8 tracks in all "I Am The Living", "Another Summer", "All The Strength We Got", "It's The Beginning Of An End", "Gone Clear", "Love Again", "Satan's Kingdom" and "Morning Train". LP, Vinyl record album

Great mid 70s work from Jimmy Cliff – and a record from that moment when he was trying to really burst out globally, and not just as a straight reggae artist too! By that, we don't mean that Jimmy was going for anything too commercial – as he still arranged and produced the set himself, but with a really universal vibe that wraps influences from soul into a Jamaican groove – in a way that really does a great job of transcending standards, and helping Cliff find his own groove! Titles include the standout cuts "Brother" and "No 1 Rip Off Man" – plus "Long Time No See", "Look What You've Done To My Life Devil Woman" and "Money Won't Save You". CD

A mighty nice early album from Jimmy Cliff – a set that's maybe not as well-known as his massive hits of the 70s, but which definitely sets the tone for all the greatness to come! Jimmy's voice already has this raw, righteous power that's incredible – trained in the soul of the rocksteady generation, but given all these nice lean production touches that were handled by Cliff himself – clearly already really getting his ears around the best aspects of the forces available at Dynamic Studios! There's some key ringers in the set – including Winston Wright on organ and Tommy McCook on tenor – and The Heptones provide some mighty nice backing vocals too. The whole thing has a much rawer sound than you might guess for a record on a major label – and titles include "Black Queen", "Be True", "Oh Jamaica", "Commercialization", "The Price Of Peace", "Poor Slave", and "Rip Off". CD

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11 classic tracks from Jimmy – pure Jamaican soul all the way through! Part of the very nice Reggae Greats series Island put together in the 80s, with 11 tracks in all: "Vietnam", "Sitting In Limbo", "Struggling Man", "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah", "Bongo Man", "The Harder They Come", "Sufferin' In The Land", "Many Rivers To Cross", "Hard Road To Travel", "You Can Get It If You Really Want" and "Sooner Or Later". CD

A record that's not only a landmark in Jamaican music – but also a set that was to reggae what Curtis Mayfield's Superfly was to 70s soul! In other words, the set not only raised the bar for all the competition, it also ended up in a lot more record collections than most of them too – maybe in part because it was a soundtrack, as was Superfly – but also because it has this global power that makes it a defining album of the genre! Jimmy Cliff is obviously the mainman here, but there's help from other key players in the growing reggae scene – and titles include Jimmy's classic "You Can Get It If You Really Want", in two versions – plus two takes on "The Harder They Come", "Many Rivers To Cross", and "Sitting In Limbo" – plus "Sweet & Dandy" and "Pressure Drop" by The Maytals, "007" by Desmond Dekker, "Johnny Too Bad" by The Slicers, "Draw Your Brakes" by Scotty, and "Rivers Of Babylon" by The Melodians. CD

A record that's not only a landmark in Jamaican music – but also a set that was to reggae what Curtis Mayfield's Superfly was to 70s soul! In other words, the set not only raised the bar for all the competition, it also ended up in a lot more record collections than most of them too – maybe in part because it was a soundtrack, as was Superfly – but also because it has this global power that makes it a defining album of the genre! Jimmy Cliff is obviously the mainman here, but there's help from other key players in the growing reggae scene – and titles include Jimmy's classic "You Can Get It If You Really Want", in two versions – plus two takes on "The Harder They Come", "Many Rivers To Cross", and "Sitting In Limbo" – plus "Sweet & Dandy" and "Pressure Drop" by The Maytals, "007" by Desmond Dekker, "Johnny Too Bad" by The Slicers, "Draw Your Brakes" by Scotty, and "Rivers Of Babylon" by The Melodians. CD

A record that's not only a landmark in Jamaican music – but also a set that was to reggae what Curtis Mayfield's Superfly was to 70s soul! In other words, the set not only raised the bar for all the competition, it also ended up in a lot more record collections than most of them too – maybe in part because it was a soundtrack, as was Superfly – but also because it has this global power that makes it a defining album of the genre! Jimmy Cliff is obviously the mainman here, but there's help from other key players in the growing reggae scene – and titles include Jimmy's classic "You Can Get It If You Really Want", in two versions – plus two takes on "The Harder They Come", "Many Rivers To Cross", and "Sitting In Limbo" – plus "Sweet & Dandy" and "Pressure Drop" by The Maytals, "007" by Desmond Dekker, "Johnny Too Bad" by The Slicers, "Draw Your Brakes" by Scotty, and "Rivers Of Babylon" by The Melodians. LP, Vinyl record album

Warmly-crafted work from Jimmy Cliff – a mid 70s set that has the singer emerging way past the Kingston scene, to a role where he feels much more like a global soul superstar overall! Make no mistake, there's definitely plenty of reggae on the album – but the record also marks that moment when the music was really reaching out to much bigger audiences, thanks to talents as great as Jimmy – able to take the best well-crafted grooves of Jamaica, mix them with a bit of Cali sunshine, and come up with cuts that sparkle here – like "I'm Gonna Live I'm Gonna Love", "Who Feels It, Knows It", "Remake The World", "Hypocrites", "Wahjahka Man", "The News", "Look At The Mountains", "You're The Only One", and the seminal "No Woman No Cry". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty nice early album from Jimmy Cliff – a set that's maybe not as well-known as his massive hits of the 70s, but which definitely sets the tone for all the greatness to come! Jimmy's voice already has this raw, righteous power that's incredible – trained in the soul of the rocksteady generation, but given all these nice lean production touches that were handled by Cliff himself – clearly already really getting his ears around the best aspects of the forces available at Dynamic Studios! There's some key ringers in the set – including Winston Wright on organ and Tommy McCook on tenor – and The Heptones provide some mighty nice backing vocals too. The whole thing has a much rawer sound than you might guess for a record on a major label – and titles include "Black Queen", "Be True", "Oh Jamaica", "Commercialization", "The Price Of Peace", "Poor Slave", and "Rip Off". LP, Vinyl record album

A great early album by Jimmy – and one that was issued in the US by A&M, but was licensed from London in the UK. The production is great, and tracks mix raw rocksteady rhythms with some great arrangements that add some nice baroque touches at times, especially on the title cut, which features some very nice string parts. Titles include "Hello Sunshine", "Come Into My Life", "Hard Road To Travel", "Time Will Tell", "Many Rivers To Cross", and "My Ancestors". CD

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Three 70s killers from Jimmy McGriff! Groove Grease is a nice bit of funky organ work from Jimmy McGriff – a set that's got his famous talents on the Hammond out front of a larger ensemble – but in a way that's very different than some of his albums of that type from the 70s! There's lots of electricity in the mix – electric piano from Horace Ott, bass from Richard Evans, and guitar from Wayne Bennett – mixed with sharp work on horns from Cliff Davis on tenor and flute, Murray Watson on trumpet, and Johnny Beard on baritone – three players who really flesh out the sound! The album's got some excellent stone funky classics – like "The Bird", "Groove Grease", and "Plain Brown Bag" – plus some surprisingly funky readings of standards like "Canadian Sunset" and "Mr Lucky", both made to sound super-nice, thanks to excellent work on bass and drums! Main Squeeze is one of the grooviest albums ever from Jimmy McGriff – a hard-wailing session that's filled with plenty of cooking lines on the organ, and a few especially funky tracks! The groove here is tight, short, and very sharp – strongly in the mode of other post-Sue sessions by McGriff – like The Worm or other Groove Merchant sides – with a style that's often much more focused than Jimmy's earlier years, and strongly turned towards the rhythms of the tunes! A few numbers are more familiar soul jazz, but these are nicely offset by the harder funk numbers of the record – like the romping, stomping break classic "The Main Squeeze", the totally groovy "The Worm Turns", and the fast-vamping "GMI". The group features Jimmy Ponder on guitar and Connie Lester on alto sax – and other titles include "The Sermon", "Stella By Starlight", and "The Blues Train To Georgia". Tailgunner has Jimmy McGriff in a very cool 70s mode – hitting some of the fuller, more soul-based styles that Johnny Hammond and Jimmy Smith were exploring in the middle of the decade – while still also displaying a hell of a talent on the organ as well! The album has extra keyboards from Pat Rebillot and Paul Griffin – which makes for a nice mix of organ and electric piano sounds, plus some occasional moog that's very nicely placed – all backed by a largeish group that has tight horns, and some occasional soul vocals from Al Downing and Denise Wooten. The vocals are often an augmentation of the tunes, and there's still plenty of room for solos by Jimmy in the middle – on titles that include "Tailgunner", "Flexible Flyer", "Sky Hawk", "Grandma's Toe Jam", and "Bullfrog". CD

One of the most soulful voices in Jamaican music – presented here in a wonderful collection that includes some of Ken Boothe's early rocksteady material, then runs through his bigger famous cuts of the 70s! Ken wasn't nearly as big a hit over here as artists like Jimmy Cliff or Bob Marley, but his vocals here easily match theirs for sheer, raw, soulful power – and maybe show an even more direct inspiration from American music, especially on the earlier cuts – or his great covers of cuts by artists like Syl Johnson and Bill Withers. Boothe can also sing as sweetly with a groove as his bigger 70s reggae counterparts, but knows how to draw an edge when the song calls for it – and this 40 track set is overflowing with Trojan Records gems from the vocalist – with titles that include "Crying Over You", "Freedom Street", "Speak Softly Love", "Ain't No Sunshine", "African Lady", "You Send Me", "Black, Gold & Green", "Is It Because I'm Black", and "Everything I Own". LP, Vinyl record album

With guests Laurence Olivier, Cliff Richard, Freddie Mercury, Julian Lennon, Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach, Ashford & Simpson, Murray Head, Leo Sayer, Jimmy Helms, John Christie, and Stevie Wonder. LP, Vinyl record album

Unreleased work from the BBC Archives of the 70s – a stunning large group session with a very groovy vibe! Dave Gold isn't as much of a giant as some of the other British leaders of the time – but he's got a wonderful way with the group here, and makes the music move with some of the funky currents that he brought to his work for the KPM Sound Library – where you might know Dave from some key albums! Gold was also working as the leader of the jazzy group on a production of Jesus Christ Superstar – and he has the lineup here take off on a soaring funky version of that show's "Heaven On Their Minds" – a great cut that's worth the price of admission alone, served up with a mix of tenor and flute from Brian Ashe, baritone from Ronnie Ross, electric piano from Cliff Hall, and guitar from John Girvan – amidst a larger group of trumpets, trombones, and alto saxes. Other cuts include the gold originals "O'Connell Street" and "Nostalgia" – both groovy tracks with an MPS big band vibe – plus a version of the Jimmy Webb tune "Pocketful Of Keys". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Cliff Richard, Elvis, Roy Orbison, Jimmy Jones, Adam Faith, Bobby Darin, Buddy Holly, Vic Damone, Paul Asnka, Jimmy Young, and much more. CD

With selections by Don Drummond, Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff, Laurel Aitken, Cornel Campbell, Ernest Ranglin, Lloyd Clark, Roland Alphonso, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

The roots of British mod, served up here in a fantastic package that's overflowing with soulful, jazzy, and groovy gems that we might never have heard otherwise! The big British Invasion love of American sounds is no secret to anyone – but the cuts here are all from a moment before on the London scene, and represent some really wonderful experiments in ways of mixing together elements of jazz, soul, and blues – and coming up with something really fresh and unique! Tracks are a great mix of instrumental and vocal modes – and as usual with Ace, they're supported by detailed notes that really open up our understanding of both the music, and this point in time. Titles include "Danger Man" by Red Price Combo, "A New Kind Of Lovin" by Eden Kane, "Christine" by Miss X, "Sugar Baby (parts 1 & 2)" by Jimmy Powell, "When You Walked Out" by Alex Murray, "Chicago Calling" by Cyril Davies & His Rhythm & Blues All Stars, "King Of Kings" by Jimmy Cliff, "It Ain't Necessarily So" by Duffy Power, "Gurney Slade" by Max Harris, "Moanin" by Lynn Cornell, "I'm Just A Baby" by Louis Cordet, "Orange Street" by The Blue Flames, "Strawberry Fair" by Anthony Newley, "Sounds Like Locomotion" by Sounds Inc, and "Air Travel" by Chris Farlowe. CD

A classic early 60s session for Candid Records – put together by a group that includes Charles Mingus, Max Roach, and a host of other musicians who were working here as "Newport Rebels" – by setting up the Jazz Artists Guild Festival as a protest against the increasingly commercialized Newport date! And for the record, the group definitely live up to their name – really shaking off the easier modes popularized at the Newport festival, and coming across with a style that's much more modern, firey, and righteous! Other artists include Abbey Lincoln on vocals, Booker Little on trumpet, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eric Dolphy on saxophone, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone – and titles include a great rendition of "Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do" – plus 2 other great originals, "Cliff Walk" by Booker Little and "Mysterious Blues" by Mingus. LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Desmond Dekker, Dandy Livingston, Jimmy Cliff, Maytals, Bob Marley, Ethiopians, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The striking debut album from one of the architects of reggae, a musician who cut precious few solo records in his lengthy tenure as the godfather of Jamaican music! A key figure behind the careers of reggae's mega stars like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff, Higgs issued few albums and singles under his own name, but this stellar first album showcases his talent beautifully, with spare, but rich renderings of his soulful approach to roots! Guitar ringer Eric Gale was brought in from the States to accompany Higgs alongside the stellar Now Generation band featuring Earl Wire Lindo, Mikey and Geoffrey Chung and Mickey Boo Richards, but Higgs production and arrangements keep things stripped down and true to the Kingston rootical vibe, rather than jazzing up the proceedings. 12 tracks in all, including "Come On Home", "Got To Make A Way", "Wake Up & Live", "Life Of Contradiction", "Who Brought Down The Curtains", 'Hard Times Don't Bother Me", "My Baby Still Loves Me" and "Song My Enemy Sings". CD

Wonderful work from the deep Columbia Records catalog of rockabilly gems – music that might come as a surprise for a label that was best known for classical and showtunes in the late 50s! Features work by Rose Maddox, Joe Maphis, Ronnie Self, Jimmy Murphy, Onie Wheeler, Cliff Johnson, The Collins Kids, Carl Perkins, Bobby Lord, Werly Fairburn, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

A really weird little collection – and we mean that in the best way possible – not the sea shanties you might guess from the title, and instead a whole host of ocean and ship-themed tracks from the glorious days of postwar music! The styles here are heavy on modes from folk music, but the set also includes a nice assortment of rock, pop, and country artists too – maybe a similar mix to the one you'd find on other Bear Family collections of this nature, but with a slightly different vibe overall – given the themes! Titles include "Treasure Island" by Gary Mills, "Sailing Away On The Ocean" by Jimmy Driftwood, "With You My Johnny" by Kingston Trio, "My Bonnie" by Cliff Bruner, "Windjammer" by Easy Riders, "Erie Canal" by Roger Wagner Chorale, "La Paloma" by Hank Snow, "Sailor" by Petula Clark, "La Mer" by Charles Trenet, "Fisher's Hornpipe" by Pee Wee King, "Mackerel Fleet" by Terry Gilkyson, and "Drunken Sailor" by Leonard Warren. CD

Music from Ricky Skaggs, Jimmy Martin, The Seldom Scene, Mac Wiseman, Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, J. D. Crowe And The New South, Bill Emerson And Cliff Waldron, The Osborne Brothers, Jim And Jesse, and more. CD

An excellent UK collection – filled with American soul tracks from way before the 70s image on the cover! The set list is great – so many good choices – and titles include "It Hurts So Good" by Katie Love, "What Would You Give" by Jackie Ross, "You Don't Have To Be Over 21" by Jackson Five, "The Real Thing" by Candy & The Kisses, "This Diamond Ring" by Sammy Ambrose, "That's Enough" by Roscoe Robinson, "You Busted My Mind" by Judy Clay, "Blues In The Ghetto" by The Jive Five, "Through A Long & Sleepless Night" by Jimmy Radcliffe, "I Am A Witness" by Tommy Hunt, "Come See About Me" by Nella Dodds, "Gonna Send You Back To Georgia" by Timmy Shaw, "If You See Bill" by Tammi Terrell, and "The Love Of My Man" by Theola Kilgore. LP, Vinyl record album

An early Kent UK compilation – with the previously unissued full version of "That's No Way To Treat A Girl" by Marie Knight – and more from Sammy Ambrose, George Stone, JB Troy, The Toys, Porgy & The Monarchs, Jive Five, SOUL, Jimmy Radcliffe, and Ray Crossen Jr. LP, Vinyl record album

Deep soul vocals and impeccable studio production – the kind of blend that could only have come from the genius side of the New York soul scene in the 60s! Although the city might be remembered for some crossover commercial cuts at the time, there were plenty of indies that continued to record soul tracks on the much deeper side of the spectrum – such as the Wand/Scepter imprint, which is featured here – a company who knew how to find powerfully emotive soul singers, and fix them up with some well-penned arrangements and top-shelf instrumentation. The range of cuts here is great – and the set features some well-remembered Wand label classics, and a host of other much rarer cuts – a sublime 28-track package that includes "My Neighborhood" by Billy Byers, "Sugar" by The Jive Five, "The Hurt" by Freddie North", "Welcome to Dreamsville" by Sammy Ambrose, "In My Tenement" by Roosevelt Grier, "I'm Stepping Out Of The Picture" by Johny Maestro & The Crests, "My Arms Aren't Strong Enough" by Judy Clay, "Let's Play House" by Tony Drake, "Who's Gonna Mention My Name" by Lonnie Satin, "A Little Too Lonely" by Marie Knight, "Soul Serenade" by Brooks O'Dell, "There Goes The Forgotten Man" by Jimmy Radcliffe, "I'm Gonna Have A Party" by Ed Bruce, "Don't Believe Him Donna" by Chuck Jackson, and "If It's For Real" by Porgy & The Monarchs. CD

A collection of rare Northern Soul tunes – packaged to accompany a play of the same name currently making a splash in the UK! But even if you can't see the play, the set itself is a great sampling of music that made the 70s Wigan scene groove – 24 tracks that include some great obscure singles, a few rare Stax tracks, and more uptempo, upbeat soul tunes than you could ever hope to find at one time! Titles include "Oh My Darlin" by Jackie Lee, "I Surrender" by Eddie Holman, "Try My Love" by Toni & The Showmen, "So Is The Sun" by World Column, "Breakaway" by Steve Karmen Band with Jimmy Radcliffe, "I'm Comin Home In The Morning" by Lou Pride, "Elijah Rockin With Soul" by Hank Jacobs, "Loving By The Pound" by Otis Redding, "That Beatin Rhythm" by Richard Temple, "My Little Girl" by Bobby Garrett, "A Case Of Love" by The Sequins, and "I'm On My Way" by Dean Parrish. CD

A cool little Mercury compilation, featuring some of the hippest jazz acts recording for the label at the time – most of them young enough to live up to the title! The set mixes both vocal and instrumental selections – and titles include "That Old Devil Called Love" and "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" by Jackie Paris, "Sun Dance" and "Little Joanie Walks" by Nat Adderley, "Little Beaver" by Jimmy Cleveland, "Gertrude's Bounce" by Clifford Brown, "Moon Song" by Joe Saye, and "Frankie & Johnny" by Morgana King. LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant mid 70s album from Jimmy Heath – recorded at a time when he was making some of his greatest strides on record! The album's got a spare, simple quartet format – but Jimmy's working here in a really expansively soulful sound – one that matches that of Clifford Jordan at the time for sheer expressiveness and imagination. No surprise, the group's a bit Jordan-esque – with Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – alongside Barry Harris, whose piano brings a slightly more lyrical approach to the album. Jimmy's tone on both tenor and soprano sax is fantastic – and titles include "Bruh Slim", "CTA", "All Members", "For Minors Only", and "Picture Of Heath". CD

A brilliant mid 70s album from Jimmy Heath – recorded at a time when he was making some of his greatest strides on record! The album's got a spare, simple quartet format – but Jimmy's working here in a really expansively soulful sound – one that matches that of Clifford Jordan at the time for sheer expressiveness and imagination. No surprise, the group's a bit Jordan-esque – with Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – alongside Barry Harris, whose piano brings a slightly more lyrical approach to the album. Jimmy's tone on both tenor and soprano sax is fantastic – and titles include "Bruh Slim", "CTA", "All Members", "For Minors Only", and "Picture Of Heath". CD

If you read these pages often enough, you'll know that we're big fans of recordings made by American expatriot players while living in Europe during the 60's. The European rhythm sections often bring out new elements of their playing, and the interaction with European soloists hits modes that we sometimes don't hear on American recordings by the same artists. This series of live recordings from Germany in 1963 brings together an array of players that includes Idrees Sulieman, Jimmy Woode, Joe Harris, Don Byas, Bud Powell, and Champion Jack Dupree. The best material is by a group that features Byas, Powell, Woode, and Harris – playing long renditions of two jazz standards, "All The Things You Are" and "I Remember Clifford", in a performance that takes up all of side two. LP, Vinyl record album

Nat King Cole as a leader and a sideman – incredible material from 1936-1946 – featuring the King Cole Trio, side work with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, Dexter Gordon, The Keynoters and The Lester Young Trio! There's a number of great tunes here with Nat singing, but also a whole bunch of recordings that shine a light on his impeccable work as a group piano player of the finest caliber, working as Nat King Cole and under some funny pseudonyms while he was recording hits for Capitol! Packaged stunningly, even by Hip-O Select Standards – essentially housing the CDs in a hardcover book of 31-pages with an essay by David Ritz, 7 3/8" square package with detailed session notes, and beautifully reproduced art work from original 78s and 10-inch LPs! Disc one features 17 tracks by the King Cole Trio with Nat singing and at the piano, with Oscar Moore on guitar and and Wesley Prince on bass: "Sweet Lorraine", "This Side Up", "Babs", "Scotchin' With The Soda", "Slow Down", "Hit That Jive, Jack" and more. Disc one also includes 5 tracks with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, with Nat on piano, Eddie Cole on bass, Kenneth Roane on trumpet, Tommy Thompson on saxes and Jimmy Adams on drums:" Honey Hush" (with Eddie on vocals) plus an alternate take, "Thunder", "Stompin' At The Panama" and "(Bedtime) Sleep, Baby Sleep". Last up on disc one, four tracks by the Keynoters with Willie Smith on alto, Nat as Lord Calvert on piano, Red Callender on bass and Jackie Mills on drums: "The Way You Look Tonight", "My Old Flame" and more. Disc 2 is comprised of Jazz At The Philharmonic: Los Angeles, July 1944, with collective personal including Nat as Shorty Nadine on piano and singing on "Sweet Lorraine", Shorty Sherlock on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Illinois Jacquet and Jack McVea on tenor, Red Callender on bass, Lee Young on drums, and Carolyn Richards singing on "The Man I Love". Other titles include "Blues", "Tea For Two", "Rosetta", "Bugle Call Rag", "Oh, Lady, Be Good!" and more. Disc 3 starts with 1943/44 material by Dexter Gordon's group featuring Nat on piano, Sweets Edison on trumpet, Gordon on tenor, Red Callender or Johnny Miller on bass and Clifford Owens on drums: "I've Found A New Baby", "I Blowed And Gone" and more. That's followed by Lester Young Trio material of similar vintage with Nat as Aye Guy on piano, Young on Tenor and Buddy Rich on drums: "I Cover The Water Front", "The Man I Love", "Peg Of My Heart" and more. Last, but not least, Keynoters alternate takes including "The You You Look Tonight", "Airiness A La Nat" and "I can't Believe That You're In Love With Me". CD

A well-done overview of some of the best recordings by trumpeter Roger Guerin – one of the most important players on his instrument in Paris during the postwar years – and one of the few to regularly interact with important soloists from overseas! This set brings together Guerin in both dates as a leader, and as a key guest with others – pulled from a section of rare 10" and 7" releases, plus a few full album recordings as well – all bundled together here in a package that really lets Roger's trumpet talents shine! There's a huge range of material here – and the set begins with a few tracks from a session with James Moody on alto in 1961, a few more from a date with guitarist Jimmy Raney in 1954 – then moves into a quartet date with Martial Solal in 1956 and one with pianist Christian Chevailier during that same year. The set has four great tracks with a 1958 date co-led with the great Benny Golson on tenor, with Bobby Timmons on piano in the group – then ends with one track with Michel Hausser on vibes and Martial Solal on piano. The book includes detailed notes on all the sessions – and titles include "Bootsie", "Vline", "Chet", "Mythe", "Blues March", "I Remember Clifford", "Not Serious", "Ca Turne", "Night & Day", "Deep Purple", and "Sweet Feeling". CD

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this first volume include include "Turnpike", "Sketch 1", "Capri", "Lover Man", "Get Happy", and "Coffee Pot". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this first volume include include "Turnpike", "Sketch 1", "Capri", "Lover Man", "Get Happy", and "Coffee Pot". CD features alternate takes, too. CD

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this first volume include include "Turnpike", "Sketch 1", "Capri", "Lover Man", "Get Happy", and "Coffee Pot". CD

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this this second volume include "Daylie Double", "Groovin", "Viscosity", "Coffee Pot", "It's You Or No One", and "Jay". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this this second volume include "Daylie Double", "Groovin", "Viscosity", "Coffee Pot", "It's You Or No One", and "Jay". CD

A brilliantly bubbling session from Hammond genius John Patton – and a set that serves as a real link between the gutbucket soul of his early years, and some of the fresher phrasing he was beginning to explore at Blue Note! Patton's lines on the keys are a wonderful thing to behold (and behear!) – as they're both rhythmic, but extremely fluid and exploratory – more conceived around some of the new ideas on tenor at the time, and pushing forward roughly into the same territory as Larry Young – but with more of Patton's rootsy soul still intact. Junior Cook is in the group on most tracks on tenor – sounding quite fresh himself in this context as he leaps around with new energy – and the rest of the group features Jimmy Ponder on guitar and Clifford Jarvis on drums. The cuts are all originals, further proof of Patton's genius through his writing – and titles include "String Bean", "I Want To Go Home", "Dirty Fingers", and "Daddy James". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful little chapter in the rich, and all-too-short career of bassist Oscar Pettiford – larger group recordings done for ABC in the mid 50s! The sessions show Pettiford to be surprisingly great at such a format – leading a group through Gigi Gryce arrangements that have a nice modern jazz take on earlier bop themes of the 50s. Gryce himself plays alto on the session, and other players include Jerome Richardson, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Kenny Dorham, Jimmy Cleveland, Al Grey, Tommy Flanagan, and Lucky Thompson. The CD seems includes material from both Pettiford sessions for ABC – for a total of 17 tracks that include "Two French Fries", "Perdido", "Speculation", "Sunrise Sunset", "Smoke Signal", "Deep Passion", "Nica's Tempo", "Not So Sleepy", "Little Niles", and "Seabreeze". Plus, the set also features 3 bonus tracks from a 1957 session with another large group (possibly not for ABC) – titles that include "Aw Come On", "I Remember Clifford", and "The Gentle Art Of Love". CD

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this this second volume include "Daylie Double", "Groovin", "Viscosity", "Coffee Pot", "It's You Or No One", and "Jay". CD

Helen Merrill's first album for Emarcy – and a beautiful session of icy vocals arranged by Quincy Jones, and featuring work by Oscar Pettiford, Jimmy Jones, and Clifford Brown. The set's got a relaxed jazzy style that you don't hear on some of Merrill's more full-blown albums – and the coldness and sadness of Helen's tone is really right up front in the arrangements – with a starkness that's extremely moving, and a power that she often never matched on record again! Titles include "Don't Explain", "What's New", "Yesterdays", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Grant Green, Hank Mobley, Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, The Three Sounds, Kenny Burrell, Lou Donaldson, Art Blakey, Fred Jackson, Clifford Jordan, Sonny Clark, John Coltrane, Joe Lovano, Ron Carter, and more. CD