At 21, Herbie Hancock was already a mature and well-traveled musician. He played Mozart with the Chicago Symphony at age 11, studied at Grinnell College and by age 20 played with Donald Byrd. Takin' Off, his Blue Note debut, is a sophisticated showcase for Hancock's ability as a group leader. Not as intellectually challenging or technically complex as his later recordings, the pianist nevertheless displays a restless imagination and technical verve.

American pianist Kenny Drew's second and final album under Blue Note Records. "Undercurrent" was originally released in 1961 and features a quintet comprised of Drew, Freddie Hubbard, Hank Mobley, Sam Jones and Louis Hayes. This was Drew's last recording before heading to Copenhagen to begin his international jazz career.

"The Turnaround!" is jazz tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley's 1965 Blue Note release. The hard bop, soul jazz instrumentalist and composer collaborated with some of the '60s most proficient jazz musicians on this release, including Herbie Hancock, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, Freddie Hubbard and Donald Byrd, among others.

"Empyrean Isles" is Herbie Hancock's fourth album. It debuted two of his most popular compositions, "One Finger Snap" and "Cantaloupe Island". Hancock pushes the boundaries of hard bop on this album, playing with elements of soul, post-modal jazz, traditional bop, and experimental jazz.

During Coltrane’s Atlantic years, he made important recordings such as "Giant Steps" and "My Favorite Things", recorded albums with Milt Jackson, Don Cherry, and Eric Dolphy and made his debut on the soprano saxophone. The Penguin Guide to Jazz assigned its 'Crown' award to the box set, in addition to giving it a four-star rating (of a possible four).

"Giant Box" is a double album by American arranger/conductor and composer Don Sebesky featuring performances recorded in 1973 and released on the CTI label. The Allmusic review states "This may have been Creed Taylor's most ambitious single project… Thankfully the musicmaking lives up to the billing. Everything that gave CTI its distinctive sound and identity is here – the classical adaptations, elaborate orchestrations and structuring, pop-tune covers, plenty of room for the star soloists to stretch out in a combo format… Giant Box still ranks as a sensational coup and a reminder of how potent CTI was at its peak".

"High Blues Pressure" is the thirteenth album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. It was his second release on the Atlantic label and features performances by Hubbard, James Spaulding, Bennie Maupin, Herbie Lewis, Roman "Dog" Broadus, Weldon Irvine, Kenny Barron, Freddie Waits, Louis Hayes, Howard Johnson, and Kiane Zawadi.

"First Light" is the nineteenth album by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. Recorded in 1971, it features string arrangements by Don Sebesky. It was his third album released on Creed Taylor's CTI label and features performances by Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Eric Gale, George Benson, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira and Richard Wyands. The album is part of a loose trilogy including his two previous records at the time, Red Clay and Straight Life. First Light won a 1972 Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Performance by a Group".

"Keep Your Soul Together" is an album recorded in 1973 by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. It was his fifth studio album released on Creed Taylor's CTI label and features performances by Hubbard, Junior Cook, George Cables, Aurell Ray, Kent Brinkley, Ron Carter, Ralph Penland and Juno Lewis.

V.S.O.P.: Live Under the Sky is a 1979 live album by the V.S.O.P. Quintet, a record of a performance at the 1979 Live Under the Sky Festival as it was performed live in Japan over two days. This, the fourth VSOP release, once again featured Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Ron Carter, and Freddie Hubbard.

Recorded in Tokyo, Five Stars is a studio album featuring the Miles Davis alumnus quintet V.S.O.P. playing a handful of original compositions. Featured here are former Davis bandmates pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Tony Williams, and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, joined by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. Released around the same time as the concert album Live Under the Sky, Five Stars showcases the group's frenetic, modal post-bop, played in the spirit of Davis' classic '60s quintet.

Tempest in the Colosseum was recorded on July 23, 1977 in the Den-En Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan. Musicians for this performance were Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Tony Williams on drums, Ron Carter on double bass, and Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano saxophones. Originally the album was released in late 1977 only in Japan by Columbia.

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.

"Lush Life" was originally recorded in 1967 but was not released until 1980 in Japan under the title "Sweet Slumber", due to the success of Donaldson's album "Alligator Bogaloo" (also recorded in 1967). Featuring musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Garnett Brown, Jerry Dodgion, Wayne Shorter, Pepper Adams, McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter and Al Harewood, the album was very well-received when it finally was released.

Originally recorded in 1965, "Soothsayer" might be one of those underrated classics that you only know about. Recorded with a superb line up and featuring powerful and emotional interplay between Shorter and the rest of sextet, "Soothsayer" is a magical session not to be missed. “Angola” and the title track feature some bombastic sections from Shorter, Williams and Hubbard. While “Lady Day” is a lovely and romantic tribute to Billie Holiday executed with sublime musicianship. "Soothsayer" was one of a series of albums Shorter had recorded during a highly prolific period in the mid-sixties. Along with Shorter playing in Miles Davis’ group and various other factors, The album's official release didn't happen until the late '70s. But it is still considered an excellent document of Wayne Shorter immense vision and creativity.