Exploring vintage jazz vinyl with a focus on label and pressing details, discographical information and critical musings on the music found within the grooves.
Considered to be one of Mulligan's best albums, What Is There To Say? is a fantastic piano-less quartet session that benefits greatly from the underrated talents of Art Farmer and Dave Bailey.
Read MoreGrant Green teams up with Big John Patton and Ben Dixon for a great one-off soul jazz LP, recorded in Pittsburgh in 1967 but not released until 1972 on Cobblestone Records and then again in 1977 on the Muse label.
Read MoreWhile he is better known for his later releases on the CTI Label, Hubert Laws actually started off his career with a run of straight-ahead jazz records that find him and his quartet (which included a young Chick Corea) in a nice hard bop setting.
Read MoreWoody Shaw's last album for Columbia is a wonderful straight-ahead jazz session, with his quintet of talented players being joined by Gary Bartz on two tracks. As usual, Shaw was forging ahead with inventive ideas at a time when very few others in the commercial jazz world were following his lead.
Read MoreColtrane and the Red Garland Trio join forces on 1958's Soultrane, beginning a period of rapid musical growth for Trane that would result in him becoming the leading tenor player on the modern jazz scene on his way to cementing his status as a true jazz legend.
Read MoreOn his second to last recording for Blue Note, Herbie stays on the creative hot streak he was on with Maiden Voyage, this time employing some more complex arrangements to create an absolutely beautiful record that remains one of his great musical statements.
Read MoreCharlie Rouse takes a break from his usual hard bop excellence for a funky and often spiritual soul jazz excursion on the always stimulating Strata-East label. The resulting album might be hard to find, but offers the open-minded listener some excellent and adventurous early-seventies jazz music.
Read MoreOn Merry Go Round the great Elvin Jones leads a large group of musicians including David Liebman, Steve Grossman and Gene Perla (all members of his touring group at this time), as well as his early-Blue Note partner Joe Farrell who was always at the top of his game playing alongside Jones. The resulting LP is a strong early seventies post bop record with some funky soul jazz thrown in for good measure.
Read MoreGood Bait finds Bobby Hutcherson and Orrin Keepnews working together for the first time. The result is a great post-bop record that looks both forward and backwards at the world of jazz circa 1985.
Read MoreStanley Turrentine and Milt Jackson lead a group of ultra-talented players on one of the better early CTI recordings, with tracks that range from soulful hard bop to funky soul-jazz delight.
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