A live set, but one that's got some wonderfully rich grooves – almost one of the first times that Ramsey's excellent studio approach was attempted on record in a concert setting! The backings are quite full, and produced beautifully here by Tom Tom 84 – who really keeps a classy Chicago vibe in place throughout most of the set – one that stretches from Ramsey's late years at Cadet Records, through all the growth and maturation at Columbia during the 70s. The core trio's augmented by fuller horns on most numbers, given a bit of an Earth Wind & Fire/Kalimba Productions groove – and there's a vocal chorus at a few points too. Includes a great version of "Close Your Eyes & Remember" – plus "Sassy Stew", "Callin Fallin", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "You Never Know", "Lynn", and a "Hits Medley" of Lewis grooves from the 60s. CD

Howard McGhee had a bit of a checkered recording career over the years, but the material he cut for Savoy was some of his strongest – and showed the bop trumpter as one of the more innovative players of his generation, willing to experiment with more interesting arrangements and styles than some of his contemporaries. We're not sure if this 2LP set contains all of Maggie's work for Savoy, but it's got a heck of a lot of stuff, with great notes, and even some unissued material. Titles include "Bass C Jam", "Fiesta", "Belle From Bunnycock", "Royal Garden Blues", "Lady Be Good", "Harvest Time", "Short Life", and "Talk Of The Town". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Norvo may have cut some sleepy recordings in his day, but his early sides are usually all pretty great – especially this material, recorded with Tal Farlow on guitar and Charles Mingus on bass! The drum-less combination of vibes, guitar, and bass makes for an almost-exotic approach – one that rings out with some new moods and tones on tracks that are old standards – in a manner that really helps us understand why folks from the old days think Norvo's so great! Titles include "Night & Day", "Godchild", "September Song", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Swedish Pastry", "Time & Tide", "Little White Lies", and "Prelude To A Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Very unusual material from this famous pianist – given that the group here features John Hardee on tenor sax and Milt Page on organ! Titles include "The Bug", "Misty Morning Blues", "Solace", "Monk's Mood", and "Night & Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from some of the best years of the Chick Webb group. CD

Classic work from some of the best years of the Chick Webb group – with solos from Mario Bauza and Taft Jordan on trumpets, Edgar Sampson on alto, Elmer Williams on tenor, and Sandy Williams on trombone. LP, Vinyl record album

The roots of modern jazz never sounded this great before – and this is the first time ever that all the early bop recordings by Savoy have been properly brought together in one place! Savoy was one of the most important labels to record the early bop pioneers – and had a dedication to the music that begin in 1945, and moved well into the 50s – as the label captured some of the brightest young stars who'd go onto shape a generation! Almost all of this material was originally issued just as 78rpm singles – then later scattered and repackaged in a confusing way – although many tracks here also never made it into the LP or CD generation, either. The folks at Mosaic have worked incredible magic to correct that error – and have pulled together a stunning 10CD package that finally presents this amazing legacy of music in its proper form – complete with notes and session details that were never given in later years, too. There's way too much here to list in this space – but the set features dates recorded under the name of Dexter Gordon, Fats Navarro, Stan Getz, JJ Johnson, Sonny Stitt & Kenny Dorham's Bebop Boys, Allen Eager, Kai Winding, Ray Brown, Eddie Davis, Serge Chaloff, Kenny Hagood, Leo Parker, Tadd Dameron, Teddy Reig, Brew Moore, Milt Jackson, Kenny Clarke, and Gil Fuller – all with groups that are filled with equally hip and important musicians too. We love Mosaic all the time – but with a collection of 78rpm material, they really knock it out of the park – and do us, and the jazz history books, a mighty big favor! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

You'll be hard pressed to find a better collection of Charlie Parker's classic work on vinyl! Bird's great recordings for Savoy have often been poorly packaged over the years, but here you get the whole batch of seminal bop sides by the pioneering artist of the genre! Bird's the leader on most of these sides, but there's a nice set of recordings under Tiny Grimes and a very young Miles Davis too, with a host of players from the dawn of the bebop age, including Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Sadik Hakim, John Lewis, Duke Jordan, Curly Russell, Tommy Potter and Max Roach. An as you'd expect from this kind of set, you get loads of multiple takes so you can hear these pioneering players creating the style that would change the face of jazz forever. Put together in 1978, this set features 66 tracks in all, spread out over 5 LPs, with a nicely annotated book, and includes "I'll Always Love You Just The Same","Romance Without Finance", "Billie's Bounce", "Now's The Time", "Thriving On A Riff", "Koko", "Donna Lee", "Chasin The Bird", "Buzzy", "Milestones", "Half Nelson", "Another Hair Do", "Bird Gets The Worm", "Barbados", "Ah-Leu-Cha", "Constellation", "Parker's Mood", "Perhaps","Marmaduke", "Steeplechase" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely distilled collection pulled together for issue in the mid 70s, of Charlie Parker's work for Savoy Records – done between the years 1944-1948, with some of the best talents in the bop business! Some of the other Savoy Parker sets have been a bit too overstuffed with alternate takes – and this one nicely changes that by focusing only on the material that made it out to the public as 78rpm recordings at the time. The double LP set features a total of 30 tracks – with titles that include "Tiny's Tempo", "Barbados", "Constellation", "Marmaduke", "Steeplechase", "Chasin The Bird", "Billie's Bounce", "Romance Without Finance", "Perhaps", and "Parker's Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Coleman Hawkins work for Savoy – featuring Hawk blowing in a number of small group settings. We're not really sure where he "returns" from on this one – but the playing is great, and tracks include "Flight Eleven", "Should I", "Modern Fantasy", "Last Stop", "I'm On My Way", and "Goin Down Home". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the earliest work ever recorded by Jackie & Roy – cut when the fab vocal duo was still in the company of Charlie Ventura, forging a bop harmony sound that was as groundbreaking as the early vocalese work of Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert, or Annie Ross! The pair had a hip swinging style that was always great – with a strong talent for riffing vocally on a bebop tune, then shifting over for a serious interpretation of a moody ballad, and rolling back again into a hard uptempo number. This set has them in the company of some tight members from Ventura's group – including Charlie himself on tenor, Norman Faye on trumpet, and Benny Green on trombone. Titles include "Lonely Woman", "Pina Colada", "FYI", "Euphoria", and "Deed I Do". CD also features one bonus track not on the original LP! CD

One of the best-known 50s jazz sessions from the Savoy label – a laidback classic that's a great illustration of the label's shift in modes after the early bop years! The setting here is relatively informal – with Milt Jackson as the ersatz leader, working almost in blowing session mode with hip players who include Frank Wess on flute and tenor, Hank Jones on piano, Eddie Jones on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums – all players who relax into a groove wonderfully, and really open up on the album's four long tracks. Titles include the classic reading of "Opus De Funk", plus "Opus Pocus", "You Leave Me Breathless", and "Opus & Interlude". LP, Vinyl record album

Savoy Bop side featuring the amazing Lucky Thompson on tenor(on three cuts), and a larger lineup on the rest of the album, with Milt featured on piano as well as vibraphone, in a group led by the rhythmic pioneer Kenny Clarke. Classic bop side cut early in the history of the genre, as played by the finest of the day. Though many Savoy sides have recently been reissued on CD, they are becoming virtually impossible to find any longer on vinyl. CD

Some of the earliest material ever recorded by the Modern Jazz Quartet – early 50s sides that were originally issued as 78rpm singles! Some of the material was first released under the name of the Milt Jackson Quartet – but featured the lineup of Jackson on vibes, John Lewis piano, Percy Heath bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Yet other tracks on the set have bassist Ray Brown in for Heath and drummer Al Jones in for Clarke – both players who make for a slightly different groove in the company of Jackson and Lewis. Tunes are short, but already show that Lewis love of chromatic tones – and titles include "Yesterdays", "Love Me Pretty Baby", "Milt Meets Sid", "Moving Nicely", "D&E", "True Blues", and "Autumn Breeze". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from Brother Yusef, cut during his early days with Savoy, when he was hitting a perfect mix of soul jazz, hardbop, and more exotic instrumentation. This set features his great quintet with Curtis Fuller, Hugh Lawson, and Louis Hayes – and Yusef plays a number of other strange percussive and reed instruments, in addition to his usual tenor. The tracks are haunting, and all originals. Titles include "Blues In Space", "Morning", "Metaphor", and "The Beginning". Very nice! CD

A very hip album of vocal jazz – recorded by the underground singer Barbara Long, a righteous east coast talent who cut a very small amount of work during the 60s. This set's got Long backed by a small group that includes Booker Ervin, Billy Howell, and Nat Phipps – and Ervin's tenor solos, some of the few he ever played with a singer, are very much in his classic style. The set list features some great obscure numbers – and titles include "Where Is Lonesome", "Largo To Oscar", "Gee Baby", "Swan Lake", "Serenade", and "It's Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Killer heavy soul! The Metro-Tones were one of those great 70s groups with a gospel background, but who also picked up a lot of the stylistic elements of their secular contemporaries, and managed to craft a very nice, very tight, often-funky sound that can't be beat! This cool 10" single features the great "Get Together", which begins with hard drums (a bit of a break), and some nice electric piano under some great vocals – and the tune also is featured in an instrumental version! "Why Won't You Love A Man Like This" is killer too – badass electric piano lines that feel like they're lifted right from some blacksploitation soundtrack, with funky harmonies from the group to match! 12-inch, Vinyl record

An excellent collection of overlooked tenor players from the late 40s and early 50s – put together from rare Savoy 78s and 10" sessions – with excellent notes, too! Features a full side each of work by Brew Moore, Allen Eager, and Phil Urso – plus tracks by Teddy Reig and Bernie Privin. LP, Vinyl record album

A key recording from one of our favorite tenor talents of the 80s – the amazing Ralph Moore, a player who really carries on a strong legacy from the 60s work of Hank Mobley! Like Mobley, Moore's got a very rich-voiced sound that's steeped in tradition, but which is also never afraid to take chances too – a way of handling the tenor that few of his contemporaries could match, which is probably why Ralph's presence really upped the ante on so many dates at the time as a sideman. He's even better as a leader, though, and this standout set for Landmark is a real gem – a record filled with freely creative energy throughout, and a never-ending sense of soul – as Moore's tenor is set up nicely in a core group with Benny Green on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums – the latter of whom brings some of the same magic to this set that Billy Higgins did to Blue Note in the 60s. Terence Blanchard plays trumpet on 4 of the album's tracks – and titles include "Punjab", "Freeway", "Enigma", "Blues For John", "One Second Please", and "Episode From A Village Dance". Also includes the CD-only bonus track "Morning Star". CD

Edith Moreno really soars in the lead here – making "Judgement Day" a mighty gospel groover – working with strong backup singers, fast-riffing guitar, and a groove that's a lot funkier than you might expect – a fantastic mix of spiritual message and soulful clubby rhythms! That vibe also follows strongly on the flipside – the fantastic "He Gave It To Me" by The Helen Hollins Singers – a tune that reminds us a lot of early 80s Clark Sisters at their best! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Classic early bebop from trumpter Fats Navarro – a seminal album that brings together earlier famous 78s recorded for Savoy Records! The set features the late great trumpeter leading 3 different small groups – all top-shelf lineups, with players that include Charlie Rouse or Dexter Gordon on tenor, Tadd Dameron or Al Haig on piano, and Art Blakey on drums! The recordings have the raw bebop energy that characterized the best of these Savoy sessions, but Navarro's playing adds touches of lyricism not usually heard on recordings like these. Certainly one of the albums that will convince you why Fats was so great – with the tracks "Barry's Bop", "Dextrose", "Stealing Trash", and "Hollerin' & Screamin". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the better of the many posthumous albums that Savoy issued after Bird's death. The set combines master takes and alternates of classic Parker material for the label, and includes pivotal bop tracks like "Parker's Mood", "Constellation", "Ah-Leu-Cha", "Perhaps" and "Another Hair Do". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the better of the many posthumous albums that Savoy issued after Bird's death. The set combines master takes and alternates of classic Parker material for the label, and includes pivotal bop tracks like "Parker's Mood", "Constellation", "Ah-Leu-Cha", "Perhaps" and "Another Hair Do". CD

Well, it's not the whole Charlie Parker Story – but the album does feature some great material from a very famous session, recorded on 11/26/1945, originally issued on 78s, along with extra tracks, compiled here in one of Savoy's posthumous Bird LPs from the early 60s. The group includes Miles Davis on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include original and alternate takes of "Thriving From A Riff", "Meandering", "Koko", "Now's The Time", and "Billie's Bounce", all in early famous versions! LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A classic 50s album on Savoy – a set that's almost as memorable for its cartoony cover as it is for the great Art Pepper material on the record! Pepper's tone here is wonderful – that sharper-edged, more soulful approach that you often get in his smaller label 50s work – a nice contrast to some of the smoother sides of Art, and the part of his sound we really love. The album's got three different west coast groups working with Pepper – with players who include Russ Freeman or Hampton Hawes on piano, Jack Montrose on tenor, Joe Mondragon or Monte Budwig on bass, and Larry Bunker or Bobby White on drums. But Art's the main star of the set – blowing beautifully throughout, with both jaw-dropping precision and a tremendous sense of sound! Titles include "Tickle Toe", "Chili Pepper", "Susie The Poodle", "Brown Gold", "Holiday Flight", "Surf Ride", "Straight Life", "Cinnamon", and "Thyme Time". CD

The one and only album that Sun Ra ever cut for the Savoy label – a beautifully understated session that mixes more conventional jazz with some particularly Ra-like touches! The group on the set is extremely tight – especially the horn work of John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, and Pat Patrick – who glide together along with some of the best mainstream modernists of the 50s, but break out with earthier tones and phrases that clearly mark their playing as different from the norm. Ra plays relatively straight piano for the album, but there's more than enough Arkestra touches from other players on bells and assorted percussion – emphasizing the rhythmic qualities of the tunes, and really living up to the promise of titles that include "Bassism", "China Gates", "Of Sounds And Something Else", "Tapestry From An Asteroid", "Jet Flight", "Space Jazz Reverie", and "Where Is Tomorrow?". CD

... CD

With Ruby Braff & Red Richards LP, Vinyl record album

One of AK Salim's far-reaching "jazz suites" from the late 50s. This one focuses on the bluer side of jazz, and features some excellent soloists – like Seldon Powell on flute and tenor, Sahib Shihab on baritone sax, Nat Adderley on cornet, and Phil Woods on alto – all playing long soulful passages on Salim originals like "Payday", "Joybox", "Full Moon", and "Blu-Shout". The set's not as modernist oriented as similar work by some of Salim's contemporaries – still with an overall conception, but somewhat more looser swinging – and like some of AK's best other sessions from the time, has a feel that's quite like some of Slide Hampton's leaner, more soul jazz moments. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the father-reaching jazz musicians of his time, AK Salim was always trying to create albums that had a more "tied together" approach than some of his contemporaries' albums – especially those on the Savoy label, where Salim recorded most of his best work! This approach usually resulted in a album like this – one based around a "suite" of similar musical themes – in this case, a flute-based one from the dual frontline of Frank Wess and Herbie Mann, both of whom really shine in the setting! Other players include Joe Wilder on trumpet, Frank Rehack on trombone, and Hank Jones on piano – and Herbie Mann also plays a bit of tenor sax as well. The tunes are all originals by Salim, and really make great use of the twin-flute sound – and titles include "Loping", "Ballin The Blues", "Miltown Blues", "Pretty Baby", and "Duo Flautist". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A very nice session by baritonist Sahib Shihab – and one of the most far-reaching works he cut in this country before disappearing to Europe for the better part of the 60s! The album's broken into two different groups – both have Sahib playing with Phil Woods on alto and Benny Golson on tenor, but one rhythm section is Hank Jones on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – and the other is Bill Evans on piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Taylor again on drums. Tracks are long, and mostly have a hardbop sort of approach – but there's also a slight undercurrent of mysticism too, of the sort that would show up more strongly in Sahib's later work. Titles include "Ballad To The East", "Jamila", "Le Sneak", and "The Moors". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare quintet session from George Wallington – and a smoking little record we'd rate right up there with his other non-trio sides of the 50s! The set's done in that hard-edge Savoy mode of the time – relaxed and open, with lots of dark elements in the rhythms – and beautifully blown solos over the top from Donald Byrd on trumpet and Phil Woods on alto, plus plenty of piano from George! Knobby Totah handles bass and Nick Stabulas handles drums – and titles include "Dance of the Infidels", "Ow", "Before Dawn", and "Strange Music". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Killer stuff – a really well-done collection of rare bop material for Savoy! The set's not really a compilation, but more of an archive of great sessions from the 78rpm era – with batches of tracks in order from the same sessions. Includes material by a Kenny Dorham combo, a Joe Newman group, a Gil Fuller set with Dave Burns and Sahib Shihab, a Ray Brown date, and vocal sets by Eddie Jefferson, Babs Gonzales, and Kenny Hagood! LP, Vinyl record album

Great set of rare doo wop and R&B vocal group recordings from the Savoy label – most of which were only ever issued on super-rare 45s and 78s! The set includes loads of material, 32 tracks in all, including "Poor Butterfly" and "Milk Shake Stand" by The Three Barons, "It All Comes Back To Me Now" and "My Life Is My Life" by The Marshall Brothers, "These Are The Things I Want To Share With You" and "Out In The Cold Again" by The Syncopaters, "Call For Me" and "I Got A Feelin'" by The Carols, "I'm Losing My Mind" and "My Little Honeybun" by The Dreams, "Say You're Mine" and "(I Love Only) You" by Jimmy Jones & The Savoys, "I Won't cry" and "Wah Diddy Wah" by Little David & The Harps, and "I'm Living For You" and "Palace OF Stone" by The Toppers – and it comes with a great set of notes and discographical information. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible chapter of John Coltrane's early career – one of a pair of albums he cut with trumpeter Wilbur Harden for Savoy records! The sound here really is in the longer modal mode that would emerge more strongly in Coltrane's later recordings. The album is really significant – in that it almost marks the first time that Trane got to express his voice freely, and work through a more visionary sound – but big credit also goes to Wilbur Harden, who wrote all the longer tracks on the set, and who is coming at the record from kind of a Yusef Lateef exotic perspective. Other players include Tommy Flanagan and Lateef-bandmates Doug Watkins on bass and Louis Hayes on drums – and titles include "West 42nd Street", "EFFPH", "Snuffy", and "Rhodomagnetics". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut as a leader by trumpeter Bill Hardman – an excellent talent who's probably known best for his late 50s work with Art Blakey in the Jazz Messengers! The group's a strong batch of hard-edged soulful players – a quintet that includes Ronnie Matthews on piano, Sonny Red on alto, Doug Watkins on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – and the overall groove is hard bop, with a lyrical touch, in the best classic Blue Note mode! Titles include "Jo B", "Assunta", "Buckeye Blues", and "With Malice Towards None". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rare recordings of avant garde jazz on Savoy, and an album produced by Bill Dixon to feature the work of his protege Marc Levin, who plays flute and brass instruments here. Deep lineup, with Calo Scott on cello, Jonas Gwanga on trombone, Cecil McBee on bass, and Frank Clayton on drums. Moody, like Bill Dixon's work for Savoy. Titles include "Morning Colors", "Dragon & The Rainbow", and "Twilight Dance". This is the French pressing, with a different cover than the US version. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Excellent early hardbop material from Hank Mobley – recorded in a slightly looser style than his Blue Note work, but essential 50s work nonetheless! The album's got a relaxed, open feel – almost the blowing session mode used with Mobley on Savoy, and a great illustration of Hank's warmly collaborative talents in the company of some of the best players of his generation. The album features 2 groups – with either Lee Morgan or Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Jones or Barry Harris on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – working together wonderfully on tunes that include "Thad's Blues", "Doug's Minor B'ok", and "Space Flight". With Mastersonic 20 bit processing. CD

Some of the most important vocal group material of the postwar years – tracks that arguably set the scene for the huge boom in 50s doo wop, and the wealth of 60s harmony soul to come! The Ravens were a key transitional group – partly in the mode of the Ink Spots or Mills Brothers generation of harmony, but also a lot hipper, and a lot more R&B-influenced too – thanks to the tight rhythms of some of their tracks, and the cool recording style they got at Savoy – which was perfect to let all the vocal interplay come to the forefront. The group's got an amazing lead in deep-toned Jimmy Ricks – a singer who really set the tone for countless soul vocalists to come – and the set features a whopping 64 tracks in all, the complete National Label recordings by the group! CD

Never-issued material from reedman Frank Wess – done around the same time as his other all-star sessions for Savoy, but even more obscure! The lineup features Frank on flute, tenor, and alto – with Thad Jones on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and Hank Jones on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

2LP set that brings together early R&B sides recorded for the Savoy label – not really rock and roll as the title might imply, but a good set of cuts that's sort of an overview of the label's classic hits in the pre-soul universe! Includes the sublime "Bad Boy" by The Jive Bombers, plus "Misery", "Lost In A Dream", and "Head Hunter" by Johnny Otis; "Hot Rod" and "Cornbread" by Hal Singer; "Marie", "Count Every Star", and "Old Man River" by The Ravens; "Candy" and "Mean To Me" by Big Maybelle, and "The Hucklebuck" by Paul Williams. Lots more obscure stuff, too – and a good set of notes! LP, Vinyl record album