A rare pre-Blue Note session from Duke Pearson – very mellow, very soulful, and with a quality that's unlike most of his later work! The album's a trio side, recorded for the Jazzline label, and it features Pearson on piano, Thomas Howard on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums – the last of whom brings in some wonderfully lyrical lines on the kit, very much in the manner of the free, dancing rhythms used on records with Donald Byrd. Pearson's piano has a sharper edge than usual – these dark, moody tones that are totally great – almost a rougher version of his later sound, with a great sense of depth. Bob Cranshaw's bass and Walter Perkins' drums are featured on one number – and titles include a killer take on "Jeannine", plus "Say You're Mine", "Le Carrousel", "Bags Groove", and "Exodus". 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

A pair of rare late albums from Bud Powell – back to back in a single set! Strictly Confidential is a really unusual set of recordings from pianist Bud Powell – tracks recorded in his overseas home, solo – a setting that puts the keyboard magic of Powell in a similar sound to that of Art Tatum, who'd recorded in such a way the decade before! At some level, these might be the most compelling recordings that Bud made at the time – as there's an intimacy that's wonderful, and an inherent swing that makes you realize how much Powell was always driving the group – even when he was working with top-shelf drummers and bassists. Plus, the solo mode maybe also opens up a current of humanity past the Bud's skills on the keys – which makes the whole record all that much more powerful. Titles include "Deep Night", "Strictly Confidental", "Wahoo", "Deep Inside", "My Devotion", "Conception", and "Ruby My Dear". Essen Jazz Festival All Stars is a great recording from the 1960 Essen Jazz Festival in Germany – one that has bassist Oscar Pettiford playing with Bud Powell and drummer Kenny Clarke (all of whom were living abroad at the time), and being joined by Coleman Hawkins on a few tracks. On the trio sides, although Powell's strong piano is out front, Pettiford still gets a lot of room to solo in warm round swells. The Hawk sides are our favorites, though, because we love the great tenor player at this point in his career, when he was playing in a way that was deceptively easy, but which was filled with all of these incredible surprises. The tracks on this LP are no exception, and the Hawk flies high high high on "All The Things You Are", "Yesterdays", and "Stuffy". CD

The first-ever album as a leader from tenorist Dewey Redman – a set that captures the rising musician at a level that's very full-formed, and which shows some of the roots of his years in Texas with a young Ornette Coleman! The vibe's different here than Coleman's music – at least in the early 60s – as Dewey would soon reunite with Ornette, and make some key sides in the second half of the decade. But there's definitely a similar sense of rhythmic pulse – with all the instruments leaping into the groove in a wonderful way – at times almost recalling some South African jazz modes, and at other moments maybe sparkling more with the best early 60s touches of the American underground! The rest of the combo features Jim Young on piano, Don Raphael Garrett on bass, and Eddie Moore on drums – an unusual grouping, but one that really makes some special magic here together – and in ways that give the record a very different sound than Redman's later, better-known albums. All titles are originals by Dewey – and tracks include "For Eldon", "Seven & One", "Look For The Black Star", "Of Love", and "Spur Of The Moment". CD

Brazilian grooves, but served up by a Chicago combo – one that features the great pianist Breno Sauer working with local musicians while he was living in the Windy City! The style here is a bit like some of the best 70s Bay Area groups who could mix together jazz and Brazilian elements – but with a style here that's maybe a bit more lean, and less fusion-based overall! The group features lead vocals by Neusa Sauer – and a lineup that includes tenor, percussion, guitar, and bass. Tunes are a bit longer than usual – allowing for some nice jazz moments – and titles include "Babete", "Favela", "Arlequin Desconhecido", "Fato Consummado", and "Sai Dessa". CD

Brilliant early work by saxophonist John Tchicai – recorded in Denmark with a larger ensemble, in the years of his European exile after the dissolution of the New York Contemporary Five. Players include Karsten Vogel on alto and percussion, Max Bruel on baritone and piano, and Hugh Steinmetz on trumpet – and the tracks are a mixture of Dutch free jazz and some of the more contemplative scoring of Tchicai's earlier work – but always handled with that special sort of quality that makes Tchicai's work stand out so much, and which makes experiments like this such an important precursor to spiritual jazz projects in the 70s! Tracks ring out with a majesty and power that Tchicai rarely had in his later work – and titles include "Kirsten", "Orga Fleur Super Asam", "Lilanto Del Indio", and "Inside Thule". 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

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

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

One of a rare few albums cut as a leader by reedman Dudu Pukwana – maybe best known for his role in the South African jazz group The Blue Notes, and an undeniable force on the London scene in the late 60s and early 70s! This special set is a great merging of both worlds – as Pukwana works here with older partners Mongezi Feza on trumpet and Louis Moholo on drums – but also gets help at times from other players of the London underground – Elton Dean on saxello, Nick Evans on trombone, and Keith Tippett on piano! But perhaps the two key players here are Lucky Ranko on guitar and Ernest Mothole on electric bass – both of whom provide a pulsing rhythm that brings more of a South African sense of groove to the music than some of Dudu's other more freely-improvised material with his famous group. Frank Roberts warms things up with some great work on keyboards too – and there's a definite South Africa via London vibe going on here – on titles that include "Madodana", "Diamond Express", "Tete & Barbs In My Mind", and "Ubaqile". PLUS, this 2CD version features a whole unreleased album recorded around the same time – a date that features more tracks from the group with Moholo, Fezi, Evans, Dean, and Tippett – on titles that include "Hidden Spirits", "Black Horse", "Blue Nick", "Blessing Light", and "Ducking Darkness". CD

The start of a legend – a record that may well be called the birthplace of the Strata East record label – as the let features both trumpeter Charles Tolliver and pianist Stanley Cowell, working together in an early version of the Music Inc group that would be one of the key acts on Strata East during the 70s! The set came at a time when both Tolliver and Cowell had been working in Max Roach's groundbreaking group of the late 60s – getting plenty of training from Max, but also, along with Gary Bartz, opening up with all these new spiritual ideas and fresh compositions – to a point where there's already a very mature, focused vibe on this early set! The rest of the group features Steve Novosel on bass and Jimmy Hopps on drums – and together, the musicians soar beautifully on a set of all original tunes by Tolliver – some of which you'll recognize from later readings, but which are already in a perfect modal, spiritual groove here. Tracks include "Spur", "The Ringer", "Mother Wit", "Plight", and "On The Nile". CD

An amazing record – and sometimes sadly overlooked – one of the few avant jazz sessions from the 60s San Francisco scene, and a hell of an album throughout! Pianist Jym Young plays with a brilliant style that's almost a bridge between earlier modern eras and the changes on the New York scene in the mid 60s – not "new thing", not ESP – but this balance of some modal elements and some free impulses – served up in a group that also features Bennett Friedman on tenor, Harley White on bass, and Jim Messinger on drums and "Indian snake charmer"! Young also plays a bit of kalimba, and tracks are quite long – with titles that include "Lament", "Puzzle Box", and "Skippin In The Rain". 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

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

Easily our favorite album ever by Grady Tate – a complex suite of tracks about adult love, loss, and redemption – put together with a focus and clarity that even surpasses his classic Windmills Of My Mind record! The whole thing was arranged and conducted by Harold Wheeler – who sets Grady up in a batch of tunes that are easily some of the best from that late 60s era when writers like Burt Bacharach and Jimmy Webb had inspired countless others to spin mature tales of human interaction – in a style that's far from pop, and beautifully mature all the way through. If you've always dug the tune "Sack Full Of Dreams" from Tate's Windmills album, this whole set is done in a similar mode – with cuts that include "I'll Try Again", "I Can Deliver", "Follow The Path", "Bridges", and "There's Nothing Between Us Now" – as well as the completely sublime title track! CD

Three rare Storyville albums from singer Teddi King – all packaged up here in a cool Japanese paper sleeve set! First up is Now In Vogue – one of a number of great small group sessions done by singer Teddi King for the Storyville label – nicely relaxed, with backing from a septet that features Billy Taylor on piano, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Nick Travis on trumpet, and Gene Quill on alto! The Storyville approach really brings out the best in Teddi's vocals – as the easy-going nature of the record has King sounding a bit more grown-up and adult than before – singing lines in a slightly sultry style, yet still with some of the bird-like notes heard on other albums. Taylor's piano adds a nice grounding to the record – and titles include "Old Folks", "Why Do You Suppose", "I'm In The Market For You", "You Hit The Spot", "Something To Live For", and "Like A Ship Without A Sail". Miss Teddi King is great early work from vocalist Teddi King – a set that's got a lot more dark corners and moody moments than some of her later work! The group here is nice and small – a quartet that features Ruby Braff on trumpet, Jimmy Jones on piano, Jo Jones on drums, and Milt Hinton on bass – all of whom accompany Teddi with a nicely sensitive sound – often augmenting her trilling vocals with some nicely blue tones of their own. The tracks are all familiar ones, but they're done in a mellow late nite feel that really gives them a new life of their own. Titles include "I Saw Stars", "New Orleans", "Love Is A Now & Then Thing", "It's The Talk of the Town", "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan", and "It's All In The Mind". Round Midnight features vocals as dark as they are lovely – a sublime early set from singer Teddi King, served up in a style that's nicely perched between two decades of jazz! There's a moody, intimate feel here that really takes us back to an earlier era – a bit in the way that Lee Wiley often does at the same period, with a sound that's almost timeless, yet never outdated. The only backings here are piano from Beryl Booker – and in a way, the record's almost a duet outing between Teddi and Beryl, with a wonderfully intimate feel overall. Tracks include "Round Midnight", "What's New", "I Concentrate On You", "Little Girl Blue", and "It Never Entered My Mind". CD

An unusual little soundtrack to this obscure pre-Roots film about slavery – handled with some very nice touches from Gary McFarland, Bobby Scott, and Grady Tate! The music is penned by Scott, and is mostly in that hip blend of jazz and soul roots that he was using on some of his own 60s vocal work – but expanded a bit more here with the groovier styles of Skye Records, thanks to arrangements and conducting from Gary McFarland! The work's not as funky as you might expect, but is still plenty darn great – and there's a few instrumental numbers that are especially great here. Grady Tate sings on the vocal ones, often in the deep-voiced style of his own Skye albums – but with an approach that's a bit more down home and soul-based, which is a nice change – almost like Oscar Brown Jr at the best moments. A number of tracks are done in both instrumental and vocal versions – and titles include "Nightwind", "Slaves", "Black Lullabye", "Another Mornin", and "Pickin Cotton". CD