Reviews

Eddie Harris - The In Sound

Eddie Harris The In Sound (Atlantic 1966)

Folk hero in his prime. l Cheapo.” That’s how Eddie Harris apparently called himself in the mid-1980’s. The tenor saxophonist was ...
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Eddie Higgins - Soulero

The Eddie Higgins Trio Soulero (Atlantic 1965)

Fine pianist from the periphery of the jazz landscape recorded his third album on the incomparable Atlantic label. ddie? You mean, ...
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Stan Getz - Dynasty

Stan Getz Dynasty (Verve 1971)

And the Bentley driving guru is putting up his price, anyone for tennis… wouldn’t that be nice? y 1970, Stan Getz ...
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Zoot Sims - If I'm Lucky

Zoot Sims If I’m Lucky (Pablo 1977)

Go back to when you started discovering this thing that they called jazz. Pablo records like If I’m Lucky featuring ...
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Bobby Pierce - Introducing Bobby Pierce

Bobby Pierce Introducing Bobby Pierce (Cobblestone 1972)

He should have been better known but he should have known better than to sing on his debut album. It was ...
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Phil Woods - Rights Of Swing

Phil Woods Rights Of Swing (Candid 1961)

Admirable adherence to a major Amendment of the Jazz Constitution ends the first part of bop alto maestro Phil Woods's ...
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Thomas Jaspar Quintet

Thomas / Jaspar Quintet Thomas / Jaspar Quintet (RCA Italiana 1962)

Theme for René. t was a little town close to the border of Belgium and approximately fifteen kilometers from my birthplace ...
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J.J. Johnson - A Touch Of Satin

J.J. Johnson A Touch Of Satin (Columbia 1962)

J.J. Johnson and Cannonball’s rhythm section. Ergo: hard bop bone-ology of the highest order. hough hardly the greatest recording by J.J ...
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Freddie Robinson - Hot Fun In The Summertime

Freddie Robinson Hot Fun In The Summertime (Liberty 1970)

Typically versatile exponent of black music got on the good foot in the early 1970’s. ll you mouse folk, take heed ...
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Sahib Shihab - And The Danish Radio Group

Sahib Shihab And The Danish Radio Group (Oktav 1965)

Da-da di-da-da-da, the crosseyed cat sang. t’s about time to spotlight Sahib Shihab, who creeped in the Flophouse premises as a ...
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The Mangione Brothers Sextet - The Jazz Brothers

The Mangione Brothers Sextet The Jazz Brothers (Riverside 1960)

Young lions rip and roar. iterally, the debut album by the sextet of Chuck and Gap Mangione is a family affair ...
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Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore - Blowing In From Chicago

Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore Blowing In From Chicago (Blue Note 1957)

Upcoming Chicagoans blend effortlessly with mighty New Yorkers for what has become one of the hard-swinging Blue Note classics. lthough the ...
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Sonny Cox - The Wailer

Sonny Cox The Wailer (Cadet 1966)

From the depths of the Argo/Cadet archives, a wailer from The Windy City. n keeping with the policy of mother company ...
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George Wallington Quintet - Jazz For The Carriage Trade

George Wallington Quintet Jazz For The Carriage Trade (Prestige 1956)

Pushing down stuff down the throats of the well-to-do is all fine and dandy but the true elite of course ...
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Patti Bown - Plays Big Piano

Patti Bown Big Piano (Columbia 1959)

Fallen through the cracks, the great pianist Patti Bown. That’s Bown, not Brown. Miss Bown to you. Slip of the tongue, ...
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Jimmy Caravan - Look Into The Flower

Jimmy Caravan Look Into The Flower (Tower 1967)

West Coast organist takes us higher and higher. very woman every man, join the caravan of love. Here’s Jimmy Caravan and ...
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Donald Byrd - At The Half Note Volume 1

Donald Byrd At The Half Note Café Vol 1 & 2 (Blue Note 1961)

Byrd’s band flies high at the Half Note Café. rom A Night At Birdland by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers ...
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Earl Bostic - Jazz As I Feel It

Earl Bostic Jazz As I Feel It (King 1963)

Jazz as Earl Bostic felt it in a rare cooperation with Richard “Groove” Holmes, Joe Pass and Shelly Manne was ...
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Richard Williams - New Horn In Town

Richard Williams New Horn In Town (Candid 1960)

The rather overlooked trumpeter Richard Williams boasts an impressive discography, regardless of just one album as a leader, New Horn ...
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King Curtis - The New Scene

King Curtis The New Scene (Prestige/New Jazz 1960)

Can hardly go wrong when Nat Adderley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Oliver Jackson are aboard. And indeed, r&b-legend King ...
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Webster Young - For Lady

Webster Young For Lady (Prestige 1957)

Webster Young found the right touch of melancholy and heartburn on his tribute record to Billie Holiday, For Lady. ever heard ...
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Bill Jennings & Leo Parker - Billy In The Lion's Den

Bill Jennings & Leo Parker Billy In The Lion’s Den (King 1957)

The short-lived cookin’ outfit of Bill Jennings and Leo Parker was recorded for posterity on Billy In The Lion’s Den. n ...
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Jack Wilson - The Jazz Organs

Jack Wilson The Jazz Organs (Vault 1963)

Slyly variating on the tenor battle, Jack Wilson came up with the idea of the organ orgy. eldom mentioned, pianist Jack ...
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Harold Mabern - Rakin' And Scrapin'

Harold Mabern Rakin’ And Scrapin’ (Prestige 1970)

Heavyweight sideman came of age as a leader in the late 1960’s. arold Mabern was born in Memphis, Tennessee, major capital ...
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Chet Baker - Chet Is Back!

Chet Baker Chet Is Back! (RCA 1962)

Chet was back with a vengeance. he man and the myth. Misunderstandings about Chet Baker are ubiquitous. Everything about the hip ...
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George Braith - Laughing Soul

George Braith Laughing Soul (Prestige 1966)

From Blue Note to Prestige: the short career of the enigmatic George Braith. n case you may need the accompanying soundtrack ...
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Cal Massey - Blues To Coltrane

Cal Massey Blues To Coltrane (Candid 1961/87)

Posthumous release doesn’t do justice to the vision and artistry of Cal Massey. magine bassist Jimmy Garrison on his first working ...
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Freddie Roach - Good Move

Freddie Roach Good Move (Blue Note 1964)

Checkmate: there's no escaping the dynamic and tasteful organ playing of Freddie Roach. reddie Roach is remembered primarily by his run ...
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Joe Alexander - Blue Jubilee

Joe Alexander Blue Jubilee (Jazzland 1960)

Unsung and acclaimed hard boppers meet for thoroughly enjoyable jazz jubilee. he history of the jubilee goes back to Judaism. Hebrews ...
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Julius Watkins Sextet Vol. 2

Julius Watkins Julius Watkins Sextet (Blue Note 1954/55)

Nobody swung on the French horn like Julius Watkins. azz soloists on the ‘awkward’ French horn are scarcer than the four-leaf ...
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Dick Morgan Trio - At The Showboat

Dick Morgan Trio At The Showboat (Riverside 1960)

Crowd-pleasing is not a dirty word. o the list of Lee Morgan and Frank Morgan – no relation – we now ...
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Johnny Griffin - Change Of Pace

Johnny Griffin Change Of Pace (Riverside 1961)

The Little Giant broadened his horizon on Riverside Records. s far as unity of vision, style, sound and sleeve design is ...
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Merl Saunders - Soul Grooving

Merl Saunders Soul Grooving (Galaxy 1968)

Organist Merl Saunders’ debut album from 1968, Soul Grooving, definitely is hot. Seems like the fellow from Frisco swallowed a ...
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Miles Davis - My Funny Valentine

Miles Davis My Funny Valentine (Columbia 1965)

As the development of the Civil Rights Act reaches its climax in 1964, Miles Davis records My Funny Valentine, sophisticated ...
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Sam Taylor - The Bad And The Beautiful

Sam Taylor The Bad And The Beautiful (Moodsville 1962)

Sam “The Man” Taylor’s serenades to various dames are of the gutsy variety. ou’ve heard him without perhaps knowing his name ...
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Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else

Cannonball Adderley Somethin’ Else (Blue Note 1958)

Can’t you hear those rustling autumn leaves? yperbole may not be a strictly postmodern disease – as a matter of fact ...
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Lou Blackburn - Jazz Frontier

Lou Blackburn Jazz Frontier (Imperial 1963)

Lou Blackburn’s Jazz Frontier is another example of solid and edgy West Coast hard bop. ontrary to myth, West Coast does ...
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Benny Bailey - Soul Eyes

Benny Bailey Nathan Davis Mal Waldron Soul Eyes: Live At The Domicile (SABA 1968)

Superb congregation of expats opens new club in Münich, Germany. ate 90’s, the funky and avant-leaning Zaal 100 in Amsterdam’s Spaarndammerbuurt ...
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Gene Ludwig - This Is Gene Ludwig

Gene Ludwig This Is Gene Ludwig (GeLu Records 1965)

No doubt one of the finest disciples of Jimmy Smith, organist Gene Ludwig tried to make his mark with This ...
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The Diamond Five - Brilliant

The Diamond Five Brilliant! (Fontana 1964)

The Diamond Five showed all the young Dutch aspiring cats, hey, there’s no limit to swingin’ the American Way. n the ...
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Wilbert Longmire - Revolution

Wilbert Longmire Revolution (World Pacific 1970)

Buried in the excess of groove-oriented records in the late ‘60s and early '70s: Wilbert Longmire's Revolution, funk jazz gem ...
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Kenny Dorham - Quiet Kenny

Kenny Dorham Quiet Kenny (New Jazz 1960)

Less is more on Kenny Dorham’s Quiet Kenny, more or less the trumpeter’s most beautiful record as a leader. n anecdote ...
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Lem Winchester - Lem's Beat

Lem Winchester Lem’s Beat (New Jazz 1960)

Lem Winchester’s career was cut short by tragedy but his concise discography showed plenty of promise. Lem’s Beat is one ...
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Buddy Tate - Tate-A-Tate

Buddy Tate Tate-A-Tate (Prestige/Swingville 1960)

Nobuddy, well at least few from the swing era, nurtured such a long career as tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate. Tate-A-Tate, ...
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Hank Jones - The Trio

Hank Jones The Trio (Savoy 1955)

Hank Jones’s The Trio is one of the to-go-to albums as far as piano trio jazz from the 50s is ...
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Jaki Byard - The Jaki Byard Experience

Jaki Byard The Jaki Byard Experience (Prestige 1969)

The Jaki Byard Experience is not for the faint-hearted. o doubt, those that long for the continuous flow of the sounds ...
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Shirley Scott - Hip Soul

Shirley Scott Hip Soul (Prestige 1961)

Hip couple, hip soul. Finding a hip crowd for the collaborations between wife and husband Shirley Scott and Stanley Turrentine ...
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Stan Levey - Grand Stan

Stan Levey Grand Stan (Bethlehem 1957)

Stan Levey’s Grand Stan is a crackerjack example of West Coast hard bop. team came out of Gerry Mulligan’s ears. It ...
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Yusef Lateef - Jazz Round The World

Yusef Lateef Jazz Round The World Impulse 1964

Everybody passionate about the fusion of jazz and world rhythm owes big time to Yusef Lateef. n the late 50s and ...
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Blue Mitchell - The Thing To Do

Blue Mitchell The Thing To Do (Blue Note 1965)

Approximately seven years into his recording career, Blue Mitchell hit his stride on Blue Note with one of his greatest ...
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Clifford Scott - Out Front

Clifford Scott Out Front (Pacific Jazz 1963)

Check out this readily ignored but seriously hip and crafty piece of soul jazz and hard bop: tenor saxophonist Clifford ...
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Philly Joe Jones - Big Band Sounds

Philly Joe Jones Big Band Sounds (Riverside 1959)

Whether you decide to call it Drums Around The World or Big Band Sounds, the star-studded second record of Philly ...
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Bobby Forrester - Organist

Bobby Forrester Organist (Dobre 1971)

Funk - with a capital F - is the heartbeat of Bobby Forrester’s obscure debut record from the early seventies, ...
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Ray Brown - Bass Hit

Ray Brown Bass Hit! (Verve 1956)

Ray Brown fronting an all-white band in 1956 was a major musical-social event. Bass Hit also happened to be a ...
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Lloyd G. Mayers - A Taste Of Honey

Lloyd G. Mayers A Taste Of Honey (United Artists 1962)

It somehow slipped through the cracks. Lloyd G. Mayers’s A Taste Of Honey, major-league big band organ jazz record. is name ...
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Charlie Rouse - Takin' Care Of Business

Charlie Rouse Takin’ Care Of Business (Jazzland 1960)

Monk’s long-running sideman takes care of business on his own. ten-year stint in the group of Thelonious Monk ain’t chicken feed ...
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George Coleman - Amsterdam After Dark

George Coleman Amsterdam After Dark (Timeless 1979)

Leadership came late to George Coleman but he seized the opportunity with both hands. msterdam after dark, like many virus-ridden cities ...
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The Mastersounds - Play Horace Silver

The Mastersounds Play Compositions By Horace Silver (World Pacific 1960)

There has been a great number of Horace Silver tribute albums over the decades. But few if any come as ...
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The Mal Waldron Trio - Impressions

Mal Waldron Impressions (New Jazz 1959)

Mal Waldron is like a calf breaking loose in springtime. Jumping the fence! ou can count on Mal. In 1956/57, Mal ...
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Miles Davis - Milestones

Miles Davis Milestones (Columbia 1958)

Milestones still stands tall as a marvel of balance and power. here isn’t much more to ask for in mainstream jazz ...
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Horace Silver Quintet/Sextet The Jody Grind (Blue Note 1967)

The Jody Grind is the last great record of Horace Silver on Blue Note. t's so damn hard to choose between ...
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Walt Dickerson - This Is Walt Dickerson

Walt Dickerson This Is Walt Dickerson! (New Jazz 1961)

This Is Walt Dickerson signaled the arrival of a new and original voice on the vibraphone. he New Jazz label merits ...
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Pete La Roca - Basra

Pete La Roca Basra (Blue Note 1965)

Drummer Pete La Roca delved into exotic modality on his much-admired 1965 record on Blue Note, Basra. f I say Pete ...
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Rhoda Scott - Live At The Key Club

The Rhoda Scott Trio Live! At The Key Club (Tru-Sound 1963)

Early in her career, organist Rhoda Scott brought down the house with unvarnished, r&b-drenched soul jazz. ust as a soccer team ...
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Woody Shaw - The Moontrane

Woody Shaw The Moontrane (Muse 1975)

Woody Shaw’s killer tune The Moontrane kick starts his namesake album on Muse, a sublime example of progressive mainstream jazz ...
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Sal Nistico - Heavyweights

Sal Nistico Heavyweights (Jazzland 1962)

It may not have had widespread coverage, but Heavyweights was a thoroughly convincing declaration of independence by tenor saxophonist Sal ...
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Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet - Clifford Brown & Max Roach

Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet Clifford Brown & Max Roach (EmArcy 1954)

One of the must-haves. Clifford Brown & Max Roach is a brilliant, textbook example of balanced storytelling, responsive interplay and ...
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Jimmy Smith - Root Down

Jimmy Smith Root Down (Verve 1972)

Organist Jimmy Smith had been preoccupied with funk jazz before, but none of his releases matched Root Down, released on ...
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Randy Weston - Jazz A La Bohemia

Randy Weston Jazz A La Bohemia (Riverside 1956)

As if you’re there. That’s the plain and simple first, but very important thing, that comes to mind when listening ...
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The Pepper-Knepper Quintet - The Pepper-Knepper Quintet

The Pepper-Knepper Quintet The Pepper-Knepper Quintet (MetroJazz 1958)

The legacy of the short-lived group of baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams and trombonist Jimmy Knepper consists of one excellent hard ...
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Junior Mance - Junior's Blues

Junior Mance Junior’s Blues (Riverside 1962)

Things do not always happen as they should. To be sure, they rarely if ever do! However, pianist Junior Mance, ...
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Eddy Louiss - Eddy Louiss Trio

Eddy Louiss Eddy Louiss Trio (Cy 1968/73)

Get ready for a post bop bomb by the powerhouse trio of organist Eddy Louiss, guitarist René Thomas and drummer ...
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Billy Mitchell - This Is Billy Mitchell

Billy Mitchell This Is Billy Mitchell (Smash 1962)

It is, indeed, tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell, delivering a mellow mainstream album with more than a few surprises. he tenor saxophone ...
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Howard McGhee - The Return Of Howard McGhee

Howard McGhee The Return Of Howard McGhee (Bethlehem 1956)

Howard McGhee returned to Bethlehem. A glorious entrance. y 1956, trumpeter Howard McGhee already was a veteran of bebop and one ...
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The Cedar Walton Trio - A Night At Boomers Vol. 1

The Cedar Walton Trio featuring Clifford Jordan A Night At Boomers Vol. 1 & 2 (Muse 1973)

Mainstream jazz at its most fluent, refreshing and adventurous. That is A Night At Boomers Vol. 1 & 2 by ...
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The Hank Bagby Soultet - Opus One

The Hank Bagby Soultet Opus One (Protone 1964)

Lots of great Hanks out there. One of the lesser-know Hanks, tenor saxophonist Hank Bagby, delivered a first-rate hard bop ...
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Jimmy McGriff - Honey

Jimmy McGriff Honey (Solid State 1968)

You can pick your favorite soul tune from Jimmy McGriff’s 1968 Honey album and dance, dance, dance. t’s a blatantly commercial ...
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Wayne Shorter - Night Dreamer

Wayne Shorter Night Dreamer (Blue Note 1964)

After all these years, the dark-hued adventures of Wayne Shorter on Blue Note have lost nothing of their mysterious charm. utch ...
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Harold Land - Jazz Impressions Of Folk Music

Harold Land Jazz Impressions Of Folk Music (Imperial 1963)

Get acquinted with Jazz Impressions Of Folk Music, the underappreciated gem in the discography of tenor saxophonist Harold Land. e love ...
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Dave Pike - It's Time For Dave Pike

Dave Pike It’s Time For Dave Pike (Riverside 1961)

It’s time for Dave Pike, Charlie Parker on vibes. gain, Flophouse is drawn towards the turn of that decade, a pivotal, ...
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Buddy Terry - Natural Soul Natural Woman

Buddy Terry Natural Soul Natural Woman (Prestige 1968)

For Buddy Terry, natural soul is the music of the church, the street and John Coltrane. he legendary Prestige label had ...
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Dizzy Reece - Soundin' Off

Dizzy Reece Soundin’ Off (Blue Note 1960)

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place for trumpeter Dizzy Reece on his third Blue Note album Soundin’ Off ...
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Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers - Doin' What We Wanna

Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers Doin’ What We Wanna (Atlantic 1970)

Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers’s Doin’ What We Wanna is a bonafide funk jazz classic. larence Wheeler & The Enforcers was ...
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Dizzy Gillespie - The Greatest Trumpeter Of Them All

The Dizzy Gillespie Octet The Greatest Trumpet Of Them All (Verve 1957)

The Greatest Trumpet Of Them All finds Dizzy Gillespie in hard bop mode, assisted by two great talents of the ...
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Oliver Nelson, King Curtis & Jimmy Forrest - Soul Battle

Oliver Nelson, King Curtis & Jimmy Forrest Soul Battle (Prestige 1960)

Oliver Nelson had a knack for interesting parings of horns and Soul Battle is a seriously entertaining combination of the ...
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Lou Bennett - Enfin!

Lou Bennett Enfin! (RCA Victor 1963)

Get into the bopgospel groove with organist Lou Bennett’s Enfin!. n American In Paris, Lou Bennett never really gained recognition in ...
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Freddie McCoy - Lonely Avenue

Freddie McCoy Lonely Avenue (Prestige 1965)

Rousing cookers, balanced ballads and smoothly swinging popular songs: Freddie McCoy’s Lonely Avenue reflects the vibraphonist’s deep-rooted understanding of the ...
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Ted Curson - Fire Down Below

Ted Curson Fire Down Below (Prestige 1963)

Ted Curson revealed himself as a breathtaking interpreter of rarely performed standards on his second album as a leader in ...
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Roy Haynes - Cracklin'

Roy Haynes Cracklin’ (New Jazz 1963)

Cracklin’ is as good a title as any for an album by drummer Roy Haynes, also known as ‘Snap Crackle’. ou ...
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Eddie Chamblee - The Rocking Tenor Sax Of Eddie Chamblee

Eddie Chamblee The Rocking Tenor Sax Of Eddie Chamblee (Prestige 1964)

Party time with Eddie Chamblee. ddie Chamblee was born in Atlanta in 1920. He was the featured tenorist on Sonny Thompson’s ...
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Lee Morgan - The Cooker

Lee Morgan The Cooker (Blue Note 1957)

Just twenty-years of age, Lee Morgan came into his own as a leader on his 1957 album The Cooker. o be ...
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Julian Priester - Keep Swinging

Julian Priester Keep Swinging (Jazzland 1960)

No either/or for trombonist Julian Priester, who switches smoothly from avant-garde and fusion to hard bop, and back. His 1960 ...
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Eddie Baccus - Feel Real

Eddie Baccus Feel Real (Smash 1963)

Eddie Baccus is the Speedy Gonzales of the Hammond B3 organ. Still, Mr. Baccus keeps up a remarkable clarity of ...
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Johnny Griffin - Grab This!

Johnny Griffin Grab This! (Riverside 1962)

Who knows what Johnny Griffin meant by calling his tune and album Grab This!. It might be jazz slang we’re ...
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Dave Bailey Sextet - One Foot In The Gutter

The Dave Bailey Sextet One Foot In The Gutter (Epic 1960)

Solid, swinging drumming and great line-ups marked the albums drummer Dave Bailey made as a leader in 1960-61: a sudden ...
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The Ramsey Lewis Trio - In Chicago

The Ramsey Lewis Trio In Chicago (Argo 1960)

Before he hit big nationwide with 1965’s The In-Crowd, pianist Ramsey Lewis had delivered a string of Argo albums to ...
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The 3 Souls - Soul Sounds

The 3 Souls Soul Sounds (Argo 1965)

Soul sounds, r&b sounds, jazz sounds, and whatnot on The 3 Souls album Soul Sounds. t is a most gratifying experience ...
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BLP 5066, USA 1955

Hank Mobley Quartet (Blue Note 1955)

With a little help from his Jazz Messengers pals, Hank Mobley turned in a top form performance on his debut ...
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Leon Spencer Jr. - Sneak Preview

Leon Spencer Jr. Sneak Preview (Prestige 1970)

If you like your groove greasy as kidney stew and gritty as a walk with dinosaurs on a gravel path, ...
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Jerome Richardson - Midnight Oil

Jerome Richardson Midnight Oil (New Jazz 1958)

Perhaps Jerome Richardson 'burnt the midnight oil' at the Hackensack, New Jersey studio of Rudy van Gelder and hence came ...
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The Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Country Preacher

Cannonball Adderley Quintet Country Preacher (Capitol 1969)

The hefty stew of boiling groovy thickness and powerful prayer meeting that is The Cannonball Adderley Quintet’s Country Preacher – ...
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Serge Chaloff - Blue Serge

Serge Chaloff Blue Serge (Capitol 1956)

A year after the passing of Charlie Parker, the influential bop baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff delivered his best album, Blue ...
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Johnny Lytle - Blue Vibes

Johnny Lytle Blue Vibes (Jazzland 1960)

Blue Vibes propelled the career of the superb vibraphonist Johnny Lytle. ount Rushmore of vibraphonists? That would be Lionel Hampton, Milt ...
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Teddy Edwards - Teddy's Ready!

Teddy Edwards Teddy’s Ready! (Contemporary 1960)

And we’re ready for Teddy. By 1960, tenor saxophonist and bebop pioneer Teddy Edwards had settled firmly into his role ...
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Thad Jones - The Magnificent Thad Jones

Thad Jones The Magnificent Thad Jones (Blue Note 1956)

Hackensack magic on The Magnificent Thad Jones, the trumpeter’s most celebrated early career outing. he year 1956, hard bop has been ...
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Bill Leslie - Diggin' The Chicks

Bill Leslie Diggin’ The Chicks (Argo 1962)

Bill Leslie is diggin’ the chicks and we’re diggin’ the relaxed and intriguing style of the tenor saxophonist from Pennsylvania. ho ...
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Hampton Hawes - This Is Hampton Hawes

Hampton Hawes This Is Hampton Hawes (Contemporary 1956)

This, indeed, is Hampton Hawes. The coolest smokin’ cover. Immaculate, intense bebop. The pianist in full flight, a few years ...
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The Junior Cook Quintet - Junior's Cookin'

The Junior Cook Quintet Junior’s Cookin’ (Jazzland 1962)

Junior’s Cookin’ is the only album as a leader in the sixties from tenor saxophonist Junior Cook. Superb hard bop ...
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The Eddie Fisher Quintet - The Third Cup

The Eddie Fisher Quintet The Third Cup (Cadet 1969)

Eddie Fisher’s guitar sound is quite irresistible. Small wonder, then, that his jazzy and soulful 1969 debut on Cadet, The ...
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McCoy Tyner - Today And Tomorrow

McCoy Tyner Today And Tomorrow (Impulse 1964)

McCoy Tyner picked Brother Elvin and a bunch of interesting, first-class colleagues for his fourth album as a leader, Today ...
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Kenny Burrell - Blue Lights Volume 1

Kenny Burrell Blue Lights Volume 1 & 2 (Blue Note 1958)

Kenny Burrell’s Blue Lights Vol. 1 & 2 consist of a bunch of tasteful, blues-infested tunes. A lively, relaxed jam ...
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Greg Hatza - Organized Jazz

Greg Hatza Organized Jazz (Coral 1968)

Plenty of sincere and spirited playing on organist Greg Hatza's 1968 album Organized Jazz. orn in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1948, Hatza’s ...
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Bobby Hutcherson - The Kicker

Bobby Hutcherson The Kicker (Blue Note 1963/99)

It can only be attributed to the risk of market overflow that Blue Note didn’t release vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s de ...
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The Freedom Sounds featuring Wayne Henderson - People Get Ready

The Freedom Sounds Featuring Wayne Henderson People Get Ready (Atlantic 1967)

Soul power and gargantuan trombonism on People Get Ready, the 1967 Atlantic album from The Freedom Sounds Featuring Wayne Henderson. ike ...
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Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Cookbook

Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis Cookbook (Prestige 1958)

Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and Shirley Scott pass the peas back and forth on their soul jazz hit album Cookbook. efore DJ ...
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Benny Green - Soul Stirrin'

Benny Green Soul Stirrin’ (Blue Note 1599)

Of the invariably soulful albums from trombonist Benny Green, Soul Stirrin’, with the heavyweight line up of Gene Ammons, Billy ...
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The George Benson Quartet - Cookbook

The George Benson Quartet Cookbook (Columbia 1966)

There are two, maybe three or four George Bensons. However, for straightforward jazz fans, there’s only one: the cat that ...
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Gene Ammons - Brother Jug!

Gene Ammons Brother Jug (Prestige 1970)

As if nothing had happened, Gene Ammons resumed his place in the Prestige roster after his seven-year long stint in ...
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Jack Wilson - Easterly Winds

Jack Wilson Easterly Winds (Blue Note 1967)

In the epic menu of classic Blue Note albums, Jack Wilson’s Easterly Winds is easily overlooked. It's an all-round gem ...
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Hank Marr Quartette - Live At The Club 502

Hank Marr Quartette Live At The Club 502 (King 1964)

Hank Marr's Live At The Club 502 is as gritty and greasy as live organ music comes. But Marr is ...
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Clark Terry - Serenade To A Bus Seat

Clark Terry Serenade To A Bus Seat (Riverside 1957)

Clark Terry, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 95, was an authority with a discography of epic ...
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Dexter Gordon - All Souls'

Dexter Gordon All Souls’: The Rob Agerbeek Trio Featuring Dexter Gordon (Dexterity 1972)

The Dutch audience caught Dexter at one of those nights, in top form. The fortunate event in the fall of ...
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Henry Cain - The Funky Organ-ization Of Henry Cain

Henry Cain The Funky Organ-ization Of Henry Cain (Capitol 1967)

Hardly getting into the deep groove the title promises, organist Henry Cain’s The Funky Organ-ization Of Henry Cain instead is ...
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Frank Strozier Quartet - March Of The Siamese Children

Frank Strozier Quartet March Of The Siamese Children (Jazzland 1962)

Frank Strozier’s March Of The Siamese Children makes abundantly clear that the overlooked alto saxophonist and flute player was an ...
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Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - 'S Make It

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers ‘S Make It (Limelight 1964)

After his cutting edge group of the early sixties including Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter disbanded, Art Blakey returned to ...
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Roosevelt Wardell Trio - The Revelation

Roosevelt Wardell Trio The Revelation (Riverside 1960)

It really comes close to a revelation, the obscure Roosevelt Wardell’s only album as a leader, The Revelation. The work ...
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The Jimmy Heath Orchestra - Really Big!

The Jimmy Heath Orchestra Really Big! (Riverside 1960)

‘Little Bird’ was a nickname that soon wore off as Jimmy Heath developed into a saxophonist, composer and arranger with ...
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Grant Green, Grantstand

Grant Green Grantstand (Blue Note 1961)

Grantstand ranks among guitarist Grant Green’s finest dates. A gathering of aroused spirits in Rudy van Gelder’s famed Englewood Cliffs ...
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Elmo Hope, Homecoming!

Elmo Hope Homecoming! (Riverside 1961)

Coming home to a group of hi-level colleagues as featured on Elmo Hope’s first Riverside album Homecoming must’ve been a ...
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Andrew Hill - Grass Roots

Andrew Hill Grass Roots (Blue Note 1968)

One of the most accessible albums of pianist Andrew Hill’s imposing stretch of Blue Note releases in the sixties, 1968’s ...
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Wes Montgomery Trio - A Dynamic New Sound

Wes Montgomery The Wes Montgomery Trio: A Dynamic New Sound (Riverside 1959)

Adding ‘Style’ to Wes Montgomery’s debut album on Riverside, The Wes Montgomery Trio: A Dynamic New Sound, is more to ...
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Thornel Schwartz - Soul Cookin'

Thornel Schwartz Soul Cookin’ (Argo 1962)

Guitarist Thornel Schwartz was in the frontline of the organ combo scene. A typical sideman, he only recorded one album ...
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Tubby Hayes - Tubbs In NY

Tubby Hayes Tubbs In N.Y. (Fontana 1961)

Tenor saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Tubby Hayes took a jump across the great pond in 1961 and fitted right in. Tubbs ...
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Lee Morgan - Live At The Lighthouse

Lee Morgan Live At The Lighthouse (Blue Note 1970)

The titles of Lee Morgan’s Live At The Lighthouse, such as Nommo and Neophilia, perfectly match the woolly times. Sounds ...
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Jimmy McGriff - Live Where The Action's At!

Jimmy McGriff Live Where The Action’s At! (Veep 1966)

Live Where The Action’s At! is a typical album of organist Jimmy McGriff: ultimate groove, smart modern jazz ingredients. hiladelphian Jimmy ...
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Horace Silver - Finger Poppin'

Horace Silver Finger Poppin’ (Blue Note 1959)

Horace Silver’s first album with his most celebrated line-up, Finger Poppin’, still stands tall after all these years as a ...
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Arnett Cobb - Blow Arnett, Blow

Arnett Cobb Blow Arnett, Blow (Prestige 1959)

Tough tenors Arnett Cobb and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis team up for a thoroughly swinging session. Blow Arnett, Blow confirmed Cobb’s ...
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Cecil Payne - Zodiac

Cecil Payne Zodiac (Strata-East 1968/73)

No idea what celestial spheres or horoscopes have to do with Martin Luther King and flying fish. But that puzzle ...
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Walter Bishop Jr. - Speak Low

Walter Bishop Jr. Speak Low (Jazztime 1961)

Prove me wrong, but it’s hard to find a better album in the career of pianist Walter Bishop Jr. than ...
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Hank Crawford - The Soul Clinic

Hank Crawford The Soul Clinic (Atlantic 1962)

Hank Crawford’s landmark 1962 album The Soul Clinic boasts the saxophonist’s unique, ‘singing’ tone, the swinginest (Ray Charles) band in ...
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The 3 Sounds - Feelin' Good

The Three Sounds Feelin’ Good (Blue Note 1960)

Basic and bluesy mainstream jazz was the recipe of piano trio The Three Sounds, led by Gene Harris. Delicate group ...
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Gene Ammons - Bad! Bossa Nova

Gene Ammons Bad! Bossa Nova (Prestige 1962)

Throughout his spectacular career, tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons had several big hits, both singles and albums. One of those albums, ...
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Walter Davis Jr. - Davis Cup

Walter Davis Jr. Davis Cup (Blue Note 1959)

A wide-ranging stunner, pianist Walter Davis Jr.’s debut as a leader in 1959, Davis Cup, deserves its rightful place among ...
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Wynton Kelly - Kelly At Midnite

Wynton Kelly Kelly At Midnite (VeeJay 1960)

When thinking about Wynton Kelly, midnight is not the first allusion that comes to mind. The pianist’s style, however bluesy, ...
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Shirley Scott - Shirley Scott & The Soul Saxes

Shirley Scott Shirley Scott & The Soul Saxes (Atlantic 1969)

Shirley Scott’s dressed up for the rock age. The musical garments don’t really suit the experienced, tasteful organist. rom the mid-fifties ...
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Joe Gordon - Lookin' Good

Joe Gordon Lookin’ Good (Contemporary 1961)

Trumpeter Joe Gordon’s second and last album as a leader, Lookin’ Good, is a major league hard bop album from ...
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Idris Muhammad - Black Rhythm Revolution!

Idris Muhammad Black Rhythm Revolution! (Prestige 1971)

Laying down a propulsive groove was Idris Muhammad’s specialty. Funk jazz galore on the drummer’s debut as a leader, Black ...
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Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off

Herbie Hancock Takin’ Off (Blue Note 1962)

With the authority of a seasoned jazz personality, Herbie Hancock delivered his Blue Note debut as a leader in 1962, ...
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James Clay & David "Fathead" Newman - The Sound Of The Wide Open Spaces

James Clay & David “Fathead” Newman The Sound Of The Wide And Open Spaces!!!! (Riverside 1960)

Some sessions just seem to swing harder than others. The Sound Of The Wide Open Spaces!!!! by co-leaders James Clay ...
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Sonny Rollins - Alfie

Sonny Rollins Alfie (Impulse 1966)

Alfie, the Sonny Rollins soundtrack of the prize-winning English movie starring Michael Caine, deserves to be ranked alongside Saxophone Colossus ...
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Fats Theus - Black Out

Fats Theus Black Out (CTI 1970)

A deviation from the polished jazz catalogue of Creed Taylor’s CTI label, saxophonist Fats Theus’ Black Out is a gritty ...
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Carl Perkins - Introducing Carl Perkins

Carl Perkins Introducing Carl Perkins (Dootone 1956)

The career of pianist Carl Perkins was cut short in 1958 by a drug overdose. Sounds familiar? Introducing Carl Perkins ...
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Sonny Rollins - Rollins Plays For Bird

Sonny Rollins Rollins Plays For Bird (Prestige 1957)

Sandwiched between the colossal Saxophone Colossus and future landmark albums Way Out West and A Night At The Village Vanguard, ...
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Elvin Jones And Richard Davis - Heavy Sounds

Elvin Jones And Richard Davis Heavy Sounds (Impulse 1967)

Heavy sounds and heavy smoke rings. Elvin Jones and Richard Davis obviously enjoyed each other’s company. Above all, they’re having ...
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Don Patterson - Goin' Down Home

Don Patterson Goin’ Down Home (Cadet 1963/66)

I can’t tell you how excited I was when I picked up organist Don Patterson’s Cadet album Goin’ Down Home ...
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Stanley Turrentine - Jubilee Shout

Stanley Turrentine Jubilee Shout!!! (Blue Note 1962/86)

Don’t let the marketing gimmick of exclamation marks scare you off. Stanley Turrentine’s Jubilee Shout!!! delivers. It’s a lively, down-home ...
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James Moody - Another Bag

James Moody Another Bag (Argo 1962)

While working prolifically with the Dizzy Gillespie band in the sixties, James Moody kept recording as a leader as well ...
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Chester Thompson - Powerhouse

Chester Thompson Powerhouse (Black Jazz 1971)

Powerhouse is a groove gem from organist Chester Thompson, who spent the biggest part of his career in funk group ...
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Tommy Flanagan - Overseas

Tommy Flanagan Overseas (Prestige 1957)

In it goes, smoothly, like the royal lemon pie of my favorite pattisier. The ingredients of pianist Tommy Flanagan’s debut ...
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Charles Mingus - Right Now

Charles Mingus Right Now: Live At The Jazz Workshop (Fantasy 1964)

As the reflection of a typically volatile live performance of Charles Mingus, Right Now: Live At The Jazz Work Shop ...
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Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Drum Suite (Columbia 1957)

Who else than the indomitable Art Blakey was qualified to present an African drum extravaganza? Maybe not so shocking today, ...
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Ike Quebec - Blue & Sentimental

Ike Quebec Blue & Sentimental (Blue Note 1961)

Ike Quebec’s resonant, breathy tone, deep as if coming from a velvet cave, is plainly irresistable. It’s in full bloom ...
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Buddy Montgomery - Rather This Than That

Buddy Montgomery This Rather Than That (Impulse 1969)

The blues-oriented album of vibraphonist and pianist Buddy Montgomery, This Rather Than That, also includes excellent modern jazz playing. amily ties: ...
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Eddie Daniels - First Prize

Eddie Daniels First Prize (Prestige 1966)

Eddie Daniels is a jazz saxophonist who turned into a master of classical music. Or no, Eddie Daniels is a ...
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Les McCann Ltd. - Plays The Truth

Les McCann Ltd. Plays The Truth (Pacific Jazz 1960)

In the sixties pianist Les McCann was a crowd favorite. It met with suspicion by more than a few critics, ...
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Freddie Hubbard - Open Sesame

Freddie Hubbard Open Sesame (Blue Note 1960)

Freddie Hubbard’s celebrated debut as a leader on Blue Note, Open Sesame, is as much a Tina Brooks album than ...
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Joe Henderson - The Kicker

Joe Henderson The Kicker (Milestone 1967)

After a series of vanguard jazz releases and collaborations on Blue Note in the mid-sixties, Joe Henderson switched to Orrin ...
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Miles Davis Quintet - Workin'

The Miles Davis Quintet Workin’ (Prestige 1956/59)

The first two cuts on Workin’ immediately show the impact of Miles Davis (and his First Great Quintet) on the ...
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Johnny "Hammond" Smith - The Stinger

Johnny “Hammond” Smith The Stinger (Prestige 1965)

Although the quirky cover suggests otherwise, The Stinger is not the soundtrack to a movie about the cousin of Spiderman ...
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Lou Donaldson - New Faces New Sounds

Lou Donaldson New Faces New Sounds (Blue Note 1954)

Lou Donaldson’s New Faces New Sounds plays a considerable part in the evolution of hard bop, not only for its ...
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Eddie Harris' Mean Greens

Eddie Harris Mean Greens (Atlantic 1966)

Eddie Harris, free bird. Doesn’t let anyone tell him what to play, tears his shirt off his tenor body and ...
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Jackie McLean - A Fickle Sonance

Jackie McLean A Fickle Sonance (Blue Note 1961)

If Jackie McLean’s career would’ve ended right after recording A Fickle Sonance, people would certainly have pointed out the alto ...
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Mel Rhyne

Mel Rhyne Organ-izing (Jazzland 1960)

Like a jubilant child eager to play with its long-awaited Santa Claus presents, I gave my recent purchase, Melvin Rhyne’s ...
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Art Farmer

The Art Farmer Quartet To Sweden With Love (Atlantic 1964)

In 1964, Art Farmer and his group toured in Europe. In Sweden, a record official brought up the idea of ...
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Curtis Fuller and Hampton Hawes

Curtis Fuller And Hampton Hawes With French Horns (Status 1964)

Credited to trombonist Curtis Fuller and pianist Hampton Hawes, With French Horns really hasn’t a definite leader. It shouldn't bother ...
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Horace Parlan Quintet - Speakin' My Piece

Horace Parlan Quintet Speakin’ My Piece (Blue Note 1961)

Horace Parlan is a very interesting pianist, not only because of his peculiar playing style that is due to his ...
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Freddie Roach - The Soul Book

Freddie Roach The Soul Book (Prestige 1966)

Spacious. Avatara. Sounds pretty esoteric to me for a jazz organist, I remember thinking when I found a library cd ...
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Slide Hampton Octet - Sister Salvation

The Slide Hampton Octet Sister Salvation (Atlantic 1960)

Sister Salvation is trombonist and arranger Slide Hampton’s breakthrough album as a leader. It’s another one of those typically soulful, ...
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Hank Mobley - The Flip

Hank Mobley The Flip (Blue Note 1969)

In the late sixties Hank Mobley’s round tone had become a bit rougher around the edges and his style was ...
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Harold Ousley - Tenor Sax

Harold Ousley Tenor Sax (Bethlehem 1960)

Tenor saxophonist Harold Ousley combined relaxed, flowing, bluesy lines with a rich, resonant sound. Tenor Sax is his only album ...
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The Jazztet And John Lewis

The Jazztet The Jazztet And John Lewis (Argo 1961)

The coupling of John Lewis, the king of chamber jazz music, as a composer and arranger with The Jazztet in ...
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Clifford Jordan - Leadbelly

Clifford Jordan These Are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly (Atlantic 1965)

The Mosaic label, whose policy of re-issueing and uncovering vaults has been so essential in keeping the flame of classic ...
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Kenny Dorham - Trompeta Toccata

Kenny Dorham Trompeta Toccata (Blue Note 1964)

Nothing prepares you for what’s going to happen after Kenny Dorham’s lyrical opening statements in duet with the piano of ...
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Joe Dukes - Soulful Drums

Joe Dukes The Soulful Drums Of Joe Dukes (Prestige 1964)

Joe Dukes is one of the quintessential organ combo drummers in the history of jazz. A master of the greasy, ...
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SonnyCriss - JazzUSA

Sonny Criss Jazz U.S.A. (Imperial 1956)

The sessions of Sonny Criss for the Imperial label deserve at least as much attention as his better known Prestige ...
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Donald Byrd - A New Perspective

Donald Byrd A New Perspective (Blue Note 1963)

Besides honing his craft as one of the premier hard bop trumpet players of the day, Donald Byrd had other ...
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Jimmy Smith - The Cat

Jimmy Smith The Cat (Verve 1964)

During the sixties organ star Jimmy Smith, who single-handedly turned the Hammond B3 organ into a viable modern jazz instrument ...
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The Other Side Of Benny Golson

Benny Golson The Other Side Of Benny Golson (Riverside 1958)

Benny Golson’s extraordinary writing skills often overshadow his gifts as a tenor saxophonist. As early as 1958, Riverside considered this ...
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Red Garland - High Pressure

Red Garland High Pressure (Prestige 1957/62)

The Red Garland sessions of November 15 and December 13, 1957 spawned a number of Prestige releases. Initially, only All ...
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Sonny Clark - Leapin' And Lopin'

Sonny Clark Leapin’ And Lopin’ (Blue Note 1961)

Find me a bummer moment in Sonny Clark’s discography and I’ll buy you a drink. But I won’t because it’s ...
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Sam Lazar - Space Flight

Sam Lazar Space Flight (Argo 1960)

Very little is known of organist Sam Lazar’s life. The liner notes of his early sixties Argo releases represent about ...
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Ray Bryant - Lonesome Traveler

Ray Bryant Lonesome Traveler (Cadet 1966)

Jazz is also for dancing and sometimes it prompts me to do just that. Honestly, do you really think I’m ...
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Hank Mobley Quintet

Hank Mobley Hank Mobley Quintet (Blue Note 1957)

Pick anyone of Hank Mobley’s extended string of Blue Note albums of the late fifties and the early sixties and ...
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Tina Brooks - True Blue

Tina Brooks True Blue (Blue Note 1960)

In spite of being the Einstein and Heisenberg of the modern jazz recording business, Blue Note label bosses Alfred Lion ...
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Hank Marr - Marr-Ket Place

Hank Marr Sounds From The Marr-Ket Place (King 1964/1967)

I bet ya organist Hank Marr’s incredibly swinging album Sounds From The Marr-Ket Place will prompt even the worst couch ...
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Kenny Drew - Undercurrent

Kenny Drew Undercurrent (Blue Note 1961)

Kenny Drew’s Undercurrent isn’t called Undercurrent for nothing. The opener and title track is the pièce de résistance of the ...
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Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis Afro-Jaws (Riverside 1960)

Blue Note is admired for immaculately organised sessions. In this respect, Riverside should also be granted a place under the ...
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Bobby Timmons This Here Is Bobby Timmons (Riverside 1960)

A working day that sucks the soul out of me. An argument with the woman that hangs suspended in the ...
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Charles Earland - Black Talk

Charles Earland Black Talk (Prestige 1970)

The single from the session that spawned organist Charles Earland’s album Black Talk, a cover of the Spiral Staircase’s More ...
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Harold Land Quintet - The Fox

Harold Land The Fox (HiFi Jazz 1960)

Hold on tight when the fox is loose! The Fox, tenorist Harold Land’s greatest solo album, contains a title track ...
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Booker Ervin - The Freedom Book

Booker Ervin The Freedom Book (Prestige 1964)

The Freedom Book is one of Booker Ervin’s finest recordings. The grossly underappreciated tenor saxophonist displays all his strong points: ...
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Charles McPherson - The Quintet/Live!

Charles McPherson The Quintet/Live! (Prestige 1967)

Altoist Gene Quill once walked off the stage, when a malignant member of the audience quipped: “All you do is ...
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Fred Jackson - Hootin' 'N' Tootin'

Fred Jackson Hootin’ ‘N’ Tootin’ (Blue Note 1963)

In the fifties and sixties many rhythm & blues and rock & roll orchestras harboured musicians with jazz chops. Making ...
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Sonny Rollins Freedom Suite (Riverside 1958)

The title track of Sonny Rollins’ provocative 1958 album Freedom Suite takes up the whole of side A. Does anybody ...
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Stanley Turrentine - Sugar

Stanley Turrentine Sugar (CTI 1971)

Sugar, Stanley Turrentine’s first release on CTI, catapulted the tenorist into jazz stardom. It sold extremely well, in spite of ...
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Milt Jackson

Milt Jackson Plenty, Plenty Soul (Atlantic 1957)

At the time of Milt Jackson’ recording of Plenty, Plenty Soul, the group that he was part of, The Modern ...
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Don Wilkerson - Shoutin'

Don Wilkerson Shoutin’ (Blue Note 1963)

For his third and final release on Blue Note, tenor saxophonist Don Wilkerson teamed up with a cookin’ crew that ...
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Dexter Gordon - One Flight Up

Dexter Gordon One Flight Up (Blue Note 1964)

Dexter Gordon’s marvelous stretch of early and mid-sixties Blue Note recordings occured both in the US and in Europe. As ...
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David “Fathead” Newman Fathead: Ray Charles Presents David Newman (Atlantic 1958)

Do you know that feeling of hearing a piece of music that quite literally makes you jump for joy against ...
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Horace Silver Further Explorations (Blue Note 1958)

Further Explorations, pianist Horace Silver’s sixth release on Blue Note, is a revealing album in his catalogue. Silver branches out ...
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John Coltrane - Lush Life

John Coltrane Lush Life (Prestige 1957/58/1961)

When Prestige released the mid ‘57/early ’58 sessions that comprise Lush Life in 1961, John Coltrane, ever the restless seeker, ...
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Charles Kynard - Reelin' With The Feelin'

Charles Kynard Reelin’ With The Feelin’ (Prestige 1969)

I first became aware of organist Charles Kynard a long time ago, when listening to a Tom Waits record, Blue ...
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Pepper Adams - 10 To 4 At The Five Spot

Pepper Adams 10 To 4 At The Five Spot (Riverside 1958)

If you like your baritone sax tough and hard-swinging, Pepper Adams is your man. Live album 10 To 4 At ...
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Reuben Wilson Love Bug (Blue Note 1969)

Basically, the artistic success of a jazz album dedicated to pop and funk music depends on the quality of the ...
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Lou Donaldson - Midnight Creeper

Lou Donaldson Midnight Creeper (Blue Note 1968)

Of the popular jazz funk dates alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson did in the late sixties, Midnight Creeper is one of ...
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Grant Green - Grant's First Stand

Grant Green Grant’s First Stand (Blue Note 1961)

By January, 1961, when Grant Green’s debut as a leader Grant’s First Stand was released, Green was 26 years old ...
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Baby Face Willette Face To Face (Blue Note 1961)

It was a busy week for organist Baby Face Willette, the last week of January, 1961. In fact, the three ...
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Eric Kloss - Love And All That Jazz

Eric Kloss Love And All That Jazz (Prestige 1966)

Pipe-smoking Eric Kloss was seventeen when he recorded Love And All That Jazz. It was the second album for the ...
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Bobby Bryant Sextet Ain’t Doing Too B-A-D, Bad (Cadet 1967)

Bobby Bryant’s live album Ain’t Doing Too B-A-D, Bad is a commercial, forthright soul music affair and, when judged accordingly, ...
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Barry Harris Chasin’ The Bird (Riverside 1962)

An important part of the spirit of jazz, writer and critic Nat Hentoff once wrote, is the independent character of ...
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Brother Jack McDuff - Moon Rappin'

Brother Jack McDuff Moon Rappin’ (Blue Note 1969)

Have you ever heard anybody rappin’ on the moon? It sounds really muffled, so the story goes. f course, the real ...
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Hank Crawford - Mr. Blues

Hank Crawford Mr. Blues (Atlantic 1967)

Not only did Hank Crawford play baritone and alto sax in the band of Ray Charles, he also was its ...
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“Brother” Jack McDuff Hot Barbecue (Prestige 1964)

I once saw Hot Barbecue, the 1965 album of popular organist “Brother” Jack McDuff, recommended as perfectly suitable as background ...
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Grant Green - Street Of Dreams

Grant Green Street Of Dreams (Blue Note 1964)

I can’t get enough of Grant Green’s opening tune I Wish You Love from the guitarist’s mid-career album Street Of ...
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Paul Chambers - 1st Bassman

Paul Chambers 1st Bassman (Vee-Jay 1960)

It’s not so unusual that Paul Chambers, one of the foremost bass players of modern jazz, made a string of ...
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Harold Vick - Steppin' Out

Harold Vick Steppin’ Out (Blue Note 1963)

I hear a lot of Dexter Gordon in tenorist Harold Vick: a similar way of blowing forcefully, of bending notes ...
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The Jazz Crusaders - Lighthouse '69

The Jazz Crusaders Lighthouse ’69 (World Pacific 1969)

The succesful fourth live recording of The Jazz Crusaders at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California (those of 1962, ’66 ...
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Jackie McLean - Destination Out!

Jackie McLean Destination… Out! (Blue Note 1963)

Nowadays, in a download, post-LP and virtually post-CD world, the order of album tracks has become devoid of meaning. Toying ...
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Cannonball Adderley - Inside Straight

Cannonball Adderley Inside Straight (Fantasy 1973)

Inside Straight, the last great album by Cannonball Adderley, who passed away in 1975, is a live-in-the-studio recording, a trend ...
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Larry Young - Into Something!

Larry Young Into Something! (Blue Note 1965)

The four personalities on organist Larry Young’s first album on Blue Note Into Something! are really into something very good ...
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Grassella Oliphant - The Grass Is Greener

Grassella Oliphant The Grass Is Greener (Atlantic 1967)

It gets to you. That slow draggin’ beat of Get Out My Life, Woman that makes you think you’re listening ...
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The Cannonball Adderley Quintet Them Dirty Blues (Riverside 1960)

As a soloist in the Parker tradition, Cannonball Adderley took New York by storm in 1955, releasing solid albums for ...
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Richard "Groove" Holmes - Groove

Richard “Groove” Holmes Groove (Pacific Jazz 1961)

There are a number of reasons why Groove is a significant, endearing album that is perfect for beginners and essential ...
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Art Blakey Big Band (Bethlehem 1958)

A big band record from Art Blakey – drummer and bandleader who upped the ante for small jazz combo’s from ...
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Lee Morgan - Candy

Lee Morgan Candy (Blue Note 1958)

What strikes the listener of Lee Morgan’s Candy is the incredible production of producer Rudy van Gelder. Both group and ...
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Blue Mitchell Blue Mitchell (Mainstream 1971)

In 1970 Blue Mitchell was a trumpeter in the Ray Charles Orchestra. Nothwithstanding the fact that playing with the man ...
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Pat Martino - Strings

Pat Martino Strings! (Prestige 1967)

I’ve been on the lookout for snippets of Pat Martino ever since my college years. Once there was a guy ...
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John Patton - Accent On The Blues

John Patton Accent On The Blues (Blue Note 1969)

Accent On The Blues, John Patton’s ninth release on Blue Note delivers on the promise of the title. John Patton’s ...
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Sonny Stitt - 12!

Sonny Stitt 12! (Muse 1972)

Nowadays, to define jazz is a Gargantuan task. It could mean such a hell of a lot. (and therefore, arguably, ...
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Frank Foster - Manhattan Fever

Frank Foster Manhattan Fever (Blue Note 1968)

Manhattan Fever is Frank Foster’s best known solo album, arguably because it’s on Blue Note. It’s one of his best ...
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Don Patterson - The Return Of

Don Patterson The Return Of Don Patterson (Muse 1972/1974)

The Return Of Don Patterson was a return to the recording studio for the Columbus, Ohio born organist. Patterson had ...
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Kenny Burrell - God Bless The Child

Kenny Burrell God Bless The Child (CTI 1971)

Naming a record God Bless The Child inevitably brings forth a lot of expectations. Could one live up to them ...
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Don Patterson - The Exciting New Organ

Don Patterson The Exciting New Organ Of Don Patterson (Prestige 1964)

A very confident Don Patterson made the most of his de facto debut (Goin’ Down Home was a Patterson session ...
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Nat Adderley - That's Nat

Nat Adderley That’s Nat (Savoy 1955)

Only twelve days after locking arms with brother Cannonball on Presenting Cannonball Adderley, (Savoy, July 14, 1955) That’s Nat marked ...
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Don Patterson - Tune Up!

Don Patterson Tune Up! (Prestige 1964/1969)

Tune Up! is one more example of a record company’s policy to keep an interest in the career of a ...
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Red Holloway - Red Soul

Red Holloway Red Soul (Prestige 1965)

Imagine side A of Rubber Soul being performed by the genuine Fab Four and side B as a new project ...
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Rusty Bryant - Soul Liberation

Rusty Bryant Soul Liberation (Prestige 1970)

Rusty Bryant was the kind of big-toned saxophonist that switched easily between r&b and jazz. In the late sixties Bryant ...
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Boogaloo Joe Jones No Way! (Prestige 1971)

Look at that confident young man on the cover of No Way! Dressed in full funky regalia, caught in the ...
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Don Patterson Satisfaction (Prestige 1965)

Don Patterson operated within the classic organ combo format – a quartet consisting of organ, guitar, drums and saxophone. On ...
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Willis Jackson - Live! Action

Willis Jackson Live! Action (Prestige 1964/66)

By the mid-sixties Willis “Gator” Jackson, who started out as a honker and shouter in the r&b field, had recorded ...
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Art Taylor A.T.’s Delight (Blue Note 1960)

Just for the fun of it I took a peek in my record collection to find albums drummer Art Taylor ...
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Gloria Coleman - Soul Sisters

Gloria Coleman Soul Sisters (Impulse 1963)

Organist Gloria Coleman’s album Soul Sisters is charmingly soft-hued; a conservative yet catchy blues set that’s mellow in a funky ...
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Harold Land A New Shade Of Blue (Mainstream 1971)

For those who came out of the sixties bruised and/or (almost) out of work, and without the stardom attached to ...
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Carmell Jones Jay Hawk Talk (Prestige 1965)

At the time of recording his best solo effort, Jay Hawk Talk, trumpeter Carmell Jones was a member of Horace ...
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Billy Larkin And The Delegates Hold On! (World Pacific 1966)

No, we’re not talking about a sensational album here. Not even a great album. Nor should we expect the mellifluous ...
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Freddie Hubbard - Night Of The Cookers

Freddie Hubbard Night Of The Cookers Vol. 2 (Blue Note 1964)

Freddie Hubbard's in top form. Lee Morgan's below average. The group's hi-voltage performance is marred by boring percussion excursions. In ...
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Jimmy Forrest All The Gin Is Gone (Delmark 1959)

East St. Louis in the forties and fifties was a town where night crawlers usually ended up after bars closed ...
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Jimmy Smith Prayer Meetin’ (Blue Note 1964)

This is the Jimmy Smith I like the most. Not yet hindered by various concepts initiated by Verve’s Creed Taylor, ...
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Houston Person Chocomotive (Prestige 1965)

For a session from 1967, Chocomotive sounds curiously anachronistic. Its sound is vaguely reminiscent of the era of Lionel Hampton ...
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Sonny Stitt - Night Crawler

Sonny Stitt Night Crawler (Prestige 1965)

The discography of Sonny Stitt is so vast, it’s bound to include some average affairs. Night Crawler is one of ...
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Jimmy McGriff Electric funk (Blue Note 1970)

If you like your funk down on the ground, be sure to grab a copy of Jimmy McGriff’s Electric Funk ...
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Leo Wright - Soul Talk

Leo Wright Soul Talk (Vortex 1963/1970)

For Leo Wright, transcending the limitations of blues chord sequences seemed to come naturally. At times shoutin’ with Arnett Cobbian ...
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Brother Jack McDuff - Somethin' Slick!

Brother Jack McDuff Somethin’ Slick! (Prestige 1963)

The work of organ-based groups in the late fifties and sixties, I feel, have somehow functioned as a counterbalance to ...
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Johnny Griffin - The Big Soul-Band

Johnny Griffin Orchestra The Big Soul-Band (Riverside 1960)

A look at Johnny Griffin’s side dates around the time of The Big Soul-Band’s release in 1960 shows he was ...
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Richard "Groove" Holmes - Onsaya Joy

Richard “Groove” Holmes Onsaya Joy (Flying Dutchman 1975)

Talkin’ about playing bass! Richard “Groove” Holmes was a master at this particular aspect of Hammond jazz. Live date Onsaya ...
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Stanley Turrentine - Stan The Man

Stanley Turrentine Stan ‘The Man’ Turrentine (Time 1960)

Stanley Turrentine swings impeccably on his 1960 debut as leader Stan 'The Man' Turrentine, but his style isn’t as fully ...
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Lonnie Smith - Move Your Hand

Lonnie Smith Move Your Hand (Blue Note 1969)

A Blue Note bestseller, Move Your Hand obviously struck a chord among Hammond lovers as well as broader jazz fans ...
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The Jazz Crusaders Tough Talk (Pacific Jazz 1963)

The Jazz Crusaders. What’s in a name? Whether self-consciously or on a subliminal level, crusading they did; throughout the sixties ...
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Gene Ammons Angel Eyes

Gene Ammons Angel Eyes (Prestige 1965)

Tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons was incarcerated on drugs charges from 1958-1960 and 1962-1969. As record companies often did when one ...
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Grant Green Carryin’ On (Blue Note 1969)

Around 1966 Grant Green’s life and career had fallen into a slump, due to a major drug problem and an ...
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