After his big band experiment, Duke Pearson returned to a smaller group setting, but he didn't scale back his ambitions. The Phantom finds Pearson writing an ambitious set of post-bop that expands the boundaries of the music with Latin percussion and complex harmonies derived from the avant-garde…

Pianist Duke Pearson’s too-little-known holiday gem Merry Ole Soul was the sole Christmas album of the classic Blue Note era, and it remains a highly enjoyable treat for jazz fans and Christmas music lovers alike with its first-ever vinyl reissue. Recorded in 1969, the album featured the pianist, producer, and Blue Note stalwart in a trio with Bob Cranshaw on bass and Mickey Roker on drums…