The only Blue Note album ever cut by pianist Walter Davis Jr – but a heck of a hard-swinging set, and possibly his greatest album ever! Although Davis is more frequently heard in trio formation as a leader, this set brings him back to the mode used during some of his bop sideman dates of some years before – two completely solid horn players in the frontline, Donald Byrd on trumpet and Jackie McLean on alto – both blowing with a tremendous amount of soul and spirit on each track! Jackie's nicely sharp edges helps push Davis strongly – and rhythm work by Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums also add strongly to the punch of the set as well. Titles are all original compositions by Walter – and tracks include "Smake It", "Rhumba Nhumba", "Minor Mind", and "Millie's Delight". CD

A really great duo set – alto from Bob Mover and piano from Walter Davis Jr – playing together here in a relaxed live setting that really has both players at the top of their game! Mover is an especially great surprise – and blows here with this openly flowing sense of imagination that's mindblowing – a raspy edge on the alto that hearkens back to some of the players who inspired him, but with this very personal quality that's at a level that was only captured on a rare few of his other albums. Davis is the piano giant you'd expect – with that masterful sense of tone and timing that resonated especially well on some of his overseas dates of the 70s – and the recording quality has this nice sense of room that only further underscores the intimacy of the two players working together, and which seems to do especially nice things for Mover's horn. Titles include long creative takes on "Star Eyes", "Bird Feathers", "A Nightingale Sang In Barkley Square", "Donna Lee", "Nica's Tempo", and "All The Things You Are/Prince Albert". CD

A solo album – tracks include "Green Chimneys", "Monk's Mood", "Ask Me Now", "Panonica", "Bye-Ya", "Off Minor", and two versions of "Round Midnight". CD

The only Blue Note album ever cut by pianist Walter Davis Jr – but a heck of a hard-swinging set, and possibly his greatest album ever! Although Davis is more frequently heard in trio formation as a leader, this set brings him back to the mode used during some of his bop sideman dates of some years before – two completely solid horn players in the frontline, Donald Byrd on trumpet and Jackie McLean on alto – both blowing with a tremendous amount of soul and spirit on each track! Jackie's nicely sharp edges helps push Davis strongly – and rhythm work by Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums also add strongly to the punch of the set as well. Titles are all original compositions by Walter – and tracks include "Smake It", "Rhumba Nhumba", "Minor Mind", and "Millie's Delight". CD

A really great later date from pianist Walter Davis – one that was only issued overseas, and is a lot more obscure than some of his other work of the time! The album features great work from Bob Mover on alto – really bringing a lot to the core trio, which also features great work from ron Carter on bass and Kenny Washington on drums – on titles that include the originals "Uranus" and "Illumination". CD

A great Japanese-only date from Walter Davis Jr – a trio session at the core, but with great flute from Jeremy Steig on the long title track! The trio features Buster Williams on bass – and either Bruno Carr or Art Blakey on drums – and titles include "Scorpio", "Illumination", "Ronnie's A Dynamite Lady", and "Backgammon". Plus, CD also features bonus tracks – 7 more numbers from a different session – with work by Charles Sullivan on trumpet, Carter Jefferson on tenor, and Tony Williams on drums! CD

The only Blue Note album ever cut by pianist Walter Davis Jr – but a heck of a hard-swinging set, and possibly his greatest album ever! Although Davis is more frequently heard in trio formation as a leader, this set brings him back to the mode used during some of his bop sideman dates of some years before – two completely solid horn players in the frontline, Donald Byrd on trumpet and Jackie McLean on alto – both blowing with a tremendous amount of soul and spirit on each track! Jackie's nicely sharp edges helps push Davis strongly – and rhythm work by Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums also add strongly to the punch of the set as well. Titles are all original compositions by Walter – and tracks include "Smake It", "Rhumba Nhumba", "Minor Mind", and "Millie's Delight". CD

A smoker from Art Blakey's later years – a killer session that features a reunion of past Jazz Messengers, with a cast that includes Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Benny Golson on tenor, and Walter Davis Jr on piano! Buster Williams is on bass, and he brings a nice degree of soul to the set – rounding and warming things to give the album a progressive soul jazz approach that we really love – a dose of the slightly more righteous side that Blakey hit during his early 70s Prestige Records years. The group comes together with a magical flourish – moving past simple "here's my solo" styles, into a unified ensemble that really sounds special here. Titles include the excellent "Dana's Dance" – penned by Davis, and a really fresh choice for a date like this – plus "Uranus", "Ala Mode", and "Just By Myself". CD

A landmark concert from the mid 80s – one held to honor the resurrection of the Blue Note label, featuring a wealth of some of the best players for the label – from the 80s back to the 50s bebop years. This is the third of 4 LPs, issued both separately and in a box set format. This volume features an all-star line-up with Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Curtis Fuller, Walter Davis Jr., Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Lou Donaldson, Kenny Burrell, Reggie Workman, Grady Tate, and Grover Washington Jr. Tracks include "Moanin'", "A Child Is Born", "The Jumpin' Blues", "Summertime", "I'm Glad There Is You", and "Medley: Blues Walk/Getting' Sentimental Over You". CD

A triple-baritone sax lineup – with Ronnie Cuber and Cecil Payne joining in with Brignola – and rhythm by Walter Davis Jr on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

Early in his career, Donald Byrd spent some time in Paris – where he not only got a chance to work in a whole new setting with some really great players, but he also got to record some fantastic sides that still stand as some of his best hardbop work! This rare album was originally issued on the French Brunswick label – and it features a quintet that includes Bobby Jaspar on tenor, Walter Davis Jr on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The set was recorded live – and the tracks are all quite long – really giving the group ample room to stretch out on hard-blowing solos with a lot of soul. Titles include "Ray's Idea", "Flute Blues", "Paul's Pal", "Dear Old Stockholm", and "The Blues Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

Drummer Kenny Clarke was one of the key American players to make the move overseas in the postwar years, which resulted in some excellent recordings from the late 50s onward – a trend that's continued here as Kenny plays with a number of key overseas musicians – including Maurice Vander on piano, Pierre Michelot on bass, Roger Guerin on trumpet, and Marc Fosset on guitar – on titles that also feature some tenor from Bob Garcia, and piano from Walter Davis Jr on one track too. LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from Dizzy – showing that he was a genius in any form of jazz! In the mid 50s, Diz had one of the hippest big bands going – filled with great young players that included Lee Morgan, Joe Gordon, Melba Liston, Benny Golson, Billy Mitchell, and Walter Davis Jr. The work he crafted here was partly an extension of his earlier bop sides, but also a demonstration of his desire to express himself in more expansive forms – kind of a hint of the direction he'd take in the 60s, with his work in Latin, soundtrack, and funk styles. The set combines tracks from 3 different Verve albums – and it also packages the material with a number of previously unissued tracks, and some great liner notes that do a wonderful job of summing up the spirit of the work. Arrangements are by AK Salim, Quincy Jones, Tadd Dameron, and Dizzy himself – and tracks include "Jordu", "Tin Tin Deo", "Groovin For Nat", "Dizzy's Business", "Jessica's Day", "Doodlin", "Yo No Quiero Bailar", "Birk's Works", "Tangorine", "Umbrella Man", and "Mayflower Rock". 42 tracks in all! 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

One of Sonny Rollins' real standout sessions from the 70s – a different vibe than before, but a sound that's still as striking than any of his earlier records! The record features him in a slightly more modern group – with backing by Walter Davis Jr on piano, Masuo on gutiar, Bob Cranshaw on bass, David Lee on drums, and Mtume on percussion – a great mix of acoustic and electric elements that brings up a sweet 70s sound for the record. Sonny's solo power is still tremendous – differently pitched here, but still incredibly inventive – and titles include "Pictures In The Reflection Of A Golden Horn", "Notes For Eddie", "Love Man", and "Sais", a great composition by Mtume, which is handled here by Rollins in an incredibly soulful manner! CD

There might be a trumpet in Archie Shepp's soul, but the album features him on tenor and soprano sax – working in a wonderfully spiritual vein that's almost in the same mode as his early 70s work on Impulse! The album features some very long, drawn out tracks – but ones that build nicely with Shepp's soulful styles of the 70s – that groove he explored a bit on the Black Saint label, with a bold sense of majesty and power, presented with more control than the BYG/Actuel years. The album features some great vocals – again recalling Archie's later Impulse years – and players include Walter Davis Jr on electric piano, Dave Burrell on acoustic piano, Charles Greenlee on trombone, Ray Draper on tuba, and Beaver Harris on drums. Titles include "There's A Trumpet In My Soul", "Zaid", "Down In Brazil", and "It Is The Year Of The Rabbit". CD

There might be a trumpet in Archie Shepp's soul, but the album features him on tenor and soprano sax – working in a wonderfully spiritual vein that's almost in the same mode as his early 70s work on Impulse! The album features some very long, drawn out tracks – but ones that build nicely with Shepp's soulful styles of the 70s – that groove he explored a bit on the Black Saint label, with a bold sense of majesty and power, presented with more control than the BYG/Actuel years. The album features some great vocals – again recalling Archie's later Impulse years – and players include Walter Davis Jr on electric piano, Dave Burrell on acoustic piano, Charles Greenlee on trombone, Ray Draper on tuba, and Beaver Harris on drums. Titles include "There's A Trumpet In My Soul", "Zaid", "Down In Brazil", and "It Is The Year Of The Rabbit". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual package – one that features the full album The Way Ahead, plus tracks from other late 60s Archie Shepp sessions too! The Way Ahead has tenor giant Archie Shepp in prime form – working with a sextet that's awash in avant freedoms, but which always shows a great sense of restraint – just the right power gained from the new modes of jazz expression, as the players dance together beautifully on a razor's edge of personal creativity and ensemble exploration. Players here include Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Beaver Harris and Roy Haynes on drums – and the album also features the first piano player on most of the Shepp albums on Impulse – Walter Davis Jr, making a rare outside appearance with the group! Titles include the classic track "Frankenstein", plus "Fiesta", "Damn If I Know (The Stroller)", and "Sophisticated Lady" – all nice and long! Next are two tracks from the Kwanza album – with a lineup that includes Charles Davis on baritone, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, and Dave Burrell on piano – on the titles "New Africa" and "Bakai". Last on the CD is the side-long gem "Magic Of Juju" – a set that has an unusual group with Martin Banks on trumpet, Michael Zwerin on trombone, Reggie Workman on bass, and both Norman Connors and Beaver Harris on drums – plus Ed Blackwell on rhythm logs, Franck Charles on talking drums, and Dennis Charles on added percussion! CD

Killer work from the classic late 50s years of the Jazz Messengers – and an album that Blue Note didn't choose to release until the end of the 70s! The record's a historic one – as it mark's Wayne Shorter's first session with the group, and the first time that they recorded his great composition "Lester Left Town" – a wonderful tune that sounds a bit different here than on the later Jazz Messengers recording of the composition. Shorter's talent is already burning brightly at this point – as is that of trumpeter Lee Morgan – and other group members include Walter Davis Jr on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass, and Blakey on drums. Titles include "Lester Left Town", "Haina", "The Midget", "Celine", and "Africaine", which has a guest appearance by Dizzy Reece on congas! LP, Vinyl record album

The second volume of work that Donald Byrd recorded live at the Olympia in Paris in 1958 – even harder-hitting in tone than the first! The set features Byrd playing some tight hardbop lines – working in a cool group that also features Bobby Jaspar on tenor, Walter Davis Jr on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – all players who come together with the sound and style of some of those great late 50s Prestige blowing sessions! The difference, though, is that Byrd is the clear leader here – working his trumpet solos with techniques that really show him growing as an artist on this Paris trip – forging a tight vision into the music that makes it way more than just a loose bop exercise on stage. You'll hear that especially on "52nd Street Theme", but the whole set's pretty darn great – and tracks include "At This Time", "Formidable", "Two Bass Hit", "Parisian Thoroughfare", and "Stardust". CD

A really unusual performance for this Japanese-only album – one in which Philly Joe Jones is joined by two other drummers, Al Foster and Billy Hart – in a lineup that also includes Atlee Chapman on trombone, Charles Bowen on tenor and soprano, Brian Smith on bass, and Walter Davis Jr on piano. All tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Killer Joe", "Strollin", "Bolivia", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

Definitely the way ahead in jazz – back in the 60s, and well into the 21st Century too! Archie Shepp's in prime form here – working with a sextet that's awash in avant freedoms, but which always shows a great sense of restraint – just the right power gained from the new modes of jazz expression, as the players dance together beautifully on a razor's edge of personal creativity and ensemble exploration. Players here include Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Beaver Harris and Roy Haynes on drums – and the album also features the first piano player on most of the Shepp albums on Impulse – Walter Davis Jr, making a rare outside appearance with the group! Titles include the classic track "Frankenstein", plus "Fiesta", "Damn If I Know (The Stroller)", and "Sophisticated Lady" – all nice and long! CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "New Africa" and "Bakai". CD

Killer work from the classic late 50s years of the Jazz Messengers – and an album that Blue Note didn't choose to release until the end of the 70s! The record's a historic one – as it mark's Wayne Shorter's first session with the group, and the first time that they recorded his great composition "Lester Left Town" – a wonderful tune that sounds a bit different here than on the later Jazz Messengers recording of the composition. Shorter's talent is already burning brightly at this point – as is that of trumpeter Lee Morgan – and other group members include Walter Davis Jr on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass, and Blakey on drums. Titles include "Lester Left Town", "Haina", "The Midget", "Celine", and "Africaine", which has a guest appearance by Dizzy Reece on congas! CD

Killer work from the classic late 50s years of the Jazz Messengers – and an album that Blue Note didn't choose to release until the end of the 70s! The record's a historic one – as it mark's Wayne Shorter's first session with the group, and the first time that they recorded his great composition "Lester Left Town" – a wonderful tune that sounds a bit different here than on the later Jazz Messengers recording of the composition. Shorter's talent is already burning brightly at this point – as is that of trumpeter Lee Morgan – and other group members include Walter Davis Jr on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass, and Blakey on drums. Titles include "Lester Left Town", "Haina", "The Midget", "Celine", and "Africaine", which has a guest appearance by Dizzy Reece on congas! CD

Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons and Walter Davis Jr on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. CD

One of Sonny Rollins' real standout sessions from the 70s – a different vibe than before, but a sound that's still as striking than any of his earlier records! The record features him in a slightly more modern group – with backing by Walter Davis Jr on piano, Masuo on gutiar, Bob Cranshaw on bass, David Lee on drums, and Mtume on percussion – a great mix of acoustic and electric elements that brings up a sweet 70s sound for the record. Sonny's solo power is still tremendous – differently pitched here, but still incredibly inventive – and titles include "Pictures In The Reflection Of A Golden Horn", "Notes For Eddie", "Love Man", and "Sais", a great composition by Mtume, which is handled here by Rollins in an incredibly soulful manner! LP, Vinyl record album

Features Sahib Shihab on baritone sax and Walter Davis Jr on piano! CD