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Even by the high-water marks set by Herbie Hancock’s tremendous 1960s Blue Note output, 1965’s Maiden Voyage remains one of the pinnacle artistic achievements of the great pianist’s career. Hancock is joined here by his Miles Davis Quintet bandmates Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums, along with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and George Coleman on tenor saxophone.

The quintet embarks on an oceanic exploration of five original Hancock compositions, several of which have since become enduring standards of the jazz lexicon including the title track, “Eye of the Hurricane,” and “Dolphin Dance.”

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. – Blue Note

With their unerring synergy and the deep-grooved rhythmic impetus they summon together, these artists do not seem at all to miss the presence of a stickman. Miller, of course, has the responsibility to make full use of both the piano’s melodic and rhythmic capacities, and he does so flawlessly throughout, as Hargrove deftly inserts his trumpet lines into the spaces Miller leaves open—often in unexpected places, heightening both tension and release. For the most part, Hargrove maintains a flat-timbred, vibrato-less tone (clearly the Miles influence), which means that the emotional depth of his playing is dependent solely on the musical ideas he germinates; no bathos or sentiment to make things easy, for either the listener or him. But on more celebratory outings such as “Con Alma” and “Invitation,” he overlays his tone with a brilliant sheen, pumping up both volume and intensity, with clarion-like ascents and upper-range testifying. His extended lines at times echo Clifford Brown’s with their fusion of dexterity and precision, as well as their recasting of classic bop patterns. Miller, meanwhile, confines his explorations primarily to his right hand, using his left as a rhythmic and chordal base on which to dance; his exploratory drive is focused and relentless.

As resolutely as these two highly disciplined improvisers hew to what are now considered conventional notions of melody, pitch, intonation, and harmony (glorying in the sometimes-forgotten art of extracting new riches from well-mined lodes), their music is never dry or pedantic. Even on ballads such as “This Is Always,” “I Remember Clifford” (which gives Hargrove full range to explore his Brownian side), and Monk’s “Ruby My Dear,” a sense of irrepressible playfulness makes itself felt, as trumpeter and pianist toss ideas back and forth like ballplayers in a round of pepper: every moment new and sparkling, celebrating a brotherhood of the spirit bonded by joy, deepened by inspiration, and anointed with love. – Jazz Times

100% essential Blue Note Bobby Hutcherson LP. Vibist Hutcherson joined by Freddie Hubbard, James Spaulding, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Joe Chambers. Includes the classic 'Little B's Poem'. 

This album was recorded live at the Five Spot Cafe in New York City in August 1958 with Monk on piano, Johnny Griffin on sax, Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Roy Haynes on drums.

There are re-workings of his earlier compositions (it should be axiomatic that Monk is a constantly self-renewing composer-arranger-musician, that each new recording of an "old" number, particularly with different personnel, represents a fresh view of it--almost a new composition).

There is one new piece: "Blues Five Spot." As that title emphasizes, this album (like Thelonious In Action) was recorded on-the-spot during Monk's 1958 engagement at New York's coloful Five Spot Cafe. Thus there is also a brief unaccompanied version of a standard ("Just a Gigolo"); characteristic of the way Thelonious opens most of his sets in a club.

The title selected for this album--Misterioso--is more than just the name of one of its numbers. It is an extremely Monk-like song title, evoking by its mild play on words (linking "mist" and "mystery") another basic characteristic of his music at this or any other time, that feeling of challenge and depth that leads a writer like Gunther Schuller to describe Thelonious quite aptly as "enigmatic and wonderful".

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Here we go with another round from the Acoustic Sounds Series. Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve Label Group and Universal Music Enterprises' audiophile Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. The releases are supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world's largest source for audiophile recordings.

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As Oliver Nelson is known primarily as a big band leader and arranger, he is lesser known as a saxophonist and organizer of small ensembles. Blues And The Abstract Truth is his triumph as a musician for the aspects of not only defining the sound of an era with his all-time classic "Stolen Moments," but on this recording, assembling one of the most potent modern jazz sextets ever. Lead trumpeter Freddie Hubbard is at his peak of performance, while alto saxophonists Nelson and Eric Dolphy (Nelson doubling on tenor) team to for an unlikely union that was simmered to perfection. Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Roy Haynes (drums) can do no wrong as a rhythm section.

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Originally released in 1961. – Acoustic Sounds

The Cat is a 1964 album by Jimmy Smith. It features Smith on Hammond B-3 organ with big band arrangements by composer Lalo Schifrin. The album reached number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Chester Thompson Powerhouse (Remastered Vinyl Edition) LP Regular Version

With long-standing stints in Tower of Power and Santana, Chester Thompson just might be the most decorated and distinguished keyboardist in all of rock and R&B, let alone of the Bay Area musical scene. It's little wonder that this 1971 album, then, is one of the rarest and most coveted albums on the highly collectible Black Jazz Records label'it's Thompson's debut record, cut a couple of years before he joined Tower of Power, with a smokin' band featuring fellow Black Jazz recording artist Rudolph Johnson on sax along with ace drummer Raymond Pounds (Pharoah Sanders, Stevie Wonder, Pointer Sisters) and trombonist Al Hall (Johnny Hammond, Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Harris). And, yes, Powerhouse comes by its title honestly'it's jazz, all right, but injected with a jolt of electricity courtesy of Thompson's Hammond B-3, and with just four tunes spread out over two sides, it's pretty much a nonstop groove. Newly remastered, and with liner notes featuring quotes from fellow Tower of Power member Dave Garibaldi and Bay Area keyboardist Todd Cochran a.k.a. Bayeté that testify as to Chester Thompson's greatness, this is another long-lost triumph from the Black Jazz label. First-ever vinyl reissue! – Real Gone Music

1956, Sonny Rollins was spiritually and physically rejuvenated. And on Sonny Rollins Plus 4, he's clearly inspired by Max Roach and Clifford Brown's depth of spirit. Multi-dimensional re-arrangements of popular songs were a Brown-Roach trademark. "Kiss and Run" is treated to a stop-and-go intro, then settles into a brisk 4/4, as Rollins, Brown, and the perennially underrated Richie Powell fashion long dancing lines. "I Feel a Song Coming On" creates tension by alternating a vamp figure with a swinging release. Rollins takes an immense solo, contrasting chanting figures and foghorn-like long tones with Parker-ish elisions, and Brown answers with buzzing figures and daring harmonic extensions. Then Roach takes things out with sweeping melodic choruses and polyrhythmic fanfares, setting the stage for a torrid tenor-trumpet duel. On "Valse Hot," there's an early example of a successful jazz waltz as Rollins offers up one of his most charming themes. Max Roach treats the European three with the dancing elan of an American four, and Rollins responds by floating in between the beat, syncopating in Monk-ish stabs and thrusts, as Brown answers with the kind of rhythmically complex, sweetly articulated melodic lines that have inspired every modern trumpeter. – All Music

In his desire to leave the jazz indie label Prestige and join the affluent major Columbia, for a lucrative recording deal that would eventually establish him in the mainstream as a household name, Miles Davis agreed to stockpile several albums’ worth of material for producer Bob Weinstock’s small company, thereby fulfilling his contractual obligations. Though recorded quickly over just two sessions, the resulting albums – Cookin’, Relaxin’, Workin’ and Steamin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet – remain key post-bop albums and a fascinating look at Miles’ earliest recordings with his first great quintet. – U Discover Music 

This excellent LP by the classic John Coltrane Quartet (with pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones) is highlighted by a 26-minute version of "Mr. P.C." Also included on the album are "The Inchworm" and the ballad "Every Time We Say Goodbye." Although the sound and passion of the group on this date will not surprise veteran listeners, it is always interesting to hear new variations of songs already definitively recorded in the studios. The Paris Concert is recommended to all true Coltrane fanatics. – All Music

The last of the Jackie McLean Prestige sessions, this LP has material from two different sets, but fortunately, the music is on a higher level than one might expect of "leftovers." "Strange Blues" is from a marathon quartet set that McLean had with pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Arthur Phipps, and drummer Art Taylor, as is a rendition of "What's New" that is an alternate version to the one included on Makin' the Changes. In addition, "Disciples Love Affair" and "Millie's Pad" match McLean with the tuba of Ray Draper (who contributed both songs), trumpeter Webster Young, pianist John Meyers, bassist Bill Salter, and drummer Larry Ritchie, while the incomplete "Not So Strange Blues" is all McLean on an explosive blues with the rhythm section. A generally strong set chiefly recommended to Jackie McLean completists. – All Music

Art Pepper made a name for himself around Los Angeles in the '50s as a leading light in the style then known as West Coast jazz -- a cool alternative to the hot hard bop being made in East Coast cities like New York and Philadelphia. Pepper never really fit the cool stereotype, however; he was too incendiary a soloist (influenced by Lester Young, perhaps, and Bird certainly), more inclined to inject overt anger and passion into his playing than contemporaries like Getz or Mulligan. By the time these sides were made in 1976, any residual coolness had been displaced by hot emotionalism and an almost manic intensity. The lessons of John Coltrane had clearly been absorbed, harmonically and otherwise; not only was Pepper more assertive than ever, but he also took more chances. Polish is for shoes and fingernails: by the late '70s Pepper was rough, raw, and nakedly vulnerable. Every solo this late in his career was an adventure. – All Music

Recorded when he was only 19, Candy was one of the first albums (along with The Cooker, recorded the same year) where Lee Morgan showed his own unique style. His prodigal technical virtuosity had already been proven at this time in the Dizzy Gilliespie band, but Morgan's first solo ventures had been remarkable only because of his young age. Here, the influence of some of Morgan's mentors can be seen, but instead of just emulating the style of older trumpeters like Clifford Brown, he has begun absorbing bits and pieces of the phrasing and style of a wide range of musicians, from Gillespie to Miles Davis, then using them to forge his own sound. Morgan places himself front and center here -- there are no other horns to carry the melodic lines, leaving him quite exposed, but he manages to perform beautifully. – All Music

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard burst upon the Blue Note scene in June 1960 with his auspicious debut album Open Sesame. Within 6 months Hubbard had already recorded a follow-up (Goin’ Up) and appeared as a sideman on sessions with Tina Brooks (True Blue), Hank Mobley (Roll Call), Kenny Drew (Undercurrent), and Jackie McLean (Bluesnik). Hubbard’s bravado style was already fully formed on Open Sesame with his brilliant tone and jaw-dropping technical prowess at the helm of sterling quintet with tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Clifford Jarvis. Highlights of the set include the hard-charging title track, a stunning ballad performance on “But Beautiful,” and a grooving version of “One Mint Julep.” – Blue Note

 Revisited, with additional takes, texts and photos, here is the very first ECM session, recorded in Ludwigsburg in November 1969, featuring the great American pianist Mal Waldron, whose resume included work with Coltrane, Mingus, Dolphy and Billie Holiday. In his original liner notes, Mal wrote: “This album represents my meeting with free jazz. Free jazz for me does not mean complete anarchy… You will hear me playing rhythmically instead of soloing on chord changes.” As Jazz Journal noted, “tough, two-handed modal blues” predominates, and the music sounds as fresh now as the day it was recorded. Indeed, the tersely-grooving “Boo” and “Rock My Soul” could be club hits half a century later. The Extended Anniversary Edition of Free At Last is issued as an audiophile vinyl double album. - ECM

Hammond B-3 organ soul jazz fans know and love the music of Jimmy Smith, but lesser known is the tragically short life and career of Roosevelt “Baby Face” Willette who produced some of the deepest grooves ever recorded on the B-3 on just two Blue Note albums recorded in 1961. Willette’s debut Face to Face is a showcase for his blues-drenched organ pyrotechnics. Joined by the brilliant guitarist Grant Green, tenor sax master Fred Jackson and the rock-solid drums of Ben Dixon, Face to Face is a tour de force of rough and ready soul jazz brilliance with an iconic Reid Miles cover design to match! - Blue Note Records

An amazing Japanese jazz live recording from 1975 by the Fumio Itabashi Trio. Now re-issued for all on Studio Mule.

“Duke Pearson rises to the challenge of writing for an all-star octet (with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, trombonist Garnett Brown, altoist James Spaulding, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, bassist Gene Taylor, drummer Grady Tate, and the leader/pianist), contributing colorful frameworks and consistently challenging compositions. This is one of the finest recordings of Duke Pearson's career.”– All Music

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