Underground spiritual sounds from Diego Gaeta – the first set we've heard from him as a leader, and hopefully not the last! Diego leads the lineup on piano, often evoking some of the deeper spiritual traditions on the LA scene – from the Horace Tapscott generation up through the world of Carlos Nino – yet there's also a leaner approach at times too, as light strings are mixed with core instrumentation on flute, tenor, vibes, and guitar – with occasional guest vocals from singers who include Jimetta Rose and Moore Mother! There's a really gentle sense of flowering on the tunes, which makes for a wonderfully distinct album – and titles include "Memorial", "The World & Within", "Caracal", "Fearlessly", "Soft Spot", "Eccolo", and "Uprising". LP, Vinyl record album

Diego Rivera has a very classic look on the cover – and the record comes across with a very classic vibe as well – back to the days of Sonny Stitt or Hank Mobley, when a top-shelf saxophonist set up in a quartet was more than enough to make some really special magic on record! That's definitely the case here – as Rivera blows both tenor and soprano with a mixture of deeper tones and lighter colors, in a voice that's very much his own – mostly on shorter original tracks, save for one take on a John Coltrane number that stretches out nice and long. The compactness is key to the sound, as Diego packs a heck of a lot into the three to five minute space of most tracks – working with a great rhythm trio that features Art Hirihara on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. Titles include the originals "Ganas", "Soul Purpose", "Anticipation", "Composure", "Simon", "La Malinche", and "Battle Fatigue" – plus a nice take on "Alabama". CD

Diego Rivera has a very classic look on the cover – and the record comes across with a very classic vibe as well – back to the days of Sonny Stitt or Hank Mobley, when a top-shelf saxophonist set up in a quartet was more than enough to make some really special magic on record! That's definitely the case here – as Rivera blows both tenor and soprano with a mixture of deeper tones and lighter colors, in a voice that's very much his own – mostly on shorter original tracks, save for one take on a John Coltrane number that stretches out nice and long. The compactness is key to the sound, as Diego packs a heck of a lot into the three to five minute space of most tracks – working with a great rhythm trio that features Art Hirihara on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. Titles include the originals "Ganas", "Soul Purpose", "Anticipation", "Composure", "Simon", "La Malinche", and "Battle Fatigue" – plus a nice take on "Alabama". CD

An obscure gospel group, but a great one too – thanks to plenty of secular soul inflections in their music, which gives these classic tracks a real crossover appeal! The group hail from San Diego, maybe a bit farther off the gospel map – and they've got this warm way of blending subtle spiritual messages with groovy modern soul styles – groovers on most of the cuts, which are taken from the two rare albums by the group – one from 1979, the other from 1983. The feel is somewhere in the territory of the Clark Sisters at their best – maybe slightly less clubby overall – and titles include "I Feel The Spirit", "No Need To Worry", "Third Day", "He'll Make Everything Alright", "The Time Is Right", and "Psalms 24". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album of soulful hardbop from the mid 70s – one that features the classic VSOP group with Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all nicely returned to the acoustic splendor of their early years! After the excesses of some of the more fusion-based jazz supergroups of the time, VSOP are a real breath of fresh air – proving that straight, strong work in a classic Blue Note mode could still be as captivating as ever – even in the highly electric decade of the 70s! Tracks were recorded live in Berkeley and San Diego – and titles include "One Of A Kind", "Jessica", "Little Waltz", "Byrdlike", "Dolores", and "Third Plane". CD

A classic album of soulful hardbop from the mid 70s – one that features the classic VSOP group with Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all nicely returned to the acoustic splendor of their early years! After the excesses of some of the more fusion-based jazz supergroups of the time, VSOP are a real breath of fresh air – proving that straight, strong work in a classic Blue Note mode could still be as captivating as ever – even in the highly electric decade of the 70s! Tracks were recorded live in Berkeley and San Diego – and titles include "One Of A Kind", "Jessica", "Little Waltz", "Byrdlike", "Dolores", and "Third Plane". LP, Vinyl record album

A Japanese only release of most of the material from the original US VSOP set – a classic album of soulful hardbop from the mid 70s – one that features the classic VSOP group with Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all nicely returned to the acoustic splendor of their early years! After the excesses of some of the more fusion-based jazz supergroups of the time, VSOP are a real breath of fresh air – proving that straight, strong work in a classic Blue Note mode could still be as captivating as ever – even in the highly electric decade of the 70s! Tracks were recorded live in Berkeley and San Diego – and titles include "One Of A Kind", "Jessica", "Darts", "Byrdlike", "Dolores", and "Third Plane". LP, Vinyl record album

Volume 2 of a classic live album by Gerry – expanded to include the entire concert recorded in December of 1954 in San Diego. The group's a great one – and features Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer, Larry Bunker, Red Mitchell, and Jon Eardley – and this version is expanded a lot from the original album, with 14 titles that include "Nights At The Turntable", "Blues For Tiny", "Frenesi", "Limelight", "The Red Door", "Western Reunion", and "I Know Don't Know Why". CD

Diego Rivera's a hell of a tenorist – and he plays a bit of soprano too – packing a heck of a lot into just a little bit of space, almost with the mix of hardbop and soul jazz we'd hear from 60s favorites like Benny Golson or Jerome Richardson! As with both of those artists, Rivera's got a way of making his presence known right from the start – but then never needs to overstate himself – as his playing is always right on the money, with just the right notes along the way – supported here by a crack quartet that features Helen Sung on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Donald Edwards on drums – plus trumpet from Etienne Charles on three of the album's twelve tracks. Many tunes are originals by Diego – just the right material for his balance of expression – and titles include "Indigenous", "Sombras Del Pasado", "Secret Life Of Plants", "Melina Maria", "BLM Plaza", "Shir Lashalom", and "Purpose". CD

The title says "Garden State", but the material's from California – but we'll forgive the producers of the CD for that, given that they don't live in the US! Disc 1 features a really unusual 70s recording from Art Pepper – quite different than most of his better-known work from the time! The group alone is enough to indicate the unusual quality of the set – as it's larger than usual, with a great lineup that includes Harold Land and Buddy Collette on tenor, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, and Butch Lacy on electric piano – all coming together with a magically free-flowing and soulful sound – recorded in San Diego in 1975. The presence of the electric piano touches the set with a nice degree of electricity – but the real energy comes from the fantastic horn interplay, stretching out nicely over the album's 3 long tracks. Titles include "Blue's Blue", "Milestones", and "Over The Rainbow". Disc 2 features Art Pepper playing at a 1975 tribute to Charlie Parker, recorded in Pasadena with a lineup that includes Joe Albany on piano, Roy Porter on drums, Sahib Shihab on baritone sax, and Harry Babasin on bass. That quintet of players is enough to get our interest on this one – and we've got to say that the blend of baritone and alto is really great – and handled here with an open-blowing spirit that really keeps our imagination up on the set's long interpretations of Parker classics. The sound quality is a bit "live", but the quality of the solos shines through tremendously – and titles include "Groovin High", "All The Things You Are", "Ornithology", and "Donna Lee" – all over 10 minutes in length! This material was previously available on 2 separate, expensive Japanese CDs – now out at a nice low price! CD