One of THE key records in the Konitz school – a full length Prestige album that brings together important material from sessions originally issued on 10" LPs! The lineup here is virtually the Konitz school – with shifting lineups that include Billy Bauer on guitar, Lenny Tristano or Sal Mosca on piano, and Warne Marsh on tenor – all working as airily and fluidly as Konitz himself! How Lee managed to achieve such unity with his groups here will forever be a mystery to us – as will the freshness of the work at the end of the 40s, especially given that it's still arguably more "modern" than much of the jazz it inspired in years to come! Titles include "Progression", "Subconscious-Lee", "Rebecca", "Sound-Lee", "Fishin Around", "Palo Alto", "Ice Cream Konitz", "You Go To My Head", and "Tautology". CD

A slightly different album than usual for Lee Konitz in the 50s – one that's got a bit harder edge, and which has Lee working in a group with a trumpet! The set's performed by a quintet that includes Konitz usual suspects Sal Mosca on piano and Peter Ind on bass, along with Shadow Wilson on drums and Don Ferrara on trumpet. Ferrara's presence in the group gives the tunes a bit more of a punch than usual for a Konitz album of the period, and Lee responds by getting a bit edgier on some of his solo work – never too modern, and still "cool" enough to be in keeping with the title – but with a more unsettled sound that we like a lot! Titles include "Sunflower", "Movin Around", "Kary's Trance", "Crazy She Calls me", and "Billie's Bounce". Great cover, too, with Lee looking out through a bunch of ice! CD

A classic session of cool jazz from the 50s – a majestic meeting of the alto of Lee Konitz and the tenor sax of Warne Marsh! The album's a perfect example of icy modernism at its best – swinging nicely, never too uptight, but with a well-composed approach that really shows the magic of the Konitz approach. The group features the great Billy Bauer on guitar, plus either Ronnie Ball or Sal Mosca on piano – and rhythm is by Kenny Clarke and Oscar Pettiford. Tracks are short, and titles include "Topsy", "Lee", "Donna", "Don't Squawk", and "Ronnie's Line". CD

A slightly different album than usual for Lee Konitz in the 50s – one that's got a bit harder edge, and which has Lee working in a group with a trumpet! The set's performed by a quintet that includes Konitz usual suspects Sal Mosca on piano and Peter Ind on bass, along with Shadow Wilson on drums and Don Ferrara on trumpet. Ferrara's presence in the group gives the tunes a bit more of a punch than usual for a Konitz album of the period, and Lee responds by getting a bit edgier on some of his solo work – never too modern, and still "cool" enough to be in keeping with the title – but with a more unsettled sound that we like a lot! Titles include "Sunflower", "Movin Around", "Kary's Trance", "Crazy She Calls me", and "Billie's Bounce". Great cover, too, with Lee looking out through a bunch of ice! LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection that brings together early 50s work in the "birth of the cool" mode! Side one features Lee Konitz and Miles Davis – in a group with Sal Mosca, Max Roach, and Billy Bauer, on very "birth of the cool" like tracks that include "Odjenar", "Hi Beck", "Yesterdays", and "Ezz Thetic". The flipside features several takes of "All The Things You Are", "I'll Remember April", and "These Foolish Things", plus "You'd Be So Nice To Come To" with Jimmy Gourley on guitar, Henry Renaud on piano, Don Bagley on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Ronnie Ball and Sal Mosca on piano. CD

Later work from 50s modernist Warne Marsh – but pretty darn great stuff, and proof that Marsh remained creative and inventive as the years went on! The core of the CD features a 1980 live date recorded in Berlin with pianist Sal Mosca – like Marsh, another disciple of the Tristano school, and a great accompanist for the set! The rest of the group includes Eddie Gomez on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums – but although both players are strongly voiced, the real focus here is on Warne's beautifully-spun solos on the longer tracks, and on Sal's angular approach to the keys. Tracks are nearly all Tristano, Marsh, or Mosca numbers – and titles include "Leave Me", "The Family Song", "Like The Angels", "And Then There's Music", and "Background Music". CD also features 2 more tracks from a 1977 live date in Bronxville – with Mosca, plus Sam Jones and Roy Haynes – on readings of "She's Funny That Way" and "Background Music". And quite possibly best of all, the set's completed by 2 more tracks that are only spare duos between Sal and Warne – recorded at Mosca's apartment in 1979, and featuring versions of "Noteworthy" and "The Hard Way". CD

A nice little session from Lee Konitz – simple, without many tricks, and a great 70s extension of the sound of his 50s work! The group's a quartet with Sal Mosca on piano – and on a number of tracks, the pair of them play together alone, Lee blowing introspectively, and Sal working in a post-Tristano mode that fits Lee like a glove. Other group tracks are equally strong, if a bit straighter – with Ron Carter on bass and Mousey Alexander on drums – and titles include "Background Music", "Baby", "Two Not One", "Another Nother", and "Lennie Bird". CD

A nice little session from Lee Konitz – simple, without many tricks, and a great 70s extension of the sound of his 50s work! The group's a quartet with Sal Mosca on piano – and on a number of tracks, the pair of them play together alone, Lee blowing introspectively, and Sal working in a post-Tristano mode that fits Lee like a glove. Other group tracks are equally strong, if a bit straighter – with Ron Carter on bass and Mousey Alexander on drums – and titles include "Background Music", "Baby", "Two Not One", "Another Nother", and "Lennie Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic session of cool jazz from the 50s – a majestic meeting of the alto of Lee Konitz and the tenor sax of Warne Marsh! The album's a perfect example of icy modernism at its best – swinging nicely, never too uptight, but with a well-composed approach that really shows the magic of the Konitz approach. The group features the great Billy Bauer on guitar, plus either Ronnie Ball or Sal Mosca on piano – and rhythm is by Kenny Clarke and Oscar Pettiford. Tracks are short, and titles include "Topsy", "Lee", "Donna", "Don't Squawk", and "Ronnie's Line". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant example of why Eddie Bert was one of the hippest trombonists of the 50s – a player who could bridge the worlds of Stan Kenton and Charles Mingus, and always come up with a sound that was one of the freshest on his instrument! The bulk of the CD features small combo work Bert recorded for the Discovery label in 1953 and 1954 – quintet sessions done with Duke Jordan on piano and Clyde Lombardi on bass, plus other players that include Sal Salvador on guitar, Vinnie Dean on alto sax, and Joe Morello on drums. Bert's sound throughout is fluid, lean, and modern – gliding with light colors one moment, a crisp modern edge the next, and a bit of boppish inflection at others – always opening up new areas of expression for the sometimes-staid trombone, and working here at a level that matches 50s invention of better-known players on the instrument. 4 additional tracks on the CD are from a previously unissued 1959 recording with Dean on alto, Lombardi on bass, Sal Mosca on piano, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums – plus a really unique 17 minute live recording of the title track by a quartet with Bert, Jordan, Lombardi, and Osie Johnson on drums. Bert's playing on this extended track alone is worth the price of admission – but the CD features a total of 73 minutes of music in all, on 17 tracks that include "Ripples", "Conversation Piece", "Interwoven", "Little Train", "Kaleidoscope", "Around Town", "Melting Pot", "He Ain't Got Rhythm", and "Blues At Sunrise". CD

A slightly different album than usual for Lee Konitz in the 50s – one that's got a bit harder edge, and which has Lee working in a group with a trumpet! The set's performed by a quintet that includes Konitz usual suspects Sal Mosca on piano and Peter Ind on bass, along with Shadow Wilson on drums and Don Ferrara on trumpet. Ferrara's presence in the group gives the tunes a bit more of a punch than usual for a Konitz album of the period, and Lee responds by getting a bit edgier on some of his solo work – never too modern, and still "cool" enough to be in keeping with the title – but with a more unsettled sound that we like a lot! Titles include "Sunflower", "Movin Around", "Kary's Trance", "Crazy She Calls me", and "Billie's Bounce". Great cover, too, with Lee looking out through a bunch of ice! CD

One of THE key records in the Konitz school – an early Prestige 10" LP that features Lee's quintet on side one, and Lee & Lennie Tristano playing together in Tristano's quintet on side two! On side one, Konitz plays alto and is joined by Warne Marsh on tenor, Sal Mosca on piano, Arnold Fishkin on bass and Denzil Best on drums – gliding along magically on tracks that include "Marshmallow", "Sound - Lee", "Fishin' Around", and "Tautology". Side two features Tristano on piano, Konitz on alto, Billy Bauer on guitar, Arnold Fishkin on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums – performing the classic "Subconscious – Lee", plus "Judy", "Retrospection", and "Progresssion". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album from Brazilian rock legend Raul Seixas – easily one of the most important artists to emerge after the Tropicalia generation – and a singer with a sound that's as striking as his image on the cover! The album's got an explosive blend of styles – everything from psychedelic samba to country rock to easy rock tunes – all bound together by the strong sense of presence that helped Seixas elevate to become one of Brazili's most controversial rock stars of the time, all with the kind of legacy you might expect from the cover image! The sound is great – very different than what American and Anglo groups were doing at the time, although with sly nods to their modes from time to time – and titles include the English track "How Could I Know", plus "As Minas Do Rei Salomao", "Mosca Na Sopa", "Cachorro", "Al Capone", and the strange electronic "Introducao". LP, Vinyl record album