A pivotal album in the career of saxophonist Lou Donaldson – a set that really has him finding his own groove – a slow-stepping, soul-drenched mode that's a nice change from the bop of his roots! A key part of the record's charm is conga work by Ray Barretto – a player used often on early soul jazz dates like this – not in the Latin style of Ray's bigger work to come, but more in this extra-percussion mode that's a great blend with the drum work in the group by Dave Bailey – creating this mellow groove that's a great platform for Lou's smoking solos on alto! The rest of the group is great too – the wonderful Herman Foster on piano, plus Peck Morrison on bass – a great match for Bailey – on titles that include "Play Ray", "Callin' All Cats", and "Blues Walk". CD

An overlooked later album from alto player Lou Donaldson – done both after his 60s Blue Note work, and his 70s material for bigger labels – and a great back to basics session all the way through! Lou is reunited with the great Herman Foster on piano – a player who made some of his early 60s pre-funk records really sound so great – and the duo take off with all the warmth and spontaneous imagination of those excellent early years – getting help in the quartet from Geoff Fuller on bass and Victor Jones on drums. Titles include "Confirmation", "Whiskey Drinkin Woman", "This Is Happiness", "Exactly Like You", "Don't Blame Me", "Melancholy Baby", and Donaldson's terrific centerpiece "Tracy". CD

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An early 60s killer from Lou Donaldson – one that more than lives up to the promise of its great cover and compelling title! The lineup has Lou blowing in an easy, soulful style – working with a combo that includes Herman Foster on piano, Ben Tucker on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – plus additional conga work by Alec Dorsey, which gives the session a wonderfully rolling groove. The tunes lope along with a nice mellow vibe – that midtempo rolling soul jazz mode that Prestige was also handling at the time, with a touch of Latin from the congas – and Lou blows it clean and lean on titles that include "Gravy Train", "Twist Time", "Avalon", and "South Of The Border". CD

Quite an unusual Lou Donaldson album for Blue Note – much more open-ended than his other sets, with a really hard-jamming sort of sound! Unlike some of Donaldson's tighter dates of the long-form blowing session, much more of the date you'd expect to hear from Prestige in the late 50s – and a bit like some of the work that Lou did on some of Jimmy Smith's all-star blowing dates from the same time. The group's a great one – a sextet with Donaldson on alto, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Sonny Clark on piano, Jamil Nasser on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – the last of whom is very much at home in the setting, and does a great job of directing the energy of the group. The album's only got four long tracks – and titles include "Sputnik", "Dewey Square", "Groovin High", and "Strollin In". CD

Great early material from Lou Donaldson – with a hard-hitting bop sound missing from his later work! The tracks are short, raw, and lively – and filled with the kind of pre-hardbop soul that Donaldson was infusing into jazz, along with other players on the material – like Horace Silver on piano, Art Blakey on drums, and Blue Mitchell on trumpet – all of whom make key early appearances here. The material is from rare 10" LPs – originally recorded in the early 50s, but packaged in a full album by Blue Note for the legendary 1500 series! Titles include "Moe's Bluff", "Roccus", "Sweet Juice", "Down Home", and "The Stroller". CD

A beautiful album of mellow-grooving tracks from Lou Donaldson – recorded during his rich post-bop late 50s years, and done with a wonderfully warm sound! The group features Horace Parlan on piano, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Laymon Jackson on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – plus Ray Baretto added in on conga, giving the whole session a little bit of a kick with a light Latinish groove on the best numbers! The rhythm's nice and skittish – lightly leaping around on even the quieter numbers, and letting Lou blow his alto in the strongly rhythmic mode that was starting to appear in his recordings of the time. Titles include "Crosstown Shuffle", "Mack The Knife", "Be My Love", and "Lou's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Very hip early stuff from Lou – playing here in a bop-heavy mode with Clifford Brown, Elmo Hope, Percy Heath, and Philly Joe Jones! The set will open up a whole new side of Donaldson's playing if you only know his funky Blue Note sides of the late 60s – and in the company of players like this, he keeps his bop chops up nice and sharp! Tracks include "Carving The Rock", "De Dah", "Brownie Speaks", and "Bellarosa". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent funky work from Lou Donaldson – and a groundbreaking record that was the first to feature him playing on Blue Note with drummer Idris Muhammad – who is listed on the session under his birth name, Leo Morris! Muhammad gives the album that crackling funky bottom sound that instantly defined Lou's later years at Blue Note – a hard and heavy approach to soul jazz that's had incredible repercussions in the world of hip hop, as well as soul and funk. The rest of the group features soul jazz burners Lonnie Smith on organ, Melvin Lastie on trumpet, and George Benson on guitar – and the album includes the highly successful "Alligator Boogaloo", plus hard groovers "The Thang", "Aw Shucks!", and "One Cylinder". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 9 tracks – from hardbop to heavy funk! CD

A pivotal album in the career of saxophonist Lou Donaldson – a set that really has him finding his own groove – a slow-stepping, soul-drenched mode that's a nice change from the bop of his roots! A key part of the record's charm is conga work by Ray Barretto – a player used often on early soul jazz dates like this – not in the Latin style of Ray's bigger work to come, but more in this extra-percussion mode that's a great blend with the drum work in the group by Dave Bailey – creating this mellow groove that's a great platform for Lou's smoking solos on alto! The rest of the group is great too – the wonderful Herman Foster on piano, plus Peck Morrison on bass – a great match for Bailey – on titles that include "Play Ray", "Callin' All Cats", and "Blues Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

Lou makes a move shared by a number of his 70s jazz funk contemporaries – and moves over to Cotillion, and picks up a fuller, larger, more tightly arranged sound – one that's almost in the mode of Kudu and CTI, but with some clubbier touches. The set's arranged by Mike Goldberg, and done in a style that places equal emphasis on the larger rhythms and Lou's lead solos on alto – and the overall effect is a bit like some of the Hank Crawford albums from the time. Titles include "Passion Fruit", "Too Much To Explain", "Maker's Dream", and "Walkin' Sally", which is the funkiest number on the set. LP, Vinyl record album

A cool cooker from the great Lou Donaldson – and a record that's ever bit as tasty as its cover! Lou's really hitting his soul jazz stride here – stepping off his 50s bop years, and moving into a more gutbuckety groove that's delivered with wonderful accompaniment from a quartet that features Grant Green on guitar, John Patton on Hammond, and Ben Dixon on drums! The style is loose and open – and tracks are long, with tight solos, especially from Patton and Green, always a winning combination – really stepping out here with an early raw fury! Titles include "Caracas", "Bad John", "Holy Ghost", and "Good Gracious!". Nice cover, too, with a photo of Lou checking out a sexy model, while speaking the title! CD

Classic 60s soul jazz from Lou Donaldson – and one of the first albums that has him working with Grant Green on guitar and Baby Face Willette on organ! Both players were discovered by Lou and brought to New York for Blue Note – a move that not only helped give the Donaldson sound a really soulful edge on a few key records, but which also helped jump-start the careers of both heavy-hitting players! Green's guitar is always a treat next to Lou's well-crafted lines on the alto – and Willette's organ brings a nicely unbridled quality to this session, giving it a rougher edge than the usual Blue Note. The cover's great too – and tracks include "Cool Blues", "Watusi Jump", and "Here 'Tis". CD

Classic 60s soul jazz from Lou Donaldson – and one of the first albums that has him working with Grant Green on guitar and Baby Face Willette on organ! Both players were discovered by Lou and brought to New York for Blue Note – a move that not only helped give the Donaldson sound a really soulful edge on a few key records, but which also helped jump-start the careers of both heavy-hitting players! Green's guitar is always a treat next to Lou's well-crafted lines on the alto – and Willette's organ brings a nicely unbridled quality to this session, giving it a rougher edge than the usual Blue Note. The cover's great too – and tracks include "Cool Blues", "Watusi Jump", and "Here 'Tis". CD

An unusual session from the heart of Lou Donaldson's return to Blue Note in the late 60s – a mellower date that stands in strong contrast to his funkier albums of the time! As you might guess from the title, there's a lusher feel going on here – one that has Lou's alto sax augmented by larger backings from Duke Pearson – who manages to score things perfectly with a balance of soul and sophistication. The album's hardly a "Donaldson with strings" date – and instead is done in the more mature mode that Duke was using in some of his own sides from the time, and on work with players like Donald Byrd or Stanley Turrentine. Other players here include Wayne Shorter on tenor, Pepper Adams on baritone, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Garnett Brown on trombone – plus core rhythms from the trio of McCoy Tyner on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Harewood on drums. Titles include "Sweet Slumber", "The Good Life", "Sweet & Lovely", "Stardust", and "You've Changed" – and the album was recorded in the 60s, it was only first issued in Japan in 1980 – and even then only later in the US! CD

A really formative album – not just as part of the key second chapter of alto genius Lou Donaldson, but also as the start of a huge generation of jazz funk grooves to come! The key element here is drummer Idris Muhammad – working in the group of Donaldson, but under his birth name of Leo Morris – and still already graced with that fantastic sense of rhythm that has him stretching out the beats, and creating grooves that would push the 60s soul jazz generation into more electric funk modes in the decade to come! The record's a perfect bridge between the two generations – with long tracks that draw plenty from Idris' drums and Lou's alto – plus work from Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Lonnie Smith on organ, and the young George Benson on guitar – still hard and soulful, in that style he had been using in the 60s group of organist Jack McDuff. If you know the heavily sampled side of Lou Donaldson's work, you'll know the greatness you're getting here – on cuts that include "Dapper Dan", "Midnight Creeper", "Bag Of Jewels", and "Love Power". CD

A killer from Lou Donaldson's early hardbop years at Blue Note – recorded right during his classic run of albums for the label, but not issued until many years later! There's a sweet bounce to most tracks here – the kind of vibe that Lou had most famously on his Blues Walk album – thanks to the presence of Ray Barretto on congas, in the company of Horace Parlan on piano, Ben Tucker on bass, and Al Harewood on drums! Parlan's piano gives the whole thing a great soulful bottom – and titles include "Midnight Sun", "Dog Walk", "The Squirrel", "Si Si Safronia", and "Candy". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive little record, and a real turning point for alto genius Lou Donaldson – as he uses the set to move from the tight bop of earlier years into a whole new spectrum of funky grooves! Key to this project is drummer Idris Muhammad – who's on the kit, already kicking it up in the way that would make him a jazz funk legend as the 70s began – but so young here, he's working under his original name of Leo Morris! The rest of the group is equally great – with the up-and-coming Lonnie Smith on Hammond and Jimmy Ponder on guitar – plus tight trumpet from Blue Mitchell, who's really hitting his most soulful sound of the 60s. Titles include Donaldson's fantastic funky reworking of "Ode To Billie Joe" – a very famous sample cut over the years – plus the soulful groovers "The Humpback", "Peepin", "The Kid", and a nice take on "The Shadow Of Your Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal record from Lou Donaldson – one that has him forging out some of his first funky soul jazz sounds, moving from his bop roots, and working with a hip young group that includes Grant Green and John Patton, both of whom he discovered and brought to Blue Note (thanks Lou!) The tracks have a tight jaunty feel – very much like those on Patton's mid 60s sides for Blue Note, with lots of room for each player to solo intently – but still a strong focus on the overall groove of the ensemble. Cover's very nice – and tracks include "Funky Mama", "Spaceman Twist", and "Nice n Greasy". CD features one bonus track too – "People Will Say We're In Love". CD

Some of the most soulful jazz ever recorded for Columbia Records – 3 albums worth of material from the combo of drummer Dave Bailey! Bailey's probably best known for his work in the Gerry Mulligan group, but for a brief time at the start of the 60s he stepped out as a leader – working with a focus and intensity that easily matched the best hard boppers on Blue Note or Prestige! These 3 records for Columbia are all amazing sets that we'd rank with some of our favorite jazz from the time – razor-sharp records that have a really earthy finish, and which bring out some of the best hardbop work on record from horn soloists Curtis Fuller, Clark Terry, Junior Cook, Charlie Rouse, and Bill Hardman – all of whom really catch fire under Bailey's guidance! But even above the great horn work on the albums, we really have to note the piano – as Horace Parlan plays on 2 of the albums, easily matching his Blue Note classics, and Billy Gardner follows up on the last set – working with a low low bottom that we love from his sides with Lou Donaldson. Bassists are Peck Morrison and Ben Tucker – and titles include "Slop Jah", "Little Old Mongoose", "Blues For JP", "One Foot In The Gutter", "Sandu", "Two Feet In The Gutter", "Lady Iris B", "Coffee Walk", and "Brownie Speaks". And if 3 albums' worth of material isn't enough, the CD also features 3 more tunes from Bailey's rare Jazztime session with Grant Green and Frank Hayes – "Reaching Out", "Our Miss Brooks", and "One For Elena". 16 tracks in all – most of them quite long! CD

A wonderfully hard-storming set – and a record that not only firmly put the Jazz Messengers on the map, but also set a whole new standard for live jazz recording! The group here is the early version of the Messengers – almost co-led by drummer Art Blakey with pianist Horace Silver – and featuring Clifford Brown on trumpet, just a few months before his early death – plus Lou Donaldson on alto and Curley Russell on bass. The presence of alto instead of tenor makes the sound slightly different than later incarnations of the group – and the overall approach is one that virtually defines the shift from straight bop to hardbop in the 50s – a mode that both Blakey and Silver were key in creating. Tracks include "Wee-Dot", "Quicksilver", "Confirmation", and the bonus tracks "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Lou's Blues". CD

One of our favorite-ever albums on Blue Note – a great 60s session that features one of the most unique reed players to ever record for the label! George Braith takes a bit of a page from Roland Kirk – in that he handles a variety of oddly-tuned reed instruments, but with a wonderfully soulful focus – mixing this nice edge with more familiar soul jazz modes, at a level that makes his records of the time completely unique! The group also features some sublime organ lines from Billy Gardner – a player you might know more from previous records with Lou Donaldson on piano, but who's very open and expressive here – almost echoing Larry Young at times – which is great next to the work of Grant Green's guitar on the record! Braith's playing is incredible – slightly exotic, but also quite soulful – and titles include "Nut City", "Sweetville", and "Extension". CD

Clifford Brown only recorded a handful of sides for Blue Note – but all of the best ones are included in this excellent album – a full length set that culls together Brown's material from the 10" years, issued as a memorial to his early death in 1956! Side one features Brown with the modernist Gigi Gryce on flute and alto sax – plus Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – a lineup that has a strong sense of soul, balanced with a dose of modernism – on titles that include the classic "Hymn to the Orient" – worth the price of the album alone – plus "Easy Living", "Cherokee", "Wail Bait", and "Minor Mood". Side two features an equally sharp group – with Lou Donaldson on some excellent alto, and the great Elmo Hope on piano – on titles that include "Brownie Speaks", "De Dah", "Cookin", "You Go To My Head", and "Carving The Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

Clifford Brown only recorded a handful of sides for Blue Note – but all of the best ones are included in this excellent album – a full length set that culls together Brown's material from the 10" years, issued as a memorial to his early death in 1956! Side one features Brown with the modernist Gigi Gryce on flute and alto sax – plus Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – a lineup that has a strong sense of soul, balanced with a dose of modernism – on titles that include the classic "Hymn to the Orient" – worth the price of the album alone – plus "Easy Living", "Cherokee", "Wail Bait", and "Minor Mood". Side two features an equally sharp group – with Lou Donaldson on some excellent alto, and the great Elmo Hope on piano – on titles that include "Brownie Speaks", "De Dah", "Cookin", "You Go To My Head", and "Carving The Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet batch of soulful fusion from alto saxophonist Sonny Criss – quite different than the small group acoustic sessions that made up most of his career – but a shining light in his later revival, and an album that really got him in touch with a wider range of listeners! The style here is full and soulful – arranged by Wade Marcus with a mix of larger jazz ensemble playing, and a bit of strings – similar to styles used a the time for Lou Donaldson, Willis Jackson, and other 60s reedmen. Criss is right out front on alto, and other players include Blue Mitchell on trumpet and Patrice Rushen on keyboards – working nicely here in a style that's almost Kudo or CTI. Titles include "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing", "Turn Me Loose", "Stolen Moments", and "Midnight Mellow". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from an alto player with a very unique conception – a player who was unlike Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, or some of his precursors on the instrument – and instead really took off in bold new directions, like Lou Donaldson or fellow Chicagoan Sonny Cox in the mid 60s! On the album Playin For Keeps, Bunky's got a very sharp edge on his horn – one that's deft and skillful, but never too boppish. Instead, he really uses space and timing to carve out a new sort of groove – one that's punctuated slightly by the rhythms of the combo, but which also firmly takes its cue from Bunky's own forcefully blown horn. Players here include Cleveland Eaton on bass, Willie Pickins on piano, and Harold Jones on drums – and titles include "Playin For Keeps", "Mi Compasion", "Brazilano", "Mama Looka Boo Boo", and "What Can I Do". Testifyin Time is a really great little record – and one that goes way past the hokey soul jazz reference you might guess from the title! Bunky Green's definitely "testifyin" on the set – but he's really moving past 60s soul jazz cliches, and never falling into some of the too-gospelly notes of some of his contemporaries. Instead, he finds a great space between hardbop, modern jazz, and more soulful moments – all delivered with a hip freshness that's right up there with some of his best contemporaries on the Argo/Cadet label at the time. Thank Chicago for that quality – and the combo on the record, which includes Marshall Thompson on drums, Cleveland Eaton on bass, James Meyer on tenor, and Walter Strickland on trumpet. Titles include "Tamra", "Orbit Six", "My Ship", and "Tweedlee Dee". CD features 17 tracks in all – including one bonus track, "Step High", recorded in 1960 with Wynton Kelly. CD

A funky nugget from the second Blue Note chapter of guitarist Grant Green – that wonderful point when he shifted into more funk-based styles from his hardbop work at the start – and found a way to unlock a whole new side of his talents! The approach here is similar to some of the funky Lou Donaldson albums from the time – like Hot Dog or Say It Loud – in that tracks are nice and long, and have some great funky currents at the bottom from the drums of Idris Muhammad – who kicks up lots of those chunky funky breaks that we always love so much! Green's work on guitar is especially nice – stretched out, but never trippy, with a tight single note style that really gets the most out of the grooves – in a great lineup that features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Claude Bartee on tenor, Emanuel Riggins on Hammond, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Candido on congas. Neal Creque contributed two great tracks to the set – "Windjammer" and "Dracula" – and the album also sports a great long version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now", and a sweet cover of "A Day In The Life"! CD

A funky nugget from the second Blue Note chapter of guitarist Grant Green – that wonderful point when he shifted into more funk-based styles from his hardbop work at the start – and found a way to unlock a whole new side of his talents! The approach here is similar to some of the funky Lou Donaldson albums from the time – like Hot Dog or Say It Loud – in that tracks are nice and long, and have some great funky currents at the bottom from the drums of Idris Muhammad – who kicks up lots of those chunky funky breaks that we always love so much! Green's work on guitar is especially nice – stretched out, but never trippy, with a tight single note style that really gets the most out of the grooves – in a great lineup that features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Claude Bartee on tenor, Emanuel Riggins on Hammond, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Candido on congas. Neal Creque contributed two great tracks to the set – "Windjammer" and "Dracula" – and the album also sports a great long version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now", and a sweet cover of "A Day In The Life"! LP, Vinyl record album

A funky nugget from the second Blue Note chapter of guitarist Grant Green – that wonderful point when he shifted into more funk-based styles from his hardbop work at the start – and found a way to unlock a whole new side of his talents! The approach here is similar to some of the funky Lou Donaldson albums from the time – like Hot Dog or Say It Loud – in that tracks are nice and long, and have some great funky currents at the bottom from the drums of Idris Muhammad – who kicks up lots of those chunky funky breaks that we always love so much! Green's work on guitar is especially nice – stretched out, but never trippy, with a tight single note style that really gets the most out of the grooves – in a great lineup that features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Claude Bartee on tenor, Emanuel Riggins on Hammond, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Candido on congas. Neal Creque contributed two great tracks to the set – "Windjammer" and "Dracula" – and the album also sports a great long version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now", and a sweet cover of "A Day In The Life"! CD

Wicked early work from Milt Jackson – a record that's got a lot more of an edge than some of his later work with the Modern Jazz Quartet – a near-perfect modernist bop sound that's every bit the best side of Blue Note in the early 50s! The package brings together material from a few different sessions – some originally on 10" LPs – and the core of the material features Jackson in the company of pianist Thelonious Monk, on some tracks that also feature Sahib Shihab on alto sax! John Lewis plays piano on another batch of tracks that are essentially the early MJQ lineup, but with Lou Donaldson on alto too – so they swing with a bit more soul than you might expect. Titles include "Bag's Groove", "On The Scene", "Willow Weep For Me", "Criss Cross", "Evidence", "Tahiti", "Misterioso", "Four In One", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of Thelonious Monk's early pre-LP recordings for Blue Note – seminal not only for the label's commitment to a modernist bop ideal, but also for Monk's integration in the growing collection of top-level jazz players on the New York scene! The work is notable also for the fact that Monk's playing sometimes in larger group settings – not just trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet certainly has a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s – as you'll hear on tracks that include work from players like Sahib Shihab and Lou Donaldson on alto, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Idrees Suliman and Kenny Dorham on trumpets – depending on the volumes. Art Blakey is on drums throughout – and titles on this first volume include "Round Midnight", "In Walked Bud", "Thelonious", "Epistrophy", "Misterioso", "Well You Needn't", and "Off Minor". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of Thelonious Monk's early pre-LP recordings for Blue Note – seminal not only for the label's commitment to a modernist bop ideal, but also for Monk's integration in the growing collection of top-level jazz players on the New York scene! The work is notable also for the fact that Monk's playing sometimes in larger group settings – not just trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet certainly has a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s – as you'll hear on tracks that include work from players like Sahib Shihab and Lou Donaldson on alto, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Idrees Suliman and Kenny Dorham on trumpets – depending on the volumes. Art Blakey is on drums throughout – and titles on this first volume include "Round Midnight", "In Walked Bud", "Thelonious", "Epistrophy", "Misterioso", "Well You Needn't", and "Off Minor". New version features a total of 21 tracks with great remastering and some rare alternate takes! CD

Proof that at his start, Jimmy Smith had a greatness that knew no bounds – as the album's one of a few that Blue Note recorded in the late 50s, but never issued until many years later – even though they had already released so many amazing records from this period! The set has Jimmy really cooking away – playing live at Small's Paradise, in a group that has Lou Donaldson's alto on just about every track, and tenor from Tina Brooks on most of the others too. Tunes are tighter and shorter than on the more jam session albums, which makes for a nice change – and titles include "Groovin At Smalls", "Dark Eyes", "Cool Blues", and "A Night In Tunisia" – which begins with an announcement from Babs Gonzales! 8 tracks in all – 4 more than on the 1980 album – with better sound than before as well! CD

Smashing early work from Jimmy Smith – a killer set from 1957 that has him going head to head with some of Blue Note's finest players! The album marks one of the first time Jimmy played with such greats – and one of the first time they played with an organist – and the lineup includes work by Donald Byrd, Lou Donaldson, Hank Mobley, and Art Blakey. Tracks are long, with plenty of room for solos – and titles on this first volume include "Funk's Oats", "How Hight The Moon", and "Falling In Love With Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A funky gem from Hammond hero Reuben Wilson – one of the last great organ players to emerge from the 60s soul jazz scene – and a musician who seemed to have a great ear for funky currents right from the start! Part of the album's charm is the drums of Idris Muhammad (aka Leo Morris) – who brings a sound here that's similar to his famous late 60s work with Lou Donaldson – and the group also features a few nice Donaldson-styled touches from Grant Green on guitar, helping merge the groove here with some of his own great Blue Note dates from the time. The rest of the lineup features Lee Morgan on trumpet and George Coleman on tenor – a rare funky date for a player like Coleman – and titles include the funky cuts "Hot Rod" and "Love Bug", plus other groovers like "Back Out", "Stormy", and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me". Plus, this CD reissue also features the bonus cut "Hold On, I'm Coming"! CD

A funky gem from Hammond hero Reuben Wilson – one of the last great organ players to emerge from the 60s soul jazz scene – and a musician who seemed to have a great ear for funky currents right from the start! Part of the album's charm is the drums of Idris Muhammad (aka Leo Morris) – who brings a sound here that's similar to his famous late 60s work with Lou Donaldson – and the group also features a few nice Donaldson-styled touches from Grant Green on guitar, helping merge the groove here with some of his own great Blue Note dates from the time. The rest of the lineup features Lee Morgan on trumpet and George Coleman on tenor – a rare funky date for a player like Coleman – and titles include the funky cuts "Hot Rod" and "Love Bug", plus other groovers like "Back Out", "Stormy", and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me". CD

Music from Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Lou Donaldson, Cannonball Adderley, Kenny Burrell, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, US3, John Patton, Grant Green, Jimmy Smith, Richard Elliot, and more – 20 tracks in all. CD

With Jack Bruce on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, Lou Donaldson on alto, and Eric Gale on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

Clifford Brown only recorded a handful of sides for Blue Note – but all of the best ones are included in this excellent album – a full length set that culls together Brown's material from the 10" years, issued as a memorial to his early death in 1956! Side one features Brown with the modernist Gigi Gryce on flute and alto sax – plus Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – a lineup that has a strong sense of soul, balanced with a dose of modernism – on titles that include the classic "Hymn to the Orient" – worth the price of the album alone – plus "Easy Living", "Cherokee", "Wail Bait", and "Minor Mood". Side two features an equally sharp group – with Lou Donaldson on some excellent alto, and the great Elmo Hope on piano – on titles that include "Brownie Speaks", "De Dah", "Cookin", "You Go To My Head", and "Carving The Rock". CD features great mastering and 18 tracks in all! CD