... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Seminal sounds that bridge the worlds of swing and bop – mostly recorded for Svoy in 1944, the earliest days of the label – with a few tracks from 1949 as well – and a number of alternates appearing here for the first time ever! LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely fantastic look at the strong legacy of gospel music from Savoy Records – a company who were initially a powerhouse in the fields of jazz and R&B, but who moved into the gospel world and dominated that market for decades! Savoy is a bit like Chess Records – a company who really learned how to record blues singers and soulful styles from the secular world, then used that same ability to work some real magic on songs from the more spiritual side of the spectrum – an approach that really made for top-shelf music, even as the decades moved on! Savoy's gospel legacy has always been a bit underground – not nearly as reissued for larger audiences as their jazz and blues material – but this collection does a great job of correcting that lack, by presenting their music in a wonderful format – all in a mix of rare cuts and classics from the gospel underground. A great 3CD set – with a huge amount of work – music by The Davis Sisters, Gospel Chimes, Jimmy Scott, Roberta Martin Singers, Swindell Brothers, Christones, Gospel Harmonettes Specials, Harmonizing Five, Famous Ward Singers, Blind Boys Of Alabama, Stars Of Faith, Gospel Cavaliers, Staple Singers, The Metro Tones, Betty Hollins, Gene Martin, Swan Silvertones, Artistic Sounds, James Moore, Holy Lights Of Baltimore, Brooklyn Skyways, World Wonders, Myrna Summers, Brockingham Ensemble, Prof Charles Taylor, Exciting Supreme Highlights, Highway QCs, Solomon Burke, Genobia Jeter, World Wonders, Edith Moreno, Glenn Jones & The Modulations, Hollywood Stars, James Cleveland, Holy Lights Of Baltimore, Sensational Williams Brothers, Gospelaires Of Dayton, Helen Hollins Singers, Edith Moreno, and The 4th Of May. CD

The complete 50s studio recordings of one of the greatest pairings in popular jazz of the time – the twin-trombone lead work of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding, both players who'd come from differing backgrounds, but who created a wonderful new sound together! The work on the set was all recorded during the years 1954 and 1955 – but oddly issued on a variety of different labels, including Prestige, Columbia, and Savoy. The pairing of the trombones on the work is wonderful – a strongly pronounced mini-horn section – yet one that's fluid enough to work at a nice boppish pace, especially when paired with players that include Charles Mingus, Billy Bauer, Paul Chambers, Dick Katz, and Milt Hinton. The 2CD package features a total of 27 tracks in all – with titles that include "Thou Swell", "Gong Rock", "Bag's Groove", "Hip Bones", "Wind Bag", "Reflections", "Lament", "Co-Op", "Turnabout", "Trombone For Two", "Lope City", and "Dinner For One". CD

An insanely fantastic look at the strong legacy of gospel music from Savoy Records – a company who were initially a powerhouse in the fields of jazz and R&B, but who moved into the gospel world and dominated that market for decades! Savoy is a bit like Chess Records – a company who really learned how to record blues singers and soulful styles from the secular world, then used that same ability to work some real magic on songs from the more spiritual side of the spectrum – an approach that really made for top-shelf music, even as the decades moved on! Savoy's gospel legacy has always been a bit underground – not nearly as reissued for larger audiences as their jazz and blues material – but this collection does a great job of correcting that lack, by presenting their music in a wonderful format – all in a mix of rare cuts and classics from the gospel underground. This first volume focuses on work from the earliest years of Savoy's gospel productions – and features 24 tracks by The Davis Sisters, Gospel Chimes, Jimmy Scott, Roberta Martin Singers, Swindell Brothers, Christones, Gospel Harmonettes Specials, Harmonizing Five, Famous Ward Singers, Blind Boys Of Alabama, Stars Of Faith, Gospel Cavaliers, and even the Staple Singers! LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely fantastic look at the strong legacy of gospel music from Savoy Records – a company who were initially a powerhouse in the fields of jazz and R&B, but who moved into the gospel world and dominated that market for decades! Savoy is a bit like Chess Records – a company who really learned how to record blues singers and soulful styles from the secular world, then used that same ability to work some real magic on songs from the more spiritual side of the spectrum – an approach that really made for top-shelf music, even as the decades moved on! Savoy's gospel legacy has always been a bit underground – not nearly as reissued for larger audiences as their jazz and blues material – but this collection does a great job of correcting that lack, by presenting their music in a wonderful format – all in a mix of rare cuts and classics from the gospel underground. This second volume features work from Savoy's prime 70s gospel years – 20 tracks by artists who include The Metro Tones, Betty Hollins, Gene Martin, Swan Silvertones, Artistic Sounds, James Moore, Holy Lights Of Baltimore, Brooklyn Skyways, World Wonders, Myrna Summers, Brockingham Ensemble, Prof Charles Taylor, Exciting Supreme Highlights, and Highway QCs. LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely fantastic look at the strong legacy of gospel music from Savoy Records – a company who were initially a powerhouse in the fields of jazz and R&B, but who moved into the gospel world and dominated that market for decades! Savoy is a bit like Chess Records – a company who really learned how to record blues singers and soulful styles from the secular world, then used that same ability to work some real magic on songs from the more spiritual side of the spectrum – an approach that really made for top-shelf music, even as the decades moved on! Savoy's gospel legacy has always been a bit underground – not nearly as reissued for larger audiences as their jazz and blues material – but this collection does a great job of correcting that lack, by presenting their music in a wonderful format – all in a mix of rare cuts and classics from the gospel underground. Savoy kept going strong into the 80s, in a mix of styles that includes some funk and boogie – served up here on 17 tracks by artists that include Solomon Burke, Genobia Jeter, World Wonders, Edith Moreno, Glenn Jones & The Modulations, Hollywood Stars, James Cleveland, Holy Lights Of Baltimore, Sensational Williams Brothers, Gospelaires Of Dayton, Helen Hollins Singers, Edith Moreno, and The 4th Of May. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 42 tracks and features Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Duke Jordan, John Lewis, and Max Roach. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Early Savoy sides – other musicians include Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Sony Stitt on alto, Leo Parker on baritone sax, and Tadd Dameron on piano. 22 tracks in all. CD

... CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Live broadcasts from 1949, with Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Al Haig on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, with Max Roach on drums on one session, and Milt Jackson on vibes and Lucky Thompson on tenor on the other. LP, Vinyl record album

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 – with alternate takes too. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the best Art Pepper work you'll ever find! The CD is filled with tracks that were originally cut for Savoy Records during the time of Art's Surf Ride album for that label – some of which were included on the album, others of which are equally wonderful, but which were lost on the cutting room floor for years. Pepper's tone is fantastic – with more of an edge than usual, kind of a raspy soulful quality that you don't find in some of his other work, especially those slicker overrated sessions that most consider "classic". We love this material, and this CD is the first time the work's been adequately compiled on disc. There's a number of alternate takes, but don't worry, because they're worth hearing, and often have very different solos. Titles include "Brown Gold", "Surf Ride", "Chili Pepper", "Nutmeg", "Suzy The Poodle", "Thyme Time", "Straight Life", and "Art's Oregano". 22 cuts in all! CD

Fantastic modern music from Boyd Raeburn – with titles that include "Yerxa", "Tonsillectomy", "Blue Echoes", and "Man With A Horn". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Hip Boyds", "Rip Van Winkle", "Soft & Warm", and "Prelude To The Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from this early modernist – titles that include "Little Boyd Blue", "Dalvatore Sally", "Temptation", "Duck Waddle", and "Boyd Meets Stravinsky". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

With Ruby Braff on trumpet, Eph Resnick on trombone, Red Richards on piano, John Field on bass, and Kenny John on drums. CD

A fantastic early album by the amazing Jimmy Scott – billed here as "Little Jimmy Scott" – because of his youth, height, and his style of singing! Jimmy's fragile voice is in perfect form here – a really unique blend between torch jazz modes and some of the bluesier styles of the time – all set to moody arrangements that perfectly capture the dark undercurrents he's always brought to his work! The set is filled with wonderful material, and stands as a great change to some of the later work from Jimmy's comeback – with titles that include "Someone to Watch Over Me", "When Did You Leave Heaven", "Very Truly Yours", "Guilty", "Street Of Dreams", "Don't Cry Baby", and "Why Don't You Open Up Your Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Includes a quintet session – featuring George Shearing on piano, Chuck Wayne on guitar, and Marjorie Hyams on vibes – and trio material with Red Norvo on vibes, Tal Farlow on guitar, and Charles Mingus on bass. CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A really smoking little session – the brilliant follow-up to Savoy's well-known Jazz For Playboys album – and arguably a much better record to that one too! Billy's not the best-known leader of the time, but he's working here with a really top-shelf group that includes Bill Harris on trombone, Phil Woods on alto, Seldon Powell on tenor, Eddie Costa on vibes, and Joe Wilder on trumpet – all of whom step out beautifully on the session, and blow with a much freer edge than you'd guess. The tracks are all nicely driving numbers, many of them originals – and Woods and Powell are especially wonderful on the record, and recorded here with a really sublime tone. Includes an excellent version of Horace Silver's "Senor Blues" – plus "Winds", "Du Udah Udah", "Playgirl Stroll", and "Whoo-ee". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by jazz guitarist Chuck Wayne – and one of the better ones, too, as it's got him working with a larger than usual group, breaking out of the trio format that he used on many recordings. The bulk of the record is with a combo that features Harvey Leonard piano, George Duvivier bass, and Ed Shaughnessy drums, in the rhythm section – plus either Zoot Sims or Brew Moore soloing up front on tenor. A few more tracks are with a smaller group – a quartet with John Mehegan on piano – and titles include "Sidewalks Of Cuba", "Tasty Pudding", "Prospecting", "Butter Fingers", "Mary Ann", "Sirod", and "Uncus". CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

All the mater takes from the key late 40s recordings that Lester Young did for Savoy Records – key transitional material from swing into bop, with work from Billy Taylor and Junior Mance on piano, Freddie Green on guitar, Cozy Cole and Roy Haynes on drums, and Jesse Drakes on trumpet! 15 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

With Cannonball Adderly and Nat Adderley, plus Donald Byrd, Jerome Richardson, Horace Silver, Paul Chambers, Kenny Clarke, and Hank Jones. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first albums from guitarist Kenny Burrell as a leader – a date that has him working with players from his hometown scene in Detroit – in case you couldn't guess from the title! Kenny's style here is a bit different than on the Blue Note dates of the time – almost a bit more personal, and leaner – which is a surprise, given the usual heavier feel of a Savoy session. Other players include Pepper Adams on baritone, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – and before you complain, we know that not all of these guys are from Detroit – but that's the way they titled the thing, so you'll have to write to the label! Adams is a bit down in the mix, so he never over-dominates Burrell's tone – but he still gets plenty of space to sparkle on his solos, working with those sharp edges that make his Savoy appearances so great. Titles include "Your Host", "Afternoon In Paris", "Apothegh", "Cottontail", and "Tom's Thumb". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Savoy side that brings together bop sessions recorded earlier in the label's life – done by different groupings that feature some of the best players of the early bebop years. Sonny Stitt, Kenny Dorham, and Bud Powell are part of a group that play "Ray's Idea", "Fool's Fancy", "Bebop In Pastel", and "Bombay". Fats Navarro, Leo Parker, Tadd Dameron, and others perform "Eb Pob", "Goin To Minton's", "Fat Girl", and "Ice Freezes Red". Stan Getz, Max Roach, and Hank Jones play "Opus De Bop", "Running Water", and 2 other tunes. All tracks are short and straight bop! CD

Vijay Iyer on pinao, Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto sax, Stephan Crump on bass, and Marcus Gilmore on drums. CD

With Joe Morello on drums and Bob Carter and Vinnie Burke on bass. CD

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". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes a quintet session – featuring George Shearing on piano, Chuck Wayne on guitar, and Marjorie Hyams on vibes – and trio material with Red Norvo on vibes, Tal Farlow on guitar, and Charles Mingus on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers on tracks one to seven & the Bill Hardman Quintet on tracks eight trough eleven. CD

An incredibly hip batch of tracks from Curtis Fuller – leading a group here that includes Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Milt Hinton, and Roy Haynes. The vibe is straight hardbop – but there's also a darker edge than usual for a Savoy session, perhaps because of Lateef's presence on the set. Tracks are long with lots of solo space – and titles include "Accident", "Be Back Ta Reckla", "Darryl's Minor", and "New Date". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Features Ravi Coltrane on tenor sax, Luis Perdono on piano, Drew Gress on bass, and EJ Strickland on drums – plus special guests Charlie Haden on bass and Brandee Younger on harp! CD

40's LP collection of some of the earlier sides that Dizzy cut for Savoy, with be bop classics like "Our Delight", "One Bass Hit", "Oop Bop Sh'Bam", "Salt Peanuts", and "Dizzy Atmosphere". The groups include players like Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Al Haig, and Kenny Clarke, and the set's virtually a who's who of early be bop, with Dizzy heading up the lead. CD

Classic early bop material from Dexter Gordon – originally issued as 78s in the 40s, and packaged here in a hip 50s album with a very groovy cover! The set features work from 1945, 1946, and 1947 – with Gordon in different three different groups – one with Leo Parker on baritone and Tadd Dameron on piano, one with Leonard Hawkins on trumpet and Bud Powell on piano, and one with Argonne Horton on piano. Titles include "Setting The Pace (parts 1 & 2)", "Dexter's Riff", "So Easy", "Long Tall Dexter", "Dexter Digs In", and "Dexter's Deck". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of Lee Morgan's first-ever recordings as a leader, cut way back when he was just a hip teenager from Philly with a bucketful of promise on the trumpet! The session's a crack hard bop date – with an all-star cast that includes Hank Mobley on tenor, Hank Jones on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – and although the proceedings are a bit rough around the edges compared to some of the Blue Note sets, the album's still filled with a heck of a lot of fire, and like all Morgan albums, is totally worth owning! Tracks are longish, and filled with imagination – and titles include "Bet", "Hank's Shout", "Nostalgia", "That's All", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". CD

2CDs, and a huge amount of Charlie Parker's seminal recordings for Savoy Records – 35 bop classics in all! CD

That's two new sides to be exact! The first session features Miles Davis, Al Haig, Tommy Potter and Max Roach. The second replaces Davis with Kenny Dorham and adds Lucky Thompson and Milt Jackson. Tracks include "52nd St. Theme", "Slow Boat To China", "Hot House" and "Big Foot". CD

You may not know the name of Boyd Raeburn – but you'll certainly recognize the great players on this album, a hip set that includes Dizzy Gillespie, Hal McKusick, Lucky Thompson, Serge Chaloff, and Oscar Pettiford. Raeburn was a modernist swinger – in a mode that was a bit like some of the work that McKusick was laying down during the mid 50s, but with traces of the postwar work of Stan Kenton, and maybe a hint of the straight side of Raymond Scott. The tracks on this set are some of the finest sides he ever cut – and they sparkle with imagination and modernist zeal, yet never fail to swing hard and tight. Titles include "March Of The Boyds", "Boyd's Nest", "Boyd Meets Stravinsky", "Dalvatore Sally", and "Interlude (Night In Tunisia)". CD

Classic early work from Jimmy Scott – airy ballads and love songs, done in that incredible vocal style that has made Scott an enduring legend for countless years! Backings are very nice – sad and dreamy, perfectly fitting the mood of the tunes. The record's one of Jimmy's key early sides, and titles include "How Else", "Please Forgive Me", "An Evening In Paradise", "Things That Are Love", "Once", and "What Good Would It Be". CD