Includes "Touch", "Talking Hands", "Quiet Afternoon", "Free Fall Lover", "Purity", "Forest Child", "Poem Painter", "Body Pulse", "Caress", "Tender Storm", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Great later blowing from John Klemmer – clear, clean, and extremely well-focused – with nary a dull moment throughout! The album's a mostly acoustic one – save for some keyboards from Milcho Leviev – and the sound is tremendous, very much in keeping with the farther-reaching modes that Klemmer was exploring at the start of the 70s – imaginative, always-creative solos that really take off in the freedoms of the post-Coltrane years, yet which always stay focused and soulful throughout. Other players include Oscar Castro Neves on guitar, Ray Armando on percussion, and Roy McCurdy on drums – and tracks include "Tropical Snowflakes", "Love Affair", "Paradise", "Arabesque", "Touch", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

With Dave Grusin on Rhodes and piano, Larry Carlton on guitar, Chuck Domenico on bass, John Guerin on drums, and Joe Porcaro and Emil Richards on percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful classic from John Klemmer – one of those artists we've under-appreciated for years, but grow to love more and more as time goes by! The set's an incredibly soulful set of explorations played by Klemmer (on tenor, soprano, and Echoplex) with a group that includes Mike Nock on Fender Rhodes, Eddie Marshall on drums, Victor Feldman on percussion, and Wilton Felder on bass – definitely in the post-Coltrane mode, with long spiraling solos that explore both space and the outer sonic reaches, yet never too way-out, and never losing a subtle swing that makes the record sparkle with unimaginable appeal. One of those few hippy jazz classics that really works – and which arguably sounds better now than it did back in the 70s! Titles include "Centrifugal Force", "There's Some Light Ahead", "Waterfall", and "Utopia: Man's Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from a crucially overlooked artist! John certainly cut some schmaltzy tunes in his days, but all the work on this set is amazing – and is pulled from his massive late 60s years at Cadet, and his early 70s work for Impulse. Klemmer's tone is amazing – crystal-perfect right out of the box, and able to work perfectly in both tight soul jazz settings, or freer post-Coltrane rundowns. Much of Klemmer's best work has never been reissued, and until that happens, the 10 tracks on here will give you a great taste of his genius. Titles include "Look To The Sky", "Constant Throb (part 1)", "Tone Row Weaver", "There's Some Light Ahead", "Crystaled Tears", "Waterfall II", and "Later With Them Woes". CD

An amazing record – and one that we passed up for years and years, but which is now one of our all-time favorites! The album's hard to describe accurately – or at least accurately enough to give it the credit it needs – but it was recorded during the classic days of the late Cadet Studios, with production by Richard Evans, and a swirling set of jazzy backgrounds that bring out some of the best solo work that John Klemmer ever did! One side of the record has string backing by Dick LaPalm, but that backing's not sleepy – and instead has a hip swinging soulful sound that reminds us of the best Eddie Harris work in a similar mode. Klemmer's tone is similar to Harris' at the time – a bit soul jazz, with touches of funk at times, but also far-reaching, with an ability to stretch into great modal moments. Side two of the album features a quartet with Harris' bass player Melvin Jackson, plus Jodie Christian on piano and James Slaughter on drums. Titles include "Touch Of The Moment", "Look To The Sky", "Chi Cha", "Dreams", and "Christopher's Clock". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest albums that John Klemmer ever cut – a tremendous little set that's quite worthy of inclusion in the early 70s Impulse Records generation – and which is far different than any of his smoother sessions from later years! Klemmer's picking up bits of Coltrane here, but he's also infusing them with some of the spacier, more cosmic modes of Lonnie Liston Smith and his crowd – an approach to soul jazz that's still spiritual, but which also can drift along on cosmic waves as much as it can soar to the skies in freer, rocket-propelled solos! Klemmer plays both tenor and soprano sax – but also handles some keyboards too, including some great Fender Rhodes – plus "piano percussion". Other players include Don Menza on flute and clarinet, Mike Wofford on clavinet and Fender Rhodes, Mike Lang on piano and Rhodes, and Reggie Johnson on bass. Shelly Manne plays some surprisingly hip drums – definitely in the mode of his Mannekind album – and Marni Nixon sings in a sweet wordless style on one track on the set. Titles include "Constant Throb (parts 1 & 2)", "California Jazz Dance", "Neptune", "Rainbows", "Precious Leaf", and "Crystallized Tears". LP, Vinyl record album

Fairly funky set of tracks in which Klemmer plays electric and acoustic tenor, and in which he's accompanied by LA studio jazz talents like Harvey Mason, Wilton Felder, and Victor Feldman. Sounds a bit like some of the Eddie Harris Varitone albums from the time, with a rolling funky groove. Cuts include "Fresh Feathers", "Uhmmm! It Feels Good", "Wizards Revenge", "Music For People", and "Stinger". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work by John Klemmer – filled with the kind of fire and emotion that you don't get on many of his other records! The set was recorded live at two different venues – and it's a choppy slightly-funky batch of modal soul jazz tunes, with an approach that makes it feel like a lost album on Strata East. On side one, Mike Nock is on Fender Rhodes, Wilton Felder plays bass, and Eddie Marshall is on drums. Titles on that set include "Blood Of The Sun" and "How Cum Ya Got Ta Rip Off Your Brothers?". Side two was recorded live at Montreux, and features more Fender Rhodes, plus backing by Cecil McBee and Alphonze Mouzon. Klemmer plays tenor with echoplex processing, and titles include "Free Love" and "Tree Of Forbidden Fruit". LP, Vinyl record album

With Oscar Castro Neves, Airto Moreira, Alex Acuna, Paulinho Da Costa, Victor Feldman, Lenny White, and others CD

A smooth set from reedman John Klemmer, but a pretty darn soulful one too – and a great illustration of the way that Klemmer could still hold onto his roots a lot more strongly than some of his contemporaries! The backings are gentle and fusiony – often with some great keyboard work from Russell Ferrante – and Klemmer soars out wonderfully in the lead – with a depth of tone and creativity of solos that goes far beyond anything that might have been needed for the date – a real "something extra" that shows that John's still got all the deep elements of his Impulse years in place. Tracks include "Finesse", "Man & Woman", "Sometimes", "Heart", "Sun, Moon And The Stars", and "Beloved". LP, Vinyl record album

Sly and subtle soul from saxophonist John Klemmer – a set that's somewhat smooth, but still filled with a great deal of feeling – and just the right blend of Klemmer's earlier searching style with some of the more soul-inspired modes of his later years. Klemmer plays tenor, soprano sax, and flute on the album – and often uses a bit of echoplex to space out his sound nicely – creating these long, drifting lines that really sound great! The record's got a subtle blend of jazz and soul influences, all tinged with a slightly spiritual undercurrent – as you might find on the best late 70s work from Norman Connors. Players include Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour on guitar, Russell Ferrante on piano and electric piano, Steve Schaeffer and Harvey Mason on drums, and Ray Armando on percussion. Clint Holmes and Phyllis St James both sing a bit on the set – again in sweetly subtle ways that never sound too commercial – and overall, given the date of the record, the album's a really tremendous one – much more like some late 70s spiritual soul fusion outing than you might expect! Titles include "Hush", "Let's Make Love", "Life Is So Beautiful", "Magic", "Hot", "I Love You Madly", and "Feelin Free". 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

A collection of 60s sessions from John Klemmer – a real giant on the tenor, with a sound that long deserves to be revived! These sides have a sound that's pretty frenetic, and a style that presages a lot of the white free fusion players that would show up in the 70s. The set collects sides cut for Cadet, Blowin' Gold, Eruptions and All The Children Cried – and have that wonderful mix of styles that you'd find in the Cadet studios of the late 60s, with bits of rock, soul, and funk working their way into the mix, plus some electronic effects on the horn, too. Titles include "Excursion #2", "My Heart Sings", "Third Stone From The Sun", "Free Soul", "Children Of The Earth Flames", "Gardens Of Uranus", "Summer Song", "Rose Petals", "La De Dah", "All The Children Cried", "I Whisper A Prayer For Peace", and "Pulsations Of A Green Eyed lady". LP, Vinyl record album

Nothing too mad from reedman John Klemmer – but a set that nicely continues that spacey sound that Klemmer first created at Impulse Records, then moved into some warmer, more soulful territory on records like this! Klemmer's still got an incredibly strong sound on tenor – rich and full, and never held back at all – nor prone to some of the more gimmicky flourishes of some of his mainstream contemporaries – and the setting is never too slick or overdone, which seems to suit John just right! Keyboards work nicely in a mellow, spaced-out groove – and Klemmer crackles these effortless lines out in space – of the soulful style we first fell in love with on his earliest work for Chess. The set features guitar from John Tropea, keyboards from Don Grusin, and drums from Harvey Mason – and Klemmer even vocalizes a bit – in a surprisingly strong style for the music. Titles include "Magnificent Madness", "Deja Vu", "Lifesong", "Adventures In Paradise", "I Can't Help It", and "Don't Take Your Love Away". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the tracks "Round Midnight", "Intimacy", "Cry", "Waterfalls", "Love", "Infinity" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet, smooth, and soulfully beautiful work from John Klemmer – not as all-out cosmic or trippy as some of his earlier albums for ABC, but with some really nice moments! Klemmer's really got the power of his horn in firm control here – playing with that Eddie Harris-schooled use of economy and tone – coming across with an approach that's subtle, but effective, and more deeply soulful than you might expect. Backings are by a small group on most tracks – and include keyboards from Milcho Leviev and drums by Harvey Mason. Klemmer plays a bit of echoplex and phaser alongside his usual tenor, and a few numbers are slightly sweetened by strings – but that's never a problem where Klemmer's concerned! Titles include "Caress", "Quiet Afternoon", "Tough & Tender", "Lifestyle", "Pure Love", "Purity", "Forever", and "Lovin Feelings". LP, Vinyl record album

Born in Mississippi, raised in Tennessee, but recorded in California with some mighty great grooves! The album's a great mix of the rootsy blues of John Lee Hooker and some of the best production modes ABC Records was using at the time – no hoke or attempt to dampen the energy of the core music – but just the key addition of fresh elements from players who include Clifford Coulter on piano, Sugarcane Harris on violin, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, Mel Brown on bass, George Bohannon on trombone, and John Klemmer on electrified sax with effects! These players all have a great ear for messing up jazz, blues, soul, and funk – and help Hooker to make the set one of his hippest ever – a record that nods strongly at the new generation, yet never panders to it at all. Titles include "Younger Stud", "King Of The World", "Tell Me You Love Me", and "Going Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Evocative fusion work from Japanese guitarist Osamu Kitajima – a record that mixes together LA electric with some folksier elements, in the continuing exploration of cross cultural patterns that drifted across Kitajima's work from this time. The album's got a compelling blend of electric and acoustic instrumentation, and features work by players that include Clare Fischer, Victor Feldman, Stix Hooper, John Klemmer, and Bobby Hutcherson. Titles include "Floating Garden", "Wild Monk", "Golden Mean", and "Whoga". CD

One of Oliver Nelson's hippest albums – a bold statement of righteous energy, and a fantastic summation of all the genius he'd created during the 60s as an arranger for other people's records! The record is almost at a Duke Ellington level – a complex yet soulful suite of tracks for the post-60s years – complete with some sound effects of rioting and urban strife at the beginning, and a mix of modern, modal, and compositional styles that bursts out with pride and power that we wouldn't have heard in Nelson's music a decade before! The soloists are great – and the album features wonderful read work from John Klemmer, Frank Strozier, and Nelson himself – on great original titles that include "Self Help Is Needed", "I Hope In Time A Change Will Come", "Requiem Afterthoughts", "Lamb Of God", and "Martin Was A Man A Real Man". CD

One of Oliver Nelson's hippest albums – a bold statement of righteous energy, and a fantastic summation of all the genius he'd created during the 60s as an arranger for other people's records! The record is almost at a Duke Ellington level – a complex yet soulful suite of tracks for the post-60s years – complete with some sound effects of rioting and urban strife at the beginning, and a mix of modern, modal, and compositional styles that bursts out with pride and power that we wouldn't have heard in Nelson's music a decade before! The soloists are great – and the album features wonderful read work from John Klemmer, Frank Strozier, and Nelson himself – on great original titles that include "Self Help Is Needed", "I Hope In Time A Change Will Come", "Requiem Afterthoughts", "Lamb Of God", and "Martin Was A Man A Real Man". CD

One of Oliver Nelson's hippest albums – a bold statement of righteous energy, and a fantastic summation of all the genius he'd created during the 60s as an arranger for other people's records! The record is almost at a Duke Ellington level – a complex yet soulful suite of tracks for the post-60s years – complete with some sound effects of rioting and urban strife at the beginning, and a mix of modern, modal, and compositional styles that bursts out with pride and power that we wouldn't have heard in Nelson's music a decade before! The soloists are great – and the album features wonderful read work from John Klemmer, Frank Strozier, and Nelson himself – on great original titles that include "Self Help Is Needed", "I Hope In Time A Change Will Come", "Requiem Afterthoughts", "Lamb Of God", and "Martin Was A Man A Real Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by James Moody, Gene Ammons, Clark Terry, Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Stitt, Zoot Sims, Benny Goodman, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Illinois Jacquet, Kenny Burrell, Ramsey Lewis, Roland Kirk, Ira Sullivan, Oliver Nelson, Jack McDuff, Ray Bryant, Art Blakey, Budd Johnson, and John Klemmer. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Gato Barbieri, Keith Jarrett, John Klemmer, Sam Rivers, and Michael White. LP, Vinyl record album

An essential look at the spiritual jazz legacy of Impulse Records – a set that's maybe a bit overdue in this series, given that Impulse first opened the door to these modes with their recordings of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders in the 60s! For some reason, Impulse had a perfect ear for this music – able to let players stretch out and be free, but also work some of the earlier modal jazz impulses into longer-form tunes that still had a pulse of rhythm – and which were often a bit different than the freer jazz styles on a label like ESP. Make no mistake, there's plenty of improvisation going on here – but it's also part of the larger, unified spirit of the tunes – a real message in the music, on selections that include "Sister Mamie" by Yusef Lateef, "Three Flowers" by McCoy Tyner, "7th Day" by Freddie Hubbard, "Half & Half" by Elvin Jones, "Groove Waltz" by McCoy Tyner, "The Blessing Song" by Michael White, "Turiya & Ramakrishna" by Alice Coltrane, "A Taste Of Honey" by Phil Woods, "Constant Trob (part 1)" by John Klemmer, "Hum Allah Hum Allah Hum Allah" by Pharoah Sanders, "Maimoun" by Marion Brown, "Lonesome Lover" by Max Roach, "Fantszm" by Elvin Jones, "Acknowledgement" by John Coltrane, "Thembi" by Pharoah Sanders, and "Journey In Satchidananda" by Alice Coltrane. And let us say that even if you have some of these tracks on other records, there's something completely sublime about the way the whole thing is put together – and the way the tracks sound next to each other! CD

One of Oliver Nelson's hippest albums – a bold statement of righteous energy, and a fantastic summation of all the genius he'd created during the 60s as an arranger for other people's records! The record is almost at a Duke Ellington level – a complex yet soulful suite of tracks for the post-60s years – complete with some sound effects of rioting and urban strife at the beginning, and a mix of modern, modal, and compositional styles that bursts out with pride and power that we wouldn't have heard in Nelson's music a decade before! The soloists are great – and the album features wonderful read work from John Klemmer, Frank Strozier, and Nelson himself – on great original titles that include "Self Help Is Needed", "I Hope In Time A Change Will Come", "Requiem Afterthoughts", "Lamb Of God", and "Martin Was A Man A Real Man". CD

No sonic labyrinth here – just a great set of hard-blown grooves from saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen! The session's a well-focused effort that has Eero working in quartet formation with acoustic piano, bass, and drums – blowing beautiful tones and colors with a slightly angular approach – but always keeping things straight ahead, and working in a deeply expressive mode that mixes some of the slight freedoms of the post-Coltrane generation with sharper lines of players like John Klemmer or Eric Kloss. At times, Eero's work on soprano and sopranino remind us of the recordings by Earl & Carl Grubbs on Muse during the 70s – especially on tracks that pick up a bit of a modal pulse, and stretch out with soaring grace. Titles include "Stress", "Honky Tonky", "Arabeski", "Spring Song", and "Labyrinth". 2CD set features lots of bonus tracks – the bassy breaking "Meat & Potatoes", in two versions, plus eight more alternate takes from the sessions! CD

My god, what a record! This one's genius through and through – a set that sometimes gets eclipsed in the brilliance to come, but which is easily one of our favorites ever by Steely Dan! There's a beautifully focused feel here – thanks to Donald Fagan's incredible lead vocals, and a sense of songwriting that never takes any left turns – no odd forays into different styles or previous genres, just all steeped in Steely, as the group should be by this point! John Klemmer turns in some wonderful sax work that really helps shape the sound, and titles include the wonderful "Caves Of Altimira", "Kid Charlemagne", "Don't Take Me Alive", "Green Earrings", and "The Royal Scam". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic compilation of material from the hip later years of Impulse – put together with a title that's a bit misleading, given that some of this stuff was clearly getting some play on underground FM radio! There's some key righteous classics here – like "Attica Blues" and "Money Blues" by Archie Shepp, "Astral Traveling" by Pharoah Sanders, "Galaxy In Turiya" and "Blue Nile" by Alice Coltrane, and "Worry Bout It Later" by Cliff Coulter – alongside other tracks that include "Larry Of Arabia" by Chico Hamilton, "Wave" by Ahmad Jamal, and "Crystalized Tears" by John Klemmer. LP, Vinyl record album

An album of explosive power and imagination from Don Ellis – a set that shows him very firmly shaking off the more academic mode of earlier years, and heading into hipper, more youth-oriented directions! The group's still a bit band on most numbers – but it's one with a lean, well-crafted sound that's not really big band jazz, and which also features some elements of later soundtrack scoring. Players on the date are all great – and include Frank Strozier, John Klemmer, and Ira Schulman on saxes – plus Pete Robinson on clavinet, piano, and electric piano! The set begins with the beautiful extended "Variations For Trumpet" – a suite-type number that has plenty of great colors from Ellis, plus loads of other horn work too. Other titles include "Indian Lady", "Pussy Wiggle Stomp", "Scratt & Fluggs", and "Child Of Ecstasy". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from Finnish saxophonist Timo Lassy – and one that's a bit different than you might expect from the title – as the set doesn't just feature Timo blowing with his trio, but also work from a larger set of strings, who really take the record into sublimely soulful territory! The vibe is maybe late 60s Cadet Records, with all the complexity in the arrangements – straight blowing from Timo on tenor, with a wonderfully raw, raspy sound – but set against these larger charts that are wonderful – almost like an Eddie Harris record with Charles Stepney, or some of the earliest John Klemmer material for Chess! Titles include "Sointu", "Orlo", "Pumping C", "Better Together", "Foreign Routes", and "Subtropical". CD

We remember when we first came across this loss leader collection in cutout bins everywhere, way back when we were first getting into free jazz, and got really excited. While most of these tracks are available elsewhere, it's a nice overview of the scene Impulse did a pretty good job documenting. 11 tracks: Gato Barbieri "Para Nosotros", Michael White "Preytude", John Coltrane "Cosmos", Alber Ayler "Change Has Come", Archie Shepp "Basheer", John Klemmer "tree Of Forbidden Fruit", Marion Brown "Tokolokoloka", Sam Rivers 'Suite For Molde", Pharoah Sanders "Red Black & Green", Sun Ra "The Cosmo Fire" and Dewey Redman "Innerconnection". LP, Vinyl record album