Browse by Label: BLUE NOTE

Artist:	MONTEROSE, J.R.
Title:	J.R. Monterose
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 1536LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1956. Featuring Ira Sullivan (trumpet), Horace Silver (piano), Wilbur Ware (bass), "Philly" Joe Jones (drums) and Monterose (tenor sax). "J.R. Monterose's first session as a leader was a thoroughly enjoyable set of swinging, straight-ahead bop that revealed him as a saxophonist with a knack for powerful, robust leads in the vein of Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins. With a stellar supporting group of pianist Horace Silver, trumpeter Ira Sullivan, bassist Wilbur Ware, and drummer 'Philly' Joe Jones, Monterose has recorded a set of bop that swings at a measured pace and offers many delightful moments. Throughout the session, Monterose sounds vigorous, whether he's delivering hard-swinging solos or waxing lyrical. With his bluesy vamps and soulful solos, Silver is equally impressive, while Sullivan's spotlights are alternately punchy and skilled; similarly, the rhythm section is tight, letting the music breathe while keeping the groove. In fact, the quality of the music is so strong, J.R. Monterose qualifies as one of the underappreciated gems in Blue Note's mid-'50s catalog." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	JORDAN, CLIFF
Title:	Cliff Jordan
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 1565LP

Exact repro reissue of Clifford Jordan's second solo album for Blue Note, originally released in 1959. Featuring Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), John Jenkins (alto sax), Cliff Jordan (tenor sax), Ray Bryant (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Taylor (drums). "Cliff has a strong, virile tone that is similar in essence to Sonny Rollins (a mighty influence on so many of today's young tenor men) but he is by no means an ersatz Rollins. His conception is personal, fresh and exciting and he will, no doubt, rank high..."

Artist:	CLARK, SONNY
Title:	Dial "S" For Sonny
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 1570LP

Exact repro reissue of Sonny's 1957 album. "Dial "S" for Sonny, Sonny Clark's first session for Blue Note Records and his first session as a leader, is a terrific set of laidback bop, highlighted by Clark's liquid, swinging solos. Clark leads a first-rate group -- Art Farmer (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Wilbur Ware (bass), Louis Hayes (drums) -- through four originals and two standards, balancing the selections between swinging bop and reflective ballads. There are traces of Bud Powell in Clark's style, but he's beginning to come into his own, developing a style that's alternately edgy and charmingly relaxed. Mobley, Farmer and Fuller have their moments, but Clark steals the show in this set of fine, straight-ahead bop." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	CLARK, SONNY
Title:	Sonny's Crib
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 1576LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1959. Featuring Donald Byrd (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Sonny Clark (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Taylor (drums). "Recorded in 1957, Sonny's Crib features a front line of Curtis Fuller, Donald Byrd, and John Coltrane with Sonny Clark on piano, Art Taylor on drums, and Paul Chambers on bass. Truly still a bebop recording, done a full year before the landmark Cool Struttin' session, nonetheless the set produced some awesome readings of classic tunes, like the opener, 'With a Song in My Heart,' with one of the knottiest Byrd solos ever. As Chambers and Taylor up the rhythmic ante and Clark comps with enormous chords in the background, the entire line solos, but it is Byrd's that is stunning in its complexity -- though Coltrane could play bebop as well as anybody. The most notable tracks on the session are the classic readings of Kurt Weill's 'Speak Low' and 'News for Lulu,' the latter of which has been adopted by John Zorn as his theme. On the former, Clark's rearrangement, with Coltrane leading the front line, is truly revelatory. Using a Latin rhythm in cut time, Clark sets up a long, 22-note melody line that moves right into Trane's solo. He moves the key around and harmonically shifts gears as Clark follows and stays in the pocket for him while Trane uses the middle register for legato pyrotechnics. Fuller's next and covers over the blues inherent in the tune with pure swing, before Byrd brings it back into the fold with a gorgeous counterpoint of the melody. Clark taps his way into extended harmonics on the sixths and sharpens the accents as he trounces the original key and plays double trills to get back. The latter is a smokin' Latin take on the hard bop blues, with a staggered melodic line and a large tonal palette that gives the horn players room to explore the timbral possibilities of Clark's colors -- which are revealed in the loosest, skittering skein of bluesy phrasing this side of Horace Silver in his solo. In all, Sonny's Crib is a phenomenal recording, one that opened the door to hard bop becoming the norm in the late '50s, and one that drew deft, imaginative performances from all its players." -- All Music

Artist:	MORGAN, LEE
Title:	The Cooker
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 1578LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1957. Featuring Lee Morgan (trumpet), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Bobby Timmons (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and "Philly" Joe Jones (drums). "The trumpeter, then just 19, teams up with baritonist Pepper Adams, pianist Bobby Timmons, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones for a particularly strong set that is highlighted by a lengthy and fiery 'Night in Tunisia,' 'Lover Man' and a rapid rendition of 'Just One of Those Things.' Morgan plays remarkably well for his age (already ranking just below Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis), making this an essential acquisition." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	RED, SONNY
Title:	Out Of The Blue
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4032LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1960. Featuring Wynton Kelly (piano), Sam Jones (bass), Paul Chambers (bass), Roy Brooks (drums), Jimmy Cobb (drums) and Red (alto sax). "This album consists of material from two different sessions. Pianist Wynton Kelly, a sympathetic accompanist and complementary soloist, whose played with Miles Davis, is present on all the numbers. The rest of the rhythm section for the first six tracks consists of the highly dependable Sam Jones of the Cannonball Adderley group and Roy Brooks, the youthful drummer who stepped comfortably into fellow Detroiter Louis Hayes' shoes with Horace Silver's quintet in 1959. On the last two tracks, 'The Lope' and 'Stairway To The Stars,' Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb join Kelly to make it an all-Miles Davis rhythm section."

Artist:	GREEN, GRANT
Title:	Grant's First Stand
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4064LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1961. Featuring Grant Green (guitar), "Baby Face" Willette (organ) and Ben Dixon (drums). "'Miss Ann's Tempo,' 'Blues For Willarene,' 'A Wee Bit O'Green,' all lines by Green, and 'Baby's Minor Lope' (by Willette) are blues of varying shades and tempos with an earthy, deep-rooted swing characteristic of each. Willette, who will be compared with Jimmy Smith, is, as both a soloist and accompanist, a propulsive force throughout, making great use of the organ''s intrinsic power and demonstrating, along with Green, that 'funk' has not yet been depelted of its resources."

Artist:	HANCOCK, HERBIE
Title:	Inventions & Dimensions
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4147LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1964. Featuring Paul Chambers (bass), Willie Bobo (drums & timbales), Osvaldo "Chihuahau" Martinez (conga & bongo) and Hancock (piano). "For his third album, Inventions and Dimensions, Herbie Hancock changed course dramatically. Instead of recording another multifaceted album like My Point of View, he explored a Latin-inflected variation of post-bop with a small quartet. Hancock is the main harmonic focus of the music -- his three colleagues are bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Willie Bobo, and percussionist Osvaldo 'Chihuahua' Martinez, who plays conga and bongo. It is true that the music is rhythm-intensive, but that doesn't mean it's dance music. Hancock has created an improvisational atmosphere where the rhythms are fluid and the chords, harmonies, and melodies are unexpected. On every song but one, the melodies and chords were improvised, with Hancock's harmonic ideas arising from the rhythms during the recording. The result is risky, unpredictable music that is intensely cerebral and quite satisfying. Inventions and Dimensions displays his willingness to experiment and illustrates that his playing is reaching new, idiosyncratic heights." -- All Music

Artist:	GREEN, GRANT
Title:	Idle Moments
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4154LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1963. Featuring Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Grant Green (guitar), Duke Pearson (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Al Harewood (drums). "This languid, seductive gem may well be Grant Green's greatest moment on record. Right from the opening bars of the classic title cut, Idle Moments is immediately ingratiating and accessible, featuring some of Green's most stylish straight jazz playing. Whether he's running warm (pianist Duke Pearson's 'Idle Moments'), cool (the Modern Jazz Quartet's 'Django'), or a bit more up-tempo (Pearson's 'Nomad,' his own 'Jean de Fleur'), Green treats the material with the graceful elegance that was the hallmark of his best hard bop sessions, and that quality achieves its fullest expression here." -- All Music

Artist:	HILL, ANDREW
Title:	Point Of Departure
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4167LP

Exact repro reissue of pianist Andrew Hill's fourth album for Blue Note, originally released in 1964. Hill has been described as "the most deft avant-garde artist in jazz" (PopMatters). Featuring Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Eric Dolphy (alto sax, flute & bass clarinet), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Richard Davis (bass) and Anthony Williams (drums). "The pieces on Point Of Departure don't flow and develop, and they don't have a lot of built-in contrast; there's no crescendo or denouement in the expected places, and they don't make a journey, traveling from a home key to an away key and back. They tend to be organized into two units of the same number of measures or even, in the case of 'Flight 19,' as one constantly repeating unit. What Hill devised, though, were ingenious ways to work with static harmony. The tunes have intriguingly dark melodies, but on much of the material, when the players find the right scale to work from, they can just let it rip through their solo without having to worry about chord changes." -- Ben Ratliff

Artist:	SHORTER, WAYNE
Title:	Night Dreamer
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4173LP

Recorded 1964. "Tenor-saxophonist Wayne Shorter's Blue Note debut found him well prepared to enter the big time. With an impressive quintet that includes trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Elvin Jones, Shorter performed a well-rounded program consisting of five of his originals plus an adaptation of an 'Oriental Folk Song.' Whether it be the brooding title cut, the Coltranish ballad 'Virgo' or the jams on 'Black Nile' and 'Charcoal Blues,' this is a memorable set of high-quality and still fresh music." --All Music Guide

Artist:	MITCHELL, BLUE
Title:	The Thing To Do
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4178LP

Exact repro reissue of one of the truly legendary Blue Note sessions, originally released in 1964. Featuring Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Junior Cook (tenor sax), Chick Corea (piano -- his second recorded appearance and debut for Blue Note), Gene Taylor (bass), and Aloysius Foster (drums). "This Blue Mitchell date is a classic, particularly the opening 'Fungii Mama,' which is really catchy. The trumpeter's quintet of the period (which includes tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, the young pianist Chick Corea, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Al Foster) also performs two Jimmy Heath tunes and a song apiece by Joe Henderson ('Step Lightly') and Corea. The record is prime Blue Note hard bop, containing inventive tunes, meaningful solos, and an enthusiastic but tight feel. Highly recommended." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	DORHAM, KENNY
Title:	Trompeta Toccata
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4181LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1964. "It seems strange and somewhat tragic that this was trumpeter Kenny Dorham's last full album as a leader for he was only 40 at the time and still in his prime. Dorham contributed three of the four selections to the session (Joe Henderson's catchy 'Mamacita' also receives its debut), and his very underrated abilities as a writer, trumpeter, and talent scout are very much in evidence. This modern hard bop quintet set with Henderson on tenor, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Albert 'Tootie' Heath served as a strong (if premature) ending to Dorham's impressive career as a solo artist." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	PATTON, BIG JOHN
Title:	Oh Baby!
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4192LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released on Blue Note in 1965. Featuring Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Harold Vick (tenor sax), Grant Green (guitar), John Patton (organ) and Ben Dixon (drums). Exact repro reissue, originally released on Blue Note in 1965. Featuring Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Harold Vick (tenor sax), Grant Green (guitar), John Patton (organ) and Ben Dixon (drums). "This is 'Big' John's fourth album for Blue Note Records. In his appraisal of the album, he said, 'I feel this album moves me closer to interpreting music my way.' And he added, 'I want to go on studying. A musician cannot stand still. The mechanical power of the organ can easily delude you into projecting strength as opposed to blending it with other instruments. Control is very important and so is direction.'"

Artist:	SHORTER, WAYNE
Title:	Speak No Evil
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4194LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1964. "On his third date for Blue Note within a year, Wayne Shorter changed the bands that played on both Night Dreamer and Juju and came up with not only another winner, but also managed to give critics and jazz fans a different look at him as a saxophonist. Because of his previous associations with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and Reggie Workman on those recordings, Shorter had been unfairly branded with the 'just-another-Coltrane-disciple' tag, despite his highly original and unusual compositions. Here, with only Jones remaining and his bandmates from the Miles Davis Quintet, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter on board (with Freddie Hubbard filling out the horn section), Shorter at last came into his own and caused a major reappraisal of his earlier work. The odd harmonic frameworks used to erect 'Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum,' with its balladic structure augmented with a bluesy regimen of hard bop and open-toned modalism, create the illusion of a much larger band managing all that timbral space. Likewise on the title track, with its post-bop-oriented melodic line strewn across a wide chromatic palette of minors and Hancock's piano pushing through a contrapuntal set of semi-quavers, the avant-garde meets the hard bop of the '50s head on and everybody wins. The loping lyric of the horns and Hancock's vamping in the middle section during Shorter's solo reveals a broad sense of humor in the saxophonist's linguistics and a deep, more regimented sense of time and thematic coloration. The set ends with the beautiful 'Wild Flower,' a lilting ballad with angular accents by Hancock who takes the lyric and inverts it, finding a chromatic counterpoint that segues into the front line instead of playing in opposition. The swing is gentle but pronounced and full of Shorter's singular lyricism as a saxophonist as well as a composer." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	PEARSON, DUKE
Title:	Sweet Honey Bee
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	BLP 4252LP

Exact repro reissue; originally issued on Blue Note in 1966. "Fortunately for music, as for all other manifestations of life, it has so far been impossible to homogenize temperament. Even, for example, in a time of unusual tension, such as the present, there are those who somehow sustain an open, lyrical, non-competitive approach to being alive. Although Duke's music has always been airy and spring-like, perhaps a particular reason for the sense of well-being in this album is the attractive young lady on the cover who, by the time you hear the music, will have become Mrs. Betty Pearson. There was something of her in Duke's thoughts when he wrote Sweet Honey Bee. Its sunny melody and resiliently infectious beat do communicate, as Duke puts it, 'a bit of happiness.' Considerably more than a bit. There is a dance-like buoyancy in Duke's own piano solo, and James Spaulding's flute also emphasizes the light-hearted mood of expectancy that makes Sweet Honey Bee a spirit-energizer." -- Nat Hentoff

Artist:	YOUNG, LARRY
Title:	Contrasts
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4266LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1967. "For this interesting set, organist Larry Young (the first musician on his instrument to really move beyond Jimmy Smith's soul-jazz into the avant-garde) mostly utilized lesser-known musicians from the Newark, NJ, area: Tyrone Washington and Herbert Morgan on tenors, flugelhornist Hank White, guitarist Eddie Wright, drummer Eddie Gladden, and Stacey Edwards on congas. 'Major Affair' is an organ-drums duet and Larry's wife Althea Young does a haunting version of 'Wild Is the Wind,' while the other four selections use all of the horns. The adventurous music is sometimes quite intense but also grooves in its own eccentric way, offering listeners a very fresh sound on organ." -- All Music

Artist:	MOBLEY, HANK
Title:	Hi Voltage
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4273LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1967. Featuring Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Jackie McLean (alto sax), Hank Mobley (tenor sax), John Hicks (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums). "Hank's path along the road to maturity took him on a level course through the latter days of the bebop era. While many musicians of the day were trying to smooth out some of the rough edges of bop (in certain cases this led to the so-called cool counter-revolution), Hank already had his own thing pretty well together. During the middle and late 1950s he seemed just as much at ease with the typical combos of that period (the hard bop phase) as he had in his earliest days. Some critics have detected in him a slight Coltrane influence. It would be difficult indeed for any tenor saxophonist with open ears not to have absorbed a touch of Trane during the 1960s, but the inherent quality of the Mobley sound, and the craftsmanlike way in which he has evolved his own facility of phrasing (let's call it the Mobley Mobility) precludes any strong resemblance between the two."

Artist:	DONALDSON, LOU
Title:	Midnight Creeper
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4280LP

Gatefold exact repro reissue, originally released in 1968. Featuring the sexiest album art Blue Note could fathom. "As he delved deeper into commercial soul-jazz and jazz-funk, Lou Donaldson became better at it. While lacking the bite of his hard bop improvisations or the hard-swinging funk of Alligator Bogaloo, Midnight Creeper succeeds where its predecessor, Mr. Shing-A-Ling failed: it offers a thoroughly enjoyable set of grooving, funky soul-jazz. The five songs -- including two originals by Donaldson and one each by Lonnie Smith (who also plays organ on the record), Teddy Vann, and Harold Ousley -- aren't particularly distinguished, but the vibe is important, not the material. And the band -- Donaldson, Smith, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, guitarist George Benson, and drummer Leo Morris -- strikes the right note, turning in a fluid, friendly collection of bluesy funk vamps. Donaldson could frequently sound stilted on his commercial soul-jazz dates, but that's not the case with Midnight Creeper. He rarely was quite as loose on his late-'60s/early-'70s records as he is here, and that's what makes Midnight Creeper a keeper." -- All Music

Artist:	BYRD, DONALD
Title:	Slow Drag
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4292LP

Gatefold exact repro reissue, originally released in 1967. Featuring Sonny Red, Cedar Walton, Walter Booker and Billy Higgins. "Slow Drag was one of trumpeter Donald Byrd's final hard bop dates. Teamed with altoist Sonny Red, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Walter Booker and drummer Billy Higgins (who takes a surprise vocal on the title cut), this quintet outing features originals by Byrd, Walton and Red along with the standards 'Secret Love' and 'My Ideal.' The music in general finds Byrd looking both backwards toward the blues and forwards toward modal music and hints of the avant-garde. A fine effort." --All Music

Artist:	SMITH, LONNIE
Title:	Move Your Hand
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4326LP

Gatefold exact repro reissue, originally released in 1969. Recorded live at "Club Harlem" Atlantic City, NJ. Featuring Rudy Jones (tenor sax), Robbie Cuber (baritone sax), Larry McGee (guitar), Sylvester Goshay (drums) and Lonnie Smith on organ and vocals. "The band was tight. There was a feeling of togetherness on that small bandstand. From the first note on, everything fell into place. Whether they played 'Charlie Brown' or 'Sunshine Superman,' the blues permeated everything they played.... Right in the groove and probably the high point of the session was Lonnie's sensational 'Move Your Hand.' His infectious, humorous vocal really turns this track into 'something else'."

Artist:	MCGRIFF, JIMMY
Title:	Electric Funk
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4350LP

Exact repro reissue of this 1969 album from the Giant Of The Organ, now legendary in soul/jazz/hip hop circles. Simply one of the funkiest Blue Note albums -- ever. "With '69s Electric Funk, McGriff slathered his Blue Note debut with the assistance of arranger/composer/pianist Horace Ott, Stanley Turrentine and an uncredited Bernard Purdie. With tunes like 'Chris Cross' and 'The Bird Wave,' McGriff's funk bag was cemented." -- Wax Poetics contributing editor Matt Rogers

Artist:	COLEMAN, ORNETTE
Title:	Love Call
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4356LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1968. Featuring Ornette Coleman (alto sax & trumpet), Dewey Redman (tenor sax), Jimmy Garrison (bass) and Elvin Jones (drums). "'Love Call,' with Coleman on trumpet, maintains a blistering intensity as the two horns are not merely supported but engulfed in the rhythmic pressure furnished by Garrison and Jones. Note particularly the passage, beginning about two thirds of the way through the track, when the two horns engage in a rapier-like exchange, each seemingly feeding on the other's insatiable energy."

Artist:	HENDERSON, JOE
Title:	Mode For Joe
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BST 84227LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1966. Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson's first album with a group larger than a quintet: Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Cedar Walton (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Joe Chambers (drums). "At a time when far too many Coltrane clones roamed the Earth, Joe Henderson shined as a personal, distinctive stylist with a brawny, instantly recognizable tone. Walton's delicate and gently swinging Mode for Joe brings out the softer, lyrical side of these Blue Note heavyweights. Henderson contributes one of his more subdued solos on record. Though less aggressive than normal, his solo is still harmonically adventurous and surprising. His melodicism is juxtaposed by sudden bursts of frantic clusters of notes. Hutcherson is in top form -- once again proving he is the most expressive of all vibraphonists. A great addition to any collection."

Artist:	MORGAN, LEE
Title:	The Sixth Sense
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	BST 84335LP

Recorded 1967. "For this lesser-known Lee Morgan LP, the trumpeter was starting to stretch beyond hard bop into more modal areas while retaining his easily recognizable sound. None of Morgan's originals (which are performed along with pianist Cedar Walton's 'Afreaka' and Cal Massey's 'The Cry of My People') caught on, but the music is creatively performed by the trumpeter, altoist Jackie McLean (who was always a perfect musical partner), the obscure tenor Frank Mitchell, Walton, bassist Victor Sproles, and drummer Billy Higgins." --All Music Guide

Artist:	WILSON, REUBEN
Title:	Blue Mode
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	BST 84343LP

Exact repro reissue; originally issued on Blue Note in 1969. "If Love Bug skirted the edges of free jazz and black power, Blue Mode embraces soul-jazz and Memphis funk in no uncertain terms. Opening with the cinematic, stuttering 'Bambu' and running through a set of relaxed, funky grooves -- including covers of Eddie Floyd's 'Knock On Wood' and Edwin Starr's 'Twenty-Five Miles' -- Blue Mode isn't strictly a jazz album, but its gritty, jazzy vamps and urban soul-blues make it highly enjoyable. Reuben Wilson has a laid-back, friendly style and his supporting band -- tenor saxophonist John Manning, guitarist Melvin Sparks, and drummer Tommy Derrick -- demonstrate a similarly warm sense of tone. While none of them break through with any improvisations that would satiate hardcore jazz purists, they know how to work a groove, and that's what makes Blue Mode a winner."

Artist:	BYRD, DONALD
Title:	Electric Byrd
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BST 84349LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released on Blue Note in 1970. "Donald Byrd's transitional sessions from 1969-1971 are actually some of the trumpeter's most intriguing work, balancing accessible, funky, Davis-style fusion with legitimate jazz improvisation. Electric Byrd, from 1970, is the best of the bunch, as Byrd absorbs the innovations of Bitches Brew and comes up with one of his most consistent fusion sets of any flavor. Byrd leads his largest fusion group yet (ten to 11 pieces), featuring many of his cohorts of the time (including Jerry Dodgion, Lew Tabackin, and Frank Foster on various woodwinds). Most important are electric pianist Duke Pearson, who once again dominates the arrangements, and percussionist Airto Moreira, who in places lends a strong Brazilian feel that predates Return to Forever. Moreira also contributes one of the four compositions, 'Xibaba,' which starts out as an airy Brazilian tune but morphs into a free-form effects extravaganza; the rest are Byrd originals that prove equally imaginative and diverse." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	CANDIDO
Title:	Beautiful
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BST 84357LP

Exact repro reissue of Candido's Blue Note debut, a rare groove essential, originally released in 1970. Candido plays conga & bongos with Bernie Glow (trumpet), Pat Russo (trumpet), Joe Grimm (saxes & flute), Alan Raph (trombone & bass trombone), Frank Anderson (piano & organ), Dave Spinozza (guitar), Richard Davis (fender bass), Gerald Jemmott (fender bass) and Herbie Lovelle (drums). Magnetic, hypnotic, dance-oriented funk from the "Man With A Thousand Fingers."

Artist:	BYRD, DONALD
Title:	Ethiopian Knights
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BST 84380LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released on Blue Note in 1971. "Right from the stop-start bass groove that opens 'The Emperor,' it's immediately clear that Ethiopian Knights is more indebted to funk -- not just funky jazz, but the straight-up James Brown/Sly Stone variety -- than any previous Donald Byrd project. And, like a true funk band, Byrd and his group work the same driving, polyrhythmic grooves over and over, making rhythm the focal point of the music." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	FOSTER, RONNIE
Title:	Two Headed Freap
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BST 84382LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1972. "Ronnie Foster's debut album Two Headed Freap is a set of contemporary funky soul-jazz from the early '70s, which means it sounds closer to the soundtrack of a lost blaxploitation flick than Back at the Chicken Shack, Pt. 2. Foster certainly does display a debt to Jimmy Smith, but his playing is busier than Smith's and a bit wilder. Ironic, then, that his playing is in service to the groove and blends into the mix of wah-wah guitars, funk rhythms, electric bass, harps, and percolating percussion. Everything on Two Headed Freap is about glitzy groove -- it sounds cinematic, colorful, and funky." -- All Music

Artist:	MORGAN, LEE
Title:	Taru
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	LT 1031LP

Recorded 1968. "Trumpeter Lee Morgan performs two funky boogaloos, a ballad and three complex group originals on this album whose music was first released in 1980. This is a transitional date with the hard bop stylist leaning in the direction of modal music and even anticipating aspects of fusion. His sextet (which includes Bennie Maupin on tenor, guitarist George Benson, pianist John Hicks, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Billy Higgins) is quite advanced for the period and inspires Morgan to some fiery and explorative playing." --All Music Guide

Artist:	BLAKEY AND THE JAZZ MESSENGERS, ART
Title:	Africaine
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	LT 1088LP

Exact repro reissue, featuring Art Blakey (drums), Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Lee Morgan (trumpet), Walter Davis (piano) and Jymie Merritt (bass). "The sessions for Africaine -- recorded in 1959 but not released until 1979 -- saw innovative young tenorist Shorter linked with the equally forward-looking trumpet of Lee Morgan for the first time on record, set against the efforts of producer Alfred Lion to shape another commercial hit to match Blakey's breakthrough with Moanin'. What he got instead was a showcase for two hot young horn players and composers burning ideas and talent over the uniquely wide-screen Blakey percussion style, all anchored by Walter Davis' s low-key, self-effacing and supportive blues piano." -- All About Jazz

Artist:	SHORTER, WAYNE
Title:	The Soothsayer
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	LT 988LP

Exact repro reissue. Recorded 3/4/67. Featuring Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), James Spaulding (alto sax), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), McCoy Tyner (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums). "Although the melody line of 'The Big Push' is rhythmically unusual, the solos by Shorter, Hubbard, Spaulding and McCoy flow in straight four. Wayne's solo entrance is arresting and wry as he playfully and creatively juggles a simple two note motif and weaves into a full blown solo. 'The Soothsayer' is a burning, delightfully descending line that engenders the kind of fire that makes Spaulding fly. He and Wayne steal the show here. Shorter launches his flight with those fragmented, punctuated lines that were a trademark of his playing in the sixties. Shorter has always been a master composer of ballads. And his tribute to Billy Holiday's 'Lady Day' is no exception. He gives an unbelievable reading that is set off by a lovely, lyrical piano solo from Tyner. A year and a half before this session, Wayne had recorded his own 'Dance Cadaverous' (on Speak No Evil) and credited the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius' 'Valse Triste' as an inspirational source point. Here he arranges Sibelius' own music for the sextet with solos from all except Williams. Coincidentally, this ensemble is VSOP with McCoy in place of Hancock and with Spaulding added. But this was no planned all-star reunion. This was merely the music of the period played unselfconsciously by the musicians who were playing it best." -- Michael Cuscuna, from the back cover.

Artist:	GORDON, DEXTER
Title:	Clubhouse
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	LT 989LP

Exact repro reissue, recorded May, 1965 and originally released in 1979. Featuring Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Barry Harris (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums). "...it rapidly becomes clear that the interplay of Dexter Gordon and Freddie Hubbard is going to be no subdued and tentative affair like 'Gettin' Around'. Freddie Hubbard is at a peak of his abilities and musical imagination at this time and there is a real rapport with Dexter Gordon that lifts the sax player into creative territory... 'Hanky Panky' develops as a genuine jazz piece as soon as Dexter Gordon's solo first breaks the ice and Freddie Hubbard's solo is clearly breaking out of the groove and determined to challenge any easy orthodoxy." -- 100 Greatest Jazz Albums

Artist:	MOBLEY, HANK
Title:	A Slice Of The Top
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	LT 995LP

Exact repro reissue featuring Hank Mobley (tenor sax), James Spaulding (alto sax), Lee Morgan (trumpet), Kiane Zawadi (euphonium), Howard Johnson (tuba), McCoy Tyner (piano), Reggie Workman (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums). "This is one of tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley's more intriguing sessions, for the talented composer had an opportunity to have four of his originals, plus the standard 'There's a Lull in My Life,' performed by an octet in the cool-toned style of Miles Davis's 'Birth of the Cool' nonet, arranged by Duke Pearson. Although recorded in 1966, this date was not released until 1979. Mobley, who continued to evolve into a more advanced player throughout the 1960s, fits right in with such adventurous players as altoist James Spaulding, trumpeter Lee Morgan (with whom Mobley recorded frequently), pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Billy Higgins. The inclusion of Kiane Zawadi on euphonium and Howard Johnson on tuba adds a lot of color to this memorable outing." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	HUTCHERSON, BOBBY
Title:	Spiral
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	LT 996LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1968. Featuring Hutcherson (vibes), Sam Rivers (tenor sax, bass clarinet), Harold Land (tenor sax), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Andrew Hill, Stanley Cowell (piano), Richard Davis, Reggie Johnson (bass) and Joe Chambers (drums). "This album, recorded November 11, 1968, except for that one 1965 track ('Jasper'), stems from the period, 1968-71, during which Hutcherson co-led a quintet with the tenor saxophonist Harold Land. They recorded under Hutcherson's name for Blue Note, and under Land's for Chess and Mainstream. Based in San Diego for a long time, and later in Hollywood, Land was often lumped with West Coast musicians, for what must be geographical reasons. His style has always been closer to the East Coast boppers of the time. At the time of the trumpet player's Blue Mitchell's death, Land was co-leading a quintet with him. The rhythmically arresting 'Poor People's March' on this album is his."

Artist:	MOBLEY, HANK
Title:	Workout
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	ST 84080LP

Exact repro reissue; originally issued on Blue Note in 1961. Featuring Grant Green (guitar), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) and Hank Mobley (tenor sax). "Mobley in some of his best company: guitarist Grant Green, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. Each of these men made dozens of recordings like this one, and in their day they were little noted except as a payday for the musicians and a momentary showcase for their fans to enjoy. But from the standpoint of forty years in the future we can see the high level of mastery these musicians had achieved. Mobley is his mellow-toned self, and he finds a perfect partner in Green, whose electrically-charged lines take Mobley's quiet fire and run with it. Green glows particularly brightly on 'Workout,' while on the jaunty 'Uh Huh' Mobley takes chorus after chorus with a subtle buildup of intensity that reveals him to be a past master of architectonics. And the rhythm section! Philly Joe hasn't lost a step here, and indeed commands more attention than on his dates with Miles. This one was all in a day's work, but what a day! A tour de force. A masterpiece." -- All About Jazz

Artist:	MCLEAN, JACKIE
Title:	A Fickle Sonance
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	ST 84089LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1961. "Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean was one of the few jazz players to come up through bebop and incorporate free jazz into his style. Even though A Fickle Sonance preceded McLean's intense 1962 album Let Freedom Ring, the playing remained in a swinging blues-oriented style, showing no hint of the direction his music was about to take. The sidemen on the date (Tommy Turrentine [trumpet], Sonny Clark [piano], and Butch Warren [bass]) prove to be an invigorating combination of musicians, however not as involved in the burgeoning free music as drummer Billy Higgins. At the time of these sessions, Higgins had already played with Ornette Coleman, providing a link to the avant-garde, but nevertheless his playing follows the hard bop pace of the others. McLean provides two original compositions, 'Subdued' and the title track, while Clark, Turrentine, and Warren fill the remaining tracks." -- All Music Guide

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Artist:	SILVER QUINTET, HORACE
Title:	Further Explorations By The Horace Silver Quintet
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 1589LP

Artist:	ILORI AND HIS AFRO-DRUM ENSEMBLE, SOLOMON
Title:	African High Life
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4136LP

Artist:	TURRENTINE, STANLEY
Title:	The Spoiler
Label:	BLUE NOTE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	BLP 4256LP