The trumpet of Franco Ambrosetti meets the orchestrations of Don Sebesky – and the result is a wonderful batch of tracks that take us back to some of Don's best work of the late 60s! Ambrosetti's got a beautifully evocative tone on his horn here – and he's supported by a cast that includes Eddie Daniels on flute and sax, Joe Beck on guitar, and George Gruntz on piano – all given plenty of space by Sebesky to express themselves within the larger group – making for work that's full and rich, yet also relatively personal and intimate too. Titles include the funky groover "Lugano Lady", plus "Johanna", "Sleeping Gypsy", and "Demoiselle". CD

Mindblowing early work from pianist Paul Bley – two side-long tracks that really show the pianist stretching out and expanding his mind – quite far from even his few modern moments on record in years before! The group here is very well-suited to the spirit of the set – Mark Levinson on warmly rounded bass, and Barry Altschul on some freer, bolder drums – balanced with the freer lines on Bley's piano, but at a level that really shows that underlying sensitivity that made Paul so different than so many other avant jazz musicians of his generation. This is especially true on the sublime reading of Bley's "Mister Joy" – a mindblowing journey in music – but it also comes through on "Blood" as well. CD

Genius early work from reedman Marion Brown – an album that was originally only issued overseas, where it was recorded – as part of that legacy that's always had Brown getting a lot more attention in Europe than back at home! Yet the record's a monster that stands equally with Marion's seminal sides for Impulse and ESP – and is maybe even bolder than both of them, as Brown blows alto in a loose trio – with Maarten Van Altena on bass and Han Bennink on drums – in a mode that definitely puts the "free" in free jazz – recorded before the start of both FMP and BYG! Yet there's also that sensitive, soulful quality that makes Brown so great – that element in the music that's always had recordings like these as key pointers forwards to the loft jazz years on the NYC scene – a brilliant blend of freedom and inner spirit – on titles that include "Sound Structure", "QBIC", "Porto Novo", and "Similar Limits". CD

A lesser-explored corner of the career of trumpeter Dusko Goykovich – and a great one! The album has Dusko working in a bigger band mode than usual – leaving behind the smaller groups of other sessions for a larger ensemble comprised of younger Eastern European players. The feel of the album is similar to some of Dizzy Gillespie's work of the style in the 50s and 60s – less of a stock big band session than a truly collaborative effort – one that has the leader's horn strongest in the solo space, but which also works the whole ensemble with amazing skill, and a tightness that almost recalls a small group session. Most tracks are originals by Dusko, and all of them were arranged by him as well – and titles include "Doboy", "The Bopper", "Handful O Soul", "Nights Of Skopje", and "Nella". CD

A pair of albums that have European jazz great Stephane Grapelli revising the format of his legendary Hot Club Of France with guitarist Django Reinhardt – but in a very different mode, given that this group features electric guitar from Barney Kessel! Kessel is great, and his warm, round tones do very little to change things up from his usual groove – but the setting is definitely a fresh one for Barney, given that the combo features rhythm guitar from Nini Rosso, and sweetly-crafted violin lines from Grappelli! The rest of the group features Michel Gaudry on bass and Jean-Louis Viale on drums – and titles include "Tea For Two", "Out Of Nowhere", "Limehouse Blues", "I Remember Django", "What A Difference A Day Made", "More Than You Know", "Et Maintenant", "It's Only A Paper Moon", and "Little Star". 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

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

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

Reedman Oliver Lake at his most creative – stepping out here on a sublime set of 70s improvisations – all put together with a really spiritual feel! There's a very open, collaborative feel to the music – and the set was recorded in St Louis, at a time when Lake was a key part of that city's scene – and who here also seems able to attract some other musicians from the AACM in Chicago as well! As a result, the album's a wonderful document of the new ideas bursting forth at the start of the 70s – that richly creative moment when local scenes were coming together in various cities to find new ways of jazz beyond Coltrane and Dolphy – giving a player like Lake some of the most imaginative outlets of his career. Oliver plays alto, soprano, flute, and other small instruments – and other players include Baikida Carroll and Floyd Leflore on trumpets, Joseph Bowie on trombone, John Hicks on piano, Clovis Bordeaux on electric piano, Don Officer on bass, Charles Bobo Shaw on drums, and Don Moye on congas too. Titles include "Africa", "Tse Lane", "Eriee", "Zip", and "Electric Freedom". CD

An incredible document of late 60s America – composed and conducted by Gary McFarland, in a style that's much more ambitious than any of his other work! The album's fully titled "America The Beautiful: An Account Of Its Disappearance" – and features "movements" with very telling subtitles that include "On This Site Shall Be Erected", "80 Miles An Hour Through Beer Can Country", "Suburbia: Two Poodles And A Plastic Jesus", and our personal favorite, "Due To A Lack Of Interest, Tomorrow Has Been Cancelled". Gary's really wearing his politics on his sleeve here – picturing a late 60s America that's without hope, without revolution, and clearly in danger of falling prey to its own plasticization. The whole thing's a wonderful antidote to the "revolution is coming" side of the 60s that is more popularly pushed – and Gary was one of the few musicians at the time with an eye that was clear enough to see that in the 60s, you could sing "The Times Are A-Changing" – but in reality, the corporations were a-growing! Musically, the album features a larger group of jazz players working in a full, rich style that has lots of soundtrack touches. There's a real Axelrod-like feel to the set – with string passages one minute, funky rhythms the next – and some breakout jazz soloing that really colors the tunes nicely! Players include Jerome Richardson, Eric Gale, Bernard Purdie, and Chuck Rainey – and Gary's mostly doing the conducting on the set. CD

One of the first European recordings from Sahib Shihab – a classic set that's the start of an amazing 60s run on the continent! Shihab here is quite different than his American dates of the 50s – bolder, and blowing with a really open, fluid sort of groove that marks a great development in his sound – using baritone sax, soprano, and flute – a range of instruments that really creates a wide range of feeling in the set! The performance is a live one, and the group is great too – with Allen Botschinsky on flugelhorn, Ole Molin on guitar, Niles Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and both Alex Riel and Bjarne Rostvold on drums. Rhythms are a key part of the set – really free and open, setting the scene for Sahib's modal genius to come – and titles include "47th Blues", "Billy Boy", and the 3-part track "Conversations". CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Charade", "Not Yet", and "Someday My Prince Will Come". CD

Two great Storyville sessions – back to back in a single set! First up is Tonite's Music Today – an early Storyville Records gem from these two budding modernists – featuring a quartet with Zoot Sims on tenor, Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone, and Hank Jones on piano and a bit of celeste – a really fantastic group that cuts right to the core of the new ideas that Sims and Brookmeyer were exploring on their horns! Bob's got that sharp sound that really set his valve trombone work apart from the rest – maybe a bit more bite in his tone, too – which could be encouraged by Zoot's tenor, which is at its raspy best in this setting! The Storyville sessions by some artists often get eclipsed by more widely circulated discs on bigger labels – but this is essential early Zoot sims, and Brookmeyer's work is a nice bonus – on titles that include "Mr Moon", "The Chant", "Zoot's Tune", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "Bobby's Tune", and "Blues". Next is Whooeeee – a wonderful small combo set from this unusual team – put together in ways that are somewhere between the Bob Brookmeyer/Stan Getz pairings of the early 50s, and some of Zoot Sims' work for the Dawn label! Zoot's horn is maybe a bit sharper, and bolder than on his Dawn sides, though – that quality that really made him a favorite with hip listeners of the 50s, and which maybe even beats some of the Stan Getz work of the period – matched by Brookmeyer's impeccable work on valve trombone, which is more straightforward and swinging here than usual! The group also features Hank Jones on piano, Bill Crow on bass, and Jo Jones on drums – and titles include "The King", "Whoo-eeee", "Morning Fun", "Box Cars", and "Snake Eyes". 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

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

Two jazz giants of the 70s come together on this rare Italian recording from the late 60s – South African pianist Dollar Brand (Abdulla Ibrahim) and Argentine tenorist Gato Barbieri – both working here in spare duo formation, with edges that are a fair bit sharper than most of their later work! The format is incredibly spare – just tenor and piano, plus some occasional cello work by Brand – dark and angular, but also filled with small flowers of hope, flowering in the spontaneous presence of these two great minds – a tremendous spirit that makes the record very different than freer jazz outings, and which maybe points the way towards some of the classic European tenor/piano recordings to come. Tracks are long, with a free flowing quality that's infused with soul and spirit – and titles include "Hamba Khale", "The Aloe & The Wildrose", and "To Elsa". 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

A great little package – one that presents the full scope of music that was issued over the course of three different albums by the Black Lion label – but all recorded together during two nights in 1967! The set features Dexter Gordon at his European best – working at his very familiar haunt, the Cafe Montmartre in Copenhagen – a city that welcome Dexter Gordon with welcome arms in the 60s, as Dex left America to take care of himself and renew his energy overseas – expanding his sound and styles in ways that made him a much more revolutionary tenorist than during his earlier time on the US scene! The group features Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pederson on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums – and titles include "Blues Walk", "Sonny Moon For Two", "Devilette", "Doxy", "But Not For Me", "Misty", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Like Someone In Love", "Love For Sale", and "Body & Soul". 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

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

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. LP, Vinyl record album