With many jazz musicians looking for new musical directions, new ways to express their ideas, every once in a while an album comes along to show that there’s still plenty of life in the older musical ideas. There is still room for creativity in the tried and true. Bop, an album from keyboardist Jeff Lorber, guitarist Chuck Loeb, and an all-star supporting cast including Everette Harp (tenor sax), Harvey Mason (drums), Brian Bromberg (bass), Rick Braun (trumpet/trombone), and Till Brönner (as well as a number of guest artists), is the pudding that proves the point.

Ne-o-clas-si-cism: A revival of classical aesthetics and forms, especially, characterized by a regard for the classical ideals of reason, form, and restraint, by order, symmetry, and simplicity of style. Neo-classicism and Roy Hargrove have become synonymous in jazz circles. His style and focus are now completely his own. Roy possesses a hard driving spirit to excel. Volumes have been written about the virtuosity of Oscar Peterson, his competitive spirit and drive. Together you have the makings of an exciting jam session that's well worth the price of admission. In this case the cost of the CD, that finds these two jazz poets working with a strong cast of players including Peterson's long time associate, Neils-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on bass. This quintet setting gives all the players ample room to stretch and have fun. This CD is highly recommended listening pleasure.

Study in Brown features the 1955 version of the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet, a group also including tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell, and bassist George Morrow. One of the premiere early hard bop units, this band had unlimited potential. Highlights of this set are "Cherokee" (during which trumpeter Brown is brilliant), "Swingin'," and "Sandu." All of this group's recordings are well worth acquiring.

This is a true classic. Altoist Art Pepper is joined by an 11-piece band playing Marty Paich arrangements of a dozen jazz standards from the bop and cool jazz era. Trumpeter Jack Sheldon has a few solos, but the focus is very much on the altoist who is in peak form for this period…

Algerian born pianist Solal and American expatriate tenor saxophonist Griffin are perfectly matched in this series of duets, brilliant beyond compare and witty to the nth degree. Both are in their seventies and playing better than ever. Griffin has everything going for him in terms of experience, restraint, emotional depth, and potential explosiveness. Solal, an unsung hero in jazz, shows the years that have passed did not sour him on concepts of stark romanticism, improvisational risk taking, or fear of cutting loose; he clearly can do it all.

Digitally remastered edition of this 1966 album from the Jazz legend. On this album, Kenny's guitar is embellished beautifully by Richard Wyands, piano; Martin Rivera, bass; AND Oliver Jackson, drums. It is an album that is indicative of all that is good about Mr. Burrell. The word 'versatile' is over-used in describing musicians and entertainers but Kenny's playing is both distinctive and varied. He has a beautiful lyrics sense-dig the unaccompanied "People", but he also has an aggressive style of playing that makes his sound easily recognizable. The outstanding characteristics of his playing-his best-known trait-is an honest and soulful blues feeling… a feeling so fresh and distinctive that the Kenny Burrell sound could almost be patented.

This recording brings back an obscure session from the long defunct Andex label that was probably recorded around 1956. The emphasis is on Latin jazz with altoist Art Pepper, trumpeter Conte Candoli, tenor saxophonist Bill Perkins, pianist Russ Freeman, bassist Ben Tucker, and drummer Chuck Flores interacting with the percussion of Jack Costanza and Mike Pacheko. With arrangements by Bill Holman, Johnny Mandel, Benny Carter, and Pepper, the music is quite jazz-oriented if a touch lightweight. Worth investigating by fans of the idiom.

Victor Feldman's one Riverside date as a leader (which has been reissued on CD) features him playing piano on five songs and vibes on four others (three of which add Hank Jones on piano). Joined by bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes (both of whom were at the time, with Feldman, the rhythm section of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet), Feldman is in excellent form on a straight-ahead set. The trio/quartet performs five standards that for the most part are not overly familiar, plus four of the leader's originals. Tasteful and swinging music.

Reedición del álbum “Per sempre, Tete” grabado en la Jazz Cava de Terrassa el 6 de Marzo de 1997, durante el concierto celebrado dentro del XVI Festival internacional de Jazz de Terrassa con el genio barcelonés Tete Montoliu al piano, Horacio Fumero al contrabajo y Peer Wyboris a la batería. Interpretan dos suites, la primera en memoria de Thelonius Monk bautizada como ‘Monkiana’ y la segunda ‘Pensando en Coltrane’. Presentado en formato de digipack cuadrado desplegable, a modo de mini replica de vinilo, incluyendo un libreto de 12 páginas con textos en español e inglés.

On Jan. 3, 1963 producer-writer Joachim Berendt organized a concert in Germany featuring some of the top American jazzmen who were then residing in Europe. Originally released as 13 songs on two LPs, eight of the performances have been reissued on this single CD; left out are five of the seven numbers from Vol. 1 (three with clarinetist Albert Nicholas and one apiece with bluesmen Champion Jack Dupree and Curtis Jones). The CD contains a pair of fine features for tenor saxophonist Don Byas (including a lengthy workout on "All the Things You Are"), ballad showcases for trumpeter Idrees Sulieman ("I Can't Get Started") and pianist Bud Powell ("'Round Midnight"), two numbers by a trio consisting of guitarist Jimmy Gourley, organist Lou Bennett and drummer Kenny Clarke, and a pair of Bill Smith originals featuring the clarinetist in a quintet with altoist Herb Geller and guitarist Gourley. A fine bop-oriented set of music by a variety of mostly underrated players.

Sweets Edison and Oscar Peterson have a recording history that dates back to the early 50's when they were both mainstays of the Norman Granz stable - Jazz at the Philharmonic. But most of that history is rooted in small swing ensembles that included Peterson's trio and any of several of Edison's cohorts from Lester Young to Ben Webster. This recording has them in an altogether different setting playing off one and other's strengths in a series of standard duets. While both are past peak performance-wise by this mid-70's recording date, there's no real evidence of a lack of power or virtuosity and the solos on each cut are inventive and technically interesting. The material is well-chosen, mostly standard ballads but both Edison and Peterson's background in blues-laden swing comes through loud and clear.

This album features trio performances by pianist Bud Powell, bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Roy Haynes that were recorded live at a Washington D.C. club; they were released for the first time in 1982. Powell is in consistently exciting form (this was one of his good nights) and the musicians sound inspired and creative during the set of bop-oriented standards. This recording concludes with a couple of excerpts from Bud Powell interviews held in 1963, giving listeners a rare chance to hear his voice.

Other than an album for the Italian Red label the previous March, this CD from the defunct Black-Hawk label was the first to feature trumpeter Tom Harrell with the Phil Woods Quintet. At this point in time, bassist Steve Gilmore and drummer Bill Goodwin had been with the band since its beginning 12 years before, while pianist Hal Galper was a five-year veteran. The repertoire on the set is quite strong, with a pair of less-played Duke Ellington pieces (the beautiful "Heaven" and "Azure") being performed along with Dave Brubeck's "The Duke," Sam Rivers' "222," the standard "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" and Harrell's "Occurrence." Phil Woods sounds quite inspired throughout the date by Harrell's presence, giving him another horn to work off of.

Payne's Window offers further testament to unsung hero Cecil Payne's prowess on the baritone saxophone. Fronting a delightfully swinging sextet that includes pianist Harold Mabern and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, Payne delivers a wonderful mixed bag of originals and standards. Window boasts a nonchalant attitude that allows the music to swing effortlessly. On Payne's humorous "James," Mabern improvises on what seems to be "Mary Had a Little Lamb" as Payne, Alexander, and trombonist Steve Davis punch in with swaggering riffs. Payne's impeccable rhythms are still intact, as on the Latin-tinged "Spiritus Parkus" and "Southside Samba," while tunes like "Lover Man" and "That's It Blues" are imbued with bluesy mellowness. Payne's Window is a no-frills record that rewards with each listening.