Beautiful live recordings from the Modern Jazz Quartet – recorded in Germany in the late 50s, and featuring some especially great vibes from Milt Jackson! The recording quality is great on most cuts – and there seems to be an especially strong focus on Milt's contribution to the group – those wonderfully shaped tones that almost have a bell-like quality at times, but which still swing better than most other cats on vibes. One track features Milt solo on a version of "Tenderly" – and other titles include "Ralph's New Blues", "Willow Weep For Me", "I'll Remember April", "I Can't Get Started", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "JB Blues". CD also features some extra tracks with German larger ensembles – those of Kurt Edelhagen and Harald Banter – on titles that include "Midsommer", "Django", and "Bluesology". CD

Franz Von Klenck on alto sax, Helmut Rheinhardt on alto and baritone sax, Johnny Feigl on baritone sax, Werner Schulze on bass, Bobby Schmidt on drums, Mary Lou Williams and Werner Drexler on piano, Kurt "Bubi" Aderhold and Paul Martin on tenor sax, Helmut Hauck, Otto Bredl and Werner Betz on trombone, Heinz Herrmannsdorfer on lead trombone, Klaus Mitschele, Rolf Schneebiegl and Siegfried Achhammer on trumpet, Gottfried "Hanne" Wilfert on lead trumpet, and Caterina Valente on vocals. CD

Rare work from the German years of bassist Oscar Pettiford – a late 50s stretch when Pettiford got even more freedom to explore his musical vision than in the US! The material here often features Pettiford's bass or cello in the company of some of the best European soloists of the time – often in an intimate mode that makes the set revelatory not just for Oscar's own performances, but for those of his compatriots as well! Highlights include a reading of "But Not For Me" that includes Dusko Goykovich on trumpet, a take on "Sophisticated Lady" with Lucky Thompson on soprano sax, a reading of "A Smooth One" with Rolf Kuhn on clarinet, "OP" with Hans Koller on tneor, and "My Little Cello" with Attila Zoller on guitar. Material was recorded at the SWF studios, and the sound quality is great! CD features a few more tracks than the LP – including a few live performances too. CD

Rare work from one of our favorite Dizzy Gillespie groups ever – the quintet that featured Lalo Schifrin on piano and Leo Wright on alto and flute! The combo was easily one of Dizzy's most compelling of the postwar years, and really helped break him into a whole new groove rhythmically – thanks to Schifrin's key influence on rhythms – working here with bass from Bob Cunningham and drums from Mel Lewis. Yet the group only cut a handful of records together, which makes this well-recorded live date a key addition to their catalog – a set you'll proudly stack next to your early 60s Philips recordings from Diz. Titles include "Con Alma", "Willow Weep For Me", "The Mooche", "Kush", "I Can't Get Started", and "Oops Shoo Be Doo Be". CD

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With featured soloists including Art Pepper, Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, Ray Wetzel, Bob Cooper, Lennie Niehaus, Bill Holman, Lee Konitz, Kent Larsen, Bill Perkins, Jack Sheldon, Richie Kamuca, Jerry McKenzie, San Noto, Gabe Baltazar, Dick Hypde, Bud Shank, and John Lowe. LP, Vinyl record album

2 albums on 1 CD – and a package that not only features great work from leader Lennie Neihaus, but also some great tenor from Bill Perkins too! On the first album Lennie swings, but he keeps it cool too – as this rare Mercury set steps off of the same octet energy Niehaus brought to his better-known sides for Contemporary in the mid 50s! The players here are a bit lesser known than some of Niehaus' other all-star groups – with Ken Shroyer on trombone, Ed Leddy on trumpet, and Steve Perlow on baritone – alongside some nicely searing tenor from Bill Perkins, whose presence always makes a set like this sparkle! Lou Levy plays piano and Red Kelly is on bass – and titles include "Soon", "Little Girl Blues", "P & L", "Four Eleven West", "He Ain't Got Rhythm", "Kiss Me & Kill Me With Love", and "I See Your Face Before Me". The second half of the CD drops out Lennie Niehaus entirely, and features the album Bill Perkins Live On Stage – originally recorded for Pacific Jazz in 1956, and featuring Niehaus arrangements on 2 tracks. The group includes Perkins on tenor, Bud Shank on alto, Jack Nimitz on baritone, Stu Williamson on trumpet, Carl Fontana on trombone, Russ Freeman on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. The live setting takes nothing away from the perfection of the group's conception, as Perkins' leadership is impeccable, bringing together the horns in a beautiful wash of sound. Titles include "Let Me See", "Zing Zang", "For Dancers Only", "One Hundred Years From Today", "Song Of The Islands", and "As They Reveled". CD

"Kommunion" and "Intensitaet" are 2 pieces from the 12 piece cycle recorded in 1969. The pieces mix acoustic instrumental solos with electronics and tam tam – and the resultant sound has much more of an avant jazz feel than a lot of Stockhausen's other work. Michael Portal is especially good, and plays a range of reed instruments, next to Johannes Fritsch, who also plays alto sax on the session. LP, Vinyl record album

The long lost 1998 debut from the rubbery electronic jazz dance collective Jaga Jazzist – released for the first time outside of the group's native Norway! The 4 long-ish tracks that make up the original release are far-and-away the earliest material we've heard from the group, and it's great to hear that they had their jazz chops honed to a fine point, even back in the late 90s. The fluid, fluttering sax lines and thick, rubbery bass groove is on board and leading the way for the electronic production. Tracks include "Jaga Ist Zu Hause", "Plym", "Swedish Take-Away" and "Seems To Me" – plus the bonus tracks "Serafin I Jungelen (Jomba Vs. K-Mart & Ravi '97 mix) and "Magazine Part 1 & 2" (Shining Re-Work). CD

Great early work from Quincy Jones – 2 ABC big band sessions, back to back on one CD! First up is This Is How I Feel About Jazz – a set that has Jones working in some of his hippest settings of the 50s – scoring longish versions of jazz tunes for groups that include players like Lucky Thompson, Art Farmer, Gene Quill, Charles Mingus, Phil Woods, and Hank Jones. There's a sublime 10 minute version of "Walkin" that kicks off the album with a great soulful groove – plus original tunes "Evening In Paris", "Stockholm Sweetnin", and "Boo's Blues", as well as a version of Cannonball Adderley's "Sermonette". Next up is Go West – a set in which Quincy turns his arranging style to a band filled with West Coast players – getting them to groove a lot more than you'd expect! Players include Herb Geller, Art Pepper, Charlie Mariano, Bill Perkins, and Walter Benton. The tracks are short, with tight solo space, and most of them were written and arranged by West Coasters like Jimmy Giuffre, Lennie Niehaus, and Johnny Mandel. Titles include "Be My Guest", "London Derriere", "Kings Road Blues", "The Oom Is Blues", and "Bright Moon". CD

A really great collection of work that sets the scene for the London Underground of the 60s – that heady cultural scene that was about to burst forth and shower the world with a huge range of new music that would influence listeners for decades to come! This package isn't that music – in that most of the artists here are American, mixed with contributions from a few key Brit talents too – and the whole thing works together to showcase the sorts of sounds that were a bit inspiration on the generation that would then inspire many others to come – a mad mix of modern jazz, electronic music, avant classical, groovy vocal, and even some compelling beat/poetry recordings too – all packaged together in an overstuffed 3CD set that makes for a hell of a journey in music! Artists include Ornette Coleman, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Charles Mingus, Daphne Oram, Modern Jazz Quartet, Aldous Huxley, Cecil Taylor, John Cage, Eric Dolphy, Annie Ross, Sun Ra, Gyorgy Ligeti, Allen Ginsberg, Jimmy Smith, Luciano Berio, John Coltrane, Chico Hamilton, Alexis Korner, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Albert Ayler, Joe Harriott, and many others. CD

A really special album from Belgian reedman Bobby Jaspar – a rare late 50s record that features some of his best work of the decade on flute! The session's got Bobby playing with great backings on vibes by Fats Sadi and Michel Hausser – both of whom use the instrument in ways that resonate strongly with the modern tones in Jaspar's phrasing – and the great Kenny Clarke is on drums, with bass from either Paul Rovere or Jimmy Merrit, plus additional percussion from Humberto Canto. There's a light groove on most numbers – kind of a lyrical swing that's perfect for the flute and vibes! Titles include "Le JAMF", "Speak Low", "Doxology", "Jeux De Quartes", "Chasing The Bird", and "Misterioso". CD

It's no secret that some of the greatest jazz soundtracks ever were recorded in Paris – and this CD contains 2 of them! First up is the landmark Un Temoin Dans La Ville – recorded under the leadership of tenor sax player Barney Wilen, who had made such a huge contribution to Miles Davis' famous score for Acenseur Pour L'Echafaud. Wilen's score features 12 incredible tracks that are just dripping with black and white cinematic mood – played by a group that includes Kenny Dorham, Duke Jordan, and Kenny Clarke. Titles on that set include "La Pendaison", "Sur L'Antenne", "SOS Radio Taxis", "La Vie N'est Qu'Une Lutte", and "Ambiance Pourpre". The remaining 6 tracks on the CD are from the very rare soundtrack to J'Irai Cracher Sur Vos Tombes – written and arranged by pianist Alain Goraguer, with a group that includes trumpeter Roger Guerin, vibist Michel Hausser, and bassist Pierre Michelet. The soundtrack recalls a lot of Davis and Wilen's work together – and tracks include "Theme De Liz", "Blues De Memphis", and "Surprise Partie Au Bord De L'Eau". CD

The jazz community here is pretty small – just a sextet, but one that had a huge impact on the Swiss jazz scene at the time! The group have a vibe that's maybe a bit earlier than the date of the material here – maybe more like some of the early 70s expressions from the American, German, and British jazz worlds – with lots of modal energy in the rhythms, and solos that are strong and freewheeling, but never too far outside – working with a really great sensibility between the members of the group. The music is dynamic, but never in a way that's forced or showoffy – and the set's filled with great originals by members of the group – who include Hans Kennel on trumpet, Paul Haag on trombone, Heiner Althaus on tenor, Armin Keil on piano, and Alex Bally on drums. Titles include "Snobben", "Keiler", "Welcome", "Incarnation", "Leaving The City", "Segara Village", "Fjorden", and "Paris Minor". CD features four more tracks than the LP! CD

A set of recordings that must have left every single member in the group completely exhausted – as the 6CD package brings together material recorded over three great nights in early 2020 – all of which feature Barry Guy at the head of a unique version of his London Jazz Composers Orchestra! The material follows very strongly in that mix of structure and free improvisation that Guy pioneered with the LJCO many years back – and the lineup here is a mix of British giants and younger musicians from the European scene – the latter of whom bring some great life to the idea of the group! Guy is at the head on bass – and the larger group plays together on the final two CDs, but then breaks into different groupings on the first four CDs – combinations of players that include Augusti Fernandez on piano, Michael Niesemann and Jurg Wickihalder on alto, Simon Picard on tenor, Torben Snekkestad on tenor and soprano, Julius Gabriel on baritone, Konrad Bauer and Alan Tomlinson on trombones, Henry Lowther and Martin Eberle on trumpets, Phil Wachsmann on violin, Bruno Chevillon on bass, and Lucas Niggli on drums and percussion. The smaller groups work on CD1 through CD4, recorded at Alchemia – and CD5 and CD6 feature full LJCO performances at Manggha Hall on the last of the three nights. CD

An action score from Jerry Fielding, but one that's done in a great mix of modes – definitely with some of the driving numbers you might expect, but also with these mellower, moodier tracks that are perfect for a film starring Alain Delon – and which really do a great job of linking it to some of his famous French cinematic efforts! Fielding's got his roots in American jazz, and always does a great job with action – but we're even more impressed here as he gets into some more deeply introspective passages, mixed with moments of subtle tension – served up with orchestrations that are completely sublime – and which rival those of 70s soundtrack contemporary Jerry Goldsmith. Jazz artists Lennie Niehaus and Greg McRitchie conducted the orchestrations, which might explain some of their strength – and titles include "The Imperial Vaults", "On The Plane From Paris", "The Russian Wags His Tail", "All Fall Down", "Hide & Seek Underground", and "The Parisian Connection". CD version features 24 tracks in all! CD

A huge overview of work from one of the hippest large group leaders in France at the end of the 50s – the mighty Christian Chevallier, who was almost to the Parisian scene what Quincy Jones was to the American one! Chevallier has a great way of building a larger group out of really strong individual voices – using key jazz musicians on almost all the tracks here – players who include Roger Guerin on trumpet, Benny Vasseur and Billy Byers on trombones, Bobby Jaspar and Jean Louis Cheautemps on tenors, Armand Migiani on alto and baritone, Michel Hausser and Fats Said on vibes, Pierre Michelot on bass, and even Kenny Clarke on drums on a few great tracks! The set begins with a famous soundtrack done in collaboration with Martial Solal for a film by Jean Pierre Melville – then moves into a great range of jazz material from assorted albums and EP releases from the late 50s and early 60s. The set feature a great EP with Kenny Clarke, a Madison record, a date with Bilbert Becaud, and assorted other releases – a total of 75 tracks in all! CD

A really great idea for a collection – one that brings together postwar modern music in all of its many formats – from avant jazz, to early electronics, to Indian music, 20th Century classical, and even a bit of straighter jazz moments too! The package is very ear-opening – as it offers the chance to hear instrumentalists next to compositional talents that had inspired them – and the collection provides a way to hear different strains of sonic experimentation that were sometimes running parallel to each other, sometimes criss-crossing in strange ways. There's a wealth of musical discoveries throughout – and the 4CD set is overflowing with key cuts from Ornette Coleman, Bela Bartok, Edgard Varese, Daphne Oram, Jean Sibelius, Eric Dolphy, Ravi Shankar, Pierre Henry, John Cate, John Coltrane, Humphrey Searle, Arnold Schoenberg, Bill Evans, Olivier Messiaen, Luigi Nono, Charles Ives, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Bruno Maderna, Julian Bream, and many others. CD

Rudi Mahall on bass clarinet, Johannes Fink on double bass, Heinrich Kobberling on drums, and Daniel Erdmann on tenor saxophone. CD