Johnson in duets with Gary Burton, Makoto Ozone, Toots Thielemans, and Lucy Crane. CD

Enrico Pieranunzi on piano, Marc Johnson on double bass, and Joey Baron on drums. CD

John Taylor on piano, Marc Johnson on double bass, and Joey Baron on drums. CD

Featuring Kenny Wheeler on Trumpet. CD

A great idea – jazz piano trio versions of Morricone soundtrack tunes, played here by Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, with backing by Marc Johnson on bass and Joey Baron on drums. The team of Johnson and Baron have a perfect touch of lyricality to open these tunes up – taking lesser-known Morricone themes, and working them like jazz standards to show the depth of composition and possibilities available to the tunes. One of the great shames of Morricone's career is that he wrote so many darn great soundtracks that most of his tunes never got as much variation and acclaim as the work of other 60s soundtrack composers – and hopefully a set like this will begin to correct that! Titles include "Addio Fratello Crudele", "I Malamondo", "La Domenica Specialmente", "Mio Caro Dottor Grasler", "Ninfa Plebea", "Jona Che Visse Nella Balena", "Le Mani Sporche", "Quando Le Donne Avevano La Coda", "Il Prato", and "Just Beyond The Horizon". CD

A nicely varied live set from this trio of key ECM players of the 80s – captured here with the same sense of sound as some of their studio recordings – which must have been something amazing to hear in person! Abercrombie's still very chromatic at this point in his career – playing fluid, colorful lines on guitar – but also using occasional guitar synthesizer passages too – more waves of sound than individual lines, which sounds especially nice next to more driving drums from Peter Erskine! Marc Johnson's ear for space is perfectly tuned for the proceedings – working at a level that's far beyond standard bassmanship – and titles include "Light Beam", "Drum Solo", "Four On One", "Samurai Hee Haw", "Furs On Ice", "Stella By Starlight", and "Innerplay". CD

One of the leading lights of the ECM Records scene in the early 80s – bassist Marc Johnson, working here with his successful Bass Desires group! The lineup features some wonderful interplay on stringed instruments – Johnson's bass, and guitars from both John Scofield and Bill Frisell, the later of whom also plays a bit of guitar synthesizer, in very ECM-shaped lines. Drums are from Peter Erskine, who's well-heard when the moment allows – and titles include "Samurai Hee Haw", "Mojo Highway", "Thanks Again", "Bass Desires", and "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair". CD

Dark work from the quartet Bass Desires – a combo that draws heavily on the rumbling sounds of bassist Marc Johnson, then fills in the spaces with twin guitars from Bill Frisell and John Scofield, and also features a bit of drums from Peter Erskine! Some of the sounds here echo more abstract experiments in the left side of the jazz spectrum during the 80s – but they're taken into a bit stronger, straighter focus here – and recorded with enough ECM touches to make Johnson's music cross over in surprising ways. A few tracks are surprisingly tuneful, and titles include "Small Hands", "Thrill Seekers", "1951", "Prayer Beads", and "Sweet Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

A subtle but compelling session from pianist Jim McNeely – working here on both acoustic piano and DX7, alongside bass from Marc Johnson and drums from Adam Nussbaum. The record's got a great way of blending the electric and acoustic keys through the course of the set – in a mode that was hardly ever carried off this well back in the 80s, save for a few other Owl Records sessions of the same type. McNeely's got a spacious, flowing approach to the keys that really makes the best tracks work nicely – a style that doesn't get to overly preoccupied in the features of the DX7, but lets it flow with pianistic qualities inherited slightly from the Bill Evans generation – no doubt augmented by Johnson's bass on the record. Titles include the original numbers "The Answer Without A Question", "Brooklyn Bob", "The Episode", "Ernie Banks", and a version of "The End Of A Love Affair". CD

Enrico Pieranunzi on piano, Marc Johnson on double bass, and Joey Baron on drums. CD

A nicely varied live set from this trio of key ECM players of the 80s – captured here with the same sense of sound as some of their studio recordings – which must have been something amazing to hear in person! Abercrombie's still very chromatic at this point in his career – playing fluid, colorful lines on guitar – but also using occasional guitar synthesizer passages too – more waves of sound than individual lines, which sounds especially nice next to more driving drums from Peter Erskine! Marc Johnson's ear for space is perfectly tuned for the proceedings – working at a level that's far beyond standard bassmanship – and titles include "Light Beam", "Drum Solo", "Four On One", "Samurai Hee Haw", "Furs On Ice", "Stella By Starlight", and "Innerplay". CD

The name, and the title, give the whole game away – as Eliane performs a set of older Brazilian tunes, all in that wonderful light-hearted style of hers! About half the tracks feature Eliane on vocals, the rest just piano – working with players that include Eddie Gomez, Jack DeJohnette, Marc Johnson, Oscar Castro-Neves, and Nana Vasconcelos. The overall style is a bit bossa, a bit MPB – but overall, mostly jazz-based – as Eliane uses older standards like "Chega De Saudade", "Passarim", "Waters Of March", "Garota De Ipanema", and "Cravo E Canela" to work out some warm and jazzy stylings. The tracks are collected from older albums, but come together very nicely as a unified set! CD

With Rodney Jones on guitar, Marc Johnson and Christian McBride on bass, and Jack DeJohnette and Carl Allen on drums. CD

Fantastic work from piano legend Bill Evans – recorded at the Keystone club in San Francisco just a week before his too-early death – and a batch of material that shows us that Bill still had plenty to offer the world! This isn't the work of a musician on his last legs – and instead, Evans is a master of imagination, phrasing, and timing – working with his superb late trio that features Marc Johnson on bass and Joe Labarbera on drums – and further opening up tunes we've already heard him open up before – leaving us breathless all over again, at that level that makes Bill Evans live material maybe even more important to understanding his genius than his studio material! Tracks include "Emily", "Two Lonely People", "Knit For Mary F", "Polka Dots & Monbeams", "You & The Night & The Music", and "Re Person I Knew". (Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Sunday, April 21. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Saturday, April 20. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on April 21 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from piano legend Bill Evans – recorded at the Keystone club in San Francisco just a week before his too-early death – and a batch of material that shows us that Bill still had plenty to offer the world! This isn't the work of a musician on his last legs – and instead, Evans is a master of imagination, phrasing, and timing – working with his superb late trio that features Marc Johnson on bass and Joe Labarbera on drums – and further opening up tunes we've already heard him open up before – leaving us breathless all over again, at that level that makes Bill Evans live material maybe even more important to understanding his genius than his studio material! Tracks on this second volume include "Tiffany", "Your Story", "Like Someone In Love", "My Romance", "Turn Out The Stars", and "Days Of Wine & Roses". (Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Sunday, April 21. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Saturday, April 20. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on April 21 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime late live work from Bill Evans – a well-recorded performance for French radio, and one that really stands out from some of the scratchier late 70s concerts on the market! Bill's working here with a sound as sensitive and picturesque as the cover image – never pushing things too hard, but letting each tune unfold organically in waves of sound few other players could conjure up! Trio musicians include Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums – and titles on this first volume include "Quiet Now", "My Romance", "Noelle's Theme", "I Loves You Porgy", and "Up With The Lark". CD

Sublime late live work from Bill Evans – a well-recorded performance for French radio, and one that really stands out from some of the scratchier late 70s concerts on the market! Bill's working here with a sound as sensitive and picturesque as the cover image – never pushing things too hard, but letting each tune unfold organically in waves of sound few other players could conjure up! Trio musicians include Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums – and titles on this first volume include "Quiet Now", "My Romance", "Noelle's Theme", "I Loves You Porgy", and "Up With The Lark". CD

Sublime late live work from Bill Evans – a well-recorded performance for French radio, and one that really stands out from some of the scratchier late 70s concerts on the market! Bill's working here with a sound as sensitive and picturesque as the cover image – never pushing things too hard, but letting each tune unfold organically in waves of sound few other players could conjure up! Trio musicians include Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums – and titles on this second volume include "Nardis", "Laurie", "34 Skidoo", "Letter To Evan", and "Gary's Theme". CD

Three sets and three different lineups! The album opens with a duet with Eddie Gomez, just piano and bass, which expands to a trio with drummer Eliot Zigmund in the second set. The final set shifts to an entirely different lineup with regular collaborators Marc Johnson on bass and John LaBarbera on drums – plus guest harmonica from Toots Thielemans! CD

A trio date with Marc Johnson on bass a Joe Labarbera on drums. Tracks include "Laurie", "My Romance", "Turn Out The Stars", and "But Beautiful" – 7 tracks in all. CD

One of the few larger group Bill Evans sessions from the later years – an album that features sax and flute from Larry Schneider and trumpet from Tom Harrell – in addition to core trio instrumentation from Bill on piano, Marc Johnson on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums. The added horns really make the session sparkle – and although those players aren't on every number in the record, when they do show up they really help change the sound nicely from overly familiar Evans trio modes. Bill plays a bit of electric piano on the set – especially beautifully on the track "Only Child" – and other titles include "Comrade Conrad", "Peri's Scope", "We Will Meet Again", "Bill's Hit Tune", "Laurie", "Five", and "For All We Know". LP, Vinyl record album

Andy LaVerne on piano, Rick Margitza on tenor and soprano saxophone, Marc Johnson on bass, and Danny Gottlieb on drums. CD

John Lewis on piano, Howard Collins and Harold Alden on guitar, Marc Johnson and George Mraz on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. CD

With George Garzone on sax, Marc Johnson on bass and Peter Erskine on drums. CD

Later work from Pat Martino, but a set that shows that the guitarist has lost none of his fire over the years! The set's done with a relatively freewheeling sound – not free, but open, as Martino spirals out wonderfully with some very creative solo lines – often quite extended, and filled with the sort of rapid-fire creativity we've always loved in his work. The group on the date is a quartet – with James Ridl on piano, Marc Johnson on bass, and Sherman Ferguson on drums – but most numbers feel very dominated by Martino's guitar, which is a good thing by us. Titles include "Black Glass", "Interchange", "Just For Then", "Blue In Green", and "Catch". CD

Jim McNeely on piano, Harald Rosenstein, Heiner Wiberny, Olivier Peters, Paul Peucker, and Rolf Romer on reeds, Bernt Laukamp, Dave Horler, Henning Berg, and Roy Deuvall on trombone, Andy Haderer, Klaus Osterloh, Rick Kiefer, Rob Bruynen, and Rudiger Baldauf on trumpet, John Scofield and Paul Shigihara on guitar, Rainer Bruninghaus on keyboards, Marc Johnson on bass, and Adam Nussbaum on drums. CD

The great Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi is featured here in three great records! First up is New Lands – a warmly-crafted trio set from Enrio Pieranunzi – a set that still shows his modern tones on the piano, but which also has a sensitivity that really makes things open up overall! The group is a trio – with Marc Johnson on bass and Joey Baron on drums – both subtle players who really let the piano take the lead at times, as Enrico stretches out on long tracks that include "New Lands", "A Child Is Born", "The Mood Is Good", and "If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You". Daedalus Wings is an unusual record, and one that features twin piano work from Bert Van Den Brink and Enrico Pieranunzi – not on long, free tracks, but on these beautiful shorter numbers that really seem to resonate strongly with the voices of each player! Titles include "Daedalus Suite", "Si Peu De Temps", "Pour Claude", "Guitar Blues", "Woods", and "O Toi Desir" – plus two solo takes by each player on "I Can't Get Started". Improvised Forms For Trio is a really different album from pianist Enrico Pieranunzi – and one that really lives up to its title! Rather than being song-based – featuring compositions by Enrico or some of his contemporaries – the record features the trio improvising, but never in a free jazz way – always with a groove, and a strong sense of rhythmic cohesion – but clearly improvising their way through the 18 short numbers that make up the set! The energy is great – in ways that maybe make the record one of Pieranunzi's most compelling records – and the rest of the group features Hein Van De Geyn on bass and Hans Van Oosterhout on drums. Titles include "Forms" 1 through 18. CD

The final run of shows from Bill Evans, recorded at San Francisco's Keystone Korner just days before his passing. The group is a trio – with Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums – and together they work through a wide ranging set list of standards and originals by Evans. Tracks include "Re: Person I Knew", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "Turn Out The Stars", "Nardis", "But Beautiful", "Letter To Evan", "Emily", "Polka Dots And Moonbeams", and "My Foolish Heart" – hours of material and a fitting testament to an incredible artist! CD

Sublime late live work from Bill Evans – a well-recorded performance for French radio, and one that really stands out from some of the scratchier late 70s concerts on the market! Bill's working here with a sound as sensitive and picturesque as the cover image – never pushing things too hard, but letting each tune unfold organically in waves of sound few other players could conjure up! Trio musicians include Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums – and titles on this first volume include "Quiet Now", "My Romance", "Noelle's Theme", "I Loves You Porgy", and "Up With The Lark". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer live set from the 70s, recorded in Warsaw with a quartet that includes bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Art Taylor. Griff's firmly in the lead here, and he wails like mad on the set's 3 long tracks. Although we're not usually fans of obscure live recordings over an artist's studio sessions, this album offers an amazing peek at Griff that you won't catch on most of his 70's records. His tone is amazing, and he has a post-Coltrane freeness that blew us away. Titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Body & Soul", and "All The Things You Are" – but the group's presentation of the material pushes the tracks waaaay past their normal form as standards. CD

John Lewis on piano – with Frank Wess on flute, Howard Collins on guitar, Joe Kennedy Jr on violin, Marc Johnson on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Killer contemporary club from the Lumberjacks In Hell label – a European imprint, but one that owes plenty to the raw sound of the early years of American house! There's a very underground vibe going on here, and most cuts are stark, spare, and straight to the point – the best kind of club tracks that make just a little bit go a long way – thanks to thoughtful placement of key instrumental elements, and the occasional vocal flourish! 2CD version features one mixed CD, one unmixed – and titles include "Everyday" by Joanna, "Be Good To Me" by Frawl, "Over" by Krewcial, "Get To Know Me" by Seven Davis Jr, "Check The Flow" by Funk Butcher with Trim, "Goddess" by Ant La Rock, "Rabbit's Foot" by Beam Me Up, "Even The Stones" by Giovanni Damico, "Lord I'm Trying" by Tom Noble, "Jazz A Nova" by Boogie Nite, and "Neyt Life" by Reece Johnson. CD

Features "Rhapsody in Blue", "I Got Rhythm", and James P Johnson's "Yamekraw" – all performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. CD

With Ralph Sutton on piano, Bob Haggart on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare early European performances by this tenor giant, with George Van Helvoirt, Marcel Thielemans, Wim Poppink, Andrew Vanderouderaaa, Theo Uden Masman, Nico De Rooy, Jacques Pet, Tonny Limbach, Toon Diepenbroek, and Kees Kranenburg in 1935 and 1937, and with a smaller band including Freddy Johnson and Frits Reinders in 1937. LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of later gems from this legendary South African pianist! Mindif is a great set that features Abdullah Ibrahim's soundtrack music for the 1988 Clair Denis film Chocolat – some of his best group recordings of the 80s! The feel here is a bit more African-styled than usual – even for Ibrahim – with strong use of reeds to inflect the tunes with the right degree of color and tone for their use in the film. The ensemble on the record features Ricky Ford on tenor and soprano, Craig Handy on flute and tenor, Benny Powell on trombone, David Williams on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the tracks have a languid groove that recalls some of Dollar Brand's best South African recordings with Kippie Moketsie. Titles include "Earth Bird", "African Market", "Pule", "Star Dance", and "Serenity". African River is one of the great larger group recordings that pianist Abdullah Ibrahim gave us in the 80s – from a moment when he was able to use added horns to really expand that amazing sense of color and rhythm he'd brought to his music on earlier trio recordings! There's a sense of musical vision here that really lives up to Abdullah's majestic look on the cover – a fantastic merging of flute and tenor from John Stubblefield, soprano and alto from Horace Alexander Young, tuba and baritone from Howard Johnson, and trombone from Robin Eubanks – all vibrant horn players who seem to have just about every tone and mood covered with their horns – given this wonderfully warm support from Buster Williams on bass, and Brian Adams on drums. All titles are originals by the leader – and tunes include "Chisa", "Sweet Samba", "Duke 88", "The Wedding", and "Joan Capetown Flower". Yarona is a beautifully sensitive set from Abdullah Ibrahim – recorded live at the Village Vanguard, and with an open, lyrical sound that almost seems to recall some of Bill Evans' magical moments in the venue! Ibrahim's quite a different player, of course – but there's an open, exploratory quality to his music that's a bit unusual here – maybe not as rhythmically based as it is balanced between sound and silence – given very respectful company in the bass of Marcus McLaurine and drums of George Johnson. Titles include "Cherry/Mannenberg", "Duke 88", "African River", "Stardance", "Tuang Guru", "Tintinyana", and "African Marketplace". CD

One of the best-remembered groups from the Detroit scene of the early 70s – thanks to the massive title track on this album, and a whole host of other wonderful cuts as well! The group features the great Steve Marcus on vocals – an artist who'd cut some key Northern soul singles for smaller labels in the 60s – but who really bursts out of the box here with great presentation from the Holland Dozier Holland empire! The record features some great songs by General Johnson and Greg Perry – and Perry also handled some of the production work for the record – really pushing the group with the sort of full, rich sound the Chairmen Of The Board brought to their own work. Titles include "Somebody's Been Sleeping", "Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup)", "One Man's Leftovers", "Love is Sweeter", "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number", and "Back Track". CD features five bonus tracks – "90 Days Freeze", "Somebody's Been Sleeping (UK single edit)", "If I Could See The Light In The Window (version 1)", "Driveway", and "Somebody's Been Sleeping (US single)". CD

A deep look at a blues scene that doesn't always get its due – music not from Chicago, Memphis, or various points south – but some nicely gritty tracks that were cut in New York during the postwar years! Despite New York's fame as a hub of jazz, soul, and other styles – the city also had a surprisingly strong blues scene in the 50s and 60s, which is when most of these tracks were recorded – music that's both in the electric modes that were showing up in other urban centers at the time, and also in some more traditional modes that were sometimes left behind in other cities – but which got a nice revival in New York, thanks to an interest in folk blues from the underground! Material here was originally recorded by a range of different labels – Old Town, Atlantic, Mercury, Prestige, Fire, Apollo, King, and Chess – and as you'd expect from Ace, there's also some unreleased material on the set, all presented with a great assortment of notes and details on every single track. 26 titles in all – with cuts that include "Bad Blood" by Champion Jack Dupree, "Step It Up & Go" by Blind Boy Fuller, "The Guy With A 45" by Allen Bunn & His Trio, "Stormy Monday Blues" by Bob Gaddy, "Kansas City March" by Wild Jimmy Spruill, "Four Women Blues" by Larry Johnson & Hank Adkins, "Idle Hours" by Lonnie Johnson with Victory Spivey, "Hard Times" by Noble Thin Man Watts, "Believe Me Darling" by June Bateman, "Security" by Tarheel Slim & Little Ann, "Jack That Cat Was Clean" by Dr Horse, and "Goodbye Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison. CD

Another great double release from the Muse vaults – both of which showcase Newman on a variety of reeds plus flute. Resurgence features a great group including Cedar Walton, Ted Dunbar, Marcus Belgrave, Buster Williams, and Louis Hayes. Still Hard Times features Howard Johnson on baritone, Charlie Miller on trumpet, Larry Willis on piano, and Steve Nelson on vibes! CD

2 rare sides of work by trumpeter Clark Terry – both with a fair bit more edge than many of his later recordings! The first half of the CD is from the amazing 1955 album Clark Terry for Emarcy – a real stunner, and one of Terry's finest moments ever! The record has a rawness and groove that you'd hardly expect from his later albums – no surprise, though, considering that it was cut during that really hip time at Emarcy, when the label was working in a mode that was darker and more challenging than many of the smaller labels at the time. Credit is also due to arranger Quincy Jones – who pulls together a group that includes Horace Silver, Jimmy Cleveland, Cecil Payne, and Art Blakey, all into a fiercely grooving sound that recalls some of his most adventurous work of the 50s. The album kicks off with the stunning "Swahili", a tune that will instantly make you happy you bought the record – and other tracks include "Coop", "Chuckles", "Tuma", "Kitten", and "The Countess". These tracks are followed by 8 more from an obscure 1954 session done under the leadership of clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton – and featuring Terry on trumpet, Barry Galbraith and Sidney Gross on guitars, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums – all in a really unusual group formation that's totally great! One guitar's used for solos and the other for rhythm – and the lack of piano gives the record a decidedly different swing than you might expect from a Jimmy Hamilton session – one that's less traditional, and more airy and open – really inventive in the rhythmic construction of the tunes, in a mode that's followed up very nicely by the soloists in their own energy. Titles include "Chuckles", "Bohemia After Dark", "Blues In My Room", "Blues For Clarinet", and "What Am I Here For". CD

Excellent bop sides cut for EmArcy by Cannonball, collected and assembled in a manner that showcases his wonderfully soulful and hard blowing approach to the alto in the years before Miles recruited him. The set features a host of great sidemen including brother Nat, JJ Johnson, Cecil Payne, Ernie Royal, John Coltrane, Junior Mance, Horace Silver, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Keeter Betts, Sam Jones, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and Jimmy Cobb. 17 tracks in all, including "Hurrican Connie", "Cynthia's In Love", "Cannonball", "Nat's Everglade", "Fallen Feathers", "Watermelon", "Fort Lauderdale", "Broadway At Basin Street", "T's Tune", "Blues For Bohemia", "Specutacular", "Miss Jackie's Delight", "Hoppin' John", "The Way You Look Tonight", "I'll Remember April", "Limehouse Blues" and "The Sleeper". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great entry in the excellent Super Funk series – one that offers up cuts that are every bit as strong on their soulful vocals as they are their funky grooves! The track selection is wonderful – rare cuts from 45s, of the sort that funk diggers have been trading for years – plus some of those extra-special unreleased tracks, which the folks at Ace/BGP always seem able to dig up through their access to the vaults! The notes are filled with rare photos, label scans, and loads of information on the cuts – showing that their selection here wasn't just a random process – and despite the title, most tracks here are 70s numbers from the heavy funk years. Titles include "Dark Skin Woman" by Billy Cee, "Love Highjacker" by George Jackson, "You Bring The Tears" by Sampson & Delilah, "Born To Live With Heartache" by Mary Lvoe, "Sweet Thang" by William Bostic, "Foolish Man (part 2)" by The Huck Daniels Co, "Work It Out" by Marcene Harris, "Jodine" by Earl Harris, "Funky Kingston" by Tribe, "Brother Jack" by The Funky Kids, "Forgotten" by Lamont Johnson, "Daddy Please Stay Home" by Obrey Wilson, and "So Fine" by Chet Ivey & His Fabulous Avengers. CD

A really amazing little record – way more than usual for this sort of live recording – given that it features some very unique performances together by artists we've never heard on the same stage otherwise! The premise is simple, but wonderfully effective – in that the album brings together some of the leading lights of the Columbia/CBS jazz stable at the time – a massive lineup of talent from a few key generations in jazz, sounding surprisingly great hear together! All tracks are nice and long – and titles include a brilliant version of "Infant Eyes" by a quartet with Stan Getz on tenor and Bob James on piano; "Fried Bananas" with Dexter Gordon on tenor, Slide Hampton on trombone, Woody Shaw on trumpet, and George Duke on piano; "Bahama Mama" with Bob James on keyboards, Bobbi Humphrey on flute, Eric Gale and Steve Kahn on guitars, and Billy Cobham on drums – and the long jam session tracks "Montreux Summit", "Blues March", and "Andromeda" – which feature work from most of the players above, all working in one large group – plus added flute from Hubert Laws and Thijs Van Leer, percussion from Ralph Maconald, and bass from Alphonso Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album

Think you know everything there is to know about Stax Records? Think again – because this series serves up an incredible batch of material that was either unissued back in the day, or hardly ever got much circulation at the time! The project comes from the years after the initial Stax Singles box sets – and tracks here include numbers found during that process, but unissued – and others that were only discovered after digging through vaults of tape – and realizing just how much music the label recorded, but never even pressed onto wax! Yet that result is not surprising – given that the famous Memphis studio was always hopping around the clock – with groups like Booker T & The MGs, Mar-Keys, or Bar-Kays jamming in the studio, then making way for a range of singers and other guests as well – an all-star lineup who turn out some top material in this set. Titles on this first volume include "Hide Away" by Booker T & The MGs, "Don't Worry About Tomorrow" by Bobby Marchan, "Cupid" by Otis Redding, "Don't You Like To Me" by Albert King, "Hippy Dippy" by The Mar-Keys, "I've Got Dreams To Remember (alternate)" by Otis Redding, "Never Let Me Go (alternate)" by William Bell, "Cloudburst" by The Mad Lads, "Sweet Devil" by Mable John, "When My Love Comes Down" by Ruby Johnson, "Floyd's Beat" by Floyd Newman, "Run Around" by Carla Thomas, "Sittin On The Dock Of The Bay" by Booker T & The MGs, and "Just Enough To Hurt Me" by The Astors. CD

With music from Buster Brown, Jimmy Jones, Dee Clark, Ray Bryant, Irma Thomas, Etta James, Bobby Marchan, The Shirelles, Marv Johnson, Gary U.S. Bonds, Sugar Pie DeSanto, and many more – 31 tracks in all! CD

As classic as it comes for late 50s Blue Note – and a key meeting between Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk! The group on the set features Rollins and Monk with JJ Johnson, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey – all of whom push things more in the direction of Blue Note's sound of the time, then Monk's own recordings of the period for Riverside. But the contrast of modes makes for a really startling sound – one that has Monk "monking" it up next to the straighter rhythm section, and bringing out some more modern tones in Rollins' tenor work. Horace Silver plays piano on part of the set as well – but still keeps things strong – and titles include "Why Don't I", "Wail March", "Misterioso", and "Reflections". CD

One of the all-time keyboard classics of the 70s – a completely different album than any other set from pianist Ronnie Foster – done with this laidback, open-ended groove that was years ahead of its time! The album's in some ways a blueprint for some of our favorite jazz-based hip hop – and although Ronnie's playing organ, on most of the cuts, he handles the instrument more like it's a Fender Rhodes! The set's a masterpiece in funky jazz, done with a sinister, soulful groove – with these amazing rhythms from players who include Gene Bianco on harp, Arthur Jenkins on congas, George Duvivier and Gordon Edwards on bass, Jimmy Johnson on drums, George Devens on vibes, and Gene Bertoncini on guitar – served up with some amazing arrangements from soul maestro Wade Marcus. Titles include the massive cut "Mystic Brew", which is a tasty Tribe sample – plus lots of other goodies like "Chunky", "Summer Song", and "Don't Knock My Love". CD

One of the all-time keyboard classics of the 70s – a completely different album than any other set from pianist Ronnie Foster – done with this laidback, open-ended groove that was years ahead of its time! The album's in some ways a blueprint for some of our favorite jazz-based hip hop – and although Ronnie's playing organ, on most of the cuts, he handles the instrument more like it's a Fender Rhodes! The set's a masterpiece in funky jazz, done with a sinister, soulful groove – with these amazing rhythms from players who include Gene Bianco on harp, Arthur Jenkins on congas, George Duvivier and Gordon Edwards on bass, Jimmy Johnson on drums, George Devens on vibes, and Gene Bertoncini on guitar – served up with some amazing arrangements from soul maestro Wade Marcus. Titles include the massive cut "Mystic Brew", which is a tasty Tribe sample – plus lots of other goodies like "Chunky", "Summer Song", and "Don't Knock My Love". CD

As classic as it comes for late 50s Blue Note – and a key meeting between Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk! The group on the set features Rollins and Monk with JJ Johnson, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey – all of whom push things more in the direction of Blue Note's sound of the time, then Monk's own recordings of the period for Riverside. But the contrast of modes makes for a really startling sound – one that has Monk "monking" it up next to the straighter rhythm section, and bringing out some more modern tones in Rollins' tenor work. Horace Silver plays piano on part of the set as well – but still keeps things strong – and titles include "Why Don't I", "Wail March", "Misterioso", and "Reflections". CD

Moody material from Bobby Hutcherson – and one of the first records to feature his vibes in the company of tenorist Harold Land – a player who would help Hutcherson make some mighty fine music over the years! The set's got a super-hip group – with Stanley Cowell on piano, giving the record a warm, spiritual undercurrent – one that works perfectly with the lyrical soul of Land's horn. Other players include Reggie Johnson on bass and Joe Chambers on drums – and titles include "Spiral", "Ruth", "Poor People's March", and "Visions". The album also includes one more track – "Jasper" – which was recorded in a 1965 session without Land and Cowell – but with Sam Rivers on tenor and bass clarinet, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Andrew Hill on piano! Recorded in the 60s, but only initially issued on vinyl in 1979! LP, Vinyl record album

Mos Def brings a veering diversity to New Danger – his first album in five years – a record that hits on tried-and-true Rawkus flavored beats and rhyme schemes, slow-rolling, smoked out soul & blues, and Quickness era Bad Brains-esque arena rock! Of course our favorite cuts are the straight up hip hop tracks, produced by Minnesota with a percolating, synth-layered sound that works really well – giving the backdrop kind of a pulpy, cinematic sweep. Other tracks feature Mos and his soul/rock/blues outfit Black Jack Johnson. Mos clearly refuses to be roped in by anyone's expectations at this point – a quality that reminds us of Common's Electric Circus – in spirit, if not in the actual sound. Tracks include "Boogie Man Song", "Ghetto Rock", "Zimzallabim", "The Rape Over", "Blue Black Jack" featuring some straight electric blues guitar work by the one-and-only Shuggie Otis, "Bedstuy Parade & Funeral March", "Sex, Love & Money", "Sunshine", "Grown Man Business", "Modern Marvel", "Life Is Real", "War" (produced by Beatnut Psycho Les) and more. CD