Sonny Stitt makes Oscar Peterson sit up and groove! The record's a great one, and uses the Peterson Trio as a perfect rhythm section for Sonny's confidently blown solos of the late 50s – in a way that pushes the combo past their usual safe area, and into more freewheeling territory to keep up with Stitt's sense of power and invention! The tunes on the set are every bit as great as those on Sonny's own albums as a leader for Verve – crisp, clear, and perfectly blown – a masterpiece of subtle creativity and one of the greatest tones to ever emerge from the saxophone! Titles include "Au Privave", "Scrapple From The Apple", "Moten Swing", and "Easy Does It". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically beautiful album that strongly proves the old jazz adage "It's not the song, but the singer"! The "singer" in this case is alto player Sonny Criss – and the songs are a middle of the road batch of compositions, like "Sunny", "Willow Weep For Me", "Up Up & Away", and "Scrapple From the Apple". Forget the songs, in this case, because it's the "singer" who adds all the genius, as Criss' solos are fantastically warm, lyrical, and imaginative – far more so than you could imagine by just reading the titles on the album. We love all of the late 60s albums by Criss on Prestige, but this one's one of our favorites, and is a beautiful example of the late altoists sheer creative power in action. Other players include Cedar Walton, Tal Farlow, and Bob Cranshaw. CD

Three later live sets from Dizzy Gillespie – all in a single package! Sesjun Radio Shows 1 is great, and if you like Dizzy Gillespie as much as us, you'll know that he kept on getting better and better as the years went on – continuing to evolve as a musician, into territory that's always very different than what he was giving the world a few years before! That's definitely the case here, on two live performances done for Dutch Radio in the late 70s – both of which feature a guitar as the key partner – with Rodney Jones on the first half, Ed Cherry on the second, and bass from Benjamin Brown and drums from the great Mickey Roker. Tracks are long, and open up in this really wonderful way – and the group is joined by percussionist Sheyvonne Wright on the second half, who also sings a bit too. There's a quality here that's much more in the best 70s work on the Muse label than you might expect – and titles include "Barcelona", "Diddy Wah Diddy", "Toccata", "The Truth", "Night In Tunisia", "Manha De Carnaval", and Round Midnight". Sesjun Radio Shows 2 is further proof that the genius of Dizzy Gillespie knows no bounds, even in later years – as these two different radio performances feature Diz with very unique saxophonists – both of whom really transform the sound of the group! The first half of the set has Gillespie on trumpet with a young Paquito D'Rivera on soprano and alto sax – a young player really coming into his own here, in an unusual group that also features Canadian guitarist Ed Cherry, bassist Michael Howell, and drummer Ignacio Berroa – on titles that include the funky "Unicorn", plus "All The Things You Are" and "Cripple Crapple Crutch". The second half will be even more surprising to fans of avant jazz – as the legendary Sam Rivers joins the group on tenor and soprano sax – blowing straighter than on his free improv records, but definitely adding an edge! The rest of the group features Cherry and Berroa, with John Lee in on bass for Howell – and titles include "Tanga", "Manteca", and "Birk's Works". Concert Of The Century is a record with a title that's a hell of a claim to make – but it's also a hell of a concert, too – one that features Dizzy Gillespie blowing with an all-star small group lineup – in really stretched-out takes on the tunes, at a level that rivals his best 70s material on the Pablo label! In addition to Gillespie on trumpet, players also include Milt Jackson on vibes, James Moody on tenor and flute, Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all working together as seamlessly as you'd expect! Titles include "Darben The Redd Foxx", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Get Happy", "Blues N Boogie", "If I Should Lose You", and "Bass Solo/Manha De Carnaval/Work Song". CD

One of our favorite Dexter Gordon sessions for Blue Note – and a unique album that's one of the first to illustrate his growing role in the European jazz scene! The group's a quartet – which let's Dex stand out front with plenty of space for marvelous tenor work – and it features Parisian bassist Pierre Michelot, plus Americans Bud Powell on piano and Kenny Clarke on drums – two players who were already making a bit name for themselves overseas. The album's a perfect link between Gordon's earlier American work and his long string of European sessions to come – and titles include a great take of "Scrapple from the Apple", plus excellent readings of "Stairway to the Stars" and "Night in Tunisia". The format is simple, but the sound is magic – classic Dexter Gordon in a tight Blue Note mode! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic bop session work, featuring Bird, Miles, JJ Johnson, Max Roach, Duke Jordan, and Tommy Potter. There's no surprises here, but the playing's tight as a tick, and the short tracks are a fierce declaration of the bop idiom. Titles include "Bongo Bop", "Bird Feathers", "Klactoveedsedtene", "Crazeology", "Don't Blame Me", "Dewey Square", "Air Conditioning", "Scrapple From the Apple" and "Quasimodo". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Tiny's Tempo", "Koko", "Moose The Mooche", "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "A Night In Tunisia", "Cool Blues", "Relaxin' At Camarillo", "Chasin' The Bird", "Cheryl", "Milestones", "Embraceable You", "Scrapple from The Apple" "Out Of Nowhere", "Quasimodo", "Crazeology", "Bluebird", "Au-Leu-Cha", "Parker's Mood", and "Merry Go Round". CD

Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "April In Paris", "Little Willie Leaps", "Donna Lee", "Fine And Dandy", "Lady Bird", "Half Nelson", and "Scrapple From The Apple" – 19 tracks total. CD

Sonny Stitt makes Oscar Peterson sit up and groove! The record's a great one, and uses the Peterson Trio as a perfect rhythm section for Sonny's confidently blown solos of the late 50s – in a way that pushes the combo past their usual safe area, and into more freewheeling territory to keep up with Stitt's sense of power and invention! The tunes on the set are every bit as great as those on Sonny's own albums as a leader for Verve – crisp, clear, and perfectly blown – a masterpiece of subtle creativity and one of the greatest tones to ever emerge from the saxophone! Titles include "Au Privave", "Scrapple From The Apple", "Moten Swing", and "Easy Does It". CD

A fantastically beautiful album that strongly proves the old jazz adage "It's not the song, but the singer"! The "singer" in this case is alto player Sonny Criss – and the songs are a middle of the road batch of compositions, like "Sunny", "Willow Weep For Me", "Up Up & Away", and "Scrapple From the Apple". Forget the songs, in this case, because it's the "singer" who adds all the genius, as Criss' solos are fantastically warm, lyrical, and imaginative – far more so than you could imagine by just reading the titles on the album. We love all of the late 60s albums by Criss on Prestige, but this one's one of our favorites, and is a beautiful example of the late altoists sheer creative power in action. Other players include Cedar Walton, Tal Farlow, and Bob Cranshaw. CD

Titles include "Out Of Nowhere", "Ornithology", "Embraceable You", "My Old Flame", "Scrapple From The Apple", "Bird Of Paradise", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from that legendary trio that featured Keith Jarrett on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – the group that was sometimes known as Jarrett's "Standards" trio, but which could do so much more than such a name might imply! The songs are familar, and some are jazz standards – but they're also delivered with this fluid sense of shape and tone that's the best illustration of the group dynamics of each member – Peacock's sublime bass given more of a rhythmic focus than on some ECM albums, DeJohnette both open and swinging on the kit – and Jarrett bringing that exploratory vibe of his solo performances, but with more rhythm and interplay. Titles include "The Masquerade Is Over", "Old Folks", "Scrapple From The Apple", "Doxy", "One For Majid", "Moment's Notice", "When I Fall In Love", and even a reading of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". CD

Twin alto sax work from the leaders – blowing here together with a really rich sound that almost feels like some of Phil Woods alto-heavy dates from years back, but with a vibe that's more 70s Japanese as well! The pair are both great soloists on their own – and step out in the lead on boppish tracks, but with phrasing that's far beyond just hokey Charlie Parker cliches – given an even more modern sense of expression through the quintet's use of guitarist Kazumi Watanabe, alongside bass and drums. The set features 11 minute takes on both "Lover Man" and "Scrapple From The Apple" – plus the side-long original "Blues For T&O", which runs for 19 minutes! CD

Rare as hens' teeth – and an incredible meeting of two vastly underrated alto talents! Phil Woods got plenty of opportunities to record as a leader in the 50s, but altoist Gene Quill was often buried in bigger groups – a fact that makes this album one of the few chances to really hear him shine! Woods and Quill work together beautifully throughout – playing boppishly, but also in a more relaxed groove – one that's a bit like Phil's excellent Warm Woods session for Epic from the same stretch, but perhaps a bit more upbeat overall. The twin-alto sound is really great – especially on the tunes that have them soaring together on the heads, then splitting off on solos with amazing dexterity and real dynamic range. Other players include Bob Corwin on piano, Sonny Dallas on bass, and Nick Stabulas on drums – and although the pair recorded an earlier session for RCA a few years before, this one's far superior! Titles include "Doxy", "Scrapple From the Apple", "Hymn For Kim", and "Night In Tunisia". CD

Charlie Parker classics in a variety of flavors – a great collection of material from the 50s, 60s, and 70s – all showing the huge influence of Bird's songwriting on the sound of modern jazz! The recordings here offer up a variety of formats, in a variety of different settings – piano jazz, guitar work, and hardbop horns – all pulled from the mighty vaults of Fantasy Records. Titles include "Parker's Mood" by Eddie Jefferson, "Scrapple From The Apple" by Blue Mitchell, "Yardbird Suite" by Art Pepper, "Confirmation" by Gene Ammons, "Now's The Time" by Frank Morgan, "Steeplechase" by Hampton Hawes, "Repetition" by Wes Montgomery, and "Billie's Bounce" by Johnny Griffin. LP, Vinyl record album