Trio features Dan Haerle on piano, John Goldsby on bass, and Ed Soph on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

The second Horace Silver album on Jamey Aebersold – with Kenny Barron on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Foster on drums! Titles include "Peace", "Nutville", "Gregory Is Here", "Jody Grind", and "Song For My Father". LP, Vinyl record album

Trio features Hal Galper on piano, Steve Gilmore on bass, and Bill Goodwin on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty great – four sides of Wayne Shorter tunes, played by a trio with Kenny Barron on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A side's worth of material from each of the band leaders with their orchestra! Benny Carter tracks feature sidemen that include Bumps Myers, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, JJ Johnson, and Idrees Sulieman; and Cootie Williams tracks feature Bob Horton, Eddie Vinson, and Sam Taylor. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of early bop singles cut for Capitol – one that includes some excellent rare material, including fantastic early work by Babs Gonzales, and some of Sonny Rollins' first work on record! Babs clocks in with some great little vocal numbers that include – "Real Crazy", "Prelude To A Nightmare", "Professor Bop", and "Capitolizing" – all gems that rank with his best offbeat vocal tunes of later years. Dizzy's in a similar format on some of his tunes – titles that include "Coast To Coast", "You Stole My Wife You Horsethief", "Say When", and "Oo La La" – and Tadd Dameron finishes up the album with some great tracks that include "Sid's Delight", "Casbah", "John's Delight", and "Heaven's Doors Are Open Wide". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Half of this set features one of the most unusual Blue Note sessions from the early days – a set led by clarinetist Edmond Hall, but featuring Mead Lux Lewis on celeste! Charlie Christian also plays in the group – and the other date features Red Norvo on vibes, Carl Kress on guitar, and Teddy Wilson on piano. First LP pressing of this material – originally issued on 78s! LP, Vinyl record album

Great mid 40s work from Coleman Hawkins – some singles recorded for Capitol, with work from an unusual array of players on the Hollywood scene! Most cuts feature the young Howard McGhee on trumpet – plus Sir Charles Thompson on piano, Allan Reuss on guitar, and either John Simmons or Oscar Pettiford on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful late work from Coleman Hawkins – mellow genius that wins us over time and time again over the years! The set's actually a twin-tenor outing – with both Hawk and Eddie Jockjaw Davis – the latter of whom, as proved with Johnny Griffin and others, is a perfect partner for any other player on his horn – one able to slide in just the right way, augmenting things and adding his voice while never overdoing it. Given the long tracks on the record, and the very easygoing rhythms from Tommy Flanagan on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums – you've got a cracker of a record, and one that yeilds more and more upon each new listen! Titles include "There Is No Greater Love", "Night Hawk", and "Lover". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection that features one track by Billie Holiday with Paul Whiteman – plus work by Al Casey, Sid Catlett, Rex Stewart, and Sonny Greer. LP, Vinyl record album

Early 70s Capitol collection – includes a 50s cooker from Gerry Mulligan – working here with a real birth of the cool-styled group that includes Chet Baker and Pete Candoli on trumpets, Bud Shank on alto, John Graas on French horn, Bob Enevoldsen on trombone, and Chico Hamilton on drums – a really wonderful group that has a swing that's might lighter than you might guess from its size! The set is nicely arranged throughout – an early example of Gerry's powers in this respect – with plenty of thought in each tune, yet never so much so that the proceedings get too academic. Titles include "Rocker", "Walking Shoes", "Simbah", "Ontet", "Westwood Walk", "A Ballad", "Taking A Chance On Love", and "Flash". Also includes late 40s EPs by Stan Hasselgard & His All Star Six, and the Red Norvo Septet! LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Willow Weep For Me", "I Cover The Waterfront", "Dardanella", "Sweet Lorraine", "My Heart Stood Still", "Blue Skies", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The first installment in the Pulp Fusion series – an "essential groove" compilation of jazzy funk cuts from the early 70's! The set includes a number of classics, all pulled together in one place – with a 12 track list of tunes that includes "Melting Pot" by Booker T & the MGs, "Inner City Blues" by Reuben Wilson, "Chitterlings Con Carne" by Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers, "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Afrodesia" by Lonnie Smith, "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" by Herbie Hancock, "Crab Apple" by Idris Muhammed, "Every Time He Comes Around" by Minnie Riperton, "Burning Spear" by SOUL, and "The Bump" by George Freeman. CD

Gilles Peterson takes on the mighty jazz catalog of Timeless Records – and creates the same magic with their tracks that he's done in the past with other labels like Impulse Records and MPS! The Peterson ear for a gem is very present here – and the set does a great job of digging both well-remembered sets from the label and some overlooked nuggets – the latter of which really make the set worthwhile, as they represent some Timeless cuts that are getting very hard to track down on wax in recent years! There's a strong mix of soulful straight jazz, modal grooves, and more spiritual numbers – on titles that include "Why" by Carter Jefferson, "Articulation" by Rodney Jones, "Haiti B" by Joanne Brackeen, "World Peace" by Timeless All Stars, "Zen Turtles" by Brian Melvin with Jaco Pastorius, "Bolivia" by Eastern Rebellion, "Gibraltar (alt take)" by Kirk Lightsey with Freddie Hubbard, "La Carnival" by Eddie Harris, "No Me Esqueca" by Tom Grant, "In Case You Missed It" by Art Blakey, and "Moonchild" by Pharoah Sanders. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes three tunes from a 1945 session by the Capitol International Jazzmen, with Bill Coleman on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet, Benny Carter on alto, Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Nat King Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, John Kirby on bass, Max Roach on drums, and Kay Starr on vocals; four tunes by the Metronome All Stars from 1947 and 1951, with sidemen that include Dizzy Gilletpie, Buddy DeFranco, Flip Phillips, Nat King Cole, Buddy Rich, Miles Davis, Max Roach, and others; and a side's worth of material from Louis Bellson's Just Jazz All Stars from 1952, with Clark Terry, Juan Tizol, Wardell Gray, Billy Strayhorn, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Volume 3, with more funky jazz dance classics to go! With "Ran Kan Kan" by Cal Tjader, "Turn It On" by Sonny Stitt, "Zoo Boogaloo" by Rusty Bryant, "Moanin" by Jon Hendricks and Art Blakey, "Dust Yourself Off" by Pleasure, and "Love The Life You Live" by Melvin Sparks. CD

Music from The Original Dixieland Five, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Clarence Williams' Blue Five, Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers, Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra, Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang, Fats Waller & His Rhythm, Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five, Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra, Benny Goodman Trio, Duke Ellington And His Orchestra, Red Nichols And His Five Pennies, Bob Crosby And The Bob Cats, Sidney Bechet Quintet, Bud Freeman And His Famous Chicagoans, and Doc Cheatham And His New York Quartet. CD

A set of 8 classic Horace Silver tunes – recorded by a trio that features Kenny Barron on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Foster on drums – and issued as part of the Jamey Aebersold jazz instruction series! Think of the record as Kenny Barron tribute to Horace Silver – with looser, more spacious takes on classic Blue Note tunes that include "Ecaroh", "Mayreh", "Barbara", "Quicksilver", "Strollin", and "Nica's Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums to feature the work of the legendary Tadd Dameron from his formative early years in bop – a time when Dameron's modernist modes were really helping to shape the sound of the scene! The groups are all pretty darn smoking, and the record features some classic work by Fats Navarro on trumpet, Allan Eager on tenor, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Tracks are longer than the usual 3-minute bop side, and titles include "Wahoo", "Good Bait", "Tiny's Blues", and "Symphonette". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

First volume of sessions originally recorded for radio on acetates, then transferred to tape in 1961 and released as 2 albums on the Jazzland label in the early 60s. The sides are noteworthy in that they offer some important early performances by Navarro – working with the Tadd Dameron band that included Allan Eager, Kenny Clarke, and altoist Rudy Williams. Dameron wrote and arranged most of the material, 7 titles on this first volume: "Anthropology", "Lady Be Good", "The Squirrel", "Our Delight", "Dameronia", "Tadd Walk", and "Good Bait". LP, Vinyl record album

With Lee Konitz, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette and Miroslav Vitous! CD

Featuring compositions by Scott Joplin & Jelly Roll Morton. CD

Notable sidemen include Buster Bailey, Toots Mondello, Glenn Miller, Raymond Scott, and Charlie Shavers. CD

A set with old school breakdancers on the cover, but one that features music from the generation before – a whole host of 70s funky nuggets, all of which might provide the right sort of beats and grooves for spinning on a piece of linoleum on the sidewalk! There's just a slight touch of hip hop here, and most of the numbers date from the earliest years of the South Bronx street parties – cuts that included key samples and breaks that would later build up into more famous hip hop cuts – mixed with others that stand equally strong on their own – all working together in a package that's maybe one of the best funk collections we've heard from the soul jazz label in years! Titles include "Energy Level" by BT Express, "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Spanky Wilson, "Last Night Changed It All" by Esther Williams, "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango, "Soulwanco" by Candido, "Breaker's Revenge" by Arthur Baker, "The Panther" by Manu Dibango, "Life & Death In G & A" by Abaco Dream, "Dancing Machine" by Jackson 5, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Get On The Good Foot" by James Brown, "Hot Wheels" by Badder Than Evil, and "I Just Wanna Do My Thing" by Edwin Starr. CD

A set with old school breakdancers on the cover, but one that features music from the generation before – a whole host of 70s funky nuggets, all of which might provide the right sort of beats and grooves for spinning on a piece of linoleum on the sidewalk! There's just a slight touch of hip hop here, and most of the numbers date from the earliest years of the South Bronx street parties – cuts that included key samples and breaks that would later build up into more famous hip hop cuts – mixed with others that stand equally strong on their own – all working together in a package that's maybe one of the best funk collections we've heard from the soul jazz label in years! Titles include "Energy Level" by BT Express, "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Spanky Wilson, "Last Night Changed It All" by Esther Williams, "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango, "Soulwanco" by Candido, "Breaker's Revenge" by Arthur Baker, "The Panther" by Manu Dibango, "Life & Death In G & A" by Abaco Dream, "Dancing Machine" by Jackson 5, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Get On The Good Foot" by James Brown, "Hot Wheels" by Badder Than Evil, and "I Just Wanna Do My Thing" by Edwin Starr. LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from the New York avant scene of the mid 70s – an important series of recordings done by Alan Douglas, and sides that initially broke the creative spirit of the scene to a much wider audience! There's a loose, openly creative spirit to these recordings that's a marked change from the intensity of the New York avant recordings of the 70s – a maturity, and confidence, that's come from some of the players' previous work in avant scenes in Chicago, St Louis, and elsewhere – coming together in New York's limelight with some really amazing energy! This 3CD set brings together tracks from all 5 volumes of the original LPs – over 3 hours' of music, with work by players who include Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and David Murray on tenors; Ken McIntyre, Marion Brown, Oliver Lake, Jimmy Lyons, and Byard Lancaster on alto saxes; Randy Weston, Anthony Davis, and Sonelius Smith on piano; Ted Daniel, Leo Smith, and Olu Dara on trumpet; Khan Jamal on vibes, George Lewis on trombone, Jerome cooper on percussion, and many others too! CD

With Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton, Jack DeJohnette, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, and Miroslav Vitous. CD

Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, and Sonny Berman on trumpet, Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, Serge Chaloff on baritone saxophone, Don Lanphere, Flip Phillips, and Lucky Thompson on tenor saxophone, Bill Harris on valve trombone, Milt Jackson on vibraphone, Al Casey, Arvin Garrison, and Chuck Wayne on guitar, Al Haig, George Handy, and Ralph Burns on piano, Linton Garner on piano and celesta, Artie Bernstein, Jimmy Johnson, and Ray Brown on bass, Stan Levey, Don Lamond, and Max Roach on drums, and vocals from Earl Coleman. CD

... CD

Music from Catalyst, Les McCann, Joao Donato, Grant Green, Carlos Garnett, Eddie Jefferson and more. CD

Featuring Lester Young and Count Basie. CD

Eric Dolphy's first meeting in the studio with trumpeter Booker Little – a brilliant batch of modernism that's easily one of the hippest records Little ever worked on! The Dolphy heard here is Eric at his most inventive – sharp-edged and angular one minute, then spiritually lyrical the next – playing flute, bass clarinet, and alto sax equally well on the record – and somehow managing to get Little to share his inspiration perfectly on every number. Other players include Jaki Byard on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums – a rhythm team whose abilities are a big part of the success of the record – and titles include "Far Cry", "Mrs Parker Of KC", "Left Alone", "Ode To Charlie Parker", and "Miss Ann". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Cliff Walk" and "T'Aint Nobody's Business If I Do". CD

The Duke takes his famous orchestra – including Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Barney Bigard, and Jimmy Blanton – to Fargo, North Dakota. The complete concert features performances of "Stompy Jones", "Ferryboat Serenade", "Sepia Panorama", "Slap Happy", "Sidewalks Of New York", "Caravan", and "Congo Brava". 50 tracks total. CD

Live performance by Benny Goodman and a sextet that features Charlie Shavers on trumpet and Mel Powell on piano. Titles include "Exactly Like You", "Dark Eyes", "Avalon", "Body And Soul", "How High The Moon", "That's A Plenty", and "Someday, Sweetheart". CD

35 songs over two CDs. CD

Featuring Red Norvo, Charlie Shavers, and Edmund Hall. CD

Notable sidemen include Herbie Mann on flute, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Zoot Sims on alto and tenor, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Paul Chambers on bass, and Connie Kay and Philly Joe Jones on drums. CD

The great Sacha Distel is maybe best known for his good looks and vocal performances on the French scene of the 60s and 70s – but at the start of his career, he was also a hell of a jazz guitarist – trained by the mighty Henri Salvador, and a wizard on the strings who had a legacy of really making great records with both French jazz musicians, and some key American artists too! This 3CD set brings together the full range of those great performances – in a set that features some key Distel classics, as well as material we've never seen on CD before! The set begins with early duets with British saxophonist Don Rendell, on Rencontre A Paris; next are two tracks with vibist Lionel Hampton; followed by a set of duo performances with reedman Bobby Jaspar; work in the trio of pianist Gerard Gustin; a tribute to Djano Reinhardt with Claud Bolling; and the famous Afternoon In Paris album with pianist John Lewis. The set also features Distel's albums Jazz D'Aujourd'hui and Danse Party, plus a session with guitarist Jean-Pierre Sasson, and even two tracks from the film Les 7 Peches. Features notes in English and French – and 57 tracks in all! CD

Completely wonderful work from Georgie Fame – a stone cooking collection of his mid 60s mod recordings for Columbia Records in the UK – a unique combination of jazz, soul, and R&B – all delivered with a style so original, it can only be dubbed Fame-like! Georgie's approach really digs deep on the American scene – a bit of New Orleans soul, a dose of New York soul jazz, all filtered together with a London appreciation of the best elements of both, and delivered with a tightness that almost beats out most US recordings that even try to come close! The collection does a great job of avoiding material already compiled on the Polydor Fame set from years back – and really goes for upbeat, hard-grooving numbers that show why Georgie's music had such a big role in the hippest sides of the London scene of the 60s. Titles include "Sweet Thing", "Something", "Point Of No Return", "Lil Darlin", "El Bandido", "Dawn Yawn", "Music Talk", "Outrage", "It's Got The Whole World Shakin", "Move It On Over", "Last Night", "The World Is Round", and "See Saw". CD

Two Capitol Records classics from trumpeter Bobby Hackett – one with the great trombonist Jack Teagarden! CD

Bud Powell in the 21st Century, but with a very different vibe than the bop trio performances that made up most of his important recordings! Instead, the setting here is a large one – pianist Ethan Iverson working with the Umbria Jazz Orchestra to bring some of Powell's compositions into a more expansive setting, while also adding in some of his own music as well! Iverson's at the helm on piano, and conducts the ensemble on two tracks – and in addition to the larger horns from the orchestra, the set features core instrumental contributions from Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, Dayna Stephens on tenor, Ben Street on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. Titles include the Powell classics "Celia", "Tempus Fugit", "Bouncing With Bud", "Wail", and "Dance Of The Infidels" – plus Iverson originals "Bud Powell In The 21st Century" and "Five Simple Spells", each of which have multiple parts. CD

Seminal early work from Willis Jackson – two classics back to back on a single CD! Blue Gator is a massive early Prestige set from tenorist Willis – and just the kind of record that set him firmly in the soul jazz camp for the 60s! By the time of the set, Jackson had already won plenty of fame for his R&B-tinged work – but here, he stretches out a bit more, and really gets creative on his solos – working with a very hip group that includes Jack McDuff on organ and Wild Bill Jennings on guitar – both players making a similar shift in their music at the time. The tracks are lively, recorded with a bold, loud tone, and have lots of those great open-mouthed tones from Jackson – quite possibly a good reason for his "Gator" nickname! Tracks include "Blue Gator", "East Breeze", "The Gator Jumps", and "Try A Little Tenderness". Cookin Sherry is solid-sending soul jazz from the great Willis Jackson! The album features Gator blowing in a group that includes Jack McDuff and Wild Bill Jennings on all cuts – plus bass by either Milt Hinton or Wendell Marshall, drums by Bill Elliott or Al Johnson, and some tasty added conga by Buck Clarke on a few cuts! The album's got a tight, yet laidback feel to – perfect kickback jam session material, in that classic Prestige soul jazz mode. Titles include "Contrasts", "Cookin Sherry", "Mellow Blues", and "Sportin". CD

Incredibly lovely work from Joyce – quite possibly her best album in years, and a set that's filled with the same scatting brilliance we loved in her classics from the 70s and 80s! The set's done in collaboration with husband/drummer Tutty Moreno – and the pair lead a small combo with a nicely jazzy feel that further enforces the freely soaring lines in Joyce's vocals! Instrumentation includes a shifting array of saxes, flute, clarinet, and piano – plus plenty of warm guitar from Joyce, played with a crystal clear and sensitive sound. Titles include "Garoto", "Sabe Quem", "Tema Pro Baden", "Bodas De Vinil", "Magica", "Penalty", "April Child", "Shangri-La", and a great cover of Tenorio Jr's classic "Embalo". CD

A tasty collection of Jimmy McGriff's work for the Sue label during the mid and early 60s – all hard-hitting R&B tinged numbers that have the Hammond stepping out about as far as it can go! These are the sorts of tunes that influenced a generation of hipsters – from Brit beat groups of the 60s, to more recent funky acid jazz combos. Jimmy's organ is in fine fine form, and he's often backed by only a small combo with a very prominent guitar. Titles include "Bump De Bump", "Hello Betty", "One Of Mine", "Kiko", "MG Blues", "Topkapi", "Turn Blue", "I've Got A Woman", "Last Minute", and "All About My Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Damn funky work from guitarist Al McKay – playing here in a jazz festival setting, but with all the soulful grooves he first forged during his years with Earth Wind & Fire! There's a strong EWF approach here – very tight rhythms at the bottom, and beautifully bold horns over the top – often used in just an instrumental mode, but one that's soulful and funky – and occasionally mixed with some lead vocals, from singers who include Tim Owens, Claude Woods, and Devere Duckeff! Tunes include a fair bit of Earth Wind & Fire classics, redone as funky fusion numbers here – and titles include "Magic Mind", "Jupiter", "Fantasy", "Can't Hide Love", "Power", "Africano", "Serpentine Fire", "Pride", "Let's Groove", "September", and "Let Your Feelings Show". CD

The first-ever album on Pacific Jazz – and a real doozy too! The record's something of a blueprint for west coast jazz of the 50s – and features Mulligan in a pianoless quartet with Chet Baker on trumpet, Chico Hamilton on drums, and Bob Whitlock on bass – running through tunes that have a fluidly grooving approach and a masterful sense of economy, one that's emphasized even more on the shortness of the 10" LP – a nice change from some of those overstuffed Mulligan CDs that sometimes get us a bit lost in the 20-plus tracklist! Titles include classics "Freeway", "Walkin Shoes", "Bernie's Tune", "Nights At The Turntable", and "Soft Shoe". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with Horace Silver on the cover, but a set that's really more of a Jazz Messengers date overall – as it features a smoking quintet that not only includes Art Blakey on drums and Doug Watkins on bass – but which also has some great frontline work from Hank Mobley on tenor and Kenny Dorham on trumpet! The group's got the rougher, less-iconic feel of the Messengers at their start – similar to their early live dates – but all the right energy is firmly in place, and maybe given even more direction under Silver's leadership and great ear for a tune! The writing is superb, especially on classics like "Doodlin", "The Preacher", "Hippy", and the amazing "To Whom It May Concern" – one of our all-time favorite tunes in the 50s Blue Note catalog – and the solos are all top-shelf too. A real Blue Note classic! CD

Never-heard work from Sarah Vaughan – a sweet live set recorded in Buenos Aries, right around the time of her fantastic early 70s comeback records on the Mainstream label! The group here features the great Jimmy Cobb on drums – working with Carlton Schroeder on piano and Robert Magnusson on bass – providing easygoing, open backings that really let Vaughan open up with that sense of flow and phrasing that nobody else can touch! The range of tones the singer expresses is amazing – down low one minute, soaring high the next – and the set list features nice updates of classics, and some especially great readings of tunes that were more contemporary for the early 70s. Titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "Round Midnight", "On A Clear Day", "Love Story", "Stella By Starlight", "Sweet Gingerbread Man", "But Not For Me", "Everything Must Chante", and "The Lamp Is Low". CD

An amazing book – a true treasure for any fan of rare jazz albums! The book offers up way more than you'd guess from its title – because the array of material here is really fantastic – vintage jazz album covers of a very wide range, and not just the usual classics you might find in other books of this nature! The authors have really done their homework with the book – and the covers include lots of obscurities, overseas albums, and vintage American records in beautiful shape – each supported with notes on the original release, and packaged with some interviews with famous jazz collectors and producers as well – plus Top 10 record listings from Gilles Peterson, Kyoto Jazz Massive, King Britt, and many others. The images are all full color – many taking up a full page, others arrayed in really bold and dynamic ways – and the whole book has the same visual appeal we find in collecting rare records. Great hardcover version – 511 pages, super-heavy, and beautifully packaged. Book

13 tracks pulled from one of the greatest soul jazz labels of the 70s – the boldly titled Black Jazz, a company who put out some tremendous music! Black Jazz was similar to Strata East and Tribe – 2 other great independents of the time – in that it really allowed the musicians a creative freedom that they didn't always get on bigger and more mainstream labels. The result was a sublime blend of righteous jazz tunes that were some of the most cutting edge jazz funk of the time – a wealth of great numbers that mixed light electric work with really solid jazz soloing, and which occasionally used vocals to serve up the message even more strongly! The set's all-great, all the way through – with classics that include "Coral Keys" by Walter Bishop Jr, "Higher Ground" by Doug Carn, "Powerhouse" by Chester Thompson, "Soul Village" by Walter Bishop Jr, "March On" by The Awakening, "Diswa" by Rudolph Johnson, "Maiden Voyage" by Kellee Patterson, "Slinky" by The Awakening, and "Eglise" by Roland Hanes. CD

Righteous jazz, but with a bit of a funky twist too – a great selection of classics from the years when 60s soul jazz was reaching out with a new sense of pride and power, and finding a way embrace all of the musical changes that were coming its way! The music here is often by artists who might have been playing straighter standards, or bluesy organ numbers a few years before – but who here are set fire by the changes of the 60s – both at a musical level, and a political one – the latter in ways that resonate strongly even in the instrumental passages on the set! The title is a reference to a famous quote by Eldridge Cleaver, used often by The Black Panthers – and the set begins with Joe Henderson's number of the same name, "If You're Not Part Of The Solution You're Part Of The Problem" – and follows with "Let's Make Peace & Stop The War" by Funk Inc, "Bitches Brew" by Eddie Jefferson, "HNIC" by Harold Vick, "Tawhid" by Johnny Lytle, "John Coltrane" by Clifford Jordan, "Celestial Bodies" by Catalyst, "Warriors Of Peace" by Azar Lawrence, "Africans Unite" by Gary Bartz NTU Troop, and "Black Feeling" by Johnny Hammond Smith. All tracks are nice and long – and the set has a great mix of spiritual ideals with a few funky currents. CD

A massive assortment of tracks that go way past the familiar – not a collection of standard classics from Blue Note, Impulse, or Prestige – and instead a whole host of jazzy groovers that we'd never have discovered otherwise! This volume of the series does a great job mixing in contemporary cuts with rare nuggets from years past – in ways that never make you notice the passage of years, as almost all of this work is rooted in a solid blend of tight rhythms and inventive improvisation – heavy on acoustic instrumentation, but with occasional electric moments too! Imagine the kind of groove that Gilles Peterson used to turn us onto years back, when he was spinning rare jazz records, and you'll get the vibe here – served up on titles that include "I Face East" by Mary Greer Mudiku, "Mende" by Jacques Schwarz Bart, "Mother Of The Future" by Venus Dodson, "Wanting Touch (inst)" by Juju, "Mambo De Papi" by El Caballo Y Su Orquesta, "Ponteio" by Miho Nobuzane, "Samba De La Cruz" by Tres Men, and "I'll Bet You Thought I'd Never Find You" by Lifetime. LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks by John McLaughlin, David Murray, Chick Corea, Modern Jazz Quartet, Joe Lee Wilson, Charlie Rouse and more. CD

Music from Number One De Dakar, Etoile De Dakar, Thione Seck, Youssou N'Dour and Super Etoile de Daka, Alou Fane's Fote Mocoba, Etoile 2000, Gestu De Daka, Salif Keita and Ambassadeur International, Franco & L'Orchestre T.P O.K Jazz, Omar Pene & Super Diamono, Jaliba Kuyateh, Coumba Gawlo. CD

A fantastic look at the righteous current of energy that swept through American music at the end of the 60s – that huge wave of knowledge and political inspiration that still stands as one of our favorite moments in jazz and soul! The Civil Rights generation had gotten some things accomplished, but not everything – and a new wave of action arose in various scenes of the underground – not just pushing the musical formats past anything that had happened before, but also doing so with a strong message of pride and empowerment! This collection surveys some of the best tracks of that moment – and also provides a great batch of historical notes to put the whole thing in context – done in collaboration with the book of the same name, but equally great as a soundtrack and document on its own. The package is overflowing with Dusty Groove classics – and titles include "Sweet Songs" by Sarah Webster Fabio, "Surtal Ihklas" by Doug Carn, "Vibes From The Tribe" by Phil Ranelin, "Desert Fairy Princess" by Horace Tapscott & The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, "Sounds From The Bush" by The Mandingo Griot Society with Don Cherry, "Is It Too Late" by Duke Edwards & The Young Ones, "Strong Men" by David McKnight, "Black Narcissus" by Joe Henderson, "Malcolm X" by Phil Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble, "Mother Of The Future" by Carlos Garnett, "Red Black & Green" by Roy Ayers, "African Rhythms" by Oneness Of Juju, and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron. CD

A fantastic look at the righteous current of energy that swept through American music at the end of the 60s – that huge wave of knowledge and political inspiration that still stands as one of our favorite moments in jazz and soul! The Civil Rights generation had gotten some things accomplished, but not everything – and a new wave of action arose in various scenes of the underground – not just pushing the musical formats past anything that had happened before, but also doing so with a strong message of pride and empowerment! This collection surveys some of the best tracks of that moment – and also provides a great batch of historical notes to put the whole thing in context – done in collaboration with the book of the same name, but equally great as a soundtrack and document on its own. The package is overflowing with Dusty Groove classics – and titles include "Sweet Songs" by Sarah Webster Fabio, "Surtal Ihklas" by Doug Carn, "Vibes From The Tribe" by Phil Ranelin, "Desert Fairy Princess" by Horace Tapscott & The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, "Sounds From The Bush" by The Mandingo Griot Society with Don Cherry, "Is It Too Late" by Duke Edwards & The Young Ones, "Strong Men" by David McKnight, "Black Narcissus" by Joe Henderson, "Malcolm X" by Phil Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble, "Mother Of The Future" by Carlos Garnett, "Red Black & Green" by Roy Ayers, "African Rhythms" by Oneness Of Juju, and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron. LP, Vinyl record album

A set that looks at the surprisingly strong contribution to spiritual jazz from the Riverside Records label – a company best known for their late 50s/early 60s classics from Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and others – but one who also allowed enough artistic freedom for other artists on the label to really open some new doors! A lot of the work here is from the early 60s years of the label, and tunes have these modal currents that echo some of the rhythmic directions that were inspiring John Coltrane – followed by some later tracks that showcase the way that Riverside artists were really carving their own musical paths alongside work on other labels like Impulse and Blue Note. Titles include "The Crystal Ball" by Frank Strozier, "Ariscene" by Sal Nistico, "The Mode" by Sonny Red, "Turquoise" by Blue Mitchell, "Primitivo" by Cannonball Adderley, "New Delhi" by James Clay, "Bombastica" by Warner Rosengren Quintet, "Thumb Under" by Lee Konitz, "Sunrise In Mexico" by Clifford Jordan, "Valley Of Life" by McCoy Tyner, and "Earth" by Joe Henderson with Alice Coltrane. CD