“The 1957 edition of The Jazz Messengers heard throughout this enjoyable LP features altoist Jackie McLean, trumpeter Bill Hardman, pianist Sam Dockery, bassist Spanky DeBrest and [...]
“After cultivating a huge underground reputation both as a sideman in Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time band and as an increasingly influential musician among the more experimental edges [...]
“Recorded and issued in 1982, Black Rock was James Blood Ulmer’s second Columbia album, a follow-up to the previous year’s Free Lancing. This was also Blood’s first [...]
“On his debut album Takin’ Off—recorded and released in 1962—jazz legend Herbie Hancock arrived fully formed at the helm of an impressive quintet with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, tenor [...]
Recorded at the old Five Spot in New York City in mid-summer of 1961. Label: Prestige – VIJ-237 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo Country: Japan Released: 1984 VG+/VG+. Light […]
Recorded at Village Vanguard during the matinee and the evening performance on Sunday, November 3, 1957. Label: Blue Note – BNJ 61014 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Mono […]
“Ornette Coleman’s 1965 trio with bassist David Izenzon and drummer Charles Moffett is easily the most underrated of all his bands. Coming off the light of the famed quartet in […]
“The first of two sets recorded during a weekend in 1961 features the Miles Davis Quintet at a period of time when Hank Mobley was on tenor and the rhythm […]
Mal Waldron collaborates with Jackie Mclean on this tribute to Billie Holiday Label: Bethlehem Records – SOPL-272-BH Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo Country: Japan Released: 1974 VG+/VG+
“In February 1964, Eric Dolphy assembled a formidable quintet of modern jazz visionaries with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony [...]
“This may be the straightest record Cecil Taylor ever recorded, but it is far from uninspiring. Despite its hopelessly gauche cover — one can only presume Taylor had no say-so […]
“Although Brilliant Corners is Thelonious Monk’s third disc for Riverside, it’s the first on the label to weigh in with such heavy original material. Enthusiasts who become [...]
“Thelonious Monk fans in particular are advised to search for this valuable two-LP set for it contains a variety of unissued material from the pianist/composer’s six-year period with [...]
“Although the term “avant-garde” is used several times in the liner notes, this quartet outing by trumpeter Ted Curson, tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, bassist Herb Bushler and [...]
“At a time when he was a member of the legendary Clifford Brown/Max Roach sextet, Sonny Rollins was still the apple fallen not too far from the tree of Miles […]
“The undeniable strength and conviction present in Miles Davis’ performance on Walkin’, underscores the urgency and passion with which he would rightfully reclaim his status as [...]
“Kind of Blue isn’t merely an artistic highlight for Miles Davis, it’s an album that towers above its peers, a record generally considered as the definitive jazz album. To be [...]
“In an odd bit of programming, Columbia placed the ballads from Miles Davis’ February 12, 1964, concert on My Funny Valentine and the uptempo romps on this LP. Davis, probably […]
“Wailing With Lou is an appropriate title for this enjoyable set of straight-ahead bop. Whether he’s riding the propulsive rhythms of “Caravan” or settling down into a [...]
“Altoist Jackie McLean tended to downgrade his Prestige recordings due to the low pay, the little prior preparation, and the jam session feel of the music. Although all of the […]
“In 1956 Jackie McLean was only beginning to assert himself as a true individualist on the alto saxophone, exploring the lime-flavored microtones of his instrument that purists or the [...]
Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins loaned his flair for the dramatic to the score for the film Alfie, accompanying the story of what the liner notes describe as “the involuntary education […]
“An obscure session led by Charles Moffett who here mostly plays vibes and a bit of trumpet in addition to drums. He is teamed up with the underrated (and largely […]
Classic West Coast jazz from Oliver Nelson’s big band ensemble. Label: Impulse! – YP-8504-AI Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo Country: Japan Released: 1976 VG+/VG+. Light wear
“A good ’59 session on the Bainbridge label, with drummer Max Roach leading his late ’50s band through some stirring numbers. The group included tenor saxophonist George Coleman [...]
“Super Nova is an important transitional album for tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Doubling on soprano (which he had recently begun playing), Shorter interprets five of his originals [...]
“Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2, recorded for Blue Note, is a timeless session and a milestone in jazz history that gathered together some of the founding fathers of the post-bop era. […]
“In his early prime and well-respected, tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins cut this fine hard bop date as one of several late-’50s sessions for Blue Note. The record is part classic […]
“One of Cecil Taylor’s earliest recordings, Looking Ahead! does just that while still keeping several toes in the tradition. It’s an amazing document of a talent fairly [...]
Recorded live in Germany at the Berlin Philharmonic, Miles in Berlin represents the first recording of trumpeter Miles Davis with tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. For various reasons, [...]
The classic fusion groove master piece. Fantastic copy here. Label: Columbia – GP 26 Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Terre Haute Pressing Country: US Released: Mar 30, 1970 […]
Featuring stunning solo piano work by Strata-East co-founder Stanley Cowell, Musa: Ancestral Streams is a landmark album in jazz, celebrated for its intimacy and innovation. Recorded in 1974, it [...]
“The Art Ensemble Of Chicago, expanding to a chamber orchestra, marks its sixth decade as a vital force on the world music stage with an ear-opening live recording on two […]
“We Release Jazz announces an exciting new body of work by Joseph Deenmamode aka Mo Kolours. A catalog of critically acclaimed records, including his self-titled debut (2014), Texture Like [...]
“Just. Life. is FDC’s second endeavor after their 2022 debut Some Kind Of Wisdom. The A-side draws inspiration from everyday life. Things that are often overlooked. Birds whistling. [...]
“Announcing Perseverance Flow, the latest album from acclaimed Chicago-based ensemble Natural Information Society (NIS). After a trilogy of double LPs by expanded manifestations of the band [...]
“Corbett vs. Dempsey presents Horizon, featuring music by Joseph Shabason and Thom Gill as a score for artist David Hartt’s film. This vinyl-only project is co-released with [...]
“It’s not a stretch to say that saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Vandermark’s path into creative music was paved by Joe McPhee. In particular, McPhee’s landmark 1976 LP [...]
“Two decades ago, an all-star assembly of Chicago improvisers started a new band, drawing its name from an 1841 book by Charles Mackay: Extraordinary Popular Delusions. With weekly gigs at [...]
“Corbett vs. Dempsey presents the release of PRO FAKE NO REJECT by pianist Erez Dessel. This is Dessel’s first solo CD. One of the most astonishing young musicians to emerge […]
“Two classic SUN RA songs now available for the first time as a 7″ single !!! The infinitely wise drum-driven solar chant of CHILDREN OF THE SUN, with the profoundly […]
When the Distance is Blue is Macie Stewart’s International Anthem debut. The Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser describes the collection as “a love letter to the [...]
“It is the most singular of sounds, yet among the most ubiquitous. It is the sound of isolation that has sold itself to millions.” Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is […]
Gilles Peterson presents International Anthem is a double-LP-length compilation of tracks from Chicago-born record label International Anthem curated by legendary London-based radio host, DJ, [...]
Strut present the first international release in over 30 years by legendary Afro-jazz group Oneness Of Juju with their new album Made Through Ritual on 4th July 2025. In 1975, […]
“In reissues, this “inspired 16-minute tone poem” has been paired with its monaural predecessor, “Voodoo Suite.” The format is the same, but the success is greater. [...]
Featuring stunning solo piano work by Strata-East co-founder Stanley Cowell, Musa: Ancestral Streams is a landmark album in jazz, celebrated for its intimacy and innovation. Recorded in 1974, it [...]
In a rain forest of moments. the eye hears what the ear sees. through each moment of karin johansson’s and finn loxbo’s music runs the firm conviction that all points […]
Official BYG Records release: one of the defining labels of the Free Jazz era – Follow-up release of Live at the Panafrican Festival by Archie Shepp. After appearing with Archie […]