An early moment of genius from the young Clare Fischer – one of his first sets for a larger ensemble, and the start of years of great work to come! Previous Pacific Jazz sessions featured Fischer in a piano trio – but this album lets Clare loose on a host of his own inventive arrangements – a set of charts and compositions that easily move between the modern and the groovy – sometimes using offbeat tones and sounds that rival the best that Ellington or Gil Evans had to offer – other times coming across with this fluidity that's a perfect summation of the way that Fischer pulled together all of the California cool of the 50s, and managed to come up with something completely fresh for the 60s! The modern edges will come as a real surprise to those who only know Fischer's more easygoing work – and in addition to Clare's own work on piano and organ, the record also features Jerry Coker on tenor, Gary Foster on tenor and clarinet, Jack Nimitz on bass clarinet and baritone, Sam Most and John Lowe on flutes, and Don Shelton on alto – all working with reed interplay that's completely sublime. Titles include "Bittersweet", "Igor", "Canto Africano", "Extension", "Passacaglia", and "Ornithardy". CD

A great 70s comeback album from tenorist Teddy Edwards – done after a number of years away from the studio, but with a rock-solid sound that may well be his classics from the 60s! Teddy's tone is amazing on the record – more laidback and confident than on his earlier albums, and a lot more soulful as well – stepping out right from the start with a quality that's boldly personal, and free from some of the 70s cliches that others might have attempted in a set like this. Instead, Edwards is very much his own man – and very much in charge of an excellent group that includes Conte Candoli on trumpet, Dolo Coker on piano, Ray Brown on bass, Frank Butler drums, and Jerry Steinholz conga and percussion – players who come together with this warmly soulful quality that's surprisingly more than the sum of its already-great parts. Titles include "The Blue Sombrero", "Bear Tracks", "Ritta Ditta Blues", and "Eleven Twenty Three". CD