... CD

Music from the Coeds, the Class Notes, the Paramounts, the Jades, Eddie Curtis, the Scholars, Ray Johnson, the Daylighters, Jeff Stevens, the Scholars, Brian Davis, and more – 25 tracks in all. CD

Gritty live work from twin tenor giants Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon – recorded in an open-ended style that's a bit like some of Gordon's famous early work on the Central Avenue scene in LA, or Ammons' famous live "battles" with Sonny Stitt! The date was recorded in Chicago at the North Park Hotel – with sound that's a bit more "live" than some of the other Prestige sessions at the time – and an unusual lineup that features local players Jodie Christian and John Young on piano, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and Steve McCall on drums. The lovely Vi Redd makes a vocal appearance on the track "Lonesome Lover Blues" – and other titles include "The Chase", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and "The Happy Blues" – all nice and long! CD also features 2 extra tracks, both long – "Wee Dot" and an extended "Ballad Medley". CD

Brigitte Bardot's best known on these shores as an actress, but during the 60s she cut some really fantastic work on the scene in Paris – including a fair bit of groovers that were done with help from the legendary Serge Gainsbourg! Bardot provided a fantastic new voice in the world of pop music – a singer who was unabashedly open about her desires, and very different than the more melancholy stars of a few years before – a quality that's further emphasized by the wonderfully groovy instrumentation used on most of these tracks! Production and arrangements are superb – and put this music in the best territory of the grooviest 60s French pop by artists like Serge Gainsbourg, France Gall, Jacques Dutronc, and a rare few others. This is the first-ever English-annotated collection of work from the period – and features a whopping 25 tracks from her recordings for Philips and Disc AZ – titles that include "Harley Davidson", "Contact", "Neu Au Soleil", "Je Danse Donc Je Suis", "La Madrague", "Les Hommes Endormis", "Je Voudrais Perdre La Memoire", "Mr Sun", "Le Diable Est Anglais", "Tu Es Venu Mon Amour", "John Et Michel", "Gang Gang", and duets with Serge Gainsbourg on "Bonnie & Clyde" and "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus". CD

The final run of shows from Bill Evans, recorded at San Francisco's Keystone Korner just days before his passing. The group is a trio – with Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums – and together they work through a wide ranging set list of standards and originals by Evans. Tracks include "Re: Person I Knew", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "Turn Out The Stars", "Nardis", "But Beautiful", "Letter To Evan", "Emily", "Polka Dots And Moonbeams", and "My Foolish Heart" – hours of material and a fitting testament to an incredible artist! CD

A standout 70s set from Dexter Gordon – one that's a bit tighter than some of his longer-blown dates from overseas – and which almost sparkles with the same power as his 60s albums on Blue Note! The group here is nice and tight – with Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Heath on drums – all grooving in a style that's sharply focused, and which really sets the stage for Dex's wonderful tone on the solos. Pedersen's bass is great too – sometimes stepping out with a presence not usually heard on a set like this – and titles include the Gordon originals "The Apartment", "Antabus", and "Candlelight Lady" – plus "Wee Dot" and "Old Folks". CD also features the bonus track "Stablemates" – from the same session, but previously unissued. CD

Features Ellery Eskelin on tenor sax, Steve Swell on trombone, and Joey Baron on drums. CD

Sublimely soulful work from Azymuth – 2 albums back to back on a single CD! Cascades is fantastic fusion from a group who just couldn't miss during these early 80s California years! The sound here is smooth, but never slick – always a little offbeat, and quite different from more mainstream US fusion of the time – thanks to the genius of Jose Roberto Bertrami's keyboards, which glide one moment, dip the next, and often have these slight changes in speed that are totally great. Other members of the core trio include Alex Malheiros on bass and guitar and Ivan Conti on drums and percussion – and the set also features guest work by Mauricio Einhorn on harmonica, Jose Carlos on flute, and Sidney Moreira on percussion. Titles include "Remembering Milton", "Club Morocco", "Through The Window", "Festa Nativa", "Cascade Of The Seven Waterfalls", and "Indian Pepper". Rapid Transit is a set with a really warm groove overall – hardly the too-fast, or too-urban record you might expect from the title! Instead, there's a nicely organic sensibility going on here – a sound that feels fresh and spontaneous, even when it's in the highly electric territory of Jose Roberto Bertami's keyboards. There's a slight bit of added flute and percussion on the set, but most of the sounds here are from the core Azymuth trio – who even vocalize wordlessly on one of the album's best tracks. Titles include "Missing Doto", "Make Mine Guarana", "Gate Of Time", "I'm Just Looking Around", "Somewhere In Brazil", and "Afternoon". CD

A huge collection of later work from these two Italian maestros – material done long after their fame in film during the 60s and 70s, but with a richness that really matches those classic recordings! The work here is much more obscure than some of their famous film scores, and served up in a massive 7CD box that really fills in the gaps during these later years – bringing together work that we never would have heard otherwise, and in modes that update some of the instrumentation of previous decades, but which also reflects some greater care with orchestrations over leaner modes. The set features many tracks from each show – programs that include Tomorrow, Nel Gorgo Del Peccato, A Big Man, Passi D'Amore, Il Cielo Non Cade Mai, Quando Ancora Non C'Erano I Beatles, La Storia Spezzata, Il Ragazzo Dal Kimono D'Oro, Uomo Contro Uomo, Cinque Ragazze A Parigi, Ti Ho Adottato Per Simpatia, La Moglie Nella Cornice, Un Amore Rubato, Il Prezzo Della Vita, Vite A Termine, La Storia Di Chara, Mia Per Sempre, Addio E Ritorno, Dove Comincia Il Sole, and Sotto Il Cielo Dell'Africa. CD

A very hip set from Bill Evans' second trio – the legendary lineup that featured Chuck Israels on bass and Paul Motian on drums! Both players bring Evans' sound to an even greater level of spaciousness – allowing for lyrical interplay that's completely amazing, and even furthers the promise of genius made by Bill on his first few albums – a bold step forward that really makes this album one of Evans' standout sets of the early 60s! Titles include an early reading of Evans' wonderful tune "Re: Person I Knew", plus "Very Early", "In Love In Vain", "Stairway To The Stars", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "If You Could See Me Now", "It Might As Well Be Spring", and "Polka Dots & Moonbeams". CD

... CD

The sound of the trio is loud and clear on this set – captured before a very appreciative crowd at the London House in Chicago, and featuring Peterson at his inventive best! The tracks on the set stretch out longer than most of the group's studio sessions from the time, and the album's recorded in a great way that also includes Oscar's mumbling at the keys – that humming and grunting style that isn't always caught on record, but which adds a great deal of grit and humanity to the record – especially considering his fluid grace on the piano! As usual, Ray Brown is on bass and Ed Thigpen's on drums – and titles include "Tricotism", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Thag's Dance", and "Kadota's Blues". Includes 5 bonus tracks. CD

A really wonderful collection – an important re-investigation of the unusual mix of sounds and styles on the New York scene in the years after disco – a time when funk, punk, hip hop, and art were all colliding at once – providing a really fresh antidote to the staid sounds of Studio 54! The "disco" in the title should be taken lightly – as these cuts didn't play at the slick uptown dance spots – but were instead the soundtrack for the cool spots happening downtown, as the previous loft culture morphed into clubs, in this very special blend of the energy of CBGB and the underground soulful dancefloors. The set list is filled with classics from this time – and titles include "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid, "Tell You Today (voc)" by Loose Joints, "Walking On Thin Ice (re-edit)" by Yoko Ono, "Over & Over" by Material, "Spasticus Autisticus (version)" by Ian Dury & The Seven Seas Players, "Kiss Me Again (original edit)" by Dinosaur, "Move" by Nicky Siano, "School Bell/Tree House" by Indian Ocean, "I Walk" by Don Cherry, "Voices Inside My Head" by Common Sense, and "Wheel Me Out" by Was Not Was. LP, Vinyl record album

A great live date from Bill Evans – one of his essential sides of the 70s, even if you've already got a bunch of other Evans live material! We know what you're thinking: "Do I have this one? Seems to be a lot of tunes here that I've got on other Evans recordings." But take it from us, this set's a real winner – beautifully recorded despite a larger venue performance in Tokyo – and captured with all the grace, poise, and gentle-flowing genius of Evans in his best better-known live dates – a real antidote to some of the other 70s live albums that might have been better left unissued. Everyone's at the top of their game here – Eddie Gomez on bass with those round warm tones, Marty Morrell on drums with his simple spare rhythms, and Evans himself with a sound that's bold then quiet then bold then soft – beautiful throughout, and really setting fire. Titles include "My Romance", "Yesterday I Heard The Rain", "Mornin Glory", "Up With The Lark", "When Autumn Comes", "TTTT", "Gloria's Step", and "Hullo Bolinas". CD

They're not kidding with the title of this one – because although the record was only Wes Montgomery's second album as a leader, he was already making plenty of waves with the sound of his guitar! The session lines Wes up with the very tight rhythm team of Tommy Flanagan on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Albert Heath on drums – all of whom lay back and mostly let Wes take center stage – sparkling on a number of original tunes that include "West Coast Blues", "Mister Walker", and "D Natural Blues". Other tracks include a great fast take on Sonny Rollins' "Airegin", plus "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "Polka Dots & Moonbeams". CD

A beautiful update of the music of Charlie Parker – one that takes off from the first vocalese recordings that were inspired by Bird's music in the bebop years – but served up here in a much wider array of styles! As with the early vocalese recordings – lyrical sides based around Parker's saxophone solos – these tracks all have lyrics set to Parker's compositions, sung by different artists on each tune – in a lineup that includes Kurt Elling, Gregory Porter, Jeffrey Wright, Kandace Springs, Melody Gardot, Luciana Souza, and Madeleine Peyroux – a diverse lineup that really makes for an amazing record. Core instrumentation is from a group that features Donny McCaslin on tenor, Craig Taborn on acoustic and electric piano, and Ben Monder on guitar – and titles include "Meet Charlie Parker", "The Epitaph Of Charlie Parker", "So Long", "Every Little Thing", "Los Angeles", "Life My Love For You", and "The King Of 52nd Street" – all new vocal versions of Charlie Parker tunes. CD

The 50s Basie band, loud and proud – recorded beautifully by Verve on the stage of the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 – a great year, both for the group and the fest! The lineup here features Count Basie firmly at the helm on piano – with players who include Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, and Frank Foster on tenor – plus Thad Jones and Joe Newman on trumpets – all tightly grooving on arrangements by Ernie Wilkins, AK Salim, and others – filled with plenty of Basie jumps, leaps, and vamps! Jimmy Rushing sings vocals on the track "Sent For You Yesterday & Here You Come Today" – and other tracks include "Lester Leaps In", "Swingin At Newport", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and "Evenin". CD also contains 5 more bonus tracks from another Verve album – Count Basie & Joe Williams at Newport, most with Williams on vocals – including "All Right Okay You Win", "The Comeback", "Roll 'Em Pete", "Smack Dab In The Middle", and "One O' Clock In The Morning". CD

One of the best studio albums ever from the legendary Von Freeman – and a date that really captures some of the careful essence of his live performances in Chicago! Unlike the previous Atlantic album, which tried to fit Von into a more expected bag, this easygoing Nessa session really lets him open up and take off – blowing tunes that are straight ahead, but always with that offbeat style that turns the songs inside out – making them rich exploratory fields for inventive and creative solos! The group fits Von's longtime credo of never upstaging the leader – which gives his tenor lots of room to blow – and players include John Young on piano , David Shipp on bass, and the great Wilbur Campbell on drums. Titles include a great version of Mancini's "Mr Lucky", plus "Swinging The Blues", "Polka Dots And Moonbeams", and "Have No Fear Soul Is Here". This great Nessa CD version has a killer bonus track, too – the Freeman-composed "Boomerang". CD

They're not kidding with the title of this one – because although the record was only Wes Montgomery's second album as a leader, he was already making plenty of waves with the sound of his guitar! The session lines Wes up with the very tight rhythm team of Tommy Flanagan on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Albert Heath on drums – all of whom lay back and mostly let Wes take center stage – sparkling on a number of original tunes that include "West Coast Blues", "Mister Walker", and "D Natural Blues". Other tracks include a great fast take on Sonny Rollins' "Airegin", plus "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "Polka Dots & Moonbeams". CD

An obscure early set from Walter Bishop – recorded for the tiny Cotillion label in the mid 60s, and featuring a young Butch Warren on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums! The setting is simple and soulful – with Walter working through a batch of tunes that are mostly standards, but which include a few nice originals with a fresh approach. There's less of the freer soul that Bishop showed in his 70s work, but the set's still pretty darn nice – and titles include "Dottie's Theme", "Dinkum", "33rd Off 3rd", "Getting Off The Ground", and "Love For Sale". CD seems to have a number more tracks than the LP – a total of 16 in all! CD

A wonderfully hard-storming set – and a record that not only firmly put the Jazz Messengers on the map, but also set a whole new standard for live jazz recording! The group here is the early version of the Messengers – almost co-led by drummer Art Blakey with pianist Horace Silver – and featuring Clifford Brown on trumpet, just a few months before his early death – plus Lou Donaldson on alto and Curley Russell on bass. The presence of alto instead of tenor makes the sound slightly different than later incarnations of the group – and the overall approach is one that virtually defines the shift from straight bop to hardbop in the 50s – a mode that both Blakey and Silver were key in creating. Tracks include "Wee Dot", "Quicksilver" (alternate), "Now's The Time", and "Confirmation". CD

Wonderful work from vocalist Freddie Cole – brother to Nat, and an equally talented singer! Freddie's got a sound that's a bit sadder and more world-weary than Nat – still in kind of a small combo jazzy mode, as would bespeak his roots, but singing with a really honest approach that makes the album the kind of rare male vocal jazz treasure that hardly shows up! Tracks are a great mix of bar songs and lost love numbers – and titles include "Black Night", "Just A Dream", "Rain Is Such A Lonely Sound", "This Life I'm Living", and "Waiter Ask The Man To Play The Blues". CD