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Unusual material from Eric Lindgren – with titles that include "Martians Have Landed", "Seedy Blooze", "Let's Go To The Ice Cream Parlor", "Talk Talk", "Concentration", and "Let's Go To The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Airto's best albums ever – and one that we never tire of hearing! There's a sublime quality here that steps perfectly right off of the percussionist's groundbreaking work with Quarteto Novo! Airto's joined on this set by Hermeto Pascoal – also from the Quarteto Novo group – as well as wife Flora Purim, bassist Ron Carter, and the always-great Sivuca – who plays guitar on the record. There's a swirling blend of jazz, Brazilian rhythms, and free-thinking soul to the set – one that's never been captured so perfectly on other Airto albums – and which has a lean, clean sound that's simply beautiful. The overall sound is quite rootsy, without many fusion touches at all – and Hermeto's reed work really brings in a great edge to the whole session – one that makes the album differ a bit from much of the other Airto/Flora work of the time. Titles include a classic take on the tune "Bebe", plus "Andei", "Mixing (Misturada)", "The Tunnel", and "Frevo". 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

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

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

One of the greatest jazz vocal albums of all time – and one of the first true moments of genius from a young Dee Dee Bridgewater! The album's a Japanese only release (proof that they're always hipper to our jazz artists than we are!) – and it features Dee Dee singing material that's quite different than her later R&B-inflected sides from the late 70s – very soaring and spiritual work, delivered in a way that set a whole new standard for jazz at the time! Backing is by a small combo with brothers Ron and Cecil Bridgewater, plus Roland Hanna on acoustic and electric piano, George Mraz on bass, and Motohiko Hino on drums and percussion – but the star of the set is always Dee Dee, who sparkles beautifully on the album's classic versions of "Afro Blue" and "Little B's Poem" – both of which have been redone by many other singers over the years. Other great cuts include "People Make The World Go Round", "Love From The Sun", and "Love Vibrations". 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

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

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

Pure genius from tenor saxophonist Richie Kamuca – a magical exercise in tone and balance, played by Richie with that warm and raspy style that we love so much in his work! Kamuca's probably best known for his bigger group work of the 50s, but on a session like this he steps out as a marvelously creative soloist – working at a good bop-inspired clip, but also taking the time to explore deeper, more personal ideas through his well-voiced solos on the set. Even on more familiar numbers, Richie steps out with a sense of personality that transforms the tunes to his own way of thinking – and he's very well aided in this work by a crack rhythm section that includes Carl Perkins on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. Titles include originals like "Fire One", "Early Bird", "Rain Drain", "My One & Only Love", and "What's New". 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

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". Great reissue of the original 10" LP! 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

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 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

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

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 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