duke Pearson, and a killer batch of piano-heavy soul jazz tunes! Duke really blew out the box for this one – not only coming up with a great batch of original tunes, and playing them with an incredibly soulful touch – but also working with a top-shelf batch of players that includes Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and James Spaulding! The great Mickey Roker is on drums, playing away with a nice scatter-shot modal mode that grooves in all the right parts – and titles include "Big Bertha", "Sweet Honey Bee", "Sudel", "Ready Rudy?", and "Empathy". CD

Wahoo is right – as Duke Pearson sets up one of his hippest sessions of the 60s, a lyrical batch of soul jazz tracks, with that slight edge of darkness that he was putting into his best work as the decade progressed! Players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor, and Donald Byrd on trumpet – and the overall feel is perhaps a bit like some of those Byrd sessions that were heavily influenced by Pearson, but also with a bit of the later expansive style of writing for horns that you'd find on albums like Pearson's Prairie Dog or Bobby Hutcherson's The Phantom. Titles include "ESP", "Fly Little Bird Fly", "Farewell Machelle", "Bedouin", and "Amanda". LP, Vinyl record album

2 lost classics by Sun Ra on one CD! Visits Planet Earth features music that was recorded by The Arkestra in Chicago in 1957 and 1958. Some of the tracks are from the same session as the Sound Of Joy LP, and a few others were from sessions later in the year. Ra plays piano and "solar piano", and the group's got some added percussion and tympani. Along with the usual suspects, James Spaulding also sits in with the group on a few tracks, playing both alto and flute. Titles include "Eve", "Overtones Of China", "Two Tones", and "El Viktor". Interstellar Low Ways is a record that features material was recorded in 1959 and 1960, but unissued until the mid 60's. Ra plays piano, chimes, and gong, and the tracks have a nice laid back spacey feel, with some ensemble vocals chanted by the group. Ronnie Boykins also plays the space gong on one cut, which sounds very nice. Cuts include "Somewhere In Space", "Space Loneliness", "Space Aura", and "Interplanetary Music". CD

Some of the freest, most far-reaching work that Sam Rivers ever cut for Blue Note – a set recorded in 1967, but not issued until nearly a decade later by the label! The album's a great precursor of some of the work that Sam would do later in the 70s – still somewhat in a "new thing" mode, at points, but also sharper, and more angular too – with a nice sense of space in the playing. The group is a piano-less one – with Sam on reeds, joined by James Spaulding on alto, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Steve Ellington on drums, and Cecil McBee on bass – all mighty hip players who really realize Rivers' vision perfectly. Titles include "Precis", "Paean", "Effusive Melange", "Involution", "Afflatus", and "Helix". CD

Some of the freest, most far-reaching work that Sam Rivers ever cut for Blue Note – a set recorded in 1967, but not issued until nearly a decade later by the label! The album's a great precursor of some of the work that Sam would do later in the 70s – still somewhat in a "new thing" mode, at points, but also sharper, and more angular too – with a nice sense of space in the playing. The group is a piano-less one – with Sam on reeds, joined by James Spaulding on alto, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Steve Ellington on drums, and Cecil McBee on bass – all mighty hip players who really realize Rivers' vision perfectly. Titles include "Precis", "Paean", "Effusive Melange", "Involution", "Afflatus", and "Helix". CD

Quite possibly the best-remembered album from Pharoah Sanders' legendary run at Impulse Records – a set that crossed over big, and sold to countless folks who might not have bought a jazz album this hip otherwise! The record was Sanders' first in the wake of Coltrane's passing – and it's a beautiful extended suite of tracks that flows with a sense of grace, power, and majesty that's simply breathtaking – a new level of expression in spiritual jazz – and virtually the blueprint for an entire generation to come! The album features the classic track "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – spanning a tremendous amount of space and time – and featuring Leon Thomas' classic vocals on the lyrics! Thomas also returns on the cut "Colors", which is a bit more outside, and quite free overall – and other players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, James Spaulding on flute, Julius Watkins on French horn, Ron Carter and Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Waits and Billy Hart on drums. CD

A perfect summation of the Woody Shaw genius in the 70s – bold, righteous jazz – delivered with a soaring, joyous message that's impossible to deny! By the time of this release, Shaw had matured to a point where he was easily one of the most important voices on the trumpet in his generation – a 70s player who pulled together strands of the previous generation – from Coltrane to Lee Morgan to Larry Young – all wrapped up in amazing music like this! The set's a major label date, but it's got a righteous power to rival the best indie label sessions from companies like Strata East or Muse – and the lineup features other key spiritual players of Shaw's generation – including Carter Jefferson on tenor, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Rene McLean on alto, Onaje Allen Gumbs on piano, Steve Turre on trumpet, Buster Williams on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. Titles include the sublime "Woody III" suite, plus "Escape Velocity", "Organ Grinder", and "To Kill A Brick". LP, Vinyl record album

A great tribute to the genius of Alan Shorter – has classic late 60s album, plus a bonus track too! The core of the record is the album Orgasm, a record as striking as its title – and one of the few recorded performances of trumpeter Alan Shorter – brother of Wayne Shorter, and an equally powerful force in avant jazz in the 60s when he got a chance! And although Alan hardly recorded much, this album's a masterpiece – a set that bridges the "new thing" moment of jazz in the mid 60s with some of the freer improvisations that were taking over on both the New York and European scenes – a balance of modes that's similar to some of the Don Cherry albums for Blue Note in the late 60s, and delivered here with a stunning lineup that includes superb early modern tenor work from Gato Barbieri, bass from either Charlie Haden or Reggie Johnson, and drums from either Muhammad Ali or Rashied Ali. Tracks are all originals – and titles include "Parabola", "Straits Of Blagellan", "Outeroids", and "Orgasm". CD also features another key performance by Alan Shorter from a few years earlier – the track "Mephistopheles" from the Wayne Shorter album All Seeing Eye – with Wayne on tenor, James Spaulding on alto, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur III on trombone, and Herbie Hancock on piano. CD

Five very different albums from the great Wayne Shorter – all from a time when he was really taking off with his music! Night Dreamer is one of the greatest Wayne Shorter albums for Blue Note, and one of our favorite jazz albums ever! The record is a masterpiece of lyrical delight – soul jazz mixed with slight touches of experimentalism – but still warm, swinging, and personal enough to captivate even the most novice jazz listener. A players are at the top of their game – and in addition to Shorter's tenor, the group features Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. The tracks unfold in lyrical, modal beauty in a really wonderful way that was barely ever duplicated again – and titles include "Night Dreamer", "Oriental Folk Song", "Virgo", "Charcoal Blues", "Armageddon", and "Black Nile". Soothsayer is a great Wayne Shorter session from the mid 60s – recorded then, but not issued until 1979, for some incredibly unexplained reason – especially given the strength of the set! The group is distinctly modern, and features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto, and McCoy Tyner on piano – all of who were committed to heavily pushing the boundaries of their playing at the time. Added to the mix is the youthful Tony Williams on drums, fresh from work with Miles Davis, and playing with an incredibly free hand on the kit – plus the great Ron Carter on bass. The resulting mix of tracks is a beautiful example of how these mid-60s Blue Note sessions could keep firmly in touch with modern developments in jazz, yet never lapse into the kind of sloppiness that could sometimes ruin sets like these on other labels – always with a keen sense of timing and rhythm, and a sharpness that made Blue Note's "new" newer-sounding than most. Titles include "Lost", "Angola", "The Big Push", and an amazing jazz take on Sibelius' "Valse Triste"! Etcetera has a very sharp-edged quartet sound – a bit modern and edgey at times, with sharp tenor lines from Shorter, piano from Herbie Hancock, bass from Cecil McBee, and drums from Joe Chambers. Wayne recorded the date in 1965, but the material wasn't issued by Blue Note until 15 years later – a delay that somehow made the whole thing even more of a gem, especially at a time when Shorter wasn't blowing this strongly on record. Tracks include four originals "Toy Tune", "Penelope", "Etcetera", and "Barracudas" – plus the Gil Evans number "Barracudas (General Assembly)". Adams Apple is an incredible album – one of our favorite Blue Notes ever! Despite the fact that the album's a spare quartet session, the record is one of Wayne Shorter's richest – and features his gutsy young tenor soloing insanely with a rhythmically intense combo that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – a wonderfully free-thinking rhythm trio! Workman's bass is especially strong, and it underpins the cuts with a throbbing pulse that takes them past any simple hardbop conventions. Every cut's a winner – and this is one album we reach for time and time again over the years! Titles include "Adam's Apple", "El Gaucho", "Footprints", and "Teru". Schizophrenia is a session from the late 60s that has Wayne Shorter pushing into a searching, spiritual groove, but one that's still filled with all the taught electricity of his earlier recordings on Blue Note! Shorter's accompanied by youthful modernists like James Spaulding on alto, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – plus the mighty Curtis Fuller on trombone, whose instrument here proves to be the same key extra ingredient that it was on the best Art Blakey sextet sessions of the 60s. There's a tight, soulful feel here that's sublime – an Adams Apple sort of groove, but a bit fuller – and titles include the classic "Tom Thumb", plus "Playground", "Schizoprhenia", "Kryptonite", "Miyako", and "Go". CD

A seminal album from this genius tenorist – a classic session from the late 60s that has Wayne Shorter pushing into a searching, spiritual groove, but one that's still filled with all the taught electricity of his earlier recordings on Blue Note! Shorter's accompanied by youthful modernists like James Spaulding on alto, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – plus the mighty Curtis Fuller on trombone, whose instrument here proves to be the same key extra ingredient that it was on the best Art Blakey sextet sessions of the 60s – bringing some deeper currents to the album that are completely sublime! There's a tight, soulful feel here that's sublime – an Adams Apple sort of groove, but a bit fuller – and titles include the classic "Tom Thumb", plus "Playground", "Schizophrenia", "Kryptonite", "Miyako", and "Go". CD

A seminal album from this genius tenorist – a classic session from the late 60s that has Wayne Shorter pushing into a searching, spiritual groove, but one that's still filled with all the taught electricity of his earlier recordings on Blue Note! Shorter's accompanied by youthful modernists like James Spaulding on alto, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – plus the mighty Curtis Fuller on trombone, whose instrument here proves to be the same key extra ingredient that it was on the best Art Blakey sextet sessions of the 60s – bringing some deeper currents to the album that are completely sublime! There's a tight, soulful feel here that's sublime – an Adams Apple sort of groove, but a bit fuller – and titles include the classic "Tom Thumb", plus "Playground", "Schizophrenia", "Kryptonite", "Miyako", and "Go". CD

A great Wayne Shorter session from the mid 60s – recorded then, but not issued until 1979, for some incredibly unexplained reason – especially given the strength of the set! The group is distinctly modern, and features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto, and McCoy Tyner on piano – all of who were committed to heavily pushing the boundaries of their playing at the time. Added to the mix is the youthful Tony Williams on drums, fresh from work with Miles Davis, and playing with an incredibly free hand on the kit – plus the great Ron Carter on bass. The resulting mix of tracks is a beautiful example of how these mid-60s Blue Note sessions could keep firmly in touch with modern developments in jazz, yet never lapse into the kind of sloppiness that could sometimes ruin sets like these on other labels – always with a keen sense of timing and rhythm, and a sharpness that made Blue Note's "new" newer-sounding than most. Titles include "Lost", "Angola", "The Big Push", and an amazing jazz take on Sibelius' "Valse Triste"! Also features a bonus alternate of "Angola". CD

An incredibly strong set by McCoy Tyner – one of his best 60s sides for Blue Note – and a record that really hints at the majesty he'd attain on record in the 70s! The album features Tyner's piano at the head of a large group that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Bennie Maupin on tenor, and James Spaulding on alto and flute – very hip players who help McCoy forge the early steps in the spiritual ensemble mode that would become his greatest contribution to jazz in the immediate post-Coltrane years. Tyner's writing is out front here, and he's laid out some great charts for the group to groove upon – hitting a spiritual vibe that's very much in the mode of music to come on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz in the 70s! The set includes Tyner's classic "Man From Tanganyika", plus "Mode To John" and "The High Priest". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare and unusual chapter in mid 60s Blue Note – the debut of tenorist Tyrone Washington, an up-and-coming talent from the hip New Jersey scene of the time! Washington's name may not have lasted long in the jazz annals, but at this important point in his career, he's working with a young Woody Shaw – also part of the Jersey scene – and together, the pair really make the album cook – stretching out with a soulful, spiritual sound that really points the way towards the indie scene of the 70s! Shaw's voice is a big part of the record, but Tyrone's still definitely in command – blowing his tenor with these quick flurries of notes that are somewhere in the Coltrane school, yet arguably moving already past him too – kind of a post-Coltrane vibe in the year before the great one passed away. Washington also wrote all of the album's 6 tracks – really fresh numbers that burn with intensity, and make the album as creatively inventive as some of the best Jackie McLean Blue Note sides from the time. In addition to Woody Shaw's trumpet, other players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Kenny Barron on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – a very hip lineup who really make magic on cuts that include "Yearning For Love", "Ethos", "Soul Dance", "Positive Path", and "Song Of Peace". CD

A rare and unusual chapter in mid 60s Blue Note – the debut of tenorist Tyrone Washington, an up-and-coming talent from the hip New Jersey scene of the time! Washington's name may not have lasted long in the jazz annals, but at this important point in his career, he's working with a young Woody Shaw – also part of the Jersey scene – and together, the pair really make the album cook – stretching out with a soulful, spiritual sound that really points the way towards the indie scene of the 70s! Shaw's voice is a big part of the record, but Tyrone's still definitely in command – blowing his tenor with these quick flurries of notes that are somewhere in the Coltrane school, yet arguably moving already past him too – kind of a post-Coltrane vibe in the year before the great one passed away. Washington also wrote all of the album's 6 tracks – really fresh numbers that burn with intensity, and make the album as creatively inventive as some of the best Jackie McLean Blue Note sides from the time. In addition to Woody Shaw's trumpet, other players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Kenny Barron on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – a very hip lineup who really make magic on cuts that include "Yearning For Love", "Ethos", "Soul Dance", "Positive Path", and "Song Of Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful follow-up to Billy Bang's Vietnam: The Aftermath – one that revisits Bang's experience in Vietnam with an even more thoughtful, more introspective approach! The scope of the work is really wonderful – a rich array of colors and tones, arranged by Bang and woven out of his own compositions and a few traditional Vietnamese numbers. Players on the set include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Henry Threadgill on flute, John Hicks on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Michael Carvin on drums – and the set also features some beautiful Vietnamese vocals on a few numbers too. Titles include "Ru Con", "Lock & Load", "Waltz Of The Water Puppets", "Trong Comb", "Reconciliation", "Doi Moi", and "Reflections". CD

Live material from a Village Gate performance that included the leading lights of the East Village free scene in the 60s – John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Grachan Moncur, and Archie Shepp! The set's a great counterpart to some of the full artist releases on Impulse at the time – and features key material that's not out there elsewhere! A really standout track is from a unique group that never got much recording time – one featuring Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Charles Tolliver on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – on a killer version of Monk's "Brilliant Corners". Other titles include an Alber Ayler-led version of "Holy Ghost", a Grachan Moncur reading of "Blue Free" with Hutcherson on vibes, a Coltrane quartet take of "Nature Boy", and Archie Shepp doing "Hambone" in a group with Marion Brown on alto and Virgil Jones on trumpet. CD

A fantastic little record – and very much the kind of set that the Strata East label was created to represent! The music here would hardly have found a home on the bigger jazz labels of the period – not because it's too avant garde or non-commercial, but just because it's so deeply personal and powerful – the boldest vision on record of trombonist John Gordon, who composed a mindblowing suite of tracks for the first side of the album, as well as some equally great tunes for the second half! Gordon leads the group on trombone – with solos that are soaring and soulful, alongside work by the great James Spaulding on alto and flute, Waymond Reed on trumpet, John Miller on piano and keyboards, Lyle Atkinson on bass, and Frank Derrick on drums! If you know some of the other players here from their own work of the time, you know you're in for a treat – as the music has this fantastic sound of strong individual voices coming together, instruments lifted high on a mission of music – with results that are as fantastic all these many years as they were in the 70s. Titles include the long "Erotica Suite", plus "Ora Lee Tingle", "Blue Na", and "Neleh". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Freddie Hubbard's greatest records – a soaring bit of soulful modernism that's almost a precursor to 70s sounds on record labels like Black Jazz or Strata East! Freddie's at his early best here – stepping aside from some of the more serious Blue Note modes, and definitely feeling himself more strongly – reaching out with this righteous vibe that's quite different than later electric work in the 60s – and which, quite honestly, almost comes through best on this record than anywhere else! The group are wonderful too – and James Spaulding turns in some killer flute and alto work for the date – perfect for Freddie's lines on trumpet. Titles include "Backlash", "The Return Of The Prodigal Son", "Little Sunflower", and "On The Que Tee". CD

One of Freddie Hubbard's greatest records – a soaring bit of soulful modernism that's almost a precursor to 70s sounds on record labels like Black Jazz or Strata East! Freddie's at his early best here – stepping aside from some of the more serious Blue Note modes, and definitely feeling himself more strongly – reaching out with this righteous vibe that's quite different than later electric work in the 60s – and which, quite honestly, almost comes through best on this record than anywhere else! The group are wonderful too – and James Spaulding turns in some killer flute and alto work for the date – perfect for Freddie's lines on trumpet. Titles include "Backlash", "The Return Of The Prodigal Son", "Little Sunflower", and "On The Que Tee". CD

Pivotal work from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – a tight, edgy quintet performance that's done with a modern jazz sound that approaches the Blue Note "new thing" sound, but which stays just this side of the fence to keep in line with Freddie's other soulful work of the 60s – yet still with an edge that you never would expect if you only know his electric and funky work of the 70s! The group features some great work by James Spaulding, who gets a lot of solo room on alto and flute – and Ronnie Matthews is on piano, effortlessly shifting between rhythmic and soulful lines, and passages that get a bit darker and deeper. The tunes are nearly all Freddie Hubbard originals, except for the classic "Mirrors", written by drummer Joe Chambers, who's also a key part of the group – and other tunes include "Breaking Point", "Far Away", "Blue Frenzy", and "D Minor Mint". LP, Vinyl record album

Pivotal work from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – a tight, edgy quintet performance that's done with a modern jazz sound that approaches the Blue Note "new thing" sound, but which stays just this side of the fence to keep in line with Freddie's other soulful work of the 60s – yet still with an edge that you never would expect if you only know his electric and funky work of the 70s! The group features some great work by James Spaulding, who gets a lot of solo room on alto and flute – and Ronnie Matthews is on piano, effortlessly shifting between rhythmic and soulful lines, and passages that get a bit darker and deeper. The tunes are nearly all Freddie Hubbard originals, except for the classic "Mirrors", written by drummer Joe Chambers, who's also a key part of the group – and other tunes include "Breaking Point", "Far Away", "Blue Frenzy", and "D Minor Mint". CD

Incredible music from the great Bobby Hutcherson – a series of crucial 60s sessions for Blue Note that forever changed the way the vibes were heard in jazz! Bobby's work here is incredible – as he finds ways to create whole new sounds and shapes on his instrument – very different than both the softer sounds and romping percussive modes of previous generations – with a sense of dynamic expressiveness that matches the fantastic contributions of key sidemen here – including saxophonists James Spaulding, Joe Henderson, and Harold Land – the last of whom is heard here on a few key early collaborations with Hutcherson – which would enrich both of their careers. Other players include Grant Green on guitar, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Sam Rivers on flute and tenor, McCoy Tyner, Stanley Cowell, and Herbie Hancock on piano – plus the great Joe Chambers on drums – who was kind of a secret hero on so many of these sessions! Some of the albums here were so ahead of their time, Blue Note didn't issue them until many years later and the box set adds some unissued bonus tracks that were not on previous issues of some of the records too. The box features the full albums The Kicker, Dialogue, Components, Happenings, Stick Up, Oblique, Patterns, Total Eclipse, Spiral, Medina, and San Francisco – all fantastic. CD

A really heady set of tracks from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a record that has him stepping away from the harder sounds of his early modern years – and moving into the sublime mix of soulful and modal styles that would really grow strongly by the end of the 60s! The album's a treasure through and through – warm, subtle interpretations of the music by a group that features Hutcherson on vibes, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Stanley Cowell on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all working together in modes that are quite like Hutcherson's music with Harold Land – but slightly looser and freer at points too. The album includes a fantastic version of Cowell's "Effi", which was later recorded by Charles Tolliver a few times, plus other beautiful compositions by Joe Chambers – including "Patterns", "Ankana", "Irina", and "Nocturnal". LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady set of tracks from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a record that has him stepping away from the harder sounds of his early modern years – and moving into the sublime mix of soulful and modal styles that would really grow strongly by the end of the 60s! The album's a treasure through and through – warm, subtle interpretations of the music by a group that features Hutcherson on vibes, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Stanley Cowell on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all working together in modes that are quite like Hutcherson's music with Harold Land – but slightly looser and freer at points too. The album includes a fantastic version of Cowell's "Effi", which was later recorded by Charles Tolliver a few times, plus other beautiful compositions by Joe Chambers – including "Patterns", "Ankana", "Irina", and "Nocturnal". Also features a bonus alternate of the title track! LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady set of tracks from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a record that has him stepping away from the harder sounds of his early modern years – and moving into the sublime mix of soulful and modal styles that would really grow strongly by the end of the 60s! The album's a treasure through and through – warm, subtle interpretations of the music by a group that features Hutcherson on vibes, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Stanley Cowell on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all working together in modes that are quite like Hutcherson's music with Harold Land – but slightly looser and freer at points too. The album includes a fantastic version of Cowell's "Effi", which was later recorded by Charles Tolliver a few times, plus other beautiful compositions by Joe Chambers – including "Patterns", "Ankana", "Irina", and "Nocturnal". Also features a bonus alternate of the title track! CD

One of those rare treasures that was recorded by Blue Note in the 60s, but not issued at the time – a great late Hank Mobley set from 1967 that only saw the light of day in 1980! The album's got Hank really opening things up – using some of those more inventive rhythms and articulate phrasing that really graced his late years at Blue Note – a bold step forward, given his already-great run of material for the label! The core group is a quintet – with Lee Morgan on trumpet and Cedar Walton on piano – both of whom add to the lyrical edge of the playing – and most tracks feature additional work from James Spaulding on alto and flute, and the wonderful Sonny Greenwich on guitar – a player whose unique phrasing really helps shape the record's sound! Rhythms are from Walter Booker on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – again both great choices for the sometimes-modal qualities of the record – and titles include "Don't Cry Just Sigh", "Steppin Stone", "Third Season", "Boss Bossa", and "An Apertif". CD features one bonus track – an alternate of "Don't Cry Just Sigh". CD

Features David Murray with James Spaulding, Fred Hopkins, Craig Harris, and others on tracks that include "Dark Star", "Estimated Prophet", "Samson & Delilah", "China Doll", and "Shakedown Street". CD

An excellent Duke Pearson album – and (dare we say it?) better than any of his Blue Note LPs! The record features a very tight lineup with Johnny Coles on trumpet, Garnett Brown on trombone, Les Spann on flute, James Spaulding on alto, and George Coleman on tenor – all players who are well suited to Pearson's warm funky style on the piano, but who also have a strong modernist sensibility that really comes through on the solos. The album is filled with nice tracks – like "New Girl", "Honeybuns", "Heavy Legs", and the fantastic lyrical groover "Is That So", plus "You Know I Care" and "Our Love". CD

One of the hippest sets that Duke Pearson ever recorded – and an all-out Blue Note soul jazz set that's even better than Pearson's classic Sweet Honey Bee! Duke's style is deeper and more farther-reaching here – with echoes of styles used at the time by Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan – carried off with some of the more tightly-arranged modes used by Pearson on his backdrops for other players at the time. The group here includes James Spaulding on alto, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, Garnett Brown on trombone, and rhythm by Gene Taylor on bass and Grady Tate on drums. Tracks have a strong overall focus on the groove – rolling around in that rollicking mid 60s Blue Note style that Pearson helped establish as the label's trademark at the time – but titles are also touched with some of Duke's lighter lyricism, especially on his own solos. Titles include "Make It Good", "Chili Peppers", "Rotary", "Los Malos Hombres", and "Scrap Iron". CD

A classic Blue Note groover – the funkiest album by Duke Pearson, and a killer batch of piano-heavy soul jazz tunes! Duke really blew out the box for this one – not only coming up with a great batch of original tunes, and playing them with an incredibly soulful touch – but also working with a top-shelf batch of players that includes Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and James Spaulding! The great Mickey Roker is on drums, playing away with a nice scatter-shot modal mode that grooves in all the right parts – and titles include "Big Bertha", "Sweet Honey Bee", "Sudel", "Ready Rudy?", and "Empathy". LP, Vinyl record album

Wahoo is right – as Duke Pearson sets up one of his hippest sessions of the 60s, a lyrical batch of soul jazz tracks, with that slight edge of darkness that he was putting into his best work as the decade progressed! Players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor, and Donald Byrd on trumpet – and the overall feel is perhaps a bit like some of those Byrd sessions that were heavily influenced by Pearson, but also with a bit of the later expansive style of writing for horns that you'd find on albums like Pearson's Prarie Dog or Bobby Hutcherson's The Phantom. Titles include "ESP", "Fly Little Bird Fly", "Farewell Machelle", "Bedouin", and "Amanda". CD

Quite possibly the best-remembered album from Pharoah Sanders' legendary run at Impulse Records – a set that crossed over big, and sold to countless folks who might not have bought a jazz album this hip otherwise! The record was Sanders' first in the wake of Coltrane's passing – and it's a beautiful extended suite of tracks that flows with a sense of grace, power, and majesty that's simply breathtaking – a new level of expression in spiritual jazz – and virtually the blueprint for an entire generation to come! The album features the classic track "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – spanning a tremendous amount of space and time – and featuring Leon Thomas' classic vocals on the lyrics! Thomas also returns on the cut "Colors", which is a bit more outside, and quite free overall – and other players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, James Spaulding on flute, Julius Watkins on French horn, Ron Carter and Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Waits and Billy Hart on drums. CD

Quite possibly the best-remembered album from Pharoah Sanders' legendary run at Impulse Records – a set that crossed over big, and sold to countless folks who might not have bought a jazz album this hip otherwise! The record was Sanders' first in the wake of Coltrane's passing – and it's a beautiful extended suite of tracks that flows with a sense of grace, power, and majesty that's simply breathtaking – a new level of expression in spiritual jazz – and virtually the blueprint for an entire generation to come! The album features the classic track "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – spanning a tremendous amount of space and time – and featuring Leon Thomas' classic vocals on the lyrics! Thomas also returns on the cut "Colors", which is a bit more outside, and quite free overall – and other players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, James Spaulding on flute, Julius Watkins on French horn, Ron Carter and Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Waits and Billy Hart on drums. 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 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

Wonderful work from Leon Thomas – easily one of his greatest albums ever, and a set that was recorded at the same time he was working with Pharoah Sanders! Thomas really rose to fame on Sanders' classic "The Creator Has A Master Plan" – and this set really takes off from that moment – letting Leon spin out some spiritual vibes of his own, and step into a few fresh new styles as well! The album's plenty righteous right from the start – partly because the lineup includes James Spaulding on alto and flute, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and the enigmatic "Little Rock" on tenor – who is actually Pharoah Sanders – but also because Leon serves up a shorter take on "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – done in a great style! The album also features a classic vocal take on Horace Silver's "Song for My Father", with lyrics that we totally love – plus the frenetic "Malcolm's Gone" – and the tracks "One", "Echoes", "Let The Rain Fall On Me", and "Damn Nam". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly strong set by McCoy Tyner – one of his best late 60s sides for Blue Note – and a record that really hints at the majesty he'd attain on record in the 70s! The album features Tyner's piano at the head of a large group that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Bennie Maupin on tenor, and James Spaulding on alto and flute – very hip players who help McCoy forge the early steps in the spiritual ensemble mode that would become his greatest contribution to jazz in the immediate post-Coltrane years. Tyner's writing is out front here, and he's laid out some great charts for the group to groove upon – hitting a spiritual vibe that's very much in the mode of music to come on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz in the 70s! The set includes Tyner's classic "Man From Tanganyika", plus "Mode To John" and "The High Priest". CD

An amazing bit of funky jazz – recorded in the Indy scene of the early 80s, but with enough raw power to blow away most soul jazz sides of the 70s! The album's filled with massively funky bass – played by key group member Larry Ridley, who brings amazing energy to the core "Uncle Funkenstein" jam that the album's best known for! The tune's an extended workout with a choppy, funky groove – started by bass, peppered with percussion, and really brought home with instrumentation that features group leader Russell Webster on tenor, James Spaulding on flute, Clifford Ratcliff on trumpet, Melvin Rhyne on piano, and Alonzo Pookie Johnson on additional tenor. Given the presence of both bigger names like Ridley, Spaulding, and Rhyne on the set – and that of local players under the direction of Webster – the record's a great bridge between the larger jazz community at the time and some of the key local scenes in which players would retreat and cook up even greater music. A few tracks on the album are a bit more conventional, or a bit mellow – but overall, the record's filled with plenty of soul, and more than enough funky power to live up to the group's name! Titles include the jamming "Uncle Funkenstein", "Unkle Funkenstein (part 2)", and "Uncle Funkenstein (cont)" – at 30 minutes, way more of the "Uncle Funkenstein" jam than appeared on the Luv N Haight reissue years back. Other titles include "Together Again", "Blue Robe", "Where Does life Come From", "Rock My Cradle", "Third Bosinova", and "500 Finished". LP, Vinyl record album

The most free-thinking Larry Young album of the 60s – and that's saying a lot, considering the rest of his work! The session's quite an unusual one – with two drummers in the group, grounding a sextet that features Larry on organ, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Herbert Morgan on tenor sax, and the great Eddie Gale on trumpet! The tracks are all quite long, open, and flowing – richly organic, and kind of an extension of the groove first laid down by Young on Unity – pushed into more spiritual, late-Coltrane territory. The sound is amazing – incredibly majestic, and on a par with the most far-reaching jazz on Impulse Records of the late 60s – a real standout for Blue Note, and for Young, who wouldn't record this way again until the 70s! Titles include "Falaq", "Seven Steps To Heaven", "Of Love & Peace", and "Pavanne". CD

A really fantastic little record – a set that shows a strong evolution of spiritual jazz styles into the 80s! The set was recorded at a time when the jazz underground was really getting a lot of exposure, and was bursting forward with a new sense of hope – a quality that you can really feel in the music, right from the very first note – as these tunes are joyous, yet highly rhythmic and spiritual too – a vibe that's maybe a bit like Pharoah Sanders on Theresa Records, especially on his classic "You Got To Have Freedom"! Most tunes here are upbeat and modal – driven by the rhythms of Ron Burton on piano, Abdu Wali on guitar, Sabu Adeyla on bass, Idris Muhammad on drums, and Abdus Saboor on percussion – and soaring with solos from leader Kamal Abdul Alim on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto and flute, and Bobby Watson on alto and soprano. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "Prayer", "Peace", "Al Nafs", "Dance", and "Brotherhood". CD

Quite an unusual session for trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – a set done during his early run of albums for Blue Note, but one that's got some much darker, more modern qualities than the rest! The music here almost verges on some of the "new thing" material of the period on the label – although is not as far outside as some of the others – and the record features two different groups – both with excellent early work from James Spaulding on alto and flute, and really unique use of euphonium from Kiane Zawadi, whose depth on the instrument really explores the darker currents of sound. In addition to Freddie's trumpet work, the set also features Joe Henderson and Hank Mobley on tenors, Harold Mabern and McCoy Tyner on pianos, and Clifford Jarvis and Pete LaRoca on drums. Big Black also adds in percussion on the cuts "Cunga Black" and "Soul Surge" – and other titles include "Outer Forces", "Blue Spirits", and "Jodo". LP, Vinyl record album