A great title for this set – given the very balanced energy of the trio in this collaboration between drummer Ralph Peterson, pianist Geri Allen, and bassist Essiet Okon Essiet! Things move along with an angular bounce at times – and although Peterson's drums get plenty of play in the mix, the bass is very upfront too – very much in the same space as Allen's bold lines on piano – played here with about as much fire as you'd get from Geri at the time! As usual with Peterson on Blue Note, some times step out in a more striking way than other work on the label at the time – while other still show a soulful sensitivity that really keeps things well rounded. Titles include "Water Colors", "Triangular", "Bemsha Swing", "Move", "Splash", and "Princess". CD

A great quintet led by drummer Ralph Peterson – with Jimmy Greene on tenor and soprano sax, Jeremy Pelt on trumpet and flugelhorn, Orrin Evans on piano, and Eric Revis on bass. CD

Features Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Steve Wilson on alto and soprano, and Geri Allen on piano! CD

One of the boldest artists on the revived Blue Note label in the late 80s – drummer Ralph Peterson, working here with a really great group of younger talents too! The fire of the musicians really hints at all the power they'd unleash in the coming decade – and the group features Steve Wilson on alto and soprano sax, Terence Blanchard on trumpet, and Geri Allen on piano – each bursting with new ideas and a very youthful sort of energy – streaming new sounds and thoughts at just about every moment. Wilson's especially great – and titles include "Monief", "Enemy Within", "Bebopskerony", and "Viola's Dance". CD

As the title indicates, the session features Buddy DeFranco and Oscar Peterson – but the real guy we wanna thank here is arranger Russ Garcia! Unlike some of the other Verve "soloist with the Peterson Trio" albums of the 50s, this one is more of a shared effort that has Buddy and Oscar both acting as soloists over larger backings directed by Garcia. Russ takes a lot of cues from Ralph Burns on the session – and like Burns on earlier Verve recordings, he sets things up so that the orchestrations never overwhelm the players – and instead simply augment their moods and shade in the colors of the tunes. We especially like Peterson in this format – as he was so often recorded heavily in trio format – but DeFranco is great too, snaking out over the top of the strings with a lean and angular tone on clarinet. Titles include "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "I Got Rhythm", and "It Ain't Necessarily So". LP, Vinyl record album

Uri Caine on piano, James Genus on bass, and Ralph Peterson Jr on drums. CD

A new life for the ideas of saxophonist David Murray – worked out here in an octet of top-shelf players! The sound is avant one minute, swinging the next – and carried off with a rich sense of jazz tradition that really marks the growing appreciation of roots in the 80s generation of the New York scene. Murray works with both tenor and bass clarinet – and the arrangements here are great – filled with colors that shift and slide along wonderfully, horns that really lift each others' spirits, and work together to find a bold new space in sound. Other group members include Baikida Carroll and Hugh Ragin on trumpets, Craig Harris on trombone, John Purcell on alto, Steve Colson on piano, Wilbur Morris on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums. Titles are all long – and include "Train Whistle", "Morning Song", "New Life", and "Blues In The Pocket". LP, Vinyl record album

David Murray on tenor saxophone, Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ralph Peterson Jr. on drums. CD

A great lineup that would make plenty of waves in the coming years – wth Kenny Garrett on alto, Ralph Bowen on tenor, Michael Philip Mossman on trumpet, Harry Pickens on bass, Bob Hurst on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums! CD

Luis Perdomo on piano, Miguel Zenon on alto saxophone, Max King on tenor saxophone, Ravi Coltrane on tenor and soprano saxophone, Ugonna Okegwo, Carlo DeRosa, and Miriam Sullivan on bass, Ralph Peterson Jr on drums, and Roberto Quintero on batas and Afro Venezuelan percussion. CD

Features Geri Allen on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums and trumpet. CD

A cool late 90s set from reedman Bobby Watson – easily one of our favorite talents of his generation, working here in a laidback mode that's mighty nice! The set has Bobby blowing on both alto and soprano sax – the latter of which is always a treat – in a core combo that features piano, bass, drums, and guitar – the last used to color in the tunes gently, often matching the tones and sentiment of Watson's horn in a really nice way. There's a few other surprising elements too – a bit of wordless vocals from Pamela Watson on one track, and trumpet from Terrell Stafford on three more numbers – and given that Curtis Lundy handles bass and Ralph Peterson's on drums, you can bet that the album's got some very solid rhythmic grounding, even when things are gentle. Titles include "Just For Today", "Always A Friend", "Nubian Breakdown", "Nanatsu No Ko", "Concentric Circles", "Back Home Again With You", and "Afternoon In Ottobrun". CD

Beautifully soulful work by David Murray – a mostly-straight session, but one that seems to push his level of expression even further than before! Murray's working here in a "deep river" style that seems to draw on decades of jazz influence, yet forge it into a fresh modern voice – played on both tenor and bass clarinet, in a quartet that includes Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums. The tracks have a nice easy feel, with solos that are laidback, never forced – and the album features originals that include "Dakar Dance", "Home", and "Mbizo" – plus a great 13 minute reading of Coltrane's classic "Mr. PC". CD

At this point, the heavy rockers of Blue Cheer's members included Dickie Peterson on bass, guitar, and vocals, Gary Yoder on guitar, harp and vocals, Norman Mayell on drums, percussion, guitar and sitar and Ralph Kellogg on piano, organ and bass. The tracks include "Good Times Are So Hard To Find", "Love Of A Woman", "Make Me Laugh", "Pilot", "Babaji", "Preacher", "Black Sun", "Tears By My Bed", "Man On The Run", "Sandwich", and "Rest At Ease". CD

Uri Caine on Hammond organ, Forte piano, harpsichord, and keyboards, Greg Osby on alto saxophone, Don Byron on clarinet, Josh Roseman on trombone, Ralph Alessi and Paul Plunkett on trumpet, Bob Stewart on tuba, Arno Jochem on viola da gamba, Annegret Siedel on violin, Reggie Washington on electric bass, Drew Gress, James Genus, and Reid Anderson on bass, Ralph Peterson on drums, vocals from Davis Moss with the Kettwiger Bach Ensemble choir, Kettwinger Bach Ensemble, the Koln String Quartet, and Quartetto Italiano. CD

One of the greatest discoveries of mid 80s Blue Note – a key group filled with bold young players who'd really go onto make some big waves in jazz for years to come! The musicians state their presence strongly right from the start – with just the sort of energy you'd expect from a group that features Kenny Garrett on alto, Ralph Bowen on tenor, Michael Philip Mossman on trumpet, Harry Pickens on piano, Robert Hurst on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums – all players who also get to express themselves strongly on the host of original compositions on the set! Tunes are on fire with new voices and new ideas – much more hard-burning than you might expect – and titles include "RH Factor", "Output", "Reunited", "OTB", "Blue Hughes", and "Git In There". CD

Uri Caine on piano, Dave Holland on bass, Don Byron on bass clarinet, Ralph Peterson on drums, Don Alias on percussion, Gary Thomas on tenor saxophone and flute, Joshua Roseman on trombone, and Dave Douglas on trumpet. CD

With Jay Leonhart on bass and Ralph Peterson on drums. CD

Features Hargrove on trumpet and Antonio Hart on saxophone, with John Hicks and Geoffrey Keezer taking turns on piano, and Ralph Peterson and Al Foster on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A great trumpeter in an excellent group – with Kenny Garrett on alto and flute, Kenny Barron on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums! CD

Charles Lloyd on tenor saxophone, Bob Stenson on piano, Anders Jormin on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums. CD

Featuring Ellis Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Herbir Hancock, Larry Willis, Ron Carter, Charnett Moffett, Ira Coleman, Ralph Peterson, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Al Foster, and Tain - Jeff Watts. CD

Featuring Ellis Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Herbir Hancock, Larry Willis, Ron Carter, Charnett Moffett, Ira Coleman, Ralph Peterson, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Al Foster, and Tain - Jeff Watts. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful ballad material – with Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums. CD

Great later work from Eddie Harris – three albums in a single set! Live In Berlin is a surprisingly great concert – recorded by Eddie at the end of the 80s, with a fire and open approach that we wouldn't have expected! The album features Eddie on piano and tenor, with backing only by Ray Peterson on bass and Norman Fearrington on drums – and the spare setting really has Eddie taking charge of the set dynamically, hitting funky notes one moment, soulful notes another, and messing around in a tripped-out style that we haven't heard since his best Atlantic recordings of the early 70s. The set kicks off with the funky jamband number "Ambidextrous", rolls into the weird vocal tune "La Carnival", and contains other great numbers like "Scatting Unlyrically Simultaneously", "Airigen", "Walkin", "Lover", and "Eddie Who". Eddie Who is only a trio set, but one that often has all the full, soulful currents of some of the reedman's 70s material for Atlantic Records! Eddie plays piano and trumpet in addition to his usual tenor – and often does so at the same time, thanks to the magic of overdub – which also allows Harris to vocalize a bit next to his instrumental passages, with this very cool sound that's both an extension of the vocalizations he'd begun with Les McCann, but also some more familiar jazz singing as well. The whole album's not vocal, and the more instrumental passages feature some mighty nice tenor – and rhythm is from the team of Ralphe Armstrong on bass and Sherman Ferguson on drums. Titles include "Eddie Who", "Cedar Trees", "Silverplated", "Eddie Theme", and "Ambidextrous". People Get Funny is a later album from reedman Eddie Harris – but a set that still continues some of his best funky styles from the 70s Atlantic Records years! In fact, the record may well be the last that Eddie ever cut in this mode – a real surprise at a time when some of his other sessions were more traditional – and the record's filled with lots of very groovy surprises that include great Fender Rhodes from William Henderson, plus more electric piano from Eddie – who also sings a bit too, in that great raspy tone of his. Rhythms are often pretty great, too – funky, in an offbeat way – thanks to sweet basslines from Larry Gales and drums from Carl Burnett. Titles include "People Get Funny When They Get A Little Money", "Ski Ball", "Three Quarter Miles", "Silver Plated", "Hal Strange", and "Step Down To The Top". CD