At last, this highly touted, heretofore conservative Young Lion makes his move beyond neo-bop toward something new, fresh and potentially important. He had to go to Havana to find it, starting with some jam sessions with Cuba's Los Van Van dance band in February 1996, which led to the formation of an exciting ten-piece U.S./Cuban band called Crisol.

A versatile composer, arranger, saxophonist and keyboard player, a musician whose repertoire encompasses all manner of music from jazz through soul and funk to stadium rock, Alfred Pee Wee Ellis stands distinctive in any company… A second trio album from Koln was recorded live during a Pee Wee Ellis Assembly Trio tour of Europe in the spring of '94. Called “Yellin' Blue,” it attracted much critical acclaim in Europe. - from All About Jazz.com

The Reverend Jesse Jackson gives an inspiring brief speech to open the festivities, and the Quintet begins with "Walk Tall," a lively jazz/R&B number. Named in honor of Jackson "Country Preacher" and written by keyboardist Joe Zawinul, the changing tempo tribute has two contrasting grooves: one's sad and reflective, the other happy and boisterous. The album tributes Jacksons' Operation Breadbasket program in Chicago, IL.

Chase's self-titled LP was as close to unabashed critical success as the group ever got, coming out just as Chicago and Blood, Sweat, & Tears were both at their respective peaks of popularity. There's not much here that sounds like either band – Chase had a leaner, livelier sound, with an especially frantic rhythm section. The music is heavily white soul-influenced, dressed up in strong contrapuntal figures, soaring riffs, and riveting climaxes, which may come just a little too often given the relatively modest length of the album.

This was Ammons' final recording before "being made an example of" and getting a lengthy jail sentence for possession of heroin; his next record would be cut over seven years later. The music is surprisingly upbeat,

This young Hungarian group play an exhilarating cross of free jazz and folk dance, drawing on the diverse traditions of their native country. Utilizing overtone singing, their music takes on a trance-like quality broken only by the spectacular pyrotechnics of the horns.

After recording four albums for Impulse in 1967, the distinctive guitarist Gabor Szabo cut three records for the Skye label in 1968, of which this LP, Bacchanal, is the strongest.

Al Sears had the misfortune of having his one hit, "Castle Rock," released under the leadership of Johnny Hodges, cheating him of his one chance at fame.

This is one of the more unusual sessions that altoist Cannonball Adderley recorded during his career. Originally released under composer John Benson Brooks' name and now available as an Adderley CD, the nine-part four-movement suite has original folk melodies interpreted by a quartet comprised of Adderley, trumpeter Art Farmer, guitarist Barry Galbraith and bassist Milt Hinton; Brooks briefly plays piano on one piece.

The debut by Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy (an octet consisting of four trumpets, both Craig Harris and Steve Turre on trombones, the French horn of Vincent Chancey, Bob Stewart on tuba and drummer Phillip Wilson) is one of their best recordings.

Things Unseen is a lovely set of swinging jazz, finding pianist Kenny Barron supported by a stellar combo of saxophonist John Stubblefield, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, guitarist John Scofield, bassist David Williams, drummer Victor Lewis, violinist Naoko Terai and percussionist Mino Cinelu.

Vasant Rai is one of the world’s most acclaimed masters of Indian music.He emerged a virtuoso on the sarod.(The sarod is a 25-string fretless lute.) In 1973, Rai became a visiting professor of music at Columbia University in New York City. He subsequently founded the Alam School of Indian Classical Music in New York, where he now teaches sarod, sitar, flute, violin, guitar, and voice. He lives in the Chelsea district of New York City, and carries on the pure classical tradition of his homeland, expressing the same universal musical spirit as his guru. But meanwhile, Vasant is exploring new directions.

A meeting of masters, a true highlight of modern jazz piano. 20 years ago BILLBOARD commented: "The fleet pianist's latest release fon ENJA here is a coupling of '77 and '78 sessions again teaming him with bassist George Mraz and Elvin Jones. The Highlights may include jazz and pop standards like the Charlie Parker title tune and How High The Moon but the playing is anything but standard and the production lucid and straightforward."

A repackaging of Ray Charles In Newport and Ray Charles In Person presents concerts from 1958 and 1959 that found Charles in peak form, performing some of his best-known R&B hits.

You have recorded several "East-West blends" recently. As a classical artist, what motivated you to go in this direction? I would like to offer the best of Indian classical music to as many people as possible. But only about 10 percent of the population would go to listen to Indian music, or any Oriental classical music. That doesn't mean that they don't like it. It's just new for them. I have tried to create something with Western musicians. I have mixed Indian and Western music so audiences hear something Indian when they are listening.