Ray Bryant on piano, Jimmy Rowser on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums. CD

Nat King Cole as a leader and a sideman – incredible material from 1936-1946 – featuring the King Cole Trio, side work with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, Dexter Gordon, The Keynoters and The Lester Young Trio! There's a number of great tunes here with Nat singing, but also a whole bunch of recordings that shine a light on his impeccable work as a group piano player of the finest caliber, working as Nat King Cole and under some funny pseudonyms while he was recording hits for Capitol! Packaged stunningly, even by Hip-O Select Standards – essentially housing the CDs in a hardcover book of 31-pages with an essay by David Ritz, 7 3/8" square package with detailed session notes, and beautifully reproduced art work from original 78s and 10-inch LPs! Disc one features 17 tracks by the King Cole Trio with Nat singing and at the piano, with Oscar Moore on guitar and and Wesley Prince on bass: "Sweet Lorraine", "This Side Up", "Babs", "Scotchin' With The Soda", "Slow Down", "Hit That Jive, Jack" and more. Disc one also includes 5 tracks with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, with Nat on piano, Eddie Cole on bass, Kenneth Roane on trumpet, Tommy Thompson on saxes and Jimmy Adams on drums:" Honey Hush" (with Eddie on vocals) plus an alternate take, "Thunder", "Stompin' At The Panama" and "(Bedtime) Sleep, Baby Sleep". Last up on disc one, four tracks by the Keynoters with Willie Smith on alto, Nat as Lord Calvert on piano, Red Callender on bass and Jackie Mills on drums: "The Way You Look Tonight", "My Old Flame" and more. Disc 2 is comprised of Jazz At The Philharmonic: Los Angeles, July 1944, with collective personal including Nat as Shorty Nadine on piano and singing on "Sweet Lorraine", Shorty Sherlock on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Illinois Jacquet and Jack McVea on tenor, Red Callender on bass, Lee Young on drums, and Carolyn Richards singing on "The Man I Love". Other titles include "Blues", "Tea For Two", "Rosetta", "Bugle Call Rag", "Oh, Lady, Be Good!" and more. Disc 3 starts with 1943/44 material by Dexter Gordon's group featuring Nat on piano, Sweets Edison on trumpet, Gordon on tenor, Red Callender or Johnny Miller on bass and Clifford Owens on drums: "I've Found A New Baby", "I Blowed And Gone" and more. That's followed by Lester Young Trio material of similar vintage with Nat as Aye Guy on piano, Young on Tenor and Buddy Rich on drums: "I Cover The Water Front", "The Man I Love", "Peg Of My Heart" and more. Last, but not least, Keynoters alternate takes including "The You You Look Tonight", "Airiness A La Nat" and "I can't Believe That You're In Love With Me". CD

Ghostface's follow up to Supreme Clientele – a career benchmark of a predecessor to live up to, no doubt about that – and the Ghost does just with that with Bulletproof Wallets! It's a strong, deep cut above a lot of the Wu work of the later 90s and early 00s – with some tracks like "Ghost Showers" being straight up classic level track, along with others like "Never Be The Same Again" with Raekwon and Carl Thomas – and all-in-all, this one holds up well after all these years. Other titles include "Flowers" with Method Man & Superb, "Jealousy", "The Juks" feat Trife & Superb, "Walking Through Darkness" feat Takitha, "The Hilton", "Ice" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Notable sidemen include Trummy Young on trombone, Buck Clayton on trumpet, Illinois Jacquet and Flip Phillips on tenor, and Buddy Rich on drums. CD

One of the best recordings from Freddie Hubbard's "back to basics" stretch in the early 80s – a time when Freddie returned to a strongly acoustic jazz mode after a mostly electric 70s! The record still has Freddie stretching out on the longer tracks he got used to during the CTI years – but he's working here in tight quartet formation with Kenny Barron on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and the always-great Al Foster on drums – carving out long lines on extended, but well-conceived numbers that echo with a tremendous amount of force. Freddie's lost none of his edge by this point, and the record shows a new sense of energy and focus that are extremely impressive – and also pretty darn soulful! Titles include "Santa Anna Winds", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "The Outpost Blues", "Dual Force", and "Loss". CD

Recorded in the 40s, and issued only much later by Pablo Records – but a set that's very much in the best spirit of the classic Jazz At The Philharmonic performances that were issued famously by Verve! The set features two key groups – one with Charlie Parker and Sonny Criss on alto sax, Flip Phillips on tenor, Fats Navarro on trumpet, Tommy Turk on trombone, and Hank Jones on piano – playing long jam session takes of "Leap Here", "Indiana", and "Lover Come Back To Me". Then, things move to a smaller group mode on some shorter tracks – with Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Navarro on trumpet, and Jones on piano – on titles that include "Rifftide", "Stuffy", and "The Things We Did Last Summer". CD

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A pretty darn great album – with a wonderful mix of JATP swing and strong-handed drumming by the leaders. The material was recorded at a Jazz At The Philharmonic show at Carnegie Hall in 1952, and although the main focus appears to be Krupa and Rich's drum work, there's actually some fantastic sax playing on the album – from both the alto of Willie Smith and the tenor of Flip Phillips, both of whom are at the height of their powers in this relaxed setting, working amazingly well around the bombastic drum pounding of Krupa and Rich. Tracks are long, and titles include "Idaho", "Flying Home", "Drum Boogie", "Drum Battle", and "Perdido". CD

Martino plays in a 2-guitar quartet – with Bobby Rose backing him up on guitar, plus rhythm accompaniment by Richard Davis and Billy Higgins. The sound's definitely in the trippier, post-hippie style of Martino's work, with a sort of looseness and fluidity that you either love or hate, but a nicely swinging rhythm underneath. Titles include "Footprints", "Road Song", "The Visit", and "Alone Together". CD

Martino plays in a 2-guitar quartet – with Bobby Rose backing him up on guitar, plus rhythm accompaniment by Richard Davis and Billy Higgins. The sound's definitely in the trippier, post-hippie style of Martino's work, with a sort of looseness and fluidity that you either love or hate, but a nicely swinging rhythm underneath. Titles include "Footprints", "Road Song", "The Visit", and "Alone Together". LP, Vinyl record album

A later session by Toots Thielemans – but also one of his greatest albums ever, thanks to a super-hip rhythm section that includes Mulgrew Miller on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums! The format here is spare and simple – Toots on harmonica, guitar, and a bit of whistling – in front of the core trio, who really help set the tone for the album. There's a warm and fluid grace here that recalls Miller's own excellent recordings of the 80s – yet also a gentleness that allows the aging Toots more than enough space to do his thing. And honestly, given the tricks, gimmicks, and overly-sentimental qualities of so many other of Thielemans' recordings, this set may well be one of his best straight jazz outings on record. Titles include "Footprints", "Blues On Time", "What Kind Of Fool Am I", "Laura", "The Windmills Of Your Mind", and "Sultry Serenade". CD

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A classic set of Verve tracks, arranged by the great Ralph Burns, very much in the same style as his work on the legendary Jazz Scene set. The set's far from a "soloists with strings" snoozer, and features some stunningly edgey arrangements by Burns, with purposefully off-kilter orchestral parts, which provide a startling counterpoint to solos by players like Flip Phillips, Jimmy Hamilton, Roy Eldridge, Ray Brown, and Bill Harris. Hard to find in any format, and with the tracks "Pimlico", "Perpetual Motion", "Sprang", and "Taxco". Comes in a great David Stone Martin cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Ghostface's follow up to Supreme Clientele – a career benchmark of a predecessor to live up to, no doubt about that – and the Ghost does just with that with Bulletproof Wallets! It's a strong, deep cut above a lot of the Wu work of the later 90s and early 00s – with some tracks like "Ghost Showers" being straight up classic level track, along with others like "Never Be The Same Again" with Raekwon and Carl Thomas – and all-in-all, this one holds up well after all these years. Other titles include "Flowers" with Method Man & Superb, "Jealousy", "The Juks" feat Trife & Superb, "Walking Through Darkness" feat Takitha, "The Hilton", "Ice" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Sensitive bass/guitar duets – Charlie Haden on the former, Antonio Forcione on the latter – both playing acoustic, and recorded in a wonderfully gentle space – with all the high-end sound quality we've come to expect from the Naim label! The album's a great reminder of Haden's perfect ear for color and tone – even amidst some of Forcione's more freewheeling flourishes – and titles include "Nocturne", "For Turiya", "La Pasionaria", "Snow", "Silence", and "Anna". CD

Way more than just a set of "lost tapes" – but that's what we've come to expect for any project that involves Madlib – an artist for whom even the smallest of moments is a thing of greatness! Lootpack are the trio that first helped Madlib rise to fame in the 90s – working alongside Wildchild and DJ Romes, and really perfecting his production skills – and the cuts here are from the years before they got signed to Stones Throw, including work from the Psyche Move EP that was their first solo release. Yet there's also plenty of Stones Throw guests on the project – including Declaime (aka Dudley Perkins), God's Gift, Kazi, Oh No, and Medaphoar – fleshing things out nicely on tracks that include "Inner Soul", "Psyche Move", "I Come Real With This", "Situation", "Get Whack", "Antidote To Antidope", "Attack Of The Tupperware Puppets", "Forever Beef", and "I Declare War". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge dip into the musical genius of Erik Satie – the French composer who revolutionized music with a new sense of minimalism at the end of the 19th Century – in a style that opened the door for a huge amount of changes in years to come! Satie was definitely years ahead of his time, and has a body of work that goes way beyond his oft-recorded solo piano works – presented here in a rich array of different recordings made over the space of many decades – served up as a four CD set that's overflowing with key selections! Titles include "Socrate" performed in one version by Henri Sauguet, another by Rene Leibowitz, "Trois Melodies" with vocals by Pierre Bernac and piano by Francis Poulenc, "Trois Petites Pieces Montees" by Pierr Chagnon Orchestra, "Je Te Veux" by Jean Wiener, "The Piano Music Of Erik Satie" performed by William Masselos, "Pieces For Piano" performed by Poulenc, "Messe De Pauvres" performed on organ by Marilyn Mason, and "Parade (Ballet Suite)" done on four hands by Poulenc and Georges Auric, and as an orchestral piece by the Philharmonia Orchestra led by Igor Markevitch. CD

Their first single on the independent Macola label, featuring early production by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Collects solo material plus work with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Gil Evans, Miles Davis, Weather Report, Milton Nascimento, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, JJ Johnson, and Herbie Hancock! CD

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Three full albums from this great Dutch pianist! Miss Dee is a heck of a set from Dutch pianist Rob Agerbeek – easily one of the most soulful European pianists of the 70s, even in an acoustic setting like this! Rob's got a bite on the keys that reminds us a lot more of American players from the 60s – not a straight soul jazz groove, but a style that definitely draws from that mode – then opens up into some more lyrical elements that are more in keeping with overseas expression in the 70s. The trio matches his energy nicely – especially on the upbeat numbers that rule the set – with bass from Harry Emmery and drums from Eric Ineke – on titles that include "Little Miss Dee", "Cup Bearers", "Birk's Works", "Caravan", and "Out Of This World". Second Opinion is a trio set from the great Rob Agerbeek – one that lets him open up on familiar tunes, but with a sense of imagination that really packs a lot into a small space! The lineup features Paul Berner on bass and Ben Schroeder on drums – and titles include "Summertime", "East Of The Sun", "Lover Man", "Besame Mucho", "Mad About The Boy", "Girl Talk", "As Time Goes By", and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". Lock Stock & Barrell is a relatively recent set from Dutch piano Rob Agerbeek – who locks it up nicely, in a trio with Erik Albjerg on bass and Tjeerd Klapwijk on drums! Titles include "Lock Stock & Barrel", "A Child Is Born", "Round Midnight", "O Morro Nao Tem Vez", "Thora's Dance", "Cubano Chant", "Nearest & Dearest", and "Footprints". CD

Next level modern improvisation from the trio of Taylor Ho Bynum, Joe Morris and Sara Schoenbeck – and one of our favorite new recordings on the always exciting Porter Records label! Bynum plays coronet, flugelhorn, bass & piccolo trumpets on Next, with never predictable guitar work from Morris and with Schoenbeck on bassoon, it takes on even more haunting, low tones. Includes "Glacial (Memory)", "Fireside", "Small Footprints Of Unidentified Creatures", "Consensus Struggle", "Therefore (Three)" and "Next". CD

The music of Michael Carvin is always a revelation – a joyous, soulful outpouring of feeling that never fails to move us – and which always makes us wonder why more folks don't treasure gems like this that he made as a leader! Carvin's drum work is filled with energy from the get-go – but never in a too-showy, too-unbridled sort of way – just perfectly-balanced, perfectly-timed sense of rhythm that really seems to inspire the key players he's gathered around him. For this date, the lineup is especially nice – Claudio Roditi and Cecil Bridgewater on trumpets, Sonny Fortune on alto sax and flute, Cyrus Chestnut on piano, and David Williams on bass. John Hicks sits on on piano on one track – and the album's got some of the free-soaring spirituality that you'll find in Sonny Fortune's best work as a leader. Titles include "Morning", "Revelation", "Effi", "Thabo", "Avotcja", and "We Three Kings". CD

Amazing live documents of Miles Davis and his incredible mid-to-late 60s quintet – Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – complete concert recordings from Antwerp, Copenhagen and Paris on 3CDs seeing release for the first time ever, plus a DVD featuring the only known video footage of this group from the period! CD 1 features material from 10/28/68 in Antwerp, CD 2 on 11/2/67 in Copenhagen and 11/6/67 in Paris, with the latter concert continued on CD 3. This is landmark stuff here – a surprisingly rare opportunity to hear first rate live recordings of legendary material from the ESP, Miles Smiles, Sorcerer and Nefertiti albums – as well as brilliant revisits of vital earlier material. Includes live takes on "Agitation", "Foot Prints", "No Blues", "Gingerbread Boy", "On Green Dolphin Street", "The Theme", "Footprints", "Masqualero", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "Walkin'" and more. The DVD starts with five numbers recorded on 11/7/67 in Karlzruhe, Germany: "Agitation", "Footprints", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "Gingerbread Boy" and "The Theme". It concludes with material in Stockholm on 10/31/67: "Agitation", "Footprints", "'Round Midnight", "Gingerbread Boy" and "The Theme". CD

The long-awaited release of some brilliant live sessions from the key Miles Davis group at the end of the 60s – the really freewheeling quintet that featured Chick Corea on electric piano, Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano sax, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! Rhythms here are completely unbound – wilder even than the sounds on Bitches Brew, and played with a similar intensity on the keyboard, trumpet, and reed solos – an unbridled power that really takes off over the space of the very long cuts on the collection! The whole thing's an essential addition to these very important years for Miles – and the 3CDs features live performances from the Antibes Jazz Festival on July 25 and 26, 1969 – plus a November 1969 performance from Stockholm. Titles include "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down", "Sanctuary", "It's About That Time", "Footprints", "Paraphernalia", "Nefertiti", "Masqualero", "Spanish Key", "Directions", "No Blues", and "Bitches Brew". DVD also features a November 7, 1969 performance from the Berliner Jazztage – of titles that include "Directions", "Bitches Brew", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "It's About That Time", and "The Theme". CD

Miles Smiles, but his grin is a wry one – given the angular energy of the set! The album's a landmark effort from the mid 60s quintet that includes Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams – all of whom work without fail to capture Davis' newly emerging approach to jazz – a style that's touched with some of the light lyricism of the late 50s, but which has much sharper edges overall – and really approaches some of the best "new thing" modes that were going down at labels like Blue Note or Impulse! Many tunes have a subtly spare quality, but nonetheless work with a tremendous amount of power – and titles include a classic version of "Freedom Jazz Dance", a haunting take on Shorter's "Footprints", and the titles "Orbits", "Circle", "Dolores", and "Gingerbread Boy". CD

A stunning image of our legendary Chicago outpost – the three story building where Dusty Groove has resided since the start of the 21st Century, and a building that's chock full of music, every day of the week! The sleek images gets at the charms of our Wicker Park location, and our placement alongside other important Windy City landmarks – and as always, the inside contents can always be found, in an ever-changing array, at dustygroove.com! Print is on heavy paper, mounted flat inside a plastic sheath for easy handling. Photo

A stunning image of our legendary Chicago outpost – the three story building where Dusty Groove has resided since the start of the 21st Century, and a building that's chock full of music, every day of the week! The sleek images gets at the charms of our Wicker Park location, and our placement alongside other important Windy City landmarks – and as always, the inside contents can always be found, in an ever-changing array, at dustygroove.com! Print is on heavy paper, mounted flat inside a plastic sheath for easy handling. Photo

Saxophonist Shamek Farrah is best known for a pair of legendary 70s albums on the Strata East label – but he was still working strongly in the American jazz underground for years after that – as you'll hear on this brilliant batch of live recordings from the end of the 80s! The album was initially only issued as a cassette sold at gigs, and it shows Farrah sounding wonderful in the company of trumpeter Norman Person – blowing alto and bringing the fire he had on his 70s spiritual jazz recordings – as he and Person work in a few different groups, alongside some especially great piano work from either David Durrah or Sonelius Smith – both players with strong legacies of their own! Garry Hammon joins the pair on tenor on two tracks, Marvin Neal on trombone on one, and the final track is a trio number without Farrah, showing wonderful phrasing from Person next to Smith's piano. All titles are nice and long – and tunes include "Negative Forces", "Aisha", "Footprints", "Timeless Beginning", and "I Remember Clifford". CD

Saxophonist Shamek Farrah is best known for a pair of legendary 70s albums on the Strata East label – but he was still working strongly in the American jazz underground for years after that – as you'll hear on this brilliant batch of live recordings from the end of the 80s! The album was initially only issued as a cassette sold at gigs, and it shows Farrah sounding wonderful in the company of trumpeter Norman Person – blowing alto and bringing the fire he had on his 70s spiritual jazz recordings – as he and Person work in a few different groups, alongside some especially great piano work from either David Durrah or Sonelius Smith – both players with strong legacies of their own! Garry Hammon joins the pair on tenor on two tracks, Marvin Neal on trombone on one, and the final track is a trio number without Farrah, showing wonderful phrasing from Person next to Smith's piano. All titles are nice and long – and tunes include "Negative Forces", "Aisha", "Footprints", "Timeless Beginning", and "I Remember Clifford". LP, Vinyl record album

Crazy rhythms, joyous postpunk, frenetically catchy melodies – and to put it all simply, one of the best albums of its time! The jittery guitars by Glenn Mercer and Bill Million pretty much pave the way for indie rock guitar for the 2 decades to come, all of the oddball additional percussion by everyone in the band bring plenty of crazy to the sound, and the songs are unbelievably catchy. The crazy rhythms are just part of the incredible sound. It should be against the law for this album to be out print! Titles include "The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness", "Fa Ce-La", "Loveless Love", "Forces At Work", "Original Love", their wild cover of "Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except For Me And My Monkey)", "Raised Eyebrows" and "Crazy Rhythms". CD

An all-star session put together by Verve in 1958 – one that features a septet of some of the label's biggest giants in jazz at the time! The format here is a bit open-ended – almost like some of the earlier JATP sessions on Verve – with lots of room for personal interaction between the soloists, especially the horn players in the lead! These include Stan Getz on tenor, Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax, and Harry Edison on trumpet – working alongside Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Louis Bellson on drums. Titles include a beautiful extended "Ballad Medley" – really a great illustration of the freedoms that Verve brought to jazz recording in the 50s – plus the titles"Chocolate Sundae", "When Your Lover Has Gone", and "Candy". CD

A trio of later gems from this legendary South African pianist! Mindif is a great set that features Abdullah Ibrahim's soundtrack music for the 1988 Clair Denis film Chocolat – some of his best group recordings of the 80s! The feel here is a bit more African-styled than usual – even for Ibrahim – with strong use of reeds to inflect the tunes with the right degree of color and tone for their use in the film. The ensemble on the record features Ricky Ford on tenor and soprano, Craig Handy on flute and tenor, Benny Powell on trombone, David Williams on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the tracks have a languid groove that recalls some of Dollar Brand's best South African recordings with Kippie Moketsie. Titles include "Earth Bird", "African Market", "Pule", "Star Dance", and "Serenity". African River is one of the great larger group recordings that pianist Abdullah Ibrahim gave us in the 80s – from a moment when he was able to use added horns to really expand that amazing sense of color and rhythm he'd brought to his music on earlier trio recordings! There's a sense of musical vision here that really lives up to Abdullah's majestic look on the cover – a fantastic merging of flute and tenor from John Stubblefield, soprano and alto from Horace Alexander Young, tuba and baritone from Howard Johnson, and trombone from Robin Eubanks – all vibrant horn players who seem to have just about every tone and mood covered with their horns – given this wonderfully warm support from Buster Williams on bass, and Brian Adams on drums. All titles are originals by the leader – and tunes include "Chisa", "Sweet Samba", "Duke 88", "The Wedding", and "Joan Capetown Flower". Yarona is a beautifully sensitive set from Abdullah Ibrahim – recorded live at the Village Vanguard, and with an open, lyrical sound that almost seems to recall some of Bill Evans' magical moments in the venue! Ibrahim's quite a different player, of course – but there's an open, exploratory quality to his music that's a bit unusual here – maybe not as rhythmically based as it is balanced between sound and silence – given very respectful company in the bass of Marcus McLaurine and drums of George Johnson. Titles include "Cherry/Mannenberg", "Duke 88", "African River", "Stardance", "Tuang Guru", "Tintinyana", and "African Marketplace". CD

"This here is the victory lap," raps Hov midway through The Black Album, his supposed career-capper (for this stage, anyway), and if nothing here immediately dazzles us to the core the way the best of his past singles have done, overall this is probably the most consistent front-to-back listen of all his albums. One of the nicest things about the Black Album is the brevity. As tight as the best of his recent output has been over the last couple of years – from singles, to album tracks, to guest spots – Jay-Z's simply been TOO productive, which has diluted the overall power of his presence. That issue is addressed right off the bat here – with a very manageable 14 tracks, no guest rhymers, and a consistent overall sound and mood thanks in part to strong production by Kanye West, 9th Wonder, Neptunes, Timbaland, Eminem (who's baroque synth productions are getting dangerously close to going stale, but it fits Jay-Z's dramatic finale theme very well), Rick Rubin and DJ Quik. It's a wildly disparate cast behind the boards, but this thing flows incredibly well thanks to Jay-Z's predetermined mission to make a great album, not just a hot record. We may still have to lean towards Blueprint as his late masterpiece, but this is way up there. "December 4th", "What More Can I Say?", "Encore", "Change Clothes", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "Threat", "Moment Of Clarity", "99 Problems", "Justify My Thug", "Lucifer", "Allure", "My First Song", and a couple of brief interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

Part of a 4 volume set, all recorded on one night in Denmark. The set is a Norm Granz JATP transplantation to the European stage, and features the sort of group you'd imagine, with stars like Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Benny Carter & Roy Eldridge. Unlike the other volumes in the set, where the group stretches out and riffs over side long takes on standards, this one is more concise, with less jamming (but no less cookin') versions of "These Foolish Things", "The Nearness of You", "You Go To My Head" and 4 more. LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy swinging material from Krupa – working here in a loud and frenetic trio format, with Teddy Napoleon on piano and Charlie Ventura on tenor. Gene's working all the bass himself on the drums, and the album's got that pyrotechnic feel of the best JATP sets. Titles include "Dark Eyes", "Idaho", "Body & Soul", and "The Man I Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful meeting of two of the biggest 50s talents on the drums – and a session that's great not only for the expected firey percussion, but also for the horn work by other members on the set! Given the "drum battle" style of the record, the tracks are long and very open – done in a studio mode that recalls some of the Krupa/Rich meetings at JATP, and like the JATP sides, featuring plenty of space for players to take longer solos. Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, Flip Phillips, and Roy Eldridge get in some nice licks on the set – and other players include Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, and Ray Brown. Titles include "Gene's Blues", "Bernie's Tune", "Buddy's Blues", and "I Never Knew". CD also includes bonus tracks "Sunday" and "Monster". CD

Incredible early work from Yusef Lateef – some of his best! On these early Savoy side, Lateef is drawing from the wealth of influences that were running through the Detroit jazz underground of the 50s that spawned him – and apart from a strongly-conceived bop-influenced sound, you'll also hear Lateef experimenting a lot with jazz exoticism, using different reed instruments and odd small-group arrangements in a manner that's sort of a more "inside" version of similar work done at the time by Sun Ra and group. Lateef's work at this point is a key link in a tradition of exploratory Afro-centric jazz that runs through Roland Kirk's "Black Classical Music" of the 60s, and the underground output of labels like Tribe or Strata East during the 70s. About half the cuts on here are fairly straight, and still pretty nice, but those that aren't will open your eyes to Lateef's genius! Includes titles from The Fabric Of Jazz, The Dreamer, Jazz & The Sounds Of Nature, and Prayer To The East – with 19 numbers that include "Arjuna", "Valse Bouk", "Check Blues", "Gypsy Arab", "Sram", "Lover Man", and "8540 Twelfth Street". CD

A really revolutionary album – both at the time it was released, and all these many years later! In a surprising nod to the younger generation, Blue Note opened the door to Madlib – already making a name with his array of great projects at the start of the century – an early part of his legacy of bringing in lots of jazz energy to hip hop production! The album wasn't the first effort of this nature, but certainly set a new standard – one that so many others have tried to match over the years, but never got this right. The set's got a fair bit of live jazz work – in the mode of Madlib's Yesterdays New Quintet project – mixed with all sorts of cool production elements too. We love the vibes of Ahmad Miller especially in the lineup – and titles include reworks of "Montara", "Song For My Father", "Footprints", "Stepping Into Tomorrow", "Peace/Dolphin Dance", "Stormy", "Distant Land", and "Slim's Return" – plus the original "Funky Blue Note". LP, Vinyl record album

A really revolutionary album – both at the time it was released, and all these many years later! In a surprising nod to the younger generation, Blue Note opened the door to Madlib – already making a name with his array of great projects at the start of the century – an early part of his legacy of bringing in lots of jazz energy to hip hop production! The album wasn't the first effort of this nature, but certainly set a new standard – one that so many others have tried to match over the years, but never got this right. The set's got a fair bit of live jazz work – in the mode of Madlib's Yesterdays New Quintet project – mixed with all sorts of cool production elements too. We love the vibes of Ahmad Miller especially in the lineup – and titles include reworks of "Montara", "Song For My Father", "Footprints", "Stepping Into Tomorrow", "Peace/Dolphin Dance", "Stormy", "Distant Land", and "Slim's Return" – plus the original "Funky Blue Note". LP, Vinyl record album

Ever-adventurous composer, arranger and coronet player Rob Mazurek teams up with similarly creative wanderer Emmett Kelly (Cairo Gang, Josh Abrams Natural Information Society and more)! Alien Flower Sutra finds the duo and their guest players crafting a pretty awesome mix of interstellar psych-jazz-folk with vocals and guitar – with lots of fuzzier, jazzier instrumental passages. Very cool stuff on International Anthem, which has quickly become one of Chicago's best indie labels for free thinking creative output! Mazurek handles the electronic treatments, synths and coronet, with Kelly's lyrics, voice and guitars, and accompanied by Guilherme Granado, Carlos Issam Thomas Rohrer and Brittany Mazurek. Includes "Back To The Ocean, Back To The Sea", "Android Love Cry", "Blackout", "Bright Nights Havoc", "I Untied My Wrists", "Of Time Wasted", "Remember Nothing", "Embryo Genesis", "We Are One" and "Overture Towards The Beginning Of The End Of Time". CD

Great stuff from Gary – one of his more obscure albums, and a record dedicated to the signs of the Zodiac! The tracks are a mixture of Gary's usual easy jazz approach – with vibes, whistling, and bossa-style rhythms showing up a lot – plus a few more driving numbers that are more like his arranged work for other players, and which even include some nicely funky tunes! A real gem – lost amidst most of his catalog – possibly because the marketplace wasn't ready for such zodiacary! Titles include "Sad Eyes", "Long Live The King", "Close Your Eyes & Follow Me", "Can't Help Dancing", "Runaway Heart", "Thanks But No Thanks", and "Days Dipped In Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

All the Charlie Parker solos from the JATP performances in 1949 – long tracks that also feature excellent work from Lester Young on tenor, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, and Ella Fitzgerald on vocals! CD

The complete presentation of a legendary live performance, and one that's often billed as a high moment in the history of bebop – a special concert-only group that brings together five key bop heavyweights – Charlie Parker on alto, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all coming together in a unique one-off performance! The set was recorded up in Canada, and represents one of the first widely-circulated live recordings of a straight bop set – different than some of the mix of styles you'd get on a JATP record, with long tracks that really show the nonstop creative energy that shifts between the players. The original vinyl release broke the concert out into two records – both of which are united here with additional material! The set features two takes on the Quintet material – without overdubs, and with them added – on titles that include "Night In Tunisia", "Perdido", "Salt Peanuts", "All The Things You Are/52nd Street Theme", "Wee", and "Hot House". The package then also adds in the second half of the concert – a set that features the core rhythm trio, without Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie – a killer lineup that has Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums! The tunes are a bit shorter than on the quintet sides, but maybe that's because Powell can always pack so much into such a short space – and Mingus has plenty of sharp small group imagination here, while Roach is a young genius, really breaking out here too. Titles include "Sure Thing", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Jubilee", "Cherokee", and "Embraceable You". Plus, the set features a stunning solo drum performance by Max Roach – "Drum Conversation". CD

The complete presentation of a legendary live performance, and one that's often billed as a high moment in the history of bebop – a special concert-only group that brings together five key bop heavyweights – Charlie Parker on alto, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all coming together in a unique one-off performance! The set was recorded up in Canada, and represents one of the first widely-circulated live recordings of a straight bop set – different than some of the mix of styles you'd get on a JATP record, with long tracks that really show the nonstop creative energy that shifts between the players. The original vinyl release broke the concert out into two records – both of which are united here with additional material! The set features two takes on the Quintet material – without bass overdubs, and with them added – on titles that include "Night In Tunisia", "Perdido", "Salt Peanuts", "All The Things You Are/52nd Street Theme", "Wee", and "Hot House". The package then also adds in the second half of the concert – a set that features the core rhythm trio, without Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie – a killer lineup that has Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums! The tunes are a bit shorter than on the quintet sides, but maybe that's because Powell can always pack so much into such a short space – and Mingus has plenty of sharp small group imagination here, while Roach is a young genius, really breaking out here too. Titles include "Sure Thing", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Jubilee", "Cherokee", and "Embraceable You". Plus, the set features a stunning solo drum performance by Max Roach – "Drum Conversation". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary live performance, and one that's often billed as a high moment in the history of bebop – a special concert-only group that brings together five key bop heavyweights – Charlie Parker on alto, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all coming together in a unique one-off performance! The set was recorded up in Canada, and represents one of the first widely-circulated live recordings of a straight bop set – different than some of the mix of styles you'd get on a JATP record, with long tracks that really show the nonstop creative energy that shifts between the players. The original vinyl release broke the concert out into two records – and this is the quintet material, with titles that include "Perdido", "Salt Peanuts", "All The Things You Are", "Wee", and "Hot House". CD

A legendary live performance, and one that's often billed as a high moment in the history of bebop – a special concert-only group that brings together five key bop heavyweights – Charlie Parker on alto, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all coming together in a unique one-off performance! The set was recorded up in Canada, and represents one of the first widely-circulated live recordings of a straight bop set – different than some of the mix of styles you'd get on a JATP record, with long tracks that really show the nonstop creative energy that shifts between the players. The original vinyl release broke the concert out into two records – and this is the quintet material, with titles that include "Perdido", "Salt Peanuts", "All The Things You Are", "Wee", and "Hot House". CD

A great lost album by John Patton – recorded in 1970, but not ever issued until 1995! The record was most likely held back because it's one of the funky organist's most far-reaching – a stunning batch of modal tracks that moves way past the usual organ sound, and much more into Larry Young-ish territory. A young James Blood Ulmer is on guitar, and the great (and underrecorded) Marvin Cabell plays flute, soprano, and tenor sax. Really great stuff – and most likely material that will disappear again for another 25 years! Titles include "The Mandingo", "Bloodyun", "Memphis", "Steno", and a cover of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints". CD

A great 2LP set that's a wonderful collection of Patton's excellent soul jazz organ work for Blue Note – and which also includes material that never came out on LP! The set takes tracks from rare albums like Blue John, Along Came John, Got A Good Thing, and Let 'Em Roll – plus some even better stuff from previously unissued sessions! Titles include "Footprints", "Man From Tanganyika", "Dirty Figers", "Sissy Strut", "Boogaloo Boogie", "Barefootin", and "Ain't That Peculiar". LP, Vinyl record album

We never get tired of these Lee Perry reissues! The first of several compilations put together by the fine folks at Pressure Sounds documenting Perry's tremendous output from his Black Ark studio, at the peak of his powers in the mid 70s. Mostly drawn from 45s of cuts that attained legendary status because of their small press runs, this superb collection brings together the vocal and dub versions of tracks originally released on the Black Art & Upsetter labels. 13 tracks in all including "Psalms 20" by James Boom, "African Style" by the Black Notes, "Wolf Out Deh" by Lloyd & Devon, "Voodooism" by Leo Graham & "Better Future" by Errol Walker, along with their dubs by the Upsetters. LP, Vinyl record album

A perfect example of the jamming style of Quicksilver Messenger Service at their best – as side one features a 25 minute extrapolation of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love", stretched out by the group into these wicked long guitar lines and pulsating rhythms that shift nicely over time! Bo's a surprising inspiration for a group that's better known for their psych output – but their use of that track, and his "Mona", on the live recordings here really helps carve a link out of two different generations of guitar innovation – and suddenly helps us understand links between them both. The set continues with some great original numbers – the very long "Calvary", plus "Maiden Of The Cancer Moon" – as well as a cover of "Happy Trails". CD

Overlooked work by one of the true guitar geniuses of the 70s – an artist who should be right up there with Derek Bailey and Fred Frith – especially with groundbreaking work of this nature! Hans Reichel has a very unique approach to the electric – one that's both very deft on the strings, but also has a sonic sensibility that almost seems to use the instrument to trigger sounds as much as to create notes – moments that are often quite melodic, even when free – shifting between the infinite tonal possibilities of the guitar and some of its textural elements too. Some of Reichel's later work wasn't as great as his 70s output – but this album's a tremendous and well-lauded classic! Titles include "Lupi", "Shaved Guitar", "Krampfhandlugen", and "Alfons Al Piepenbrink & His Lonely Wah Wah Pedal". CD

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An incredible album – one of our favorite Blue Notes ever! Despite the fact that the album's a spare quartet session, the record is one of Wayne Shorter's richest – and features his gutsy young tenor soloing insanely with a rhythmically intense combo that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – a wonderfully free-thinking rhythm trio! Workman's bass is especially strong, and it underpins the cuts with a throbbing pulse that takes them past any simple hardbop conventions. Every cut's a winner – and this is one album we reach for time and time again over the years! Titles include "Adam's Apple", "El Gaucho", "Footprints", and "Teru". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album – one of our favorite Blue Notes ever! Despite the fact that the album's a spare quartet session, the record is one of Wayne Shorter's richest – and features his gutsy young tenor soloing insanely with a rhythmically intense combo that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – a wonderfully free-thinking rhythm trio! Workman's bass is especially strong, and it underpins the cuts with a throbbing pulse that takes them past any simple hardbop conventions. Every cut's a winner – and this is one album we reach for time and time again over the years! Titles include "Adam's Apple", "El Gaucho", "Footprints", and "Teru". CD features the bonus track "The Collector". CD

A follow-up to Shorter's successful Footprints Live album – done in the same sort of angular and introspective mode, and also with a group that includes Danilo Perez on piano, John Patitucci on bass, and Brian Blad on drums. The overall style's not as much in the joyous, soulful Shorter mode that we love so much from the earlier years – but the record is a good follow-up to Footprints, and will please if you dig that set. Titles include "Smilin Through", "Joy Ryder", "Tinker Bell", "Over Shadow Hill Way", "Adventures Aboard The Golden Mean", and "Beyond The Sound Barrier". CD

A real gem from Lonnie Liston Smith's early years in the studio – and a record that's perhaps a bit more "cosmic" than it is "funk" – but that's why we like it so much! The session has Lonnie stretching out a bit more than usual – borrowing some of the righteousness from his years with Pharoah Sanders, and tripping out on tracks that revel in their own spacey brilliance. Lonnie plays both acoustic and electric piano on the record – stretching out on some Impulse-influenced grooves that feature some great soprano sax and flute from the lesser-known George Barron. Titles include the soulful "Beautiful Woman", the ethereal "Sais", and the heavier groover "Cosmic Funk" – plus great versions of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" and John Coltrane's "Naima". CD

A real gem from Lonnie Liston Smith's early years in the studio – and a record that's perhaps a bit more "cosmic" than it is "funk" – but that's why we like it so much! The session has Lonnie stretching out a bit more than usual – borrowing some of the righteousness from his years with Pharoah Sanders, and tripping out on tracks that revel in their own spacey brilliance. Lonnie plays both acoustic and electric piano on the record – stretching out on some Impulse-influenced grooves that feature some great soprano sax and flute from the lesser-known George Barron. Titles include the soulful "Beautiful Woman", the ethereal "Sais", and the heavier groover "Cosmic Funk" – plus great versions of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" and John Coltrane's "Naima". LP, Vinyl record album

A near-lost soundtrack from the early 60s – one that features work from a host of the best European talents at the time! The film's a thriller set in Paris, and although Mikis Theodorakis scored most of the music, the record also features some great contributions from Frenchmen Georges Auric and Jacques Loussier – both of whom bring in some jazzier moments! There's less of the Mediterranean-styled sounds here than you might expect from Theodorakis' better-known scores – and overall, the whole thing comes across with the style of some of the best nouvelle vague soundtracks of the period – with lots of short tracks that mix thrilling themes, jazzier instrumentation, and some occasional playful rhythms – all in a tapestry of sound that's as compelling as the film itself! Titles include "The Ghost (parts 1 & 2)", "Up There", "Surprise Blues", "Concorde", "Cornice", "Twistin The Twist", "Potpourri At Regines", "Baion", and "The Crime". CD

Reedman Rene Thomas always manages to make some really wonderful records – yet this extra-special set may well be one of his best – a marvelous pairing with the legendary guitarist Rene Thomas – a player who was definitely set free in new ways during the 70s, and really changed up his sound from his better-known work of the postwar years! Here, Thomas has a surprising edge on his guitar – one that's balanced nicely by all these great lines from Pelzer on alto, flute, and soprano – in a cool combo that features Rein De Graaf on piano, Jean Linzman on bass guitar, Henk Haverhoek on bass, and the surprising inclusion of Han Bennink on drums! There's a really fresh, creative vibe to the record – like some of the best European indie sides of the time – and titles include "TPL", "Lolita", "Star Eyes", "Jesus Think Of Me", and "Juliette". CD

A mid 70s live recording by Japanese percussionist Masahiko Togashi – performed with help from a larger group that includes Sadao Watanabe on reeds, Masahiko Satoh on percussion, Shigeo Suzuki on reeds, and extra added percussion. Tracks are long and exploratory – usually beginning with spare percussion, and then slowly adding in additional instrumentation. The "spiritual nature" of the title is apt, as the exploratory style of the tunes is never too avant – simply searching and stretching, in a righteous, almost post-Coltrane way. Titles include "The Beginning", "Moving", "On The Footpath", and "Spiritual Nature". CD

One of THE landmark hip hop albums – and the full length debut of great Tribe Called Quest! We hardly need to tell you about this classic – but it will always bear repeating. De La Soul might have kicked the door open on leftfield, anything goes artistry about a year or so earlier, but their friends and fellow Native Tongues Tribe's debut was a crucial reminder that the east coast was spinning out of one of the greatest creative growth spurts in hip hop history at the time. Pure excellence. Tracks include "Luck Of Lucien", "Footprints", "I Left My Wallet In El Segundo", "Bonita Applebaum", "Can I Kick It?", "Rhythm (Devoted To The Art Of Moving Butts)", "Mr Muhammad", "Description Of A Fool" andmore seminal, jazzy middle school tracks! 25th anniversary edition – remastered, with bonus tracks "Footprints (rmx with Ceelo Green)", "Bonita Applebum (Pharrell Williams rmx)", and "Can I Kick It (J Cole rmx)". New 2015 remaster – beautiful sound! CD

An incredible guide to sound library music around the world – one that features artwork from countless different labels, and brief notes on their history and output! The package is quite unique – not really a discography, not really an art book – but kind of a mix of both – and the only resource so far we've seen for tracking down the elusive musical gems that have come out of sound library sources of the 50s, 60s, and 70s! The book lists hundreds of records from 230 different labels – each presented alphabetically, with information and history on each label – alongside a huge amount of color images of the covers that are as beautiful as the music contained within. Trunk Records head Jonny Trunk put the whole thing together – and this huge second edition is twice as big as the first – really showing the full scope of new information on some of the more obscure labels that have come into play in recent years. 248 pages, hardcover, full color – and beautiful! Book

Killer trio material from drummer Daniel Villarreal – a lean, clean record that's a really great showcase for all three players involved! The music's got a vibe that's more live and spontaneous than some other efforts on the International Anthem label, and a sound that's almost funky at times – as Daniel's snapping drums get plenty of encouragement from the basses of Anna Butterss, which really sets fire to the guitar of Jeff Parker! Parker's back here at a level that we haven't heard on record in awhile, and the record seems to resonate with all his long experience with a variety of players – while also standing as a showcase for his ability to really deliver some warmly chromatic tones on the guitar. Titles include "Things Can Be Calm", "Daytime Nighttime", "Salute", "Sunset Cliffs", "Republic", "Chicali Outpost", and "Bring It". CD

Killer trio material from drummer Daniel Villarreal – a lean, clean record that's a really great showcase for all three players involved! The music's got a vibe that's more live and spontaneous than some other efforts on the International Anthem label, and a sound that's almost funky at times – as Daniel's snapping drums get plenty of encouragement from the basses of Anna Butterss, which really sets fire to the guitar of Jeff Parker! Parker's back here at a level that we haven't heard on record in awhile, and the record seems to resonate with all his long experience with a variety of players – while also standing as a showcase for his ability to really deliver some warmly chromatic tones on the guitar. Titles include "Things Can Be Calm", "Daytime Nighttime", "Salute", "Sunset Cliffs", "Republic", "Chicali Outpost", and "Bring It". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunningly powerful batch of hardbop tracks from Mal Waldron – one that's different both from his trio material of the time, and from some of the ways that he works on the Prestige blowing sessions of the period – as Waldron is clearly the leader here, and really works magic with a group of legendary players! The lineup features two different groups – both with John Coltrane on tenor, a key force on the record – one with Sahib Shihab on alto and Idrees Sulieman on trumpet, the other with Jackie McLean on alto and Bill Hardman on drums. Both feature the more obscure Julien Euell on bass, and the Sulieman set features Ed Thigpen on drums, the other Art Taylor on the kit. The groove is incredible, and the tracks scream with a sheer raw power that is sometimes missing from these late 50's Prestige sides – as Waldron takes all of his imagination from the looser "blowing" sessions for the label, and packs it into tight arrangements and compositions that bring out the best in all soloists! Titles include "Potpourri", "JM's Dream Doll", "One By One", "From This Moment On", and "Don't Explain". LP, Vinyl record album

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A brilliant solo effort from drummer Jim White – a musician who's provided support to a wide range of rock greats – including Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, and Bill Callahan – but one who's also a secret master of the drum kit, with a command of his instrument that's really breathtaking! In some ways, the set's a record of solo drums – maybe not as improvised as on a free jazz album, but pretty open overall – yet Jim also mixes in some other sounds too, mostly just to fill up the background space so that the drums are in the lead – a gentle sonic palette that still emphasizes all the live, spontaneous action on the acoustic drum kit at the core! Titles include "Names Make The Name", "Here Comes", "Soft Material", "Curtains", "Percussion Build", "Marketplace", and "Walking The Block". LP, Vinyl record album