A tremendous recording from the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – done during the same Paris stretch as their Great Black Music classics on the BYG/Actuel label – and a set that easily matches, if not tops, those classics! You can really hear the group finding their own space here – taking some of the free jazz explorations of the Chicago scene in the late 60s, and forging them with an even earthier use of both percussion, and the more offbeat sonic possibilities of their own instruments – often with a sense of surprise that you don't always get from some of their later albums. Titles include the side-long "The Spiritual" – plus "Toro", "Lori Song", and "That The Evening Sky Fell Through the Glass Wall and We Stood Alone Somewhere?" (And they wondered why they never got their songs on the radio!) CD features the bonus track – "Tthintthedalen (parts 1 & 2)". CD

Prime modern work from the great Paul Bley – a pianist who was really expanding his sound at this time – to a level that would soon make him a legend around the globe! The European date is a great chance to hear Bley really opening things up – playing freely, with an amazing command of the keyboard – faster flurries of notes at times than you might hear on his 70s material, but with an equally sensitive ear for space and sound – all balanced by perfect work from Kent Carter on bass and Barry Altschul on drums! There's an instantly haunting quality to the music – which is all unique original material from Bley's scene – titles that include his own compositions Bley's "Pablo" and "Mazatlan", plus Annette Peacock's "Both" and "Cartoon", and Carla Bley's "Start". CD also features the bonus track "Closer" – another Carla Bley composition. CD

A pretty great and very strange album by avant pianist Dave Burrell – and maybe one of the best-known calling cards for his unique genius on the keys! Side one features an extended tune called "West Side Story", which is basically a medley of tunes from the musical, played with a nice dark edge by Burrell and a trio – with Sirone on bass and Bobby Kapp on drums, plus additional tambourine work by Pharoah Sanders! Side three features "East Side Colors", a great track in the ESP avant mode – and one that features killer drum work by Sonny Murray, and some fierce piano by Burrell – and side four features the long "Theme Stream Medley", another extended track, based on themes by Burrell. Other titles include "Margy Pargy", "Bobby & Si", "Bittersweet Reminiscence", and "Dave Blue". CD

An extremely great album from Eddie Costa – one of the best of the all-great Mode sessions from 1957! In what is an odd meeting of players, especially for the label, Eddie's piano and vibes meet up with Art Farmer's trumpet, the alto of Phil Woods, bass of Teddy Kotick, and drums of Paul Motian – all of whom work together with the fluidity and soulfulness of some of the best Prestige sessions of the time. The horn work is tremendous – and it's hard to remember Woods sounding this great on other albums of the time, really cutting an edge next to Farmer's trumpet – which also has an incredible tone for the album, right up there with his Farmer's Market record! Titles include "Big Ben", "Blues Plus Eight", "Stretch In F", and "Get Out Of The Road". CD

Incredible work from the young Stanley Cowell – one of his first albums ever, but already a step ahead of most of his contemporaries! The set's a trio date, unlike some of Cowell's later albums for Strata East – and it's got a wonderful blend of soaring piano lines and more complicated rhythms – already showing some of the spiritual elements that Cowell would later craft into longer lines with Charles Tolliver – but possibly even more striking here in the looser space of a trio! Rhythms are sometimes quite fluid and free – almost in the vein of some of Steve Kuhn's most inventive late 60s work – but sometimes things echo previous generations as well, almost with a Jaki Byard vibe. In addition to Cowell's great work on acoustic and electric piano, the trio features wonderful drums from Jimmy Hopps and bass from Steve Novosel – both players who are at the top of their game here, and really help set fire to Cowell's music. Titles include an early take on "Travelin Man" – quite different from the later version on Strata East, but equally wonderful – plus "Blues For The Viet Cong", "Wedding March", "Photon In A Paper World", "Departure", "Sweet Song", and "The Shuttle". CD

Really beautiful 70s work from pianist Andrew Hill – one of his few sessions from this part of the decade to feature a larger set of players – some really wonderful guests that make some real magic with Hill's brilliant compositions! At the start of the 70s, Andrew had announced a back to basics moment – when he wanted to play a bit more inside – and while this record isn't as completely avant as some of his 60s material, it's something of a blend of both modes – angular ideas that explode from the compositions, but mixed with a sense of structure too – all handled by players who are very well-suited to such a mode – a lineup that includes Ted Curson on trumpet, Lee Konitz on alto and soprano, Robin Kenyatta on alto, Cecil McBee and Stafford James on bass, and Art Lewis and Barry Altschul on drums. There's a special sort of beauty here – and the record's a great reminder that Andrew Hill's genius extended well past his famous recordings for Blue Note – on titles that include "Tomorrow", "Invitation", "The Message", "Quiet Dawn", and "Spiral". CD

Quite possibly the strongest moment of genius ever from saxophonist Noah Howard – a legendary album that captures the altoist at the height of his powers! The 1969 session was recorded at a time when Howard's contemporaries were making big noise overseas – but the date finds Noah at home in New York, working with a lineup that includes Arthur Doyle on tenor, Earl Cross on trumpet, Leslie Waldron on piano, Norris Jones on bass, and Mohammed Ali on drums – all in a groove that's a perfect link between the avant sound of Shepp and Ayler in the 60s, and some of the rougher modes of the loft jazz scene to come! Howard's got a great way of stating a theme on these tunes – a manner that has the group in very cohesive formation at the beginning, often with righteous overtones – then opening up freely in the ensuing space with some incredibly bold solos. The whole thing's amazing – a US date that easily matches, if not beats, the brilliance of the best BYG/Actual generation overseas – and titles include "Domiabra", "Ole Negro", "Mount Fuji", and "Queen Anne". Great package too – a tri-fold gatefold cover, and very unique! CD

Chicago had the Art Ensemble of Chicago at the end of the 60s – and St Louis had the fantastic Human Arts Ensemble at the start of the 70s – a wonderfully creative jazz group who shared a lot of the same ideas of improvisation and artistic freedom as the AACM up in the Windy City! This album's maybe that group's lasting legacy – a fantastic record that's sometimes as funky as it is spiritual, as outside as it is tied to older jazz traditions – performed by a core lineup that includes Oliver Lake on alto and tenor, Lester Bowie on trumpet, Marty Erlich on alto and flute, James Marshall and JD Parran on additional reeds, Charles Bobo Shaw on drums, and Carol Marshall on vocals and small instruments! The group have a very special vibe – one that comes through especially strong on the side-long "Lover's Desire" – a nice slightly-funky number that has a groove that's sort of modal. Side two of the album features "Hazrat The Sufi", a long creative avant piece, with insane ensemble playing that's very much in the AACM mode – but with some touches that also point the way towards the later loft jazz scene in New York – especially the world in which Lake would become such a key participant. CD

Two rare Storyville albums from the tremendous vocal team of Jackie & Roy – back to back in a single set! First up is the self titled Jackie & Roy – one of the first albums ever from the team of Jackie Caine and Roy Kral – and one of the best, too! The album's got a relaxed, open-ended approach to jazz vocals that already carries all the hallmarks of the Jackie & Roy style – wordless scatting on some tunes, playful lyrical interplay on others, and a focus on Jackie's ballad talents on some of the gentler numbers – all wrapped up in small combo backing that's sensitive, creative, and modern – yet never in a way that overwhelms the vocals. It's hard to match the poise, class, and cleverness of this one – and the album easily set a new standard for vocal jazz in the 50s! Titles include a few great early tunes by Tommy Wolf – the songwriter who would become so important for the pair – and backing is by Roy on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. Titles include "Let's Take A Walk Around The Block", "You Smell So Good", "Listen Little Girl", "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most", "Bill's Bit", "Dahuud", "I Wish I Were In Love Again", and "Lover". Sing Baby Sing is sublime work from the duo of Jackie & Roy – a guy/gal vocal team, but one with a sound that's unlike anyone else we can think of! Both Jackie Cain and Roy Kral sing – and Roy also plays a mean piano, and writes a fair bit of the tunes too – really lively numbers that show off the bop-styled techniques they developed while working with Charlie Ventura – but with hipper, groovier lyrics – of the sort that are a key precursor to folks like Bob Dorough or Dave Frishberg! Instrumentation on the set is great, too – a small combo with guitar from either Joe Rumero or Barry Galbraith – served up in a really great mix of tunes that includes "Season In The Sun", "Slowly", "Cheerful Little Earful", "Why Not Admit It", "You Are The One", and "Hook Line And Snare". CD

One of the first albums ever from the team of Jackie Caine and Roy Kral – and one of the best, too! The album's got a relaxed, open-ended approach to jazz vocals that already carries all the hallmarks of the Jackie & Roy style – wordless scatting on some tunes, playful lyrical interplay on others, and a focus on Jackie's ballad talents on some of the gentler numbers – all wrapped up in small combo backing that's sensitive, creative, and modern – yet never in a way that overwhelms the vocals. It's hard to match the poise, class, and cleverness of this one – and the album easily set a new standard for vocal jazz in the 50s! Titles include a few great early tunes by Tommy Wolf – the songwriter who would become so important for the pair – and backing is by Roy on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. Titles include "Let's Take A Walk Around The Block", "You Smell So Good", "Listen Little Girl", "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most", "Bill's Bit", "Dahuud", "I Wish I Were In Love Again", and "Lover". CD

A pair of late 60s gems from guitarist Barney Kessel – both of which came from the same string of sessions! First up is Blue Soul – a very groovy set from guitarist Barney Kessel – very different than some of his cleaner, smoother-toned work of the 50s! The album was partly recorded in London, and partly recorded in LA – and there's a really nice mix of modes going on, which includes strong use of organ at times – bringing a soul jazz vibe to the record, which Barney seems to match with an extra sort of rasp in his strings – this nice bite that really sets the record apart from some of his others! There's also great use of electric bass, very strong at a few points, with a nice kick in the rhythms that's kind of unexpected for a record from Kessel – as you'll groove to on titles that include "Blue Soul", "Stumblin Around", "Comin Home", "Quail Bait", "Shufflin", and "Frank Mills". Swinging Easy is really nice work from guitarist Barney Kessel – one of his overlooked late 60s sessions from a time when the musician was really opening up his sound! Barney's working with a British trio here – John Marshall on drums and Kenny Napper on bass – and there's a nice sense of tone that carries forward his 50s modes, but which also maybe has a bit more of a bite, too. The mix is a great one, and titles include "On A Clear Day", "The Look Of Love", "Corcovado", "Aquarius", "Watch The Birds Go By", and "I Will Wait For You". CD

A pair of late Bud Powell albums – brought together here in a single set! First up is Blues For Bouffemont – wonderful late work from pianist Bud Powell – recorded in France, where Bud seemed to do all of his best recordings in the early 60s! The setting is a trio – with Art Taylor on drums and Michel Gaudry on bass – but as always in such a mode, Powell has a way of opening the tunes up wonderfully – exploring the boppish currents that he first helped unveil years before, but also showing a newfound lyricism that makes us wonder what strong role Bud would have played on the European scene, had he survived into the 70s! Titles include "Una Noche Con Francis", "Like Someone In Love", "Blues For Bouffemont", "Moose The Mooche", "Little Willie Leaps", and "My Old Flame". CD also features bonus tracks with a second trio – "I Know That You Know", "Star Eyes", and "There Will Never Be Another You". Next is Hot House – maybe the last album that Bud Powell ever recorded with a horn player – and a fantastic one too – as the set features tremendous work from rising tenor genius Johnny Griffin! The setting is a live one – with Guy Hayat on bass and Jacques Gervais on drums – and the group open up wonderfully to provide this really crispy setting that brings out the best in Griffin's tone – that amazing edge that he always had right from the start, but which really seemed to come into focus even more strongly during this stretch overseas! Some tracks are nice and long – especially versions of "Wee", "John's Abbey", and "Straight No Chaser" – alongside tunes that include "Bean & The Boys", "Move", and "Salt Peanuts". CD

Three early 10" albums from alto genius Lee Konitz – packaged together here in one great 2CD set! First up is Lee Konitz At Storyville – tight early work from Lee Konitz – recorded on location at the very hospitable Storyville nightclub in Boston – a sweet setting for his angular tones on the alto! The style here is great – cutting lines that are incredibly precise, yet crafted with enough soul to keep them from just being exercises in sound – delivered with a bit more warmth than some of Lee's other recordings of the time. The group's a quartet with Ronnie Ball on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Al Levitt on drums – and titles include "Sound Lee", "Subconscious Lee", "Hi Beck", and "These Foolish Things". Next is Lee Konitz At Harvard Square – clear, clean early work from Lee Konitz – recorded with that crispy edge that he brought to all of his best early work! The album's a treasure all the way through – really amazing stuff, with a sharpness that's quite noticeable, but also a sense of humanity that Lee didn't always have in his later work. The group's nicely relaxed, but still driven by modern ideals – and other players include Ronnie Ball on piano, Jeff Morton on drums, and Peter Ind on bass. Tracks are short, but pack a punch, and titles include "No Splice", "Foolin Myself", "Ronnie's Tune", "Froggy Day", and "My Old Flame". Last is the great Konitz album – some of the greatest work ever recorded by Lee Konitz – crisp, cool, and with that perfect icy tone that was his unique trademark during the mid 50s! The style here is a bit less angular and academic than some of Lee's earliest work – and there's a subtle warmth, almost an intimacy to the way the whole thing's recorded – but also a Tristano-styled approach to the tunes that still makes everything feel a bit off-kilter, even when relaxed. The group's a quartet – with Lee on alto, Ronnie Ball on piano, Jeff Morton on drums, and the great Tristano-ite Peter Ind on bass. Titles include "317 East 32nd", "Bop Goes The Leesel", "Nursery Rhyme", and a great version of "Skylark". 31 tracks in all – with some bonus alternates too! CD

A really great package – one that brings together three different albums on the Black Lion label, all of which were recorded during the same live sessions at the Cafe Montmartre in Copenhagen! Ben Webster's tone is wonderful here – that mature, mellow sound that he brought to some of his standout live dates – and which is captured here in the kind of relaxed, soloist-focused setting that always makes 60s recordings from the Cafe Montmartre so great! The group is a familiar one for the house – Kenny Drew on piano, Nils Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums – but it's clear that Ben's the main star, and steps out on the kind of tenor solos really set him apart from the rest – on a record that's also one of his best from the decade! 2CD set features 21 tracks in all – and titles include "I Can't Get Started", "Londonderry Air", "My Romance", "Misty", "That's All", "Yesterdays", "Perdido", "Teach Me Tonight", "Friskin The Frog", "Stormy Weather", and "Blues For Herluf". CD

Tremendous early work from South African pianist Dollar Brand (aka Abdullah Ibrahim) – exactly the kind of sounds that set him apart from so many other musicians at the time, and which brought him great attention on the European scene of the 60s! The tunes are long and open – strongly characterized by that rhythmic pulse that Brand borrows from his roots, but inflected with all these dark modern tones on piano – territory that Randy Weston was attempting a few years before, but which Dollar Brand really knocks out of the park with a recording like this! The rest of the group features Johnny Gertze on bass and Makaya Ntshoko on drums – both players who are really well-tuned to the groove – and the set features Brand's originals "Anatomy Of A South African Village", "Tintiyana" and "Honey, plus versions of the Monk tunes, "Round Midnight" and "Light Blue". CD features four bonus tracks – "The Dream", "Mamma", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and a 20 minute medley titled "Boulevard East/Sunset In Blue/Easter Joy". CD

A trio of fantastic recordings from Anthony Braxton – all of them at a pivotal time in his career, and each with his reed work in a very different setting! First up is the double-length album The Complete Braxton – a record that's something of a document of Anthony Braxton during his brief period with the group Circle – but a set that also offers up an expanded take on their new idea of freedoms in jazz! Braxton plays alto, soprano, clarinet, and bass clarinet – using his angular reedwork amidst his own fantastic "equation" compositions – which allow for plenty of improvisation from shifting lineups that include Chick Corea on piano, Dave Holland on bass and cello, and Barry Altschul on percussion! The tracks also feature the great Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn – playing mostly at moments when the piano of Corea drops out – and one tune also features the London Tuba Ensemble, who make for an especially bracing sound! Titles include "67M F-12", "R76", "JNK", and a bunch of those compositions that just have pictures for the title! Silence features Anthony Braxton, recorded in Paris at the end of the 60s – but in the company of two very familiar talents from his hometown – Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and Leroy Jenkins on violin! Unlike some of Braxton's other Paris recordings, there's a very strong Chicago vibe going on here – as both of the album's long tracks unfold with thoughtful, almost gentle improvisation at times – a very different current of spiritualism than the post-Coltrane world, with all players picking up other instruments at times – in that mode-shifting way that made the early AACM so wonderfully creative! The set features two side-long titles – "Silence" and "Off The Top Of My Head". Time Zones is one of Anthony Braxton's most compelling albums of the 70s – a series of sonic explorations recorded with electronic music artist Richard Teitelbaum – whose work on a variety of moog synthesizers makes for a very groundbreaking accompaniment to Braxton's work on soprano, alto, and bass clarinet! The album features two long improvisations – "Crossing" and "Behemoth Dreams" – both of which are maybe more in the organic territory of the AACM than some of the later experiments that have electronics and improvisation – a really special space that the pair create together that's different from earlier electro-acoustic work, and even the sound of MEV or AMM – a completely fresh approach to electronics in improvisation – graced with some very interesting moments from Braxton as well. CD

A record that's definitely as brilliant as promised in the title – a set that has the young pianist Stanley Cowell bridging the late 60s Blue Note modal sound and his greatness to come on the Strata East label – all with a style that would set the tone for so many other players and groups in the 70s! The mix of musicians here is a dream – not just Cowell on piano, but also Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Tyrone Washington on tenor and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players with maybe a bit more under their belt, but who also instantly lock into Cowell's visionary new sound – spun out in a mix of modal moments and freer solos, on tunes penned by members of the group. Every track is nice and long, and has a spiritual jazz vibe that owes a lot more to the worlds of Cowell, Hutcherson, and Shaw than it does John Coltrane – as you'll hear on titles that include "Brilliant Circles", "Earthly Heavens", "Boo Ann's Grand", and "Bobby's Tune". CD features two bonus tracks – "Musical Players" and an alternate take of "Brilliant Circles". CD

Seminal work from trumpeter Ted Curson – a set that's issued under his own name, but which continues a string of key early 60s performances with tenorist Bill Barron – who's work together here with Ted is fantastic! The group has no piano – just Herb Bushler on bass and Dick Berk on drums – both players with a fluid, open sense of rhythm – one that allows for plenty of horn interplay, at a level that almost has Curson borrowing some of the lessons he learned from Mingus, then taking them into small group formation and really opening things up! Curson also blows a bit of pocket trumpet, and Barron handles some clarinet – on a set of all original material that includes a great version of Curson's "Quicksand", plus the tracks "Kassim", "East 6th Street", "Tears For Dolphy", "7/4 Funny Time", "Reava's Waltz". CD features three bonus tracks – "Desolation", "Searching For The Blues", and "Light Blue". CD

An expanded version of this famous series of recordings – originally issued on two different records by the Black Lion label, and expanded here with bonus material! The record's n astounding live set from Johnny Griffin – recorded at the famous Club Montmartre in Copenhagen, Dexter Gordon's famous home in the late 60s – but a place that was also a showcase for the new sort of energy that Griffin was bringing to his horn at the time! The record crackles with the kind of free energy of the best Montmartre sessions – long tracks and compelling solos, stretched-out versions of tunes you may recognize, but which are transformed nicely by Griff's great solo work – and by a rhythm section that features Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Heath on drums! Titles include "The Man I Love", "Blues For Harvey", "Indiana", "Old Folks", "You Leave Me Breathless", "Night In Tunisia", "Leave Me Alone Blues", "All The Things You Are", "The Masquerade Is Over", "Sophisticated Lady", "Hush A Bye", and "Wee". CD

A seminal session from the St Louis scene of the early 70s – one that was humming nearly as much as Chicago was with the AACM at the time! As with the larger organization in the Windy City, St Louis had the Black Artists Group – of which Julius Hemphill was a key member, forming fresh new ideas in improvisatory jazz with players who went onto have an undeniable impact on the global scene as well. This album's one of the standout recordings of the Black Artists era at its best – a record produced by Hemphill, but equally balanced between his own alto and flute, the trumpet of Baikida Carroll, cello of Abdul Wadud, and drums of Phillip Wilson – plus a bit of added baritone from Haimet Bluiett. The rhythms are quite open, but there's also a nice sense of structure to the record too – a bridge between spiritual and free jazz that prefaces the impact that both Hemphill and Bluiett would have on the New York loft jazz generation. Titles include "Dogon AD", "Rites", and "The Painter". CD

Early genius from The Ex – a set recorded back in the early days when the Dutch group were a punk band first, and experimentalists second – working with energy that's almost reminiscent of the Leeds scene, especially material from Gang Of Four and the early version of The Mekons! There's plenty of politics and anger in the music – served up on these short, sharp shocks that are totally great – raw guitar riffs from Terrie X, and vocals from GW Sok that almost have a Mark E Riley sense of performances – all driven on by the intense drum work of Sabien – on titles that include "Bouquet Of Barbed Wire", "Fear", "Hunt The Hunters", "Red Muzak", "The Well-Known Soldier", "Same Old News", "FUNEIDY", and "Island Race". LP, Vinyl record album

Cold wave completists, eat your heart out – because this incredible 4CD set is overflowing with early analogue electronic gems from the UK scene – served up in a really beautiful book-style package that's overflowing with notes to support the superb selection of tracks! The music here is definitely on the colder side of the spectrum – that initial impulse on the UK scene to rework some of the German electronics of the period with leaner modes, and take them into even more inventive territory during the post-punk years – before things got too commercial in UK pop, or too overburdened with industrial posturing! The music here is from those great early years of labels like Cherry Red, Rough Trade, and other key UK indies – and the package features 60 titles that include "Fractured Smile" by Inter City Static, "RAM" by The Klingons, "Computer Bank" by Five Times Of Dust, "Holiday Camp" by Blancmange, "I Am Your Shadow" by Colin Potter, "Joe Goes To New York" by Adrian Smith, "Sedation" by O Yuki Conjugate, "In The Room" by Third Door On The Left, "Eco Beat" by DC3, "What A Day" by Throbbing Gristle, "Western Vein" by Konstruktivist, "Music To Save The World By" by Alan Burnham, "Kodak Ghosts Run Amok" by Eyeless In Gaza, "New Muzak" by Instant Automatons, "Robot Dance" by Sea Of Wires, "Mzui (extract)" by Gilbert & Lewis, and "Muslin Gauze Muslim Prayer" by Muzlimgauze. CD

A wild assortment of music from an equally wild source – a BBC Radio program hosted by Jarvis Cocker, presented on Sunday mornings as a way to relax and reach some sort of deeper spiritual consciousness! The show was never churchy – but maybe an attempt to find a new sort of inner peace during the modern age – with a selection of songs in a really great range, all linked by the dry wit and understated presence of Cocker as an announcer. This set brings together key tracks from the early years of the show – music that spans decades, and runs from jazz vocal numbers, to electronic music nuggets, 70s AOR, underground folk, and a number of more recent tracks that show that Jarvis has continually had his ear on the rock underground around the globe. The blend is incredibly hard to describe in words, but a delight to hear on record – and the whole thing comes with detailed notes on the track selections from Cocker himself. Titles include "Snowed In" by Tim Rose, "Day Glo" by Serafina Steer, "Cold Rain" by Alternative TV, "Won't That Be A Happy Time" by Joseph & Louis Spence, "Old Molly Metcalfe" by Jake Thackery, "Waters Of March" by Art Garfunkel, "It's A Quiet Thing" by Morgana King, "Rock Intro" by Miranda July, "After The Gold Rush" by The King's Singers, "Invasion Muzak" by John Baker, "True Love Will Find You In The End" by Headless Heroes, "Cars" by The Katzenjammers, "Crazy In Love" by Antony & The Johnsons, "Don't Wait Too Long" by Bob Welch, "Baltimore" by Nina Simone, "December" by David Cain/Derek Boswell, "Gynopedie No 3" by Camarata Contemporary Chamber Group, and "The Interrogative Mood" by Jarvis Cocker & David Cunningham. CD