Jodie Christian on piano – performing solo and in a trio format with Larry Gray on bass, and Vincent Davis on drums. CD

With Roscoe Mitchell on reeds, Art Porter on alto, and Paul McKee on trombone. CD

With Art Porter on alto sax, Roscoe Mitchell on flute, Soprano and alto sax, Odies Williams on bass, and Ernie Adams on drums. CD

Gritty live work from twin tenor giants Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon – recorded in an open-ended style that's a bit like some of Gordon's famous early work on the Central Avenue scene in LA, or Ammons' famous live "battles" with Sonny Stitt! The date was recorded in Chicago at the North Park Hotel – with sound that's a bit more "live" than some of the other Prestige sessions at the time – and an unusual lineup that features local players Jodie Christian and John Young on piano, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and Steve McCall on drums. The lovely Vi Redd makes a vocal appearance on the track "Lonesome Lover Blues" – and other titles include "The Chase", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and "The Happy Blues" – all nice and long! LP, Vinyl record album

Late great work from Ammons – an album done at the time of his funk sides for Prestige, but recorded in the style of his earlier years in Chicago! The session's a laidback set of soulful solo-heavy work – recorded as part of a hip series of shows at the North Park Hotel, with a local rhythm trio that includes Jodie Christian on piano, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and Marshall Thompson on drums. James Moody joins Ammons in the frontline, and the set's got the best electric feel that you'd hear if you were lucky enough to catch either player in a small club date in the early 60s. Loads of very imaginative solo work in the best Chicago tenor tradition – with titles that include "Work Song", "Jim Jam Jug", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "C Jam Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Von Freeman on tenor sax, Jodie Christian on piano, Eddie De Haas on bass, Wilbur Campbell on drums. CD

A classic meeting of these two talents – recorded in Chicago with a Chicago rhythm section of Jodie Christian, Victor Sproles, and Marshall Thompson. The album's an odd one, and is recorded with less of the impeccability of some of Verve's other sessions (which is probaby how the Chicago team got in the action) – but given Baker's harder-edged proclivities at the time, the set's a very interesting one to hear, and the relaxed nature of the tracks brings out some important solo moments from both players. 4 long tracks – including "I'll Remember April", "Jordu", and "Half-Breed Apache". CD

Beautiful early work from John Klemmer – one of the most under-rated talents of his generation, and a great player who frequently gets overlooked because of his later, smoother work. This album is Klemmer's first – recorded with a soulful Chicago tenor sound, touched with some of the freedoms of the late 60s Cadet Records scene. The approach is a bit like Eddie Harris at his best – with Klemmer rolling out soulful, stretched out notes over backing by a Harris-inspired rhythm section that includes Melvin Jackson on bass, Wilbur Cambell on drums, and Jodie Christian on piano. The groove is very solid, very in the pocket – and Klemmer blows in a tradition that includes Frank Strozier and Eric Alexander – 2 other players who've made a strong contribution to the Chicago scene. Titles include "My Blues", "Will N Jug", "Passion Food", "Stand In the Sun", and "Later With Them Woes". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early work from John Klemmer – one of the most under-rated talents of his generation, and a great player who frequently gets overlooked because of his later, smoother work. This album is Klemmer's first – recorded with a soulful Chicago tenor sound, touched with some of the freedoms of the late 60s Cadet Records scene. The approach is a bit like Eddie Harris at his best – with Klemmer rolling out soulful, stretched out notes over backing by a Harris-inspired rhythm section that includes Melvin Jackson on bass, Wilbur Cambell on drums, and Jodie Christian on piano. The groove is very solid, very in the pocket – and Klemmer blows in a tradition that includes Frank Strozier and Eric Alexander – 2 other players who've made a strong contribution to the Chicago scene. Titles include "My Blues", "Will N Jug", "Passion Food", "Stand In the Sun", and "Later With Them Woes". CD

Probably the best of Buddy Montgomery's solo albums, with a tight little group that features Mel Rhyne on organ, Jodie Christian on piano, and brother Monk Montgomery on sweet heavy bass – all coming together in a messed up style of funky jazz! Buddy plays piano and vibes on a number of tracks that sound similar to the Cliff Coulter work on Impulse at this time – kind of a trippy Cali blend of soul, jazz, funk, and even an undercurrent of blues at times. Very groovy, and very California funky, with the tracks "Winding Up", "Rose Bud", "Willy Nilly Blues", and "This Rather Than That". LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just a bop-heavy set – a landmark record that shows a side of the Chicago scene that hardly ever made it on record! In the years after Charlie Parker passed away, tributes to his greatness were a very common thing in local jazz scenes across the US. This is a prime example of that tradition, but way more than that, it's also a killer Chicago jazz session from the old days – featuring trumpeter Ira Sullivan at his best, along with some great local players that include tenorist Nicky Hill, pianist Jodie Christian, and bassist (Raphael) Don Garrett. The music is what you'd expect – loving renditions of Bird standards like "Klacktoveedesesteene" and "Love Letters" – but there's also a lot more going on underneath, and the album's as much a Charlie Parker tribute as it is a batch of bop and soul jazz numbers with a good underground feel. Titles include "Si Si", "Inchworm", "Milestones", "Sketches", "Fly Me To The Moon", and "Shaw Nuff" – and this 2CD reissue adds a heck of a lot more material to the original album – for a total of 15 tracks in all! CD

Gritty live work from twin tenor giants Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon – recorded in an open-ended style that's a bit like some of Gordon's famous early work on the Central Avenue scene in LA, or Ammons' famous live "battles" with Sonny Stitt! The date was recorded in Chicago at the North Park Hotel – with sound that's a bit more "live" than some of the other Prestige sessions at the time – and an unusual lineup that features local players Jodie Christian and John Young on piano, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and Steve McCall on drums. The lovely Vi Redd makes a vocal appearance on the track "Lonesome Lover Blues" – and other titles include "The Chase", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and "The Happy Blues" – all nice and long! CD also features 2 extra tracks, both long – "Wee Dot" and an extended "Ballad Medley". CD

Mindblowing electric work from the great Eddie Harris – heard here on his famous late 60s combo that also features bass from the great Melvin Jackson! The music's got all the soulful currents of Eddie's earlier work, yet also takes on a trippier vibe too – since Harris plays an electric version of a tenor sax, most likely a Varitone – which gets all cool and echoey at times, with lots of great effects next to the well-played solos! Melvin Jackson's bass is mighty nice too – as low as you can go, and moving things massively at the bottom – alongside drums from Billy Hart and piano from Jodie Christian. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include an early version of "Listen Here", plus "Funky Doo", "Is There A Place For Us", "The Children's Song", and "Movin' On Out". LP, Vinyl record album

In the years after Charlie Parker passed away, tributes to his greatness were a very common thing in local jazz scenes across the US. This is a prime example of that tradition, but way more than that, it's also a killer Chicago jazz session from the old days – featuring trumpeter Ira Sullivan at his best, along with some great local players that include tenorist Nicky Hill, pianist Jodie Christian, and bassist (Raphael) Don Garrett. The music is what you'd expect – loving renditions of Bird standards like "Klacktoveedesesteene" and "Love Letters" – but there's also a lot more going on underneath, and the album's as much a Charlie Parker tribute as it is a batch of bop and soul jazz numbers with a good underground feel. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of 60s recordings for Atlantic, starting in 1965 with Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums, and later in 1967 with Jodie Christian on piano, Melvin Jackson on bass, Richard Smith on drums, and Ray Barretto on percussion, and a 1968 date with Heywood Henry on baritone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Charles Rainey on bass, and Grady Tate on drums. Titles include "Listen Here", "Theme In Search Of A Movie", "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Live Right Now", "Love Theme From The Sandpiper", "and "Movin' On Out". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of electric funk from James Moody – and a great little record to match the grooves he was laying down at the Perception label in the early 70s – with a very unique sound! Moody's working here alongside some sweet work on electric piano by either Jodie Christian or Tennyson Stephens – and with some sly and soulful arrangements by Chicago soul maestro Richard Evans, who also plays bass on the record and gives it a style that's almost an extension of the later Cadet kind of groove. The album features an excellent funky instrumental version of " First Thing I Do In the Morning", originally a funky vocal 45 by Chicago singer Joyce Williams – and other cuts include "Trilby", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely", "World Is A Ghetto", "Good Sense Humor Man", and "Country City Country". CD

Late great work from Ammons – an album done at the time of his funk sides for Prestige, but recorded in the style of his earlier years in Chicago! The session's a laidback set of soulful solo-heavy work – recorded as part of a hip series of shows at the North Park Hotel, with a local rhythm trio that includes Jodie Christian on piano, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and Marshall Thompson on drums. James Moody joins Ammons in the frontline, and the set's got the best electric feel that you'd hear if you were lucky enough to catch either player in a small club date in the early 60s. Loads of very imaginative solo work in the best Chicago tenor tradition – with titles that include "Work Song", "Jim Jam Jug", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "C Jam Blues". Plus, CD features a special bonus track – a 14 minute version of "Yardbird Suite". CD

Roscoe Mitchell on saxophone, Reggie Workman on bass, Albert "Tootie" Heath on drums, and Jodie Christian on piano. CD

Louis Smith on trumpet and flugelhorn, Von Freeman on tenor sax, Jodie Christian on piano, Eddie De Haas on bass, and Wilbur Campbell on drums. CD

An overlooked later gem from Chicago trumpeter Ira Sullivan – maybe some of the greatest music he ever recorded, thanks to the freewheeling vibe and strong artist respect of the Nessa label! Sullivan's working here on a variety of horns – trumpet, flugelhorn, flute, and soprano sax – with all the kind of soulful undercurrents we love on his classic Atlantic album Horizons, but with an even richer, more exploratory sort of style overall – one that gets a lot from the group's lineup of Simon Salz on guitar and Jodie Christian on both acoustic and electric piano! Both players seem to ignite Sullivan's best impulses, and really push him into fresh territory – guided strongly by the work of Dan Shapera on bass and Wilbur Campbell on drums. Titles include a sublime version of "Girl From Ipanema" – very offbeat – plus "Monday's Dance", "Circumstantial", "Angel Eyes", and "That's Earl Brother". CD also features the previously unissued "Blues For Johnny Bratton". CD

With Simon Salz on guitar, Jodie Christian on piano, Dan Shapera on bass, and Wilbur Campbell on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

The title's an apt one, as Roscoe Mitchell's working here in a rich flowing style – stepping off of a series of performances dedicated to the music of John Coltrane, but taking Coltrane's inspiration into an area of sound and space that's distinctly Mitchell-like! The title composition – "The Flow Of Things" – is presented in three variations, each slightly different, but all elliptically shaped, with an interweaving play of improvisation that's wonderful. The set's completed by the sparer "Cards For Quartet" – and the recording features Mitchell on alto and soprano sax, in a quartet with Jodie Christian on piano, Malachi Favors on bass, and Steve McCall on drums. CD

A sweet set of electric funk from James Moody – and a great little record to match the grooves he was laying down at the Perception label in the early 70s – with a very unique sound! Moody's working here alongside some sweet work on electric piano by either Jodie Christian or Tennyson Stephens – and with some sly and soulful arrangements by Chicago soul maestro Richard Evans, who also plays bass on the record and gives it a style that's almost an extension of the later Cadet kind of groove. The album features an excellent funky instrumental version of " First Thing I Do In the Morning", originally a funky vocal 45 by Chicago singer Joyce Williams – and other cuts include "Trilby", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely", "World Is A Ghetto", "Good Sense Humor Man", and "Country City Country". CD