A surprisingly heavy-duty set from bassist Lonnie Plaxico – featuring a few tunes that get nice and funky, next to others that open up in a sweetly soulful mode! The drummer on the set – Lionel Cardew – has a nice kick on the kit on the more upbeat numbers, giving the group a full-on feel that really sets the stage for plenty of action. And on the mellower numbers, Plaxico's taking on more of the rhythms – curving the tunes with his warm tones on the bass, and bringing out some nice work from trumpeter Alexander Norris and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland. Titles include "A Shorter Take", "Jumping Jacks", "Cachao's Dance", "Senor Silver", and "Along Came Benny". CD

Titles include "Doctor Drums", "Isn't It So", "Subterfuge", "New York Second Line", and "Duck Steps". With Blanchard on trumpet, Harrison on alto, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Will Boulware on piano – with Richard Bona on bass, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Billy Kilson on drums. CD

Cecil's smoking on the cover, and he's smoking on the record too – really cooking things up in the best old school soul jazz style of his Muse Records years! The album was recorded live in New Jersey, and it's proof that plenty of great jazz was still coming from west of the Hudson in the early 90s – a time not nearly as documented as earlier years on the Jersey scene, but still a time of great players and hip local nightspots like the Trumpets club in which the album was recorded. Brooks' tight work on drums is very firmly at the helm of the set, and other players include Antonio Hart on alto, Ravi Coltrane on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, Stephen Scott on piano, and Lonnie Plaxico on bass – working with Cecil in a set that also includes a fair bit of original numbers by the group. Titles include "Gordon's Maze", "Fried Bananas", "And Another Thang", "2AM In The Village", "The Third", and "Montclair". CD

Andrew Hill on piano – with Robin Eubanks on trombone, Greg Osby on alto and soprano sax, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Cecil Brooks III on drums. CD

Hannibal made some mighty wonderful music in the 70s – and he really carries that tradition strongly forward on this overlooked gem from the early 90s! The album's not as boldly righteous as some of Peterson's dates for MPS, but it's still got a hell of a lot of soul – a well-blown trumpet line right out in front, and a soaring, spiritual undercurrent that makes even familiar tunes sparkle with a subtle sense of power. As always with Hannibal's records, the choice of players is great – Joe Ford on alto and tenor, Michael Cochrane on piano, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, Cecil Brooks III on drums, and Jeff Haynes on percussion – players that fit the Muse Records setting of the date, but seem to rise to new levels in Peterson's company. Titles include "Echoes", "Revelation", "Nile's Song", "One With The Wind", "Change Is Going To Come", and "Glow". CD

Jacky Terrasson on piano, Lonnie Plaxico and Kenny Davis on bass, Mino Cinelu on percussion, and Cassandra Wilson on vocals. CD

Features Greg Osby on alto, Jason Moran on piano, Lonnie Plaxico and Calvin Jones on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. Tracks include "Six Of One", "Transparency", "Mentor's Prose", "Vixen's Vance", "Of Sound Mind", and "13th Floor". CD

Accompanied by Mulgrew Miller on piano, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums. CD

Features Steve Coleman on alto – with Geri Allen on piano, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums – plus guest work from Graham Haynes on trumpet, Mark Johnson on drums, and Cassandra Wilson on vocals. Titles include "Irate Blues", "Another Level", "Wights Waits For Weights", "The Glide Was In The Ride", and "Motherland Pulse". CD

With Mick Goodrick on electric guitar, Greg Osby on alto and soprano, Lonnie Plaxico on acoustic and electric bass, and Gary Thomas on tenor, flute, and bass clarinet. LP, Vinyl record album

Helen Sung on piano, Seamus Blake on tenor and soprano saxophone, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. CD

Some great work from the second wave of Muse Records soul jazz – sessions recorded in the late 80s and early 90s by young lion drummer Cecil Brooks – and featuring a host of great sidemen from his generation, including Greg Osby, Geri Allen, Lonnie Plaxico, Benny Green, Phillip Harper, and Ravi Coltrane. There's a loose and free feel to the sides that's quite different from some of the work the players were cutting at bigger labels – a relaxed soul jazz mode that still also has a nice "snap" on most of the tracks, thanks to Brooks' tight conception of jazz drumming. The set features tracks from the albums The Collective, Smokin Jazz, Hanging With Smooth, and Neck Peckin – and titles include "Swamp Thang", "And Another Thang", "West Coast Blues", "Sunshine", "Creepin", and "One By One". CD

Features Don Byron on clarinet and bass clarinet, Lonnie Plaxico and Reggie Workman on bass, Pheeroan Aklaff and Ralph Peterson Jr on drums, Kenny Davis on electric bass, Bill Frisell on guitar, Richie Schwarz on marimba, Edsel Gomez and Joe Berkovitz on piano, Greta Buck on violin, and Sadiq as the poet. CD

A post-ECM set from drummer Jack DeJohnette – one that's got a bit more electricity in the mix than before, yet which still has that great sense of energy that Jack gave us with his Special Edition group! The lineup here is youthful – Greg Osby on alto and soprano sax, Gary Thomas on tenor and flute, Michael Cain on acoustic and electric piano, and Lonnie Plaxico on acoustic and electric bass – and while the keyboards and bass definitely inform the rhythm at points, Jack's own bold command of the drums still holds the session tight – and moves things forward with a boundless sense of energy that really sets the horns on fire. Titles include "Blue", "Where Or When", "Earth Walk", "On Golden Beams", "Monk's Plumb", "Lydia", and "It's Time To Wake Up & Dream". CD

Features Gary Thomas on saxes and flute, Marvin Sewell on guitar, Michael Cain on keyboards, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Bobby McFerrin on vocals. CD

Later work from Bunky Green – the Chicago alto player who recorded famously for Chess and Vee Jay – working here with Jason Moran on piano, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums. CD

With Lonnie Plaxico on acoustic & electric bass, Greg Osby on alto & soprano sax, Eddie Bobo on bongos & guiro, Cecil Brooks III on drums & Gary Thomas on tenor sax & flute. CD

With Mick Goodrick on electric guitar, Greg Osby on alto and soprano, Lonnie Plaxico on elecric and acoustic bass, and Gary Thomas on tenor and flute, with special guest Nana Vasconcelos on percussion and vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Greg Osby on alto and soprano, Kevin Eubanks on guitar, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Paul Samuels on drums – plus guest vocals by Cassandra Wilson and Amina Claudine Myers, and additional keys from Rene Rosnes. CD

Features Steve Coleman on alto, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jean-Paul Bourelly on guitar, and Lonnie Plaxico on bass. CD