Gentle genius from Red Garland – working here in classic trio formation with Sam Jones and Art Taylor – on a mellow set of late nite numbers and subtle ballads, all carried off in the best tradition of the Moodsville label! Eddie Lockjaw Davis joins the group on 3 tracks on the set – blowing in a style that's spare, open-mouthed, and amazingly soulful – more so almost than even his best ballad blowing on his organ-based records for Prestige during the same time. Davis really sparkles tremendously on the tunes "Softly Baby", "When Your Lover Has Gone", and "We'll Be Together Again" – and other tracks include "Stella By Starlight", "Blue Room", and "Wonder Why". CD

Bennie Wallace on tenor saxophone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. CD

Mellow work from Tommy Flanagan – working here in great trio formation with Roy Haynes on drums and Tommy Potter on bass! The overall feel of the set's in keeping with the more laidback style of Prestige's Moodsville label, and Tommy tickles the ivories nicely on some standards that include a few nice obscure numbers. The album features the original tune "Jes Fine", a solo reading of "Come Sunday", and the tracks "Velvet Moon", "Born To Be Blue", and "In The Blue Of The Evening". CD

A very unusual album from organist Shirley Scott – one of a few done for the Moodsville subsidary of Prestige Records in the 60s! Shirley actually plays a bit of piano on the record next to her Hammond – tinkling the ivories with a sound that's almost more lyrical than her work on organ. Bass is by either George Tucker or George Duvivier, and Arthur Edgehill is on drums – and tracks include "Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You", "Sweet Lorraine", "I Thought I'd Let You Know", "Spring Is Here", "I Should Care", and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along". LP, Vinyl record album

Gentle genius from Red Garland – working here in classic trio formation with Sam Jones and Art Taylor – on a mellow set of late nite numbers and subtle ballads, all carried off in the best tradition of the Moodsville label! Eddie Lockjaw Davis joins the group on 3 tracks on the set – blowing in a style that's spare, open-mouthed, and amazingly soulful – more so almost than even his best ballad blowing on his organ-based records for Prestige during the same time. Davis really sparkles tremendously on the tunes "Softly Baby", "When Your Lover Has Gone", and "We'll Be Together Again" – and other tracks include "Stella By Starlight", "Blue Room", and "Wonder Why". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Kenny Burrell – one that has Ray Barretto's congas on most cuts, giving the album a similar Latiny feel to Kenny's classic Midnight Blue album on Blue Note! The Latin undercurrent hits both New York and bossa-styled modes – a great setting for Burrell's thin, snakey lines on guitar – and also a surprisingly great showcase for the tenor of Coleman Hawkins, which really opens up nicely in this setting – in ways that are a bit like his own bossa date for Impulse, or the sound of Ike Quebec's Soul Samba album! Rhythm is by Tommy Flanagan on piano, Major Holley on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums – and titles include "Tres Talbras", "Montono Blues", "Guilty", "No More", and "It's Getting Dark". CD

The Hawk Relaxes, but never lets himself go – and a set like this is a great illustration of the gentle genius that made so many later Coleman Hawkins records so great! The relaxed setting for this record is a perfect setting for Hawkins to open up and stretch out – working his tenor with a sound that has surprising modern edges, and unusual twists and turns, yet still all the careful economy of his better-known classic sides. There's a command of the instrument here that few other aging players ever seemed to muster – always a sense of new discovery and invention that marks the work strongly, even at a time when Hawkins could have been sitting on his laurels, playing the same old tune! Titles are all standards, but don't let that fool you – because there's plenty of magic in Coleman's versions of "Moonglow", "Just A Gigolo", "Speak Low", "When Day Is Done", and "I'll Never Be The Same". Oh, and we almost forgot – just because we're so focused on Hawkins – the other players include Ronnell Bright on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums – making a surprising early appearance here! CD

A very well titled little album – as the sound here is nice and cozy – just Shirley Scott's organ with a bit of bass and drums, all stepping along in a mellow and soulful mood! The style is what you'd expect from the Moodsville label at the time – a more laidback, more intimate presentation of the talents of Scott – at least in comparison to some of her other work on the main Prestige label. The group here is a familiar one – with George Duviver on bass and Arthur Edgehill on drums – and titles include "My Heart Stood Still", "Once In Awhile", "Laura", "Like Cozy", "Little Girl Blue", and "More Than You Know". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Kenny Burrell – one that has Ray Barretto's congas on most cuts, giving the album a similar Latiny feel to Kenny's classic Midnight Blue album on Blue Note! The Latin undercurrent hits both New York and bossa-styled modes – a great setting for Burrell's thin, snakey lines on guitar – and also a surprisingly great showcase for the tenor of Coleman Hawkins, which really opens up nicely in this setting – in ways that are a bit like his own bossa date for Impulse, or the sound of Ike Quebec's Soul Samba album! Rhythm is by Tommy Flanagan on piano, Major Holley on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums – and titles include "Tres Talbras", "Montono Blues", "Guilty", "No More", and "It's Getting Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful late work by Coleman Hawkins – a player who was very much "at ease" with himself at the time, and opened up tremendously on albums like this. The format is beautiful – simple small group backings by Tommy Flanagan, Wendell Marshall, and Osie Johnson – with Coleman out front, blowing these deep and mellow tenor lines that could stop a locomotive in its tracks! Titles include "At Dawning", "I'll Get By", "For You For Me For Evermore", and "Mighty Lak A Rose". CD

Perhaps the rarest of the few albums cut by vibist Lem Winchester in his all-too-short career – an obscure session for Prestige's Moodsville offshoot, done in a relaxes soulful setting that may well be Lem's best! The tunes groove along in a gently stepping mode that really fits Winchester's rhythmic approach to the vibes – letting him ring out in spare solo space alongside backing by the trio of Richard Wyands on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums. Tracks include "Why Don't They Understand", "The Kids", "Skylark", and "To Love & Be Loved". LP, Vinyl record album

The mellow tone of Cootie Williams gets a great showcase here – a laidback quartet date that's easily one of the most relaxed, open sessions we've heard from the trumpeter! Cootie blows a muted horn on most numbers, but he still comes across with plenty of soul – and support is from Nat Jones on piano, Harold Dodson on bass, and Bill Peeples on drums – on titles that include "Concerto For Cootie", "Some Of These Days", "Night Train", "Liza", and "Birmingham Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Kenny Burrell gets the soul call from Prestige Records – the result is one of his grooviest albums of the 60s! The vibe here is nicely mellow – pretty laidback, and almost in the late nite style of some of the Moodsville label dates – with Kenny's guitar ringing out in these beautifully-formed tones – over light rhythms from Will Davis on piano, Martin Rivera on bass, and Bill English on drums – plus just a little bit of conga from Ray Barretto, which creeps into the groove nicely when it's used. Titles include "Soul Call", "Kenny's Theme", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Kenny's Theme", and "Mark One". LP, Vinyl record album

Another great Prestige twofer! First up is Sizzlin, a classic stripped-down quartet setting that features Arnett Cobb's bold tenor sax right up front in the mix, cutting deeply on a half dozen well-recorded tracks! The sound here is simple, soulful, and completely effective – very much in the mode of labelmate Gene Ammons, but perhaps a bit earthier overall – not R&B honking, but almost on the verge at times. Backing is by Red Garland on piano, George Tucker on bass, and JC Moses on drums – and titles include "Sizzlin", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Black Velvet", and "Blue Sermon". The second half features a great set of smoky, soulful ballads, played here in an intimate setting with Red Garland leading up a small rhythm trio. The tracks are all standards – like "Blue & Sentimental", "Willow Weep For Me", and "P.S. I Love You" – but they're all played nicely, in the impossible-to-duplicate style of these obscure Moodsville sessions. CD

Classic 60s soul jazz from Eddie Lockjaw Davis – more than an album's worth of materal on a single CD! First up is part of the album Misty – great work from the famous team that featured Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor and Shirley Scott on organ – recorded here in the mellow, open-ended setting of Prestige Records' Moodsville label – a perfect setting for the late nite stylings of the pair! There's a slight more groove to this session than some of the other Moodsville date – thanks to the presence of Ray Barretto in the group on congas –a longside the bass of George Duvivier and drums of Arthur Edgehill. CD also adds in the track "From This Moment On". Goin To The Meetin is a great one – and one of the rarest Prestige dates from Eddie Lockjaw Davis! The album features a unique group that includes Horace Parlan on piano – in place of the organ that had graced many of Davis' earlier Prestige records – with added groovy energy from Buddy Catlett on bass, Art Taylor on drums, and Willie Bobo on congas – all players who seem to give Davis an even sharper edge than before – not entirely the modern tones of his pairings with Johnny Griffin, but a bit less sleepy than in the company of a Hammond. The congas really kick things up nicely – and there's an undercurrent of fire that almost recalls some of the best Blue Note dates of this nature from the time. Titles include "Little Cougar", "Yes Yes", "Pass The Hat", "Goin To Meetin", and "Oh Babee". CD

Includes the albums Coleman Hawkins with Red Garland Trio, Soul Junction, Rojo, Alone With The Blues, Halleloo Y' All, plus Moodsville albums 1, 3, and 6. CD

2 rare sessions from Prestige Records' Swingville label – both of which feature work from Ellington trumpeter Taft Jordan! The first date on the set was issued under Taft's own name – and is a great laidback set that shows Jordan in a completely different setting than the Ellington group – working here in a small combo with Kenny Burrell on guitar, Richard Wyands on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums. Tracks are shortish, but open and easy-going – lots of room for Jordan's trumpet to sparkle, plus some nice contributions from Burrell and Wyands as well. Titles include "Warm Valley", "Lost In Meditation", "In A Sentimental Mood", and "I Didn't Know About You". The second set was a one-off date by The Swingville All Stars, a group made up of other leaders on the label, oddly recorded here by the Sound Of America! Jordan's trumpet is joined by the tenor of Al Sears, the alto of Hilton Jefferson, and the piano of Don Abney – all on laidback, late nite tracks that are almost as much in the Moodsville mode as they are in the Swingville one. Titles include "Lil Darlin", "Willow Weep For Me", "Tenderly", "Rockin In Rhythm", and "New Carnegie Blues". CD