A fantastic bit of funky jazz from German maestro Peter Herbholzheimer – an artist with a name that may not roll off the tongue, but whose groove is right up there with the best American artists of the CTI generation! Peter first got his start on the MPS label earlier in the 70s, and this sweet little set really follows in that best tradition – with larger arrangements that evoke some of the best 70s funky soundtrack modes, but with lots more room for jazzy solo work – including solos from Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn, tenor and soprano sax from Ferdinand Povel, guitar from Eef Albers, organ from Dieter Reith, and even an electric trombone from Jiggs Whigham! Soul singer Inga Rumpf joins the group on versions of "Spirit" and "Superstition" – and other tunes include "Hipwalk", "Butterfly", "Stoned Cockatoo", "Jive Samba", and "Neosho" – all great! LP, Vinyl record album

The United Jazz & Rock Ensemble present two tribute albums – both dedicated to players who really helped forge the sounds of jazz and rock together in the 70s! Plays Wolfgang Dauner is a record based around cuts composed by the legendary German keyboardist – some during his years at MPS – and the group here features Dauner on both piano and keyboards, plus Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, Charlie Mariano on saxes, Kenny Wheeler and Ian Carr on trumpets, Volker Kriegel on guitar, Barbara Thompson on flute and sax, and Eberhard Weber on bass – an all-star fusion lineup who really sparkle on cuts that include "Trans Tans", "Capriccio Funky", "Bebop Scat", "Boorcet", "The Love That Cannot Speak Its Name", and "Ausgeschlafen". Plays Volker Kriegel is a record that features the legendary German guitarist in an all-hip group of European players – including Kenny Wheeler, Ian Carr, and Ack Van Royen on trumpets, Charlie Mariano on alto, Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, Wolfgang Dauner on piano, and Eberhard Weber on bass – all moving nicely through some originals by Kriegel, with some great echoes of 70s German fusion. Titles include "Stumbling Henry's Divorce March", "Circus Gambet", "Garberville", "Don't Follow The Follow Me Sign", "Double Bind", and "Balance". CD

A seminal bit of work from Mike Westbrook – recorded back in the early years of his career, when he still had a pretty sharp edge! Like Westbrook's first few albums on Decca, this set features the British avant jazz maestro playing piano with a large ensemble of some of England's finest jazzmen – including Ray Warleigh, Alan Skidmore, Harry Beckett, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Rutehrford, and Harry Miller. Norma Winstone sings on a few tracks, bringing in her lovely voice in the way that she does on Westbrook's best albums – but overall, the set's a bit more out there and more avant than some of his earlier work, but still has the majestic cohesiveness that makes his work of the time so great. The work is one long piece, split into 9 segments. CD

The title gets it right – as the set features some of the coolest, hippest British jazz of the late 60s and early 70s – served up here in a special package that features nine never-issued tracks! The work here is all by giants who really helped open doors and let British jazz musicians find their own voice at the time – moving past familiar hardbop modes that dominated the UK scene in the earlier part of the decade, and stretching out with styles that would also have a big impact on the rock and prog generations too. It's fantastic to hear so many gems in one set, all fresh to our ears and a great complement to some of our classic recordings by these artists – in a set list that includes "Old Established Bradford Mill Owners" by Graham Collier, "Hstzwch" by Tony Coe & Kenny Wheeler, "Devon Dance" by Don Rendell & Barbara Thompson, "Samba Six" by John Dankworth, "What Time Is It" by Brian Miller, "British Rail (Paris version)" by Pat Smythe, "Marco" by Dudu Pukwana, "Skid & Badger" by John Surman, and "Sixes & Nines" by John Stevens. CD

Composed and directed by Graham Collier, Geoff Warren on alto saxophone and flute, Art Themen, Juhanni Aaltonen, and Matthias Schubert on alto and tenor saxophone, John Surman on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet, Conny Bauer, Eje Thelinm and Malcolm Griffiths on trombone, Henry Lowther, Kenny Wheeler, Manfred Schoof, Ted Curson, and Tomasz Stanko on trumpet and flugelhorn, David Powell on tuba, Ed Speight and John Schroder on electric guitar, Roger Dean on piano, Paul Bridge on bass, and Ashley Brown on drums and percussion. CD

A never-issued studio session from the 70s – one that has Stan Getz working with a really superb group that includes Joanne Brackeen on electric and acoustic piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all exploring the kind of territory that we loved on Stan's classic mid 70s albums on Columbia! The set's on Steeplechase, but this isn't one of those EU live albums with long takes of standards – and instead, the group have a warm, intimate, really cohesive style that's completely great – almost a bridge between Stan's Captain Marvel album and the Concord sessions to come. Titles include some really great song choices – versions of Milton Nascimento's "Cancao Do Sal" and Kenny Wheeler's "Quiso" – plus the classic tune "Litha" by Chick Corea, which Stan recorded so wonderfully in the past. Other titles include "Blue Serge", "I Remember Clifford", and "Lady Sings The Blues" LP, Vinyl record album

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

Smoking work from Don Rendell – one of the sharpest-sounding tenors of the British scene in the postwar years! Don's got a crisp way of handling his sax that's a bit different than more familiar countrymen Ronnie Scott or Tubby Hayes – a style that's slightly modern in tone, but somewhat more swing-based in execution – with a nice sort of tension that comes through well in this classic set from the 50s! The group here is The Jazz Six – a lineup that features Ronnie Ross on alto and baritone, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, and Ken Moule on piano – all top-shelf players who really help Rendell keep up his groove. Titles include "I Saw Stars", "I Know Why", "Out Of Nowhere", "Star Eyes", and the "Ignis Fatuus Suite". CD also features 7 great bonus tracks too – 6 titles from the album Tenorama, which features additional tenor from Jimmy Skidmore and Roy Sidwell, and drums by Phil Seamen – on cuts that include "Just You Just Me", "Curio", "Blue Major", "Roy Leaps Out", and "Don't You Know I Care". The final bonus track is from the album All The Winners – and features a version of The Jazz Six on the track "Rush Job". CD

A beautifully soulful setting for the tenor saxophone of George Adams – a record that provides a nice balance to some of Adams' other European records of the same period, by unlocking a side of his talents that's almost more painterly and personal! Yet George's strong sense of a group is also firmly in place here – this is hardly a mellow, spacious ECM session – as Adams works tightly with the second tenor of the great Heinz Sauer, in a sextet that also includes Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Richard Beirach on piano, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Wheeler's luminescent tone is a wonderful match for the two tenors – and the rhythm trio shifts effortlessly between swinging energy and looser moments. Titles include "Stay Informed", "Baba", "Imani's Dance", "A Spire", and "Got Something Good For You". CD

Jane Ira Bloom on soprano saxophone – with Kenny Wheeler on flugerhorn and trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Fred Hersch on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Bobby Previte on drums. 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 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

With Allan Holdsworth, Kenny Wheeler, Jeff Berlin, Dave Stewart, and Annette Peacock. LP, Vinyl record album

Two jazz rock classics – back to back as a 2CD set! Solar Plexus was a pivotal album in the career of British jazzman Ian Carr – one that had him really opening up into some trippy, spacey grooves – adding in a lot of keyboards, kicking up the grooves, yet still never losing the strong jazzy finish that was the best part of his earlier work. Players on the set include trumpeters Harry Beckett and Kenny Wheeler, guitarist Chris Spedding, and keyboardist Karl Jekins, who really throws in some groovy lines on the set! Titles include "Elements 1 & 2", "Snakehips Dream", "Torso", "Spirit Level", and "Bedrock Deadlock". Belladonna is one of the heaviest electric sets from UK trumpeter Ian Carr – and that's really saying a lot, given how much heavy work he cut with his group Nucleus! The sound here is a groundbreaking mix of acoustic horns and keyboards – trumpet from Carr, and a mix of tenor, soprano, alto, and flute from Brian Smith – coming into contact with the Fender Rhodes of Dave MacRae and the Hohner electric of Gordon Beck! The pairing of keys is wonderful – and the whole thing is sewn together by the guitar of a young Allan Holdsworth, who's very much in the sway of Carr's sound here, instead of the later directions he'd take as a leader. The set might be worth it alone for the massive "Summer Rain" – a slow funk track that trips along beautifully – but the whole thing's great, and other titles include "Belladonna", "Mayday", "Suspension", and "Hector's House". CD

One of the greatest long-form albums from the Clarke Boland Big Band – a sophisticated suite that not only shows off the writing ability of Francy Boland, but also demonstrates the group's ability to swing like a mofo, even when things are serious! The album's a jazz suite written by Boland, and dedicated to the great prisons of England – where Johnny Griffin was once kept "At Her Majesty's Pleasure", due to non-payment of some income tax. The experience of Griffin led Boland to explore the idea of the British penal system with a number of powerful emotional themes, and the result of this writing is one of the CBBB's best albums of the late 60s – filled with rich colors and tones that go far beyond the earlier modes of the group, but without some of the too-complicated elements that sometimes show up in later suites. A good part of the album's success comes from the strength of the soloists – players who include Johnny Griffin and Ronnie Scott on tenor, Tony Coe on clarinet, Sahib Shihab on flute and soprano, Kenny Wheeler and Benny Bailey on trumpets, and Ake Persson and Nat Peck on trombones. Titles include "Pentonville", "Wormwood Scrubs", "Doing Time", "Broadmoor", and "Going Straight". LP, Vinyl record album

Stellar early 70s work from John Dankwork – in a 2CD set! Full Circle is simply one of the greatest albums we've ever heard from the Brit maestro – a big band album as in earlier years, but one done with lots of hip 70s touches! The feel here is halfway between that of sound library grooving and some of the larger group 70s sessions on MPS – often funky at times, but with freshly modern solo work that breaks out from the larger ensemble nicely to accentuate the mood of the tunes. Players include Alan Branscombe on vibes, John Taylor on piano, Joe Moretti on guitar, and Kenny Wheeler on trumpet – and tunes include Mike Vickers' "Eleven Plus", Mike Gibbs' "A Family Joy" and "Triple Portrait", Keith Jarrett's "Grow Your Own", and Dankworth's "Academy One" and "Earthman". Also features a nice bass-y take on "You Are Too Beautiful". Lifeline is another great one – also reminding us of some of the larger MPS projects of the same time. The tracks have a bit of an electric glow in the basswork and production, but the main focus is on acoustic big band grooving – with breakout solos, and some tighter ensemble passages. Includes the sweet suite "Lifeline", which has a few funky moments – plus"Tomorrow's World", "WRVR", and "Fighting The Flab". Players include Don Rendell, Tony Hymas, Ken Gibson, and Dankworth himself. CD

A beautiful double-length package of work from drummer Louis Moholo – a 2CD set that features one record from recent years, and a key classic from the 70s! Spirits Rejoice is one of the strongest 70s statements from ex-Blue Notes drummer Moholo – recorded in the company of fellow expatriots and UK avant jazzers that include Johnny Dyani, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Nick Evans, Radu Malfatti, and Harry Miller. The album shifts easily between strongly rhythmic passages that show Moholo's roots in the South African jazz scene, and other, freer sections that also illustrate his importance in the European avant scene of the 70s – and overall, the record's got a beautifully soulful quality that guides it well through all of these moments. Titles include "Wedding Hymn", "Khanya Apho Ukhona", "Ithi Gqi", "Amaxesha Osizi", and "You Ain't Gonna Know Me". That record is followed here by 1995's Bra Louis Bra Tebs – a session with a similar style, especially in its use of African-inspired rhythms – but one that also features a different lineup, and some great use of vocals! Francine Luce sings on a number of the album's best tracks – in a style that's almost an avant-tuned approach to vocalese, and which seems to carry echoes of Norma Winstone – a voice that's dreamy one minute, challenging the next – and often used as a key instrument in the combo's lineup of tenor, alto, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums. Titles include "Utshaka", "Maybe Of Cause", "Moegoe", "Sonke", and "Lakutshona Ilanga". 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

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

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

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". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the beautiful ECM efforts from guitarist Ralph Towner – who plays 12 string and classical guitars, plus piano, and French horn – with help from Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Eddie Gomez on bass, David Darling on cello, and Michael Di Pasqua on drums and percussion! CD

Unreleased work from alto genius Joe Harriott – two different slices of material from a very under-recorded point in his career! The first five tracks feature Joe in that back to basics mode he was hitting at the time – working in a unique group that features Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Pat Smythe on piano, Ron Mathewson on bass, and Bill Eyden on drums – all players who are very open to modern ideas, but who also keep things on more of a groove here – with only a bit of the freedom that Harriott was bringing to his music a few years before! And yet there's still a great tension that makes the set great – swinging jazz mixed with modernism – on titles that include the Horace Silver tunes "Down & Out" and "Psychedelic Sally", plus "WSIMC", "Chronology", and "Shadows". The remaining two tracks on the set feature Joe in a very different setting – the large group of Harry South – the kind of mod jazz in 60s London, working here with a superb lineup that also features Kenny Wheeler and Ian Hamer on trumpets, Ray Warleigh on alto and flute, and Tubby Hayes and Alan Skidmore on tenor saxes! Tunes include the very swinging "Themeology" by South – plus a richly full take on "My Man's Gone Now". CD

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