Magically moody live sounds from Miles Davis – recorded in London at the end of the 60s, and with a group and a style that's very much in the best Bitches Brew mode! The recording was done for the BBC – who actually issued visual footage of the concert on TV – and the group has some especially incredible work from a young Chick Corea, who's making a hell of a lot of noise at times on a Fender Rhodes – a reminder that the instrument wasn't always just used for smooth and groovy jazz modes! The rest of the lineup is equally amazing – Miles on trumpet, of course – with Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – all rolling out with a wonderfully freely fluid sound. Titles include "No Blues", "Sanctuary", "This", "Bitches Brew", and "It's About That Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic lost slice of work from reedman Yusef Lateef – a performance recorded at the legendary Ronnie Scott's club in London, with backing from a trio that features the wonderful Stan Tracey! Tracey was a committed modernist who really helped shape the sound of the UK scene at the time – and his pairing here with Lateef is wonderful, as Stan seems to bring out some of the most spiritual, most exotic sounds from the saxophonist – shaping the music with his own creative and angular work on piano. Yusef blows flute, tenor, shenai, and xun – and overall, the whole thing's got a vibe that really takes us back to the brilliance of his late 50s sessions for Savoy – done with the same mix of modernism, exoticism, and soul. Titles include "Song Of Delilah", "Last Night Blues", "Yusef's Mood", "Angel Eyes", and "Blues For The Orient". CD

A great pairing of these two inventive reedmen – recorded in wonderfully warm company at Ronnie Scott's in London, with a fluid, open feel that marks the album as a standout in the 80s work of both players! Freeman's on tenor and soprano, and Blythe is on alto sax – and together, they blow these interwoven lines at the start of most tracks – then break out in free-thinking, soul drenched solos – urged on by the rhythmic work of John Hicks on piano, Donald Pate on bass, Norman Hedman on percussion, and Victor Jones on drums. Hicks brings in a lyrical touch that seems to shape the work of both players – and titles include "Naima's Love Song", "Avotja", "Footprints", "Luminous", and "You Are Too Beautiful". CD

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A dozen performances from Arturo Sandoval, Ronnie Scott's Quintet, Marian Montgomery, Tim Whitehead, Irakere, Chico Freeman, Arthur Blythe, Sarah Vaughan, John Taylor, Tam White, George Coleman, Roy Ayers, and Jack Sharpe Big Band. CD

With John Taylor on piano, Mick Hutton on bass, and Steve Arguelles on drums. CD

Features Ben Webster on tenor sax, Alan Branscombe on piano, Lennie Bush on bass, and Jackie Dougan on drums. Tracks include "In A Mellow Tone", "Gone With The Wind", "Perdido", "Ben's Theme Tune", and "Over The Rainbow" – plus a short interview track with Ben Webster. CD

Ronnie Scott and Sonny Stitt on tenor sax, Stan Tracey on piano, Malcolm Cecil on bass, and Ronnie Stephenson or Jackie Dougan on drums. Tracks are nice and long and include "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes", "A Sonny Day For Ronnie", and "Bye Bye Blackbird". CD

Long tracks with plenty of room for Coleman to solo – with rhythm by Hilton Ruiz on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums! CD

A live quartet date – tracks include "Bag's Groove", "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Avalon", "Stritch In Time", and "Reeling & Rhyming". CD

A large group in a small club – the legendary Clarke Boland Big Band, playing at the home turf of one of their key members – tenorist Ronnie Scott! The set features a very legendary performance by the ensemble – a crack lineup that's easily one of the best ever sported by the CBBB – perfectly mixing American rhythms, and a trans-Atlantic lineup of soloists – all tied together with just the sort of rich arrangements that make the group so great! Things groove right from the get-go – thanks to a rhythm lineup that features Kenny Clarke on drums, and Francy Boland on piano – plus bassist Ron Matthewson, sitting in for the usual Jimmy Woode. The horn players really send things off, though – tight trumpets from Benny Bailey, Idrees Sulieman, and Dusko Goykovich; bold trombones from Ake Persson and Nat Peck; and some searing reed lines from Johnny Griffin and Ronnie Scott on tenor, Derek Humble on alto, Sahib Shihab on baritone, and Tony Coe on both tenor and clarinet. This CD features both the first and second sets at Scotts by the group – albums titled Volcano and Rue Chaptal – with titles that include "Volcano", "Griff's Groove", "Now Hear My Meanin", "Box 703 Washington DC", "Thence We Issued Out Again to See the Stars", "Rue Chaptal", "I Don't Want Nothin From Nobody & I Ain't Giving Nothin Away", "Sax No End", "Minor Blues", and "The Girl & The Turk". CD

The first-ever release of a Bill Evans concert recorded at Ronnie Scotts in London – a place where he cut other work in other years, but maybe not at a level like this! The group is wonderful – Bill's budding relationship with the bassist Eddie Gomez, who was bringing a richness to the Evans piano that even previous players didn't reach – and who was also establishing the bass as as an important voice in the trio as Bill's piano! The drummer is Jack DeJohnette – a player who's just finding his voice in jazz, but a perfect choice for the others here – as the group handles material that includes "Waltz For Debby", "Very Early", "Emily", "Nardis", "Autumn Leaves", "Round Midnight", "Quiet Now", "Stella By Starlight", "Alfie", "Yesterdays", and "Turn Out The Stars". Features a 44 page booklet with previously unreleased photos, a new essay, and interviews with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette! CD

There's few singers we like better than Blossom Dearie – and this great little record captures Blossom at her unfettered best, working live before an intimate crowd at London's Ronnie Scott's nightclub in the 60s! The performance is in the same small combo mode as some of Dearie's Verve albums from the 50s – but there's a looser swing here that's really great – an even hipper approach to the even hipper tunes that pushes the Blossom aesthetic very nicely into the 60s. Blossom herself is on piano, supported by the bass of Freddie Logan and drums of Alan Ganley – and overall, the album's a few notches up from the better-known Blossom Time At Ronnie Scotts, thanks to a more fluid groove and very strong choice of material. Titles include "Big City", "One Note Samba", "On A Clear Day", "You Turn Me On Baby", "Let's Go Where The Grass Is Greener", "You're Gonna Hear From Me", "Peel Me A Grape", "Sweet Lover No More", and an early reading of "Sweet Georgie Fame". CD

British tenor giant Tubby Hayes left the planet all too soon – passing away at the age of 38 in 1973 – but right up to the end, he continued to blow away most of his contemporaries – as you'll hear from this set of unreleased live material from 1972! The recording is from a time when Hayes was actually coming back out of a bit of time away from the scene – recuperating from heart issues that were soon to take away his life – and the period is almost a return to the basics of Tubby's breakout recordings of the late 50s – when he emerged as a tenor soloist to rival American greats like Sonny Rollins or Dexter Gordon! You can definitely hear that quality here, as Tubbs takes on some older standards, plus a few originals – and spins out these wonderful long solos that never fair for imagination or soulful expression – and which also feature some occasional great moments on flute too. The group is a very familiar one – Mike Pyne on piano, Tony Levin on drums, and Ron Mathewson on pass – who happened to record the proceedings over the course of two nights at Ronnie Scotts. Titles include long takes on "Lady Celia", "Trane's Blues", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Trenton Place", and "I Thought About You" – plus two shorter incomplete tracks, "Seven Steps To Heaven" and "Sienna Red". CD

Shelly Manne's always been a hipper cat than you might remember, especially if you've only heard his mainstream work – and if you need any convincing of that fact, just check out this searing electric set from 1970! The group here is virtually the same one who recorded with Manne for the legendary Mannekind album, but the sound is a bit different – caught live at Ronnie Scotts in London, with a free-flowing, almost-fusiony vibe that's a far cry from Shelly's work in LA during the 50s! Mike Wofford's on electric piano here, really cutting things up with a fluid, angular approach to the keys – providing plenty of inspiration for trumpeter Gary Barone and saxophonist John Gross to soar out on free-thinking solos. Shelly's nicely chunky on the drums – almost funky at times – and the rest of the group features John Morell on guitar and Roland Haynes on bass. Tracks are all long, and titles include "Three On A Match", "Once Again", "Big Oak Basin", "Don't Know", and "Illusion". CD

A completely unique slide of work from Dudu Pukwana – a side of the reedman you may never have heard before! Dudu's best known for his work in the Blue Notes – that legendary avant assemblage of South African players – and although he's also recorded in other creative settings, this may well be the first time we've heard him on a soul jazz session – burning brightly with some killer Hammond from organist Bob Stuckey! The combo's tight and right on the money – grooving live at Ronnie Scotts with the feel of some Prestige Records sax/organ group of the mid 60s – a real change for Dudu, but one we really love! Pukwana still puts in lots of unusual edges in his music – some odd tones and unusual shifts that really keep things interesting – especially giving the group's use of mostly original compositions, most by Dudu! Titles include "Jauana's Dream", "Messengers", "Kicks For Sale", "B My Dear", "Moonshine", "Kippie", and "Blessing Light". Plus, the CD features 5 more tracks by a trio that features Stuckey on Hammond and Terry Smith on guitar – "I Feel Pretty", "All Of You", "When I Grow Too Old To Dream", "Bob's Hop", and "Sweet Georgia Brown". CD

Sonny Rollins proves once again that he's a master soloist – no matter what the setting! The album's a live one, recorded in London in 1965 – and while the setting isn't a bad one at all, it's quite different than the usual tight-crafted Rollins group recordings of the period. Sonny sits in with the house trio at Ronnie Scotts – led by pianist Stan Tracey – and dominates the proceedings on a set of extended tracks that feature some wonderfully imaginative solo work. The set kicks off with a ballad medley that runs for nearly 20 minutes long – then slides into versions of "St Thomas", "Blue N Boogie", "Now's The Time", "Four", and "My One & Only Love". CD also features a 12 minute interview with Sonny from the time! CD

Something groovy always happens to Ella Fitzgerald in London – and in the 60s and 70s, the city became home to some of her best post-Verve recordings! This date's a compelling live performance recorded at Ronnie Scotts in 1974 – with backing by a quartet that includes Tommy Flanagan on piano and Joe Pass on guitar – gently grooving behind Ella in a setting that's one of the most relaxed live dates we've ever heard her do. Some of the tunes feature a bit of patter on the introductions – showing the Fitzgerald charm that extended way beyond singing – and titles include "The Man I Love", "Everytime We Say Goodbye", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "You've Got A Friend", "Happy Blues", and "Lemon Drop". CD