One of Holland's excellent small group sides for ECM, showcasing his angular yet swinging take on modern jazz, that sidestepped the 80s by numbers jazz molds of revisionist young lions and too smooth jazz lite. The quintet here features Julian Priester, Steve Coleman, Kenny Wheeler, and Steve Ellington, and they run through 7 numbers in all, with titles that include "Jumpin In", "First Snow", 'The Dragon & The Samurai", "New-One", "Sunrise", "Shadow Dance" and "You I Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful lost slice of British jazz, recorded during the crucial period before some of the scene's players went too far off the deep end! John Surman partners here with composer/leader John Warren, for a large group recording that sounds similar to some of the best early Mike Westbrook recordings. The album's comprised of a suite of 5 tracks, all played by a large group in a style that shows the best British modernist tradition of the 60's. The ensemble playing is dark and moody – but always tight at all moments. The group's soloists – like Surman, Mike Osborne, Barre Phillips, Kenny Wheeler, and others – soar out of the arrangements in tightly constructed, brilliantly realized solos that stand as some of their best work. Titles include "With Terry's Help", "We'll Make It", "The Dandelion", "The Picture Tree", and the "Tales Of The Algonquin" suite. CD

Features music by Tomasz Stanko, Dino Saluzzi, Ralph Towner, Charles Lloyd, Kenny Wheeler, Annette Peacock, Jack DeJohnette, and others. CD

An amazing moment in 70s jazz – the real rise of reedman Anthony Braxton, yet on a label that was also known mostly for pop, rock, and soul recordings! Braxton on Arista should have been a disaster – but instead, the label gave Anthony a huge amount of freedom – and, if anything, really allowed him to stretch out and explore all the rich range of ideas that were percolating in his genius – not just important small group recordings, solo sounds, and especially creative pairings – but also some large ensemble material that no tiny jazz label would have ever been able to support. Braxton really breaks out of the box on these sides – moving through an insane amount of new ideas and fresh sounds in the short space of five years – working with players that include Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, George Lewis on trombone, Henry Threadgill and Roscoe Mitchell on reeds, Muhal Richard Abrams on piano, Richard Teitelbaum on moog, Julius Hemphill on alto, Oliver Lake on tenor, and many other key 70s avant figures throughout these recordings. This limited package features a full book of notes – and includes the albums New York Fall 1974, Five Pieces 1975, Creative Orchestra Music 1976, Duets 1976, For Trio, Montreux/Berlin Concerts, Alto Saxophone Improvisations 1979, For Four Orchestras, and For Two Pianos. Most albums on CD for the first time ever! CD

Braxton recorded in a number of different settings, all of which are incredibly fruitful. Some tracks feature Braxton with Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, and Jerome Cooper; another has him with the core of the pre-WSQ, Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill, and Hamiet Bluiett; and one has him playing those cool reed/moog duets with Richard Teitelbaum. Titles are all those weird Braxton notations, but trust us – the record's great! LP, Vinyl record album

Live material from the 70s that features Braxton in a variety of group settings – including work with Barry Altschul, Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, and George Lewis. Titles include "Four Winds", "Composition 8C", "Composition 2", and "Composition 23E". CD

A crucial album from that moment when British jazz was colliding with progressive rock – in key ways that were really elevated past their roots on records like this! By the time of the record, trumpeter Ian Carr already had a great run on the left side of the UK jazz spectrum – and here, with his group Nucleus, he embraces all sorts of amazing sounds and styles – using plenty of electric piano from Soft Machine's Karl Jenkins, guitar from Chris Spedding, and a VCS3 synth from Keith Winter – alongside more familiar jazz elements on tenor from Tony Roberts, soprano and flute from Brian Smith, and additional trumpets from Kenny Wheeler and Harry Beckett! The great John Marshall plays drums next to bass from Jeff Clyne and Ron Matthewson – and the album's got a mighty sense of experimentation and power, on titles that include "Torso", "Snakehips' Dream", "Changing Time", "Spirit Level", and "Bedrock Deadlock". LP, Vinyl record album

Proof that blues rock can be turned towards a useful end – and a landmark album from one of the greatest Brit groups of the post-beat era! CCS (Collective Consciousness Society) were more of a studio project than anything else – but their first few records sparkled with a groove and energy level that surpassed most other work going at the time – thanks to large backings from arranger Johnny Cameron, of Brit Easy and soundtrack fame – working here with UK bluesman Alexis Korner in a format that mixed big funky backings with Korner's down-home blues rock! The Cameron touches really help get away from any blues cliches of the genre – and the inclusion of jazz players like Harry Beckett, Henry Lowther, Kenny Wheeler, and Ray Warleigh makes for a really hip approach to instrumentation that goes way beyond simple studio support. Most tracks are instrumental, but the set does include some vocals – and the group scored a standout hit with the album's cover of "Whole Lotta Love", and followed up with other covers that include "Satisfaction", "Living In the Past", "Wade In The Water", and "Bom Bom". Also includes the original tracks "Waiting Song", "Dos Cantos", and "Lookin For Fun". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most successful jazz-meets-modern classical albums we've ever heard – thanks largely to the supreme talents of Don Cherry! Cherry leads the large New Eternal Rhythm Orchestra – which includes a large lineup of European free jazz musicians, with Peter Brotzmann, Tomasz Stanko, Manfred Schoof, Kenny Wheeler, Gunter Hampel, Willem Breuker, and Albert Manglesdorf – all conducted by Polish modern composer Krzystof Penderecki. Cherry plays mostly solo on his own composition "Humus", and other tracks include "Sita Rama Encores" (also by Cherry), and Penderecki's "Actions For Free Jazz Orchestra". CD

An amazing record – one that we'd never part with! The session is one of Blossom Dearie's greatest records ever – a sublime set of tunes recorded in London, at the end of the 60s, with larger arrangements than usual, and a feel that's almost psychedelic. Backings were arranged and conducted by Brian Gascoigne – with a host of Brit underground jazz players that include Harold McNair, Ian Carr, Kenny Wheeler, and Ray Warleigh. More incredibly than that, though, is the set of tunes that Blossom wrote and chose for the record – tunes that have really dark edges, playful turns, and which go past the simplicity of some of her other work. The whole thing's truly amazing – really – and is a record that we've been coming back to again and again and again over the years! Titles include "I Know The Moon", "Long Daddy Green", "Hey John", "That's Just The Way I Want To Be", "Dusty Springfield", "Will There Really Be A Morning", and "I Like London In The Rain". CD

Amazing! With a lineup of players that includes Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, and Oxley himself – this set is like an avant jazz supergroup recording! Despite the obvious pitfalls that you might expect such a recording to fall into, all players are incredibly sensitive to each others' presence, and work together with far more subtlety than you'd expect. The record's a treasure, and it's been gone for years – but now, someone at Columbia UK has inexplicably decided to reissue it to the world, and at a budget price! Titles include "Crossing", "Arrival", "Stone Garden", and "Preparation". CD

Legendary work from the British jazz scene of the early 70s – served up here by a group of important players who made some amazing music in the years before, two of whom would leave the planet not long after these legendary recordings! Splinters never issued a full album at the time – partly due to the loss of some members – but their music represents this key crossroads in all the development that had taken place in UK jazz during the crucial late 60s/early 70s years – maybe no surprise, given that the lineup features drums from Phil Seamen and John Stevens, who each are recorded in a different channel – plus tenor and flute from Tubby Hayes, alto from Trevor Watts, trumpet and flugelhorn from Kenny Wheeler, and bass from Jeff Clyne. The great Stan Tracey also plays piano on most tracks – and all the musicians are very much opening up their bag, even sounding more expressively experimental than on some of their famous studio sides from the period. The package features two rare live recordings from the short-lived group – 9 tracks recorded at the 100 Club, and 6 more recorded at Grass Roots. This is a very limited edition 3 CD set – housed in 12" square, 34 page hardcover book – with dozens of previously unseen images from the 100 Club and Grass Roots shows by legendary British jazz photographer Jak Kilby, and an extensive essay on the history of the group by Simon Spillett including interviews with Trevor Watts, Jeff Clyne, and Clark Tracey. CD

Tremendous lost work from British saxophonist Barbara Thompson – a wonderful 70s player who didn't always get her due! The set brings together material from three different sessions, all nicely different – really demonstrating the range of expression that Thompson could bring to her work – as she blows tenor, soprano, and flute here – all in the company of very different groups! The set begins with a combo that features Peter Lemer on piano – a nicely avant group that also includes Johnny Dyani on bass and Laurie Allen on drums, plus some cool wordless vocals from Pepi Lemer at points too – on the titles "Threnody" and "The Tie Game". Next is a very striking large ensemble directed by Neil Ardley – with Thompson in a very hip lineup that also includes Howard Riley on piano and organ, Henry Lowther and Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Don Rendell on reeds, Bill LeSage on electric piano and vibes, and even Norma Winstone on a bit of voice – as the group perform the longer "The Awakening" suite of tracks. Last is the Jubiaba group – with Lemer on electric piano, Bill LeSage on vibes, Ian Carr on trumpet, Trevor Tomkins on percussion, and Derek Wadsworth on both acoustic and electric trombones! Titles from that group include "Miguel The Speed Freak", "Favela", "Touch Of Blue", and "Black Pearl". CD

With Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Hank Jones on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. CD

Features John Taylor on piano and organ, Norman Winstone on vocals, and Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and fluegelhorn. LP, Vinyl record album

Anthony Braxton on soprano, contrabass, and alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, and contrabass clarinet – with George Lewis on trombone, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Dave Holland on bass, and Barry Altschul on drums and percussion. CD

One of Braxton's best records for Arista, and a great quartet session that features Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Dave Holland on bass, and Barry Altschul on drums. The playing is extremely tight, and Braxton and Wheeler trade very sharp solos, while Holland pulls these amazing lines out of his bass. The set includes a version of "You Stepped Out Of A Dream", plus a bunch of tracks with Braxton's nutty formulas for titles. LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of fantastic recordings from Anthony Braxton – all of them at a pivotal time in his career, and each with his reed work in a very different setting! First up is the double-length album The Complete Braxton – a record that's something of a document of Anthony Braxton during his brief period with the group Circle – but a set that also offers up an expanded take on their new idea of freedoms in jazz! Braxton plays alto, soprano, clarinet, and bass clarinet – using his angular reedwork amidst his own fantastic "equation" compositions – which allow for plenty of improvisation from shifting lineups that include Chick Corea on piano, Dave Holland on bass and cello, and Barry Altschul on percussion! The tracks also feature the great Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn – playing mostly at moments when the piano of Corea drops out – and one tune also features the London Tuba Ensemble, who make for an especially bracing sound! Titles include "67M F-12", "R76", "JNK", and a bunch of those compositions that just have pictures for the title! Silence features Anthony Braxton, recorded in Paris at the end of the 60s – but in the company of two very familiar talents from his hometown – Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and Leroy Jenkins on violin! Unlike some of Braxton's other Paris recordings, there's a very strong Chicago vibe going on here – as both of the album's long tracks unfold with thoughtful, almost gentle improvisation at times – a very different current of spiritualism than the post-Coltrane world, with all players picking up other instruments at times – in that mode-shifting way that made the early AACM so wonderfully creative! The set features two side-long titles – "Silence" and "Off The Top Of My Head". Time Zones is one of Anthony Braxton's most compelling albums of the 70s – a series of sonic explorations recorded with electronic music artist Richard Teitelbaum – whose work on a variety of moog synthesizers makes for a very groundbreaking accompaniment to Braxton's work on soprano, alto, and bass clarinet! The album features two long improvisations – "Crossing" and "Behemoth Dreams" – both of which are maybe more in the organic territory of the AACM than some of the later experiments that have electronics and improvisation – a really special space that the pair create together that's different from earlier electro-acoustic work, and even the sound of MEV or AMM – a completely fresh approach to electronics in improvisation – graced with some very interesting moments from Braxton as well. CD

A killer progressive jazz session from Britain's Ian Carr – the legendary trumpeter who began as a bop player, then made the move to progressive jazz rock during the late 60s, along with about half of the country's other jazz musicians – but at a level that's still very much better than most of the rest of the pack! This album's one of the best by Carr's Nucleus group – and it's filled with excellent work by some of the scene's finest luminaries – a great lineup that includes Gordon Beck on electric piano, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, and Brian Smith and Tony Coe on a variety of reeds – all players who add a strong jazz sensibility to the proceedings! The lovely Norma Winstone sings wordless vocals on a number of tracks – and the overall sound moves from hard and "out", to tight and groovy – on titles that include "Origins", "Bull Dance", "Arena", "Naxos", and "Exultation". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer progressive jazz session from Britain's Ian Carr – the legendary trumpeter who began as a bop player, then made the move to progressive jazz rock during the late 60s, along with about half of the country's other jazz musicians – but at a level that's still very much better than most of the rest of the pack! This album's one of the best by Carr's Nucleus group – and it's filled with excellent work by some of the scene's finest luminaries – a great lineup that includes Gordon Beck on electric piano, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, and Brian Smith and Tony Coe on a variety of reeds – all players who add a strong jazz sensibility to the proceedings! The lovely Norma Winstone sings wordless vocals on a number of tracks – and the overall sound moves from hard and "out", to tight and groovy – on titles that include "Origins", "Bull Dance", "Arena", "Naxos", and "Exultation". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album ever cut by British bassist Graham Collier – a seminal set from the UK jazz scene of the 60s, and a key indication that they had as many changes going on as we did! Collier's leadership and vision for the music are impeccable – a very well-balanced blend of modernism and more personal moments – carried off beautifully by a group that includes either Harry Beckett or Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Mike Gibbs on trombone, Karl Jenkins on baritone sax, Dave Aaron on alto and flute, and Philip Lee on guitar. Collier brings an elegantly Blue Note-esque manner of scoring to the set, but also manages to delve into deeper complexities too – almost a bit of MPS exoticism at times! Titles include "Crumblin Cookie", "El Miklos", "Blue Walls", and "Conversations". CD

Tremendous work by an amazing group that's overflowing with talent – The Dedication Orchestra, an ensemble made up of some of the best living talents in British jazz from earlier years, coming together to pay tribute to partners in the music long passed! We can't even begin to fully do the lineup justice in such a small space – but we'll note that just a fraction of players include Lol Coxhill, Paul Rutherford, Evan Parker, Julie Tippetts, Elton Dean, Louis Moholo, and Kenny Wheeler – all working together with a sense of comradeship and warmth that almost surpasses collaborations of earlier years. The set features compositions by Chris McGregor, Harry Miller, Mongezi Feza, and Dudu Pukwana – and titles include "Mra", "Angel Nomali", "Bird Lives", "Ixesha", "Travelling Somewhere", "Sondela", and "Mofolo". CD

One of the hippest albums of the British jazz rock generation – a set that stretches out in ways the definitely live up to the "open mind" in the title! Bob Downes heads up the group on vocals and saxes – and he's working here with a great array of players who include Kenny Wheeler, Harry Beckett, and Ian Carr on trumpets; Chris Spedding and Ray Russell on guitars; and the great Latin player Robin Jones on percussion! Although many tracks have a rock-like structure and composition, there's also a fair bit of jazzy influences going on here too – especially on the album's funkier moments, which often mix some great work from the larger horn section from tighter rhythms at the core of the ensemble. Downes handled all arrangements, and often shows a vision that's not unlike that of Johnny Cameron at the time on similar projects. Groovers include the jazzy "Dawn Until Dawn", the Latiny groover "West II", the guitar/drum workout "Go Find Time", and the modal "Crush Hour" – plus "Don't Let Tomorrow Get You Down", "In Your Eyes", and "Gonna Take A Journey". CD

A landmark album in the evolution of British jazz – a set that mixes some of the larger arrangement style of the previous generation with the bolder energy of the new avant and rock-inspired scene of the late 60s! Michael Gibbs wrote all the material, and picked a stunning batch of musicians to express his ideas – a lineup that features solo work from Chris Spedding and Ray Russell on guitars, Alan Skidmore on tenor, Ray Warleigh on alto, Mick Pyne on piano, Chris Pyne on trombone, John Surman on soprano, and Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn – and even a bit of bass from Jack Bruce! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Holland's excellent small group sides for ECM, showcasing his angular yet swinging take on modern jazz, that sidestepped the 80s by numbers jazz molds of revisionist young lions and too smooth jazz lite. The quintet here features Julian Priester, Steve Coleman, Kenny Wheeler, and Steve Ellington, and they run through 7 numbers in all, with titles that include "Jumpin In", "First Snow", 'The Dragon & The Samurai", "New-One", "Sunrise", "Shadow Dance" and "You I Love". CD

Hauntingly beautiful work from Basil Kirchin – and an compelling criss-cross between the British jazz and avant garde worlds of the late 60s! The first part of the set features "Charcol Sketches" by Kirchin – lightly atmospheric pieces that mix together field recordings of birdsongs and mellow instrumentation that includes piano, bassoon, guitar, vibes, and sax – played by a group of musicians that includes Kenny Wheeler, Graham Lyons, Alan Parker, and Alan Branscombe. The second set of tracks is grouped together under the "States Of Mind" tag – and features work composed by Kirchin for a 1968 conference of psychiatrists and psychologists! The tracks are short, spiky, and more adventurous than the sketches tunes – and are performed by a group that includes Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Peter McGurk, Harry Stoneham, and Chris Karan. Titles include "Plaques & Tangles", "Sketch 1", "Spiked", "Head Steam", "Mrs Mantus", "Forced March", and "Folie A Deux". CD

Essential reissue of this lost avant session from 1970! The album's a bit more intense than the other Oxley album issued by Columbia UK from the same time – and it features a slightly expanded group that includes Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, and Kenny Wheeler. Tracks are long, with a searing quality that lets all soloists play unabashedly. Titles include "Amass", "Scintilla", and "Satunalia". CD

Enrico Pieranunzi on piano – with Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Chris Potter on sax, Charlie Haden on bass, and Paul Motian on drums. Includes themes from "I Vitelloni", "Amarcord", "La Dolce Vita", "La Strada", and "Le Notti Di Cabiria". CD

One of the greatest records ever by British jazz giant Ronnie Scott! Forget every hokey line you've ever heard from Ronnie's sax, or any bad joke you ever heard in his club – this is a groundbreaking set of British jazz, and it's got a stark strong sound that puts it up there with some of the best Tubby Hayes work on Fontana from the 60s! The players are all top of the line – and include John Surman on baritone and soprano sax, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Gordon Beck on piano and organ, Kenny Clare and Tony Oxley on drums (yes, both of them!), and Ray Warleigh on alto sax and flute. Most of these players are Brit modernists who'd later go farther out in the prog years of the 70s – but working here with Scott, they deliver some incredible inside performances, filled with fire and imagination, and a killer-diller sense of swing! Of course, the great Ronnie Scott's at the helm of the whole thing – and his reed work here proves that he was waaaay more than just a bop wanna-be. His tone is amazing, and his work on the reed is biting throughout the entire set – which is filled with lively tunes that blend influences that run from 60s modal Blue Note to late John Coltrane. Includes great versions of Joe Henderson's "Recorda Me" and "Marmasita", Kenny Wheeler's "Second Question", Laurie Holloway's "King Pete", and Mike Westbrook's "Too Late, Too Late". If you own one Brit jazz album from the 60s – this might just be the one! CD

One of the first albums ever from this legendary British creative force in jazz – heard here at a time when the group was a quintet – with the mighty drummer John Stevens at the lead – alongside mindblowingly fresh performances from Evan Parker on soprano sax, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Derek Bailey on guitar, and Dave Holland on bass! The players are so new to the scene that Bailey is actually billed as "Dennis" on the back of the original album cover, and Kenny is listed as "Wheel" – but they all play here with the confidence and vision that would soon make them giants – and key players who'd show the world that the UK scene was every bit as free-thinking as those in the US and Europe. The album features one long improvisation – and Bailey is especially wonderful in the setting – making these ringing notes that scatter and skitter alongside Parker's beautiful soprano work – egged on by Steven's to move freely over the drum kit. CD

A beautiful lost slice of British jazz, recorded during the crucial period before some of the scene's players went too far off the deep end! John Surman partners here with composer/leader John Warren, for a large group recording that sounds similar to some of the best early Mike Westbrook recordings. The album's comprised of a suite of 5 tracks, all played by a large group in a style that shows the best British modernist tradition of the 60's. The ensemble playing is dark and moody – but always tight at all moments. The group's soloists – like Surman, Mike Osborne, Barre Phillips, Kenny Wheeler, and others – soar out of the arrangements in tightly constructed, brilliantly realized solos that stand as some of their best work. Titles include "With Terry's Help", "We'll Make It", "The Dandelion", "The Picture Tree", and the "Tales Of The Algonquin" suite. CD

A beautiful lost slice of British jazz, recorded during the crucial period before some of the scene's players went too far off the deep end! John Surman partners here with composer/leader John Warren, for a large group recording that sounds similar to some of the best early Mike Westbrook recordings. The album's comprised of a suite of 5 tracks, all played by a large group in a style that shows the best British modernist tradition of the 60's. The ensemble playing is dark and moody – but always tight at all moments. The group's soloists – like Surman, Mike Osborne, Barre Phillips, Kenny Wheeler, and others – soar out of the arrangements in tightly constructed, brilliantly realized solos that stand as some of their best work. Titles include "With Terry's Help", "We'll Make It", "The Dandelion", "The Picture Tree", and the "Tales Of The Algonquin" suite. LP, Vinyl record album

The brilliant 3rd album from Mike Westbrook – a sharp-edged, two volume set with a scathing anti-war theme! The work is Westbrook's first total-concept album, and it's still one of his best – written with an edge that's free from some of the more whimsical touches that showed up in Mike's later years, and played by a core group of British avant soloists with searing intensity! You've never heard large group scoring like this – bold, ambitious, and quite different than most of what's come before. And although the whole thing sounds as if it's going to fall apart at any moment, it always snaps back into a sharp focus just in the nick of time – with brilliant results that bring the same sense of surprise that you might get from, say, a classic album from Charles Mingus or Archie Shepp! Players include Kenny Wheeler and Henry Lowther on trumpets, Mike Gibbs and Paul Rutherford on trombones, John Surman on baritone and soprano sax, Mike Osborne on alto and clarinet, Alan Skidmore on tenor and flute, Brian Smith on tenor, and Harry Miller and Barre Phillips on bass. Titles on this first volume include "Landscape", "Hooray", "Other World", and "Marching Song". LP, Vinyl record album

The brilliant 3rd album from Mike Westbrook – a sharp-edged, two volume set with a scathing anti-war theme! The work is Westbrook's first total-concept album, and it's still one of his best – written with an edge that's free from some of the more whimsical touches that showed up in Mike's later years, and played by a core group of British avant soloists with searing intensity! You've never heard large group scoring like this – bold, ambitious, and quite different than most of what's come before. And although the whole thing sounds as if it's going to fall apart at any moment, it always snaps back into a sharp focus just in the nick of time – with brilliant results that bring the same sense of surprise that you might get from, say, a classic album from Charles Mingus or Archie Shepp! Players include Kenny Wheeler and Henry Lowther on trumpets, Mike Gibbs and Paul Rutherford on trombones, John Surman on baritone and soprano sax, Mike Osborne on alto and clarinet, Alan Skidmore on tenor and flute, Brian Smith on tenor, and Harry Miller and Barre Phillips on bass. This set features both volumes of the recording – with titles that include "Landscape", "Hooray", "Other World", "Marching Song", "Transition", "Rosie", "Tension", "Ballad", "Conflict", and "Requiem". CD

Early John Dankworth at his best – from a time when he was really coming into his own, and turning out some excellent arrangements! The set features work from Mike Gibbs and Chris Pyne on trombones, Kenny Wheeler on trumept, Henry Lowther on cornet, Alan Branscombe on piano, and Tony Coe and Dankworth on reeds – and titles include tight compositions that still carry Dankworth's easy feel, but which also have a bit of an atonal edge to them! Includes "Hogshead of Hogarth", "Composition with Colour", "Winter Scene", "Sailor", "Face In A Crowd", "Little Girl In Blue" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of Columbia classics from trumpeter Maynard Ferguson – back to back on a single CD! First up is an album titled Ballad Style, but there's no sleepy ballads here – thanks to hip backings from British arranger Keith Mansfield – who also worked with Maynard Ferguson on some of his MF Horn sessions! As with other work of the time, Mansfield manages to keep things moving along nicely, even when mellow – and he mixes his own arrangements with orchestrations conducted by Alan Moorehouse that have some of the groovier touches of late 60s Brit Easy – even a very slight hint of a groove at the bottom of some tunes. The music is definitely in a ballad mode, but never as sleepy as you might think – and titles include "Girl Talk", "Born Free", "You Only Live Twice", "Sound Of Silence", "As Long As He Needs Me", and "The Impossible Dream". Alive & Well is equally groovy – funky big band material at its best – with hard-grooving arrangements from Brit talents who include John Cameron, Kenny Wheeler, and Keith Mansfield – all of whom mix together key elements of sound library funk with enough pure jazz to make Maynard sound great throughout. Tunes include some great groovy covers – "Move Over", "Aquarius", "My Sweet Lord", "Your Song", and "Living In The Past" – plus Mansfield's own "The Serpent". CD

Hans Koller is a saxophonist – one of the best on the German scene from the 60s onward – but he shares the stage here with a very hip array of brass players, in a mode that maybe makes the album one of Koller's most striking from the time! There's plenty of work from the leader himself on soprano and tenor – but the long tracks also feature standout solos from some of the key other musicians too – a lineup that includes Albert Mangelsdorff and Erich Kleinshuster on trombones, Ack Van Rooyen and Herbert Joos on flugelhorns, and Kenny Wheeler and Ernst Lambrecht on trumpets – most of whom you might know from their own work as leaders. Things get quite free at some points, a bit more swinging at others – and the group's held down by the work of Fritz Pauer on piano and Paul Schwarz on electric piano. Titles include "Jessica's Dream", "Last Not Least", "Festival", and "Tiger Panther & Co". CD

Blistering work from the British jazz scene of the mid 70s – a moment when there was still plenty of exciting music going on, if you just knew where to look! Pianist John Taylor works here with a fair bit of Fender Rhodes – using the instrument in these long blocks of sound that are superbly bumped forward by the bass of Chris Laurence and drums of Tony Levin – then given all these fantastic flourishes by Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Chris Pyne on trombone, and Stan Sulzman on tenor, soprano, and flute – all players who bring a stunning amount of color into the music – opening up the tunes with these really strong currents of soul! The vibe is a bit like some of the electric work by Nucleus – but more jazz, less prog – on titles that include "The Other One/1", "Interfusion", "Fragment", "For Chris", "Irene", "Room For Improvement", and "Happy Landing/Easter Eve". CD