A fantastic live date – one that's not just noteworthy for the piano of leader Walter Bishop, but also for the reed work of a young Harold Vick – recorded here right around the time he was first making waves in the organ combo of Jack McDuff, but coming across with a very different quality overall! Vick here is more of a spiritualist at times, ala Yusef Lateef – and he often hits a vibe that's more like his 70s work than his more soul jazz-styled recordings of the 60s – really stretching out on the album's long tracks, blowing tenor, soprano, and flute with this searching edge that's completely wonderful. The rest of the group features Lou McIntosh on bass and Dick Berk on drums – and titles include "So What", "Pfrancing", "My Secret Love", "Blues", "Quiet Nights", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "Willow Weep For Me". CD

A fantastic live date – one that's not just noteworthy for the piano of leader Walter Bishop, but also for the reed work of a young Harold Vick – recorded here right around the time he was first making waves in the organ combo of Jack McDuff, but coming across with a very different quality overall! Vick here is more of a spiritualist at times, ala Yusef Lateef – and he often hits a vibe that's more like his 70s work than his more soul jazz-styled recordings of the 60s – really stretching out on the album's long tracks, blowing tenor, soprano, and flute with this searching edge that's completely wonderful. The rest of the group features Lou McIntosh on bass and Dick Berk on drums – and titles include "So What", "Pfrancing", "My Secret Love", "Blues", "Quiet Nights", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "Willow Weep For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The keys are coral, and the sound is sublime – one of the greatest albums ever from pianist Walter Bishop Jr, and proof that he can really stretch out, given the right setting! The piano here is all acoustic, but there's an almost-electric vibe to the date – long, open tracks that sway and swell with some great spiritual energy – made even more wonderful by work from reedman Harold Vick, who plays tenor, flute, and soprano sax on the record – and makes it one of his best recordings ever! The reedwork alone is worth the price of admission – but the rhythms are also great too – a mix of soulful, modal, and some slight funky bits – handled by Reggie Johnson on bass, and either Idris Muhammad or Alan Benger on drums. Woody Shaw plays trumpet on some cuts, too – and titles include "Coral Keys", "Soul Turn Around", "Freedom Suite", "Track Down", "Waltz For Zweetie", and "Three Loves". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Walter Bishop's greatest records – an amazing session that's as funky as it is spiritual – and quite different than most of Bishop's other work! The vibe here is wonderful – as Bish plays a host of keyboards, not just piano – and works in the company of other players who include Ronnie Laws on reeds, Gerald Brown on bass, Woody Murray on vibes, and Shakur M Abdulla on percussion – a beautiful mix of cats who help Walter carry off some of his hippest recordings of the time! The use of vibes is especially nice alongside the electric piano – and titles include a great take on Bishop's classic "Soul Village", done here in a nice funky version – plus a version of "Summertime" with Bishop on organ, and the titles "Sweet Rosa", "Those Who Chant", and "N'Dugu's Prayer". CD

Solo piano work by Bishop – recorded with an introspective quality that you don't often hear in his work from the time, especially since he was always such a strong group leader. The record's very different than most of Bishop's other work – and it features him playing spare slightly-modern versions of jazz standards like "A Day In The Life Of A Fool", "Up Jumped Spring", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

One of a rare few electric albums from the great Walter Bishop Jr – a pianist who started during the bop years, but really grew into new modes in the 70s! The set's an album on Muse, but one with the same hip grooves as Walter Bishop's pair of excellent albums for the Black Jazz label – and like those gems, this set features Bishop working on Fender Rhodes – hitting a groove we never would have expected in the old days, and really going for a style that's at the hippest end of the soul jazz spectrum of the 70s! Tunes are a mix of funky fusion and modal, spiritual styles – and other players include Randy Brecker on trumpet, Gerry Niewood on tenor and flute, and George Young on soprano and alto sax – and the horns are all arranged tightly by Mitch Farber, in a way that adds an extra edge to the record, but still leaves plenty of space for Bishop's solo flights on the keys. Titles include great versions of "Soul Village", "Coral Keys", and "Soul Turnaround" – plus the cuts "Philadelphia Bright", "Sweet Rosa", and "Valerie". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Walter Bishop's greatest records – an amazing session that's as funky as it is spiritual – and quite different than most of Bishop's other work! The vibe here is wonderful – as Bish plays a host of keyboards, not just piano – and works in the company of other players who include Ronnie Laws on reeds, Gerald Brown on bass, Woody Murray on vibes, and Shakur M Abdulla on percussion – a beautiful mix of cats who help Walter carry off some of his hippest recordings of the time! The use of vibes is especially nice alongside the electric piano – and titles include a great take on Bishop's classic "Soul Village", done here in a nice funky version – plus a version of "Summertime" with Bishop on organ, and the titles "Sweet Rosa", "Those Who Chant", and "N'Dugu's Prayer". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Walter Bishop's greatest records – an amazing session that's as funky as it is spiritual – and quite different than most of Bishop's other work! The vibe here is wonderful – as Bish plays a host of keyboards, not just piano – and works in the company of other players who include Ronnie Laws on reeds, Gerald Brown on bass, Woody Murray on vibes, and Shakur M Abdulla on percussion – a beautiful mix of cats who help Walter carry off some of his hippest recordings of the time! The use of vibes is especially nice alongside the electric piano – and titles include a great take on Bishop's classic "Soul Village", done here in a nice funky version – plus a version of "Summertime" with Bishop on organ, and the titles "Sweet Rosa", "Those Who Chant", and "N'Dugu's Prayer". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic live date – one that's not just noteworthy for the piano of leader Walter Bishop, but also for the reed work of a young Harold Vick – recorded here right around the time he was first making waves in the organ combo of Jack McDuff, but coming across with a very different quality overall! Vick here is more of a spiritualist at times, ala Yusef Lateef – and he often hits a vibe that's more like his 70s work than his more soul jazz-styled recordings of the 60s – really stretching out on the album's long tracks, blowing tenor, soprano, and flute with this searching edge that's completely wonderful. The rest of the group features Lou McIntosh on bass and Dick Berk on drums – and titles include "So What", "Pfrancing", "My Secret Love", "Blues", "Quiet Nights", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "Willow Weep For Me". CD

With Frank Haynes on tenor, Eddie Khan on bass, and Dick Berk on drums in 1964; and with Reggie Johnson on bass and Leo Morris on drums in 1968. LP, Vinyl record album

The keys are coral, and the sound is sublime – one of the greatest albums ever from pianist Walter Bishop Jr, and proof that he can really stretch out, given the right setting! The piano here is all acoustic, but there's an almost-electric vibe to the date – long, open tracks that sway and swell with some great spiritual energy – made even more wonderful by work from reedman Harold Vick, who plays tenor, flute, and soprano sax on the record – and makes it one of his best recordings ever! The reedwork alone is worth the price of admission – but the rhythms are also great too – a mix of soulful, modal, and some slight funky bits – handled by Reggie Johnson on bass, and either Idris Muhammad or Alan Benger on drums. Woody Shaw plays trumpet on some cuts, too – and titles include "Coral Keys", "Soul Turn Around", "Freedom Suite", "Track Down", "Waltz For Zweetie", and "Three Loves". CD

One of a rare few electric albums from the great Walter Bishop Jr – a pianist who started during the bop years, but really grew into new modes in the 70s! The set's an album on Muse, but one with the same hip grooves as Walter Bishop's pair of excellent albums for the Black Jazz label – and like those gems, this set features Bishop working on Fender Rhodes – hitting a groove we never would have expected in the old days, and really going for a style that's at the hippest end of the soul jazz spectrum of the 70s! Tunes are a mix of funky fusion and modal, spiritual styles – and other players include Randy Brecker on trumpet, Gerry Niewood on tenor and flute, and George Young on soprano and alto sax – and the horns are all arranged tightly by Mitch Farber, in a way that adds an extra edge to the record, but still leaves plenty of space for Bishop's solo flights on the keys. Titles include great versions of "Soul Village", "Coral Keys", and "Soul Turnaround" – plus the cuts "Philadelphia Bright", "Sweet Rosa", and "Valerie". LP, Vinyl record album

The only full album ever issued by tenor player Rocky Boyd – but a set so great, it's definitely made a name for him over the years! Boyd's got a wonderful tone on the set – sharp and soulful, with an approach to the tenor that almost reminds us of early 60s Jackie McLean – particularly in the way that Jackie could hit dark corners with raspy, personal tone. The rest of the group's no slouch either – and features Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Pete LaRoca on drums – a lineup so great, they give the album a real Blue Note sort of polish – and the album's definitely one that would have been a better-known date, if it hadn't died quickly on the short-lived Jazztime label. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "West 42nd Street", "Avars", "Ease It", "Samba De Orfeu", and "Why Not". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete recordings done by John Coltrane for Bethlehem Records – mostly cut during December of 1957, and issued on the albums The Winner's Circle and Art Blakey Big Band! Both albums were a bit unusual for the label – in that The Winner's Circle was sort of a blowing/jam session type record, cut with some of the big poll winners of the year, but with shorter tracks than the usual Prestige-styled set of that nature. The lineup includes Donald Byrd, Al Cohn, Eddie Costa, Oscar Pettiford, and Philly Joe Jones – and Coltrane's a bit buried in the group, but gets out some nice licks from time to time. The second set of tracks was recorded for a unique big band session led by Art Blakey – featuring a core group with Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Walter Bishop Jr, and Wendell Marshall on some tracks – plus a larger lineup on a number of others. The CD brings together a whopping 27 tracks from these sessions, including some great alternate takes – and titles include "Midriff", "Tippin", "The Outer World", "The Kiss Of No Return", "Pristine", and "Oasis" – a previously unreleased track! CD

A late 50s album that issues some killer combo material by Bird! One half of the album features work by a group that includes Red Rodney, John Lewis, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke – and the other features Parker with Miles Davis, Walter Bishop Jr, Max Roach, and Teddy Kotick. Tracks are short, and include some classics – and the album includes alternate takes of 4 numbers. Titles include "Si Si", "Swedish Schnapps", "Back Home Blues", "Lover Man", "Au Privave", "She Rote", and "Star Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

A major label effort from Max, but a record that's as hip as any he was recording at the time! The set feautres Max's quartet with Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Odeon Pope on saxes, and Calvin Hill on bass – plus a very small bit of additional piano by Walter Bishop Jr – and it's got an approach that mixes soul jazz with some experimental touches, and the occasional freewheeling percussion part by Max. Pope's work on tenor sax is especially nice, an edgey sound that recalls some of Billy Harper's work with Roach in earlier years. Titles include "Red River Road", "Lonesome Lover", "Wefe", "Reach For It", "The Dream/It's Time", and "Giant Steps". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked 60s session – with Stitt on alto, Howard McGhee on trumpet, Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Tracks are longish – and titles include 'Hello", "Matter Horns", and "Night Work". LP, Vinyl record album

Paul Gonsalves tells it the way it is – but in a hiply swinging sort of way that showcases his rising star as a leader in the 60s! The groove here is freed up from some of the earlier cliches in Gonsalves' work with larger groups – leaving a lot more room for his great sense of tone and timing, and creating some wonderful new rhythms for him to open up on. Bits of Ellingtonia are mixed with groovier 60s rhythms – played by a group that also includes Johnny Hodges on tenor, Ray Nance and Rolf Ericson on trumpet, and Walter Bishop Jr. on piano. Titles include a nice 11 minute long version of "Tell It The Way It Is", plus "Impulsive", "Body & Soul", and "Rapscallion in Rab's Canyon". CD

A late 50s album that issues some killer combo material by Bird! One half of the album features work by a group that includes Red Rodney, John Lewis, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke – and the other features Parker with Miles Davis, Walter Bishop Jr, Max Roach, and Teddy Kotick. Tracks are short, and include some classics – and the album includes alternate takes of 4 numbers. Titles include "Si Si", "Swedish Schnapps", "Back Home Blues", "Lover Man", "Au Privave", "She Rote", and "Star Eyes". The Plus part is also a session including Parker with Kenny Dorham, Al Aig, Tommy Potter and Max Roach. Tracks include "Segment", "Passport" and "Diverse". This CD includes a hand full of alternate takes also! CD

A killer quartet session by Brit trumpeter Dizzy Reece, recorded as one of his three American albums for Blue Note during the late 50s! Unlike the other records, which featured larger groups, this album's done with a quartet – which gives Reece a chance to really take over on his solos – blowing with a sense of warm and lyricism that's not heard as strongly on the other records – really getting some great support from a rhythm trio that includes Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Quite different from some of Dizzy's London work of the time – and with tracks that include "A Ghost Of A Chance", "Our Love Is Here To Stay", "Blue Streak", "Eb Pob", and a nice version of "Yesterdays". CD

A fantastically hip performance from trumpeter Kenny Dorham – a never-heard live set, recorded for radio at a time when he was really stretching out! The group is as compelling as the performance – and features the excellent Sonny Red on alto, hitting some of those incredibly edgey notes he'd play with Donald Byrd – plus a young Cedar Walton on piano, John Ore on bass, and Hugh Walker on drums – the latter an overlooked genius on the kit, who gave us some great work with John Patton and Harold Mabern! This group is featured in a 1966 performance that takes up most of the CD – with long performances of the titles "Jung Fu", "Spring Is Here", "Somewhere In The Night", "Straight Ahead", and "The Shadow Of Your Smile" – with a few interview snippets by announcer Alan Grant. Grant also presents the remaining three tracks on the set – material from a 1962 date that is equally great, but also shows just how much Dorham had evolved in the four years that led up to the later recording. Kenny blows trumpet with Joe Farrell on tenor, Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Larry Gales on bass, and Stu Martin on drums – on "Woody N You", "If I Should Lose You", and an incomplete performance of "Au Privave". CD

A fantastic lost set – some of the most interesting early 60s work by both of the players! The group's co-led by Kenny Dorham and Jackie McLean – with rhythm backing by Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – a trans-continental trio of players who really make for a lot of fire in the date! The quintet play a fiercely modernist approach to hardbop – somewhat like McLean's studio albums from the time, but even a bit more unbridled, thanks to the live setting of the album – which was recorded at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. Titles include "Us", "San Francisco Beat", "Lover Man", and "No Two People". LP, Vinyl record album

Curtis Fuller cooks it up nicely on this rare date for Epic from the 60s – a chance to hear the trombonist open up and move in a style that's a bit different than his work for Blue Note! The set's got a great undercurrent of soul – one that comes not just from Fuller's smoking solos, but also from the rhythm group – which features Les Spann on guitar, Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Buddy Catlett on drums. There's a few rough around the edges moments – the kind that are a great surprise in these early 60s Epic jazz sessions – and titles include "Teabags", "I'll Be Around", "Mixed Emotions", and "Playpen". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing record by one of England's greatest jazz talents ever! This very rare album was recorded in the US, under the supervision of Roland Kirk – who also plays on the record, along with Walter Bishop Jr, Sam Jones, and Louis Hayes. Tubby's tone is fantastic – with all the raw mature cutting solo power that's made his early 60s sessions some of our favorite jazz records ever. Putting him on a record with Kirk was a genius move – as Kirk's approach brings out a nuttiness in Hayes that you don't always get in his otherwise more straight-laced British groups. Titles include "Lady E", "Afternoon In Paris", "I See With My Third I", and "For Heaven's Sake". Nice long tracks, too! Beautiful reissue of the British version of this set – also issued in the US as Tubby's Back In Town. CD

An amazing record by one of England's greatest jazz talents ever! This very rare album was recorded in the US, under the supervision of Roland Kirk – who also plays on the record, along with Walter Bishop Jr, Sam Jones, and Louis Hayes. Tubby's tone is fantastic – with all the raw mature cutting solo power that's made his early 60s sessions some of our favorite jazz records ever. Putting him on a record with Kirk was a genius move – as Kirk's approach brings out a nuttiness in Hayes that you don't always get in his otherwise more straight-laced British groups. Titles include "Lady E", "Afternoon In Paris", "I See With My Third I", and "For Heaven's Sake". Nice long tracks, too! Beautiful reissue of the British version of this set – also issued in the US as Tubby's Back In Town. LP, Vinyl record album

A strong second message from the mighty Hank Mobley – easily one of our favorite tenor talents of all time, sounding really wonderful here in a pre-Blue Note session for Prestige Records! The format's a bit looser than some of Hank's more famous dates from the late 50s or early 60s, but already shows the strong command of his tenor in the lead – a rock-solid approach to the instrument that's filled with soulful solo inflections throughout, and which seems to really bring out the best work in the quintet – a group that includes Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Tracks are longish, and Mobley's solos are wonderful – and titles include "Xlento", "Crazeology", "The Latest", and "Message From The Border". LP, Vinyl record album

Theo Parrish takes on the music of Black Jazz Records – yet somehow manages to make the whole thing come across with a cosmic groove that's all his own! By that, we don't mean that Theo's messing with the cuts – just that his selection here really highlights the more expansively electric and rhythmically angular elements of the label's classic catalog – sounds that are clearly an inspiration for a huge number of 21st Century musicians and producer – not just Parrish himself! There's a richly spiritual vibe to the whole set – and the collection is easily one of the best presentations of the Black Jazz label we've ever heard – stunning from start to finish. The LP features a dozen Black Jazz tracks, all unmixed – and titles include "My Favorite Things" by Gene Russell, "Those Who Chant" by Walter Bishop, "Jupiter" and "Convulsions" by The Awakening, "Trance Dance" by Doug Carn, "Time & Space" by Rudolph Johnson, "Criss Cross" and "BE" by Calvin Keys, and "Blue Bossa" by Walter Bishop Jr. LP, Vinyl record album

Paul Gonsalves tells it the way it is – but in a hiply swinging sort of way that showcases his rising star as a leader in the 60s! The groove here is freed up from some of the earlier cliches in Gonsalves' work with larger groups – leaving a lot more room for his great sense of tone and timing, and creating some wonderful new rhythms for him to open up on. Bits of Ellingtonia are mixed with groovier 60s rhythms – played by a group that also includes Johnny Hodges on tenor, Ray Nance and Rolf Ericson on trumpet, and Walter Bishop Jr. on piano. Titles include a nice 11 minute long version of "Tell It The Way It Is", plus "Impulsive", "Body & Soul", and "Rapscallion in Rab's Canyon". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing record by one of England's greatest jazz talents ever! This very rare album was recorded in the US, under the supervision of Roland Kirk – who also plays on the record, along with Walter Bishop Jr, Sam Jones, and Louis Hayes. Tubby's tone is fantastic – with all the raw mature cutting solo power that's made his early 60s sessions some of our favorite jazz records ever. Putting him on a record with Kirk was a genius move – as Kirk's approach brings out a nuttiness in Hayes that you don't always get in his otherwise more straight-laced British groups. Titles include "Lady E", "Afternoon In Paris", "I See With My Third I", and "For Heaven's Sake". Nice long tracks, too! CD

One of the more obscure Blue Mitchell albums of the 70s – and one of the most far-reaching too! The set's still got an electric current, like his other work on the Mainstream label at the time – but there's also less funk at the core, and more of a spiritual jazz vibe – a quality that definitely burns with the "vital" of the title, and which draws strongly from the album's great use of Joe Henderson on tenor and flute – whose presence here really helps underscore the righteousness of the sound! Ernie Watts also blows a bit on the record – and the rest of the group includes Walter Bishop Jr on acoustic and electric piano, Stan Gilbert on bass, and Doug Sides on drums. Susaye Greene adds in some totally amazing vocal effects at a few points – which really furthers the unique quality of the record – and titles include the great "Unseen Sounds", which has some amazingly unusual flute work from Henderson, plus "Booty Shakin", "Vital Blue", "I Love You", and "Herman's Helmet". CD

Features Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Thelonious Monk, Hank Jones, and Walter Bishop Jr. on piano, Curly Russell and Ray Brown on bass, and Max Roach and Kenny Clarke on drums. CD

The complete recordings done by John Coltrane for Bethlehem Records – mostly cut during December of 1957, and issued on the albums The Winner's Circle and Art Blakey Big Band! Both albums were a bit unusual for the label – in that The Winner's Circle was sort of a blowing/jam session type record, cut with some of the big poll winners of the year, but with shorter tracks than the usual Prestige-styled set of that nature. The lineup includes Donald Byrd, Al Cohn, Eddie Costa, Oscar Pettiford, and Philly Joe Jones – and Coltrane's a bit buried in the group, but gets out some nice licks from time to time. The second set of tracks was recorded for a unique big band session led by Art Blakey – featuring a core group with Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Walter Bishop Jr, and Wendell Marshall on some tracks – plus a larger lineup on a number of others. The CD brings together a whopping 27 tracks from these sessions, including some great alternate takes – and titles include "Midriff", "Tippin", "The Outer World", "The Kiss Of No Return", "Pristine Take", and "Oasis" – a previously unreleased track! CD