A massive collection of music from the Steeplechase label – spiritual sounds from back in the day, and a side of the label's legacy that's only gotten the right sort of appreciation in more recent years! Steeplechase was a European company, and their biggest claim to fame was recordings of American musicians overseas – especially Dexter Gordon – but the label also had a fantastic ear for more soulful currents on the American underground, and not only managed to capture some less-recorded artists, but also give some bigger names a freer space to express the more spiritual side of their styles! The set is a sublime set of work from the post-Coltrane years – tunes that are modal, soulful, and occasionally slightly funky – served up in a set of completely uplifting music, all supported by the usual excellent Jazzman attention to detail and thorough liner notes. Titles include "The Time Of This World Is At Hand" by Billy Gault, "Tipe Tizwe" by Jim McNeely, "Aida" by Rene McLean, "Dark Warrior" by Khan Jamal, "Naima" by Michael Carvin, "Magwaza" by Johnny Dyani with John Tchicai & Dudu Pukwana, "Ode To St Cecile" by Mary Lou Williams, "Jean Marie" by Sam Jones, "Miss Priss" by Ken McIntyre, and "De I Comahlee Ah" by Jackie McLean & Michael Carvin. CD

We really love the writing of Federico Bonifazi – as he often has a way of making a tune sound a lot richer than the sum of its parts – which is definitely the case here in a quartet lineup that includes Bonifazi on piano, Tolga Bilgin on trumpet, Furio DiCastri on bass, and Roberto Batto on drums! Federico plays in that richness of sound that first seemed to flow from the Italian scene as the 70s moved into the 80s – a mode that learned all the lessons of modern jazz, but used them to increase a sense of humanity and color in the music – which is definitely the case here – as each tune seems to bubble over with new energy and life. Titles include "Monkeys", "Song For A Brother", "Night Of Peace", "Soul Music", and "Introverted Paranoid". CD

Saxophonist Chris Byars always has a great way of putting together a set of horn players – and here, his tenor is matched with alto from Zaid Nasser, bass clarinet from Stefano Doglioni, and trombone from John Mosca – all given piano-less accompaniment from the duo of Ari Roland on bass and Phil Stewart on drums! At some level, the music maybe echoes specific 50s modern modes – some west coast, some Gerry Mulligan styles – but there's also a much more contemporary vibe to the recording, one that comes partly from the mostly original material by the leader. The tunes bristle with a nice assortment of colors, and never overstate their inventiveness – and titles include "Nashville", "Arizona", "Keeper", "Moscow", "Third Culture Kid", and "Philadelphia". CD

With Cowell on piano, Ron McClure on bass, and Keith Copeland on drums. Lots of Cowell originals – includign "Celia", "Dis Place", "Sienna", and "Cal Massey". CD

Ronnie Cuber's always a hell of a swinger, but he sounds especially nice here – really letting his baritone hit some bold, soulful sounds in the company of Hammond organist Brian Charette, guitarist Ed Cherry, and drummer Adam Nussbaum! The record's got this soul jazz vibe that's a bit different than some of Cuber's other records – and features a number of tunes penned by older heroes of the genre – like Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Stanley Turrentine, and others – which makes for a set of songs that has Ronnie sounding completely wonderful all the way through. There's few cats who could ever make a baritone sax sound this wonderful – and we think you'll agree after hearing tracks that include "Four", "Battery Blues", "Bluesette", "Coming Home Baby", "Sugar", and "Motivation". CD

Beautiful solo piano album from Kenny Drew! LP, Vinyl record album

Bassist Michael Feinberg has a round, rich tone on this record, right from the start – a great way of setting up a superb lineup that features Dave Liebman on soprano sax, Noah Preminger on tenor, Gary Versace on piano, and Ian Froman on drums! Liebman's sharpness is balanced wonderfully by the depth of Preminger – a twin-reed pairing that really makes the album sound like something special, and different – very much living up to the spirit of the strong original material by Feinberg, which comprises the entire set. The quality of the record is a bit hard to describe in words, but if you know the players, the meeting is even better on record than it is on paper – on titles that include "Louisville", "Cairo", "Nogales", "Tokyo", "East St Louis", and "Pontiac". CD

Bassist Michael Feinberg has a round, rich tone on this record, right from the start – a great way of setting up a superb lineup that features Dave Liebman on soprano sax, Noah Preminger on tenor, Gary Versace on piano, and Ian Froman on drums! Liebman's sharpness is balanced wonderfully by the depth of Preminger – a twin-reed pairing that really makes the album sound like something special, and different – very much living up to the spirit of the strong original material by Feinberg, which comprises the entire set. The quality of the record is a bit hard to describe in words, but if you know the players, the meeting is even better on record than it is on paper – on titles that include "Louisville", "Cairo", "Nogales", "Tokyo", "East St Louis", and "Pontiac". CD

Von Freeman blows it bold and beautifully here – with just the right sort of sound we first fell in love with when seeing him in small club gigs in Chicago! There's an easygoing soulfulness to Freeman that grabs us right away – but there's also an edge, too – a quality that marks his lineage on a tenor scene that goes back to Johnny Griffin and John Gilmore – and the days when you could play things straight, but still always be inventing as well – never needing to go to the farther reaches, just always working out new feelings, new emotions on the familiar canvas of tunes that gave you plenty of solo space. Of Freeman's few studio recordings, this is one that really gets the sound of his soul just right – that tender feeling and slightly offbeat edge that always made us sit up and take notice. Rhythm is from the comfortable trio of Jodie Christian on piano, Eddie DeHaas on bass, and Wilbur Campbell on drums – and titles include "Four", "There Goes My Heart", "Song For My Father", "There Is No Greater Love", "Dedicated To You", and "My Foolish Heart". CD

Von Freeman on tenor sax, Eddie De Haas on bass, Wilbur Campbell on drums & Jodie Christian on piano. CD

The first session from Andy Fusco after a stretch that nearly took him out of the game – and a record that shows that he's very much back in top formation! Fusco's got this way of blowing the alto that's nice and raspy, almost with the depth of a tenor – working here alongside some bold yet bright trumpet work from Joe Magnarelli – who seems to do a nice job of amplifying Fusco's ideas along the way – in a group that also includes Peter Zak on piano, David Wong on bass, and Jason Tiemann on drums! There's nothing too fancy going on here, but the record's the rock-solid sort that Andy Fusco's been giving us for many years – with titles that include "Remembrance", "Conception", "Navan's Apple", "All American", and "Blues For Baileys". CD

Fantastic work from Stan Getz! The sound here is wonderful – moody late 70s Getz, with some especially soulful moments on the mellow tracks too – that kind of spun-out blowing that we first started finding in Stan's career right around the Sweet Rain album, and which continued to show up beautifully on 70s albums like this! Joanne Brackeen plays some great piano in the quartet – including some electric keys too – and other players include Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Billy Hart on drums. CD

A very unusual set that has Dexter Gordon blowing with larger backings from Palle Mikkelborg! Titles include "Naima", "Tivoli", "Ernie's Tune", and "The Girl With The Purple Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist John Hart has a slightly frowny face on the cover, but that hardly comes through in the music – which is full of bright tones and light little colors – all spun from his fingers alongside Hammond B3 from Gary Versace and drums from Andy Watson! The album's got a different vibe than old school Hammond/guitar sessions – as Hart's got an unusual touch on the strings, one that sometimes seems to echo some of his previous notes, with a wider tone that's really compelling. There's a very special flavor to the set – one that comes not just from the original tunes by Hart, but also from the way the guitar and organ interact – on titles that include "Act Three", "Bad Penny", "Low Point Avenue", "Like My Attitude", "Out Of Somewhere", and "Heretics". CD

Steven Herring steps out for a set of standards with a great group that includes Stephen Riley on tenor, Kirk Knuffke on cornet, Russ Lossing on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

Some of the greatest work ever recorded by tenorist Buck Hill – a local player on the DC scene, and one who hardly ever got his due on record! We'd rank Buck right up there with Von Freeman – another local player who spent years honing his tenor sound in a local setting, yet who never got the right sort of fame because he kept away from the New York or LA scenes. And here, Hill's got an incredibly timeless sound in his horn – really deep, beautiful, and undeniably soulful – a sense of raspy tone that goes back to Lester Young or Ben Webster, but a freer, more open sense of swing too – brought out nicely by rhythm work from Reuben Brown on piano, Wilbur Little on bass, and Billy Hart on drums. This set features the first half of a great live European performance from 1981 – with titles that include "Easy To Love", "Mr Barrow", "Little Face", and "Spaces". CD

A late 70's trio date featuring Duke Jordan on piano, Wilbur Little on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums. The set list features plenty of Jordan originals including "The Bullet", "Undecided Lady", and "Dancer's Call" – plus the standards "A Night In Tunisia", "Ornithology", and "I Should Care". CD

A trio date – with David Friesen on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums! Titles include "All The Things You Are", "Moonglow", "Night In Tunisia", and "Blues In The Closet". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist Vic Juris has always been a master of tone – a player who takes the chromatic modes of the postwar jazz years on the instrument forward to newer generations – always leaving his own touch on the strings with a deeply personal approach! This set's a nice balance of two different modes – as there's some very mellow moments that feel more acoustic than electric – balanced with those that have that richer tone that we always love from Juris – set up nicely in a group that also features Gary Versace on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and John Riley on drums. Juris contributed a few originals to the set – "Long Story", "Lost Keys", and "Robin's Hood" – and other titles include "Avenue", "The Glide", "Moon & Sand", and "Everything I Love". CD

Cornet and piano duets from the Mingus songbook. Kirk Knuffke on cornet & Jesse Stacken on piano. CD

One of the most unusual albums we've ever heard from cornet player Kirk Knuffke – and that's saying a lot, as all of his albums are always pretty darn unique! The set has Knuffke working with singer Steven Herring – whose rich baritone vocals are very much out front in the arrangements – which are very loose and open, and just feature Kirk on cornet, Russ Lossing on piano, and Ben Goldberg on clarinet and contralto clarinet! The setting is very moody throughout – full of darkness and unusual tones – and as with some of Knuffke's other records, the approach to song format is always very striking – even when the tunes are familiar. The set features an original number based on a Carl Sandburg poem, titled "Subway" – plus a great take on Sun Ra's "Satellites Are Spinning", and other titles that include "The Voice", "Iago's Credo", "Lush Life", "Ride On King Jesus", "Storm", "Charade", and "Aria Mustafa". CD

One of the hippest albums we've ever heard from bassist Johnny Dyani – and that's saying a lot, given his tremendous records of the 70s! The album's different than the album that Johnny recorded with fellow Blue Notes members on the Steeplechase label – and instead, the group here is led by percussionist Okay Temiz, and mixes Johnny's round, bold lines on acoustic bass with additional electric bass, plus clarinet and saxes too! The tunes are heavily rhythmic – still jazz, but with very strong global currents too – an even rootsier vibe than most jazz of the South African scene from whence Dyani came – in a mode that really seems to set him free. Johnny also plays a bit of piano, too – and the tracks are a mix of Dyani originals, plus Temiz arrangements of traditional Turkish tunes. Titles include "Gece", "Yesl Fener", "Ben Muslumanim", "Moriva", "Hepimiz Icin", "Elhamdulillah Marimba", and "Doktur". LP, Vinyl record album

The darkly brooding image of Hampton Hawes on the front cover of this one is a real standout in the mostly-sweet cover lineup of the Contemporary label – but it's also a great indication of the sound of the record, which is something different than most of its contemporaries! Hawes is working here at his top-shelf early best – stepping around the keys of the piano with a sense of grace and spaciousness – but also a hard-hitting, highly rhythmic mode on the left – a bit soul jazz at times, mixing earthy elements with the sweeter, lyrical moments in his solos. Rhythm is by the team of Red Mitchell and Chuck Thompson – and titles include "Yesterdays", "Blues For Jacque", Stella By Starlight", "Steeplechase", "Round Midnight", "Autumn In New York" and "Section Blues". CD

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

The darkly brooding image of Hampton Hawes on the front cover of this one is a real standout in the mostly-sweet cover lineup of the Contemporary label – but it's also a great indication of the sound of the record, which is something different than most of its contemporaries! Hawes is working here at his top-shelf early best – stepping around the keys of the piano with a sense of grace and spaciousness – but also a hard-hitting, highly rhythmic mode on the left – a bit soul jazz at times, mixing earthy elements with the sweeter, lyrical moments in his solos. Rhythm is by the team of Red Mitchell and Chuck Thompson – and titles include "Yesterdays", "Blues For Jacque", Stella By Starlight", "Steeplechase", "Round Midnight", "Autumn In New York" and "Section Blues". CD