Fantastic reedwork from Hans Koch – a player captured here at the height of his powers, on a series of live improvisations with drummer Paul Lovens, recorded during a tour of Eastern Europe in the early 90s! Koch doesn't always get his due alongside some of the bigger names of the overseas scene – but his work here is fantastic on a range of reeds – tenor, soprano, clarinet, and bass clarinet – all used with the kind of quick-thinking tones and textures you might hear from a range of players that might include Evan Parker and Mats Gustafsson! Drummer Lovens is always great too, but really seems to wrap his work here around the lead inspiration of Koch – using drums, cymbals, gongs, and even a musical saw at all the right moments, in all the right ways – on long improvisations titled "In Sofia", "In Warna", "In Plovidiv", and "In Russe". CD

A totally fantastic set from the turn of the 70s, and one of Freddie Hubbard's most soulful, spiritual albums ever – a seminal chapter in the evolution of soul jazz – and a record that was a keen inspiration for changes to come on labels like Strata East and Black Jazz! The group here features Kenny Barron on both electric and acoustic piano – really stretching out with a hip, open sort of sound – possibly his first of this type on record – and other players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Patato Valdes on added percussion – giving a more complicated groove to the best numbers. Tunes are all long and well-penned – three by Freddie himself ("Eclipse", "Spacetrack", "Gittin' Down"), one by Kenny Barron ("Black Angel"), and one by Walter Bishop (the original recording of his classic "Coral Keys"!) CD

One of Shelly Manne's best records of the 60s – largely because the group's so great! Altoist Frank Strozier was playing with Shelly at the time, and his rich talents on the alto make the record almost worth seeking out for him alone – because here, Strozier's opening up his sound a lot more than in the early days – and going for strange phrasings, sharp edges, and other unusual twists that really add a lot more spice to the set than you might expect! The rest of the group features Conte Candoli, Russ Freeman, and Monty Budwig – and in a way, the record takes off from the energy of Shelly's classic Blackhawk sessions, but with even a bit more tightly dynamic sound. Titles include "Frank's Tune", "You Name It", "Margie", and "Idle One". CD

A killer album of African-tinged jazz – recorded privately by Randy Weston in the mid 60s, and not issued formally until 1972 by Atlantic Records! The session shows Weston at the height of his modernist experiments – and at a time when his work was going largely undocumented, probably because of its progressive nature – but really flowing out with a rich Africanist inspiration, and served up with even sharper modern edges than before! His group here includes Big Black on congas, Booker Ervin on tenor, and Ray Copeland on trumpet – and Copeland also arranged all the tracks, transforming a few older numbers with the bolder spirit of the session. Titles include "Niger Mambo", "African Cookbook", "Portrait Of Vivian", and Weston's classic "Congolese Children". CD

A gem by Lee Konitz – one of his near-perfect 50s sessions for Atlantic! Lee's tone here is crisp, clear, and hauntingly fresh – modern, yet never academically so – and played with a dexterity that's incredible, but never too in love with itself to go too far. Key players on the session include guitarist Billy Bauer on side one, and bassist Peter Ind and pianist Sal Mosca on side two – both artists who fit Lee's vision perfectly, matching tone and color beautifully. Titles include great readings of "Star Eyes" and "Everything Happens To Me" – plus Konitz tunes "Kary's Trance" and "Cork N Bib" – and a reading of Peter Ind's "Nesuhi's Instant". CD

Ben Allison on bass, Ron Horton on trumpet and flugelhorn, Frank Kimbrough on piano, and Tim Horner on drums. CD

A seminal moment for the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – one of their first albums for a widely-distributed label, and an exceptionally strong live performance that really gets to the core of the group's unique approach! The material was recorded at the Ann Arbor Festival in 1972 – and has the Ensemble playing with a sense of focus and power that's even stronger than their previous indie and European records – really hitting their stride before a large live audience who totally gets their groove, and really eggs them on with enthusiastic support! As usual, the range of instrumentation is great – lots of different reeds, percussion, and brass – handled by the legendary lineup of Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors, and Don Moye. Titles include "Oouffnoon", "Ohnedaruth", "Unanka", "Immm", and "Odwalla". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

A great example of the way that Gil Evans really opened up his groove in the 70s – moving here way way past the cool jazz and third stream of earlier years – into a soulful style that's far groovier than might be expected! Part of the strength of the set is because of the players – as Gil's working with a group of younger soul jazz and spiritual soloists that include Ted Dunbar, Billy Harper, and Hannibal Marvin Peterson – as well as the older soul modernist Richard Williams. But there's also some other specifically Evans-like touches to the record that stand out – like Gil's stark notes on acoustic piano and his lighter work on the electric keys – plus a bit of inventive synthesizer from David Horowitz, who makes a few tracks really crackle with energy. Tracks include "Zee Zee", "Blues In Orbit", "Cry Of Hunger", and "Thoroughbred" – the latter two of which are lovely compositions by Billy Harper! CD

A long overdue classic from Count Basie's excellent 50s guitarist! Freddie was one of the strongest single-line players of the 50s – coming to prominence in the years before Grant Green and Wes Montgomery completely transformed jazz guitar, but never getting as much chance as those greats to record under his own name. This rare 1956 set is one of the few that Freddie ever did on his own, and it's a nicely laidback small group romp, with players that include Al Cohn, Joe Newman, Nat Pierce, and Milt Hinton. Tracks are short, with a focus on Green's guitar on the solos. Titles include "Down For Double", "Free & Easy", "Date With Ray", "Swinging Back", and "Feed Bag". CD

A real gem from Freddie Hubbard's 60s years – an all soul jazz outing, cut with a hip array of players that show that young Fred was definitely on the forefront of jazz at the time! Despite the "blues" in the title, the main groove is spiritual soul jazz – in a style that puts Freddie a few years ahead of the Strata East crew, and working here in a mode that he oddly didn't continue into the 70s. The album's got a really righteous sound overall – with long tracks that really stretch out wonderfully with rich feeling and spirit – thanks to work from players who include Weldon Irvine and Kenny Barron on piano, Bennie Maupin and James Spaulding on reeds, and Freddie Waits on drums. The set's filled with great original tunes that include Freddie's "Latina", "True Colors", and "For BP" – as well as a version of Weldon Irvine's "Can't Let Her Go". CD

A wonderful little record – a real standout in both the careers of Milt Jackson and Coleman Hawkins! The album captures Hawk during his great later years – that time when his sound was even more soulful and inventive than ever – with lots of odd modern undercurrents that really work nicely with the album's slight Latin inflections – a bit like those you might hear on some of Hawkins' Impulse Records material from the same generation. Milt Jackson's vibes are great too – chromatic and edgey, and set up with rhythm support from Kenny Burrell on guitar, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eddie Jones on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. Titles include "Indian Blues", "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Sandra's Blues", "Stuffy", and "Close Your Eyes". CD

Ruth Brown joins the big band of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis – in a set that's a real standout in the career of all three artists! Thad and Mel already have a pretty great groove going at this point – a large ensemble approach to jazz, yet one that's swingingly soulful – very much on a par with some of Gerald Wilson's hip work of the same time at time. And adding in Ruth Brown's vocals is a great choice – as she not only needs a great showcase like this for her amazing voice, but also because she really helps unlock a soulful sort of energy that the group always had in their instrumental music. The approach is a bit like some of Etta Jones' best 60s recordings – a nice shift for Brown – and titles include "Black Coffee", "Fine Brown Frame", "You Won't Let Go", "Trouble In Mind", and "Be Anything (But Be Mine)". CD

With Cam'ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and JR Writer on "Push It". 12-inch, Vinyl record

King Size Soul has always been one of Curtis' best albums from the 60's. It's got the massive funky track "Memphis Soul Stew" (which has been sampled more than once), plus some other groovy pop tracks, given the Curtis twist – like "Live For Life", "For What It's Worth", and "I Was Made To Love Her". Great Memphis Hits is almost as good, and has the King groovin on funky sax versions of some of the best Stax tracks, like "Green Onions", "The Dog", and "Hold On, I'm Comin". 22 cuts in all – and 2 LPs on one CD! CD

... CD

Tracks include "Ghetto Lifestyles", "Hip Hop Knowledge", "Get Yourself Up", "Krush Them", "Shutupayouface", "What Kinda World", "I Will Make It", "The Lessin", "Attendance", "False Pride", "Sneak Attack", "The Raptizm", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 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

With Crooked I on "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted". 12-inch, Vinyl record

Roland Hanna's certainly easy to love here – working in a free-flowing trio mode, with a fair bit more soul jazz touches than on some of his later work! Rhythm here is from Ben Tucker on bass and Roy Barnes on drums – both of whom bring in a gentle little groove that augments the more rhythmic side of Hanna's piano – taking his warmer lyrical flow, and giving it a nice sense of focus, especially on some of the standards on the set. Titles include Tucker's original "Farouk Thelonious", plus "From This Day On", "The Best Things In Life Are Free", "Night In Tunisia", "Easy To Love", and "It Never Entered My Mind". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Features pieces by Julius Drossin, Frederick Koch, Rudolph Bubalo and John White. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most compelling tributes to Duke Ellington we've ever heard – a performance of his music that really deviates from the sound of the original, yet which also keeps all the complicated spirit of Duke intact! Trumpeter Franz Koglmann is really at the helm of the core groups on the set – leading the Monoblue Quartet on some tracks, an ensemble that features Tony Coe on clarinet and tenor, Burkhard Stangl on guitar, and Klaus Koch on bass – and the Pipe Trio on others, with Rudolf Ruschel on trombone and Raoul Herget on tuba. Lee Konitz joins in on alto with both ensembles, save for one track – and the whole record is a brilliant piano-less and drum-less outing that has the horns coming together in ways that are almost inspired by Jimmy Giuffre, but which take on some richer chromatic tones in their exploration of Ellington themes. The whole record really opens up the Ellington concept tremendously – and titles include "Love Is In My Heart", "Lament For Javanette", "Ko Ko", "Zweet Zurzday", "Pyramid", and "The Mooche" – plus a few variations on "Thoughts About Duke", an original by Koglmann. CD

Andrzej Korzynski composed these wonderful tracks for a successful Polish film issued elsewhere under the title Big Deal – but the sounds within are so great on their own, they don't even need a movie to stand as a testament to Korzynski's genius! The composer was easily one of the most inventive on the Eastern European scene – and even in a mainstream movie like this, he not only brings to play this amazing understanding of the possibilities of conventional instruments, but also created a heck of a lot more music than was actually used in the film – which means that the 22 track LP features almost double the amount of never-heard music than the director put up on screen – most of which is even more amazing than the music on the original soundtrack! LP, Vinyl record album

Andrzej Korzynski composed these wonderful tracks for a successful Polish film issued elsewhere under the title Big Deal – but the sounds within are so great on their own, they don't even need a movie to stand as a testament to Korzynski's genius! The composer was easily one of the most inventive on the Eastern European scene – and even in a mainstream movie like this, he not only brings to play this amazing understanding of the possibilities of conventional instruments, but also created a heck of a lot more music than was actually used in the film – which means that the 22 track CD features almost double the amount of never-heard music than the director put up on screen – most of which is even more amazing than the music on the original soundtrack! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a sweet title, but a very hard groove – a stone stormer from Japanese drummer Takeo Moriyama – put together with these soaring reed lines that almost make the whole thing feel like an early 70s album from Elvin Jones! There's a very spiritual feel to the music at times – a searching quality that comes through especially in the work on tenor from Yoshio Kuniyasu, and additional flute and alto from Kochi Matsukze – as well as in the piano from Fumio Itabashi, who works here with his best modal impulses – really building up the groove in a wonderful way, and helping to keep the whole thing as soulful as some of the best US work of this nature from the mid 70s. Tracks are all originals, in Japanese – save for the group's version of the famous title tune, which offers up one mellower moment. LP, Vinyl record album

You've never heard of The Winston Brothers before, but their music is definitely familiar – as the group features players from funk combos Mighty Mocambos, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, and Hamburg Spinners – coming together here with an equally great sense of groovy energy! The rhythms are nice and funky, with plenty of heavy drums from Lucas Kochbeck – but there's also a great ear for the odd offbeat sound, which really keeps things interesting – elements that sneak into the mix and give the record way more of an edge than just a funky combo trying to evoke the glory days. Titles include "One Thing", "Free Ride", "Brother's Strut", "Think", "Metering", "Drift", "Hang On", "Boiling Pot", and "Winston Theme". CD

You've never heard of The Winston Brothers before, but their music is definitely familiar – as the group features players from funk combos Mighty Mocambos, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, and Hamburg Spinners – coming together here with an equally great sense of groovy energy! The rhythms are nice and funky, with plenty of heavy drums from Lucas Kochbeck – but there's also a great ear for the odd offbeat sound, which really keeps things interesting – elements that sneak into the mix and give the record way more of an edge than just a funky combo trying to evoke the glory days. Titles include "One Thing", "Free Ride", "Brother's Strut", "Think", "Metering", "Drift", "Hang On", "Boiling Pot", and "Winston Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

A slightly smaller take on the Ellington sound – but one that's still a bit fuller than you might guess from the "Small Bands" on the cover! There's definitely a more intimate feel here than usual – especially given the size of ensembles Duke was working with in the 60s – but the approach is more like some of the earliest Ellington combos, a full feel as most of the group works tightly together, while one soloist snakes out with some deeply soulful lines on his own! The first six tracks here feature "The Combo Suite" – recorded in 1967, with some especially nice horn work from Johnny Hodges on alto, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Cat Anderson on trumpet, and Lawrence Brown on trombone. Remaining tracks were recorded in 1970, in New York and Las Vegas – and include "Noon Mooning", "Rockochet", "All Too Soon", and "Tippy Toeing Through The Jungle Garden". CD

Four altos in perfect formation – a record that captures a young Phil Woods at the height of his powers, and offers a rare non-baritone set from the great Sahib Shihab! The style here is similar to the Prestige tenor blowing sessions of the time – with core rhythms by a trio that features Mal Waldron on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – and altos from the four players in the lead – coming together a bit at the start, then breaking off into some really wonderful solo work that's arguably tighter and better executed than most tenor sessions of this type! Titles include "Pedal Eyes", "Kokochee", "No More Nights", "Kinda Kanonic", and "Staggers". LP, Vinyl record album