One of the first albums to feature the trumpet of Blue Mitchell in a larger group - a really great move that let his soulful horn really come to the lead! Blue sounds wonderful here - soaring out in front of larger charts from Duke Pearson, Jimmy Heath, Don Pickett, and Melba Liston - all talents who start to bring in a bit of funk to Mitchell's music - which Blue responds to with a mighty nice kick! The group also features Pepper Adams on baritone, Jerry Dodgion on alto, Julian Preister on trombone, and Junior Cook on tenor.

On Soul Time, the definitive architect of soul-jazz piano, Bobby Timmons, leads an absolutely blistering, deeply infectious hard bop session that epitomizes the gritty, blues-drenched sound of the early 1960s. Originally recorded in 1960 for Riverside Records and preserved on this stellar Original Jazz Classics reissue, the album finds Timmons commanding an elite powerhouse quartet. Reunited with his former Jazz Messengers boss Art Blakey on drums, alongside the brilliant trumpet stylist Blue Mitchell and the rock-solid double bass of Sam Jones, the group burns with incredible rhythmic authority. The tracklist features phenomenal, groove-heavy Timmons originals like the driving title track, So Tired, and Stella B., alongside a soulful, exploratory rendition of the standard You Don't Know What Love Is. Throughout each performance, Timmons' signature gospel-inflected block chords and Mitchell's lyrical brass lines ride effortlessly over Blakey's explosive polyrhythms. The result is a definitive, deeply expressive jazz document that stands as an essential pillar of the hard bop era.

Green Is Beautiful is a spectacularly expressive, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized soul-jazz and jazz-funk studio masterpiece led by the legendary American guitar vanguard pioneer and phrasing monarch Grant Green, digitally preserved and reissued on compact disc in 2003 under the prestigious high-fidelity Japanese archival preservation banner of Blue Note Records. Spanning over 37 minutes of breathtakingly intense, conceptually profound instrumental interactions across 5 sprawling, deep-groove tracking alignments, this high-fidelity document serves as an absolute peak monument in early-1970s groove archaeology. Recorded during Green's triumphant return to the label, this landmark session executes a fierce, forward-thinking sonic blueprint that seamlessly integrates his signature, razor-sharp single-note guitar lines with explosive horn unisons, cascading organ grease, and a thunderous, polyrhythmic Afro-Cuban percussive engine.

Portrait Of Cannonball is a spectacularly explosive, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized hard bop studio masterpiece led by the legendary American alto saxophone vanguard titan Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, reissued on compact disc by Fantasy’s premier independent historical preservation imprint Original Jazz Classics. Spanning nearly 58 minutes of breathtakingly swinging, blues-drenched instrumental interactions across 9 definitive tracking alignments, this high-fidelity restoration serves as an absolute pinnacle monument in late-1950s acoustic jazz archaeology. Recorded in New York City on July 1, 1958, for Orrin Keepnews's iconic Riverside label, Adderley utilizes this unique quintet configuration to execute a fierce, forward-thinking sonic blueprint that seamlessly marries his deep, gospel-laced blues roots with the sharp, sophisticated harmonic frameworks of the emerging post-bop vanguard.

This first solo release from tenor sax player Junior Cook came at the midpoint of his six-year tenure with the Horace Silver Band. It's a relaxed affair, paced a couple of notches below the intensity of a typical Silver date. Still, with Cook's front-line partner in the Silver group - trumpeter Blue Mitchell - on board, along with Silver's rhythm section, the 1961 session has a definite affinity with the hard bop style of the more famous parent group. There are also links to the cool tones of Miles Davis' early-'50s Blue Note releases and to the transitional work of the mid-'50s Max Roach-Clifford Brown Band. If the overall approach is subdued, this generally works to the music's benefit by bringing out the finer points of Cook's and Mitchell's' playing. Both players emphasize tone, phrasing, and an ability to sail their choruses elegantly along the current of the rhythm section…

Other than a few short spots, Stanley Turrentine is the only significant soloist on this CD reissue which features a diverse program including "When the Sun Comes Out," "Maybe September," "You're Gonna Hear from Me" and a previously unreleased rendition of Max Roach's jazz waltz "Lonesome Lover." Although he is accompanied by an all-star group that includes trumpeter Blue Mitchell, altoist James Spaulding, baritonist Pepper Adams and pianist McCoy Tyner, Turrentine's sidemen could almost have been anonymous studio players for the tenor is the dominant voice throughout. It is surprising that Pearson did not make more extensive use of the other musicians' unique talents, particularly Tyner. However, despite some potentially indifferent material, Turrentine is in fine form throughout the date, even finding something to say on "Sunny." "La Fiesta" (no relation to the later Chick Corea tune) is the highpoint of a largely enjoyable set.

Trumpeter Blue Mitchell was a virtual unknown when he recorded this Riverside album, his first as a leader. Mitchell is heard in excellent form in an all-star sextet with trombonist Curtis Fuller, tenor great Johnny Griffin, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Wilbur Ware, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. In addition to some group originals, obscurities, and the standard "There Will Never Be Another You," the group also plays the earliest recorded version of Benny Golson's "Blues March," pre-dating Art Blakey's famous recording.

Trumpeter Blue Mitchell delivers a solid hard bop date with his 1967 Blue Note release Boss Horn. The Rudy Van Gelder edition of Boss Horn features remastered sound by original producer Van Gelder that does significanly improve the overall sound quality over the original release.

One of the more obscure Blue Mitchell albums of the 70s - and one of the most far-reaching too! The set's still got an electric current, like his other work on the Mainstream label at the time - but there's also less funk at the core, and more of a spiritual jazz vibe - a quality that definitely burns with the "vital" of the title, and which draws strongly from the album's great use of Joe Henderson on tenor and flute - whose presence here really helps underscore the righteousness of the sound! Ernie Watts also blows a bit on the record - and the rest of the group includes Walter Bishop Jr on acoustic and electric piano, Stan Gilbert on bass, and Doug Sides on drums. Susaye Greene adds in some totally amazing vocal effects at a few points - which really furthers the unique quality of the record - and titles include the great "Unseen Sounds"…

Of trumpeter Blue Mitchell's seven Riverside recordings, only this set - along with three numbers on Blue Soul - feature Mitchell as the only horn. Joined by pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Roy Brooks, the trumpeter is typically distinctive, swinging, and inventive within the hard bop genre. He performs four standards, plus Ronnell Bright's "Sweet Pumpkin," the obscure "Avars," and a pair of originals in fine fashion.