At age 33 for this one, Mance (piano), with Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Mickey Roker (drums), has all the jazz and blues bases covered, going back to boogie and stride, through swing and bop, with a couple of more modernistic numbers rounding out this complete overview of classic American soul-based black music. Mance evokes wonderfully patient, romantic notions on "Creole Love Call," with creamy, molasses-like melodicism stirred by Roker's expert brush work. "Yancey Special" has Mance digging in and getting down as Roker shuffles along. "In the Evening" is much more tinkling and upbeat here than Leroy Carr wrote it, whereas the hard-swinging "Jumpin' the Blues" is as much fun to hear as it must have been to play. At his most delicate on Ray Brown's "Gravy Waltz," Mance starts solo, staggering the melody, while a relaxed "Blue Monk" has Mance tossing in extra notes during the melody…

On Featuring Howard McGhee, the legendary American reed master, composition icon, and lightning-fast bop pioneer Sonny Stitt leads two distinct powerhouse studio configurations alongside the brilliant bebop trumpet titan Howard McGhee to deliver a towering, historically volcanic, and masterfully panoramic document. Released in 1988 by the specialized archival imprint Jazz Life, this magnificent milestone stands as an exceptionally fluid, high-velocity monument to pure bop architecture, bridging the gap between historical 1950s/1960s master tapes and pristine high-fidelity archival digital restoration. Spanning nearly 55 minutes, the 10-track landscape operates with an intense, beautifully syncopated, and deeply swinging kinetic energy. Stitt acts as a phenomenal vocal visionary on the horn, seamlessly executing his trademark jaw-dropping technical runs—tracking massive landmarks like the blistering opener Night Work, the extended, burning blues-bop workout of Matter Horns, and masterfully panoramic, emotionally rich ballad interpretations of Don't Blame Me and Lover Man. Driven by Stitt's soaring alto saxophone velocity, McGhee's stinging, brassy trumpet architecture, and a rhythm-section rotation featuring bebop royalty like Walter Bishop Jr., Kenny Clarke, Tommy Potter, and Jimmy Cobb, this archive remains an indispensable masterpiece for serious bop purists and classic jazz collectors worldwide.

On Happy Time, the legendary blues-inflected jazz pianist Junior Mance delivers an exceptionally warm, joyful, and soulful piano trio session. Originally recorded in 1962 for the Jazzland label and beautifully remastered for this Original Jazz Classics reissue, the album captures Mance at the absolute peak of his early-career expressive powers. Backed by a premier rhythm section consisting of a young, rock-solid Ron Carter on double bass and the crisp, swinging pocket of drummer Mickey Roker, the trio exhibits an effortlessly tight and telepathic level of interplay. The tracklist is a masterfully balanced program of infectious bluesy originals like Out South and Taggie's Tune alongside swinging reinterpretations of Fats Waller's Jitterbug Waltz and Chano Pozo's Afro-Cuban standard Tin Tin Deo. Throughout each performance, Mance's signature driving block chords and deep, soulful groove element remain front and center. The result is a definitive, deeply expressive document of mainstream acoustic trio jazz that radiates pure rhythmic optimism, sophisticated restraint, and timeless elegance.

One of Chicago blues' most dynamic duos, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, together with the talented pianist Junior Mance on the sensational Buddy and the Juniors. Originally issued in 1970 by Blue Thumb Records and deservedly back in print, Buddy and the Juniors came about when then-fledgling producer Michael Cuscuna (and future jazz-producing legend) tried to rustle up some dough to finish a Buddy Guy project for Vanguard (the label refused to pay for the star's plane ticket to a mixing session) by booking a fast cheap date with the two Juniors.

The historical details surrounding the recording session that became Buddy & the Juniors are almost as entertaining - and oddly satisfying - as the music itself. Released on Blue Thumb in 1970 on multi-colored wax, this session, was it not for a very real economic necessity due to Buddy Guy's feud with Vanguard Records, would never have happened. It appears that Vanguard wouldn't pick up the tab for Guy to fly to New York to mix an album he'd cut with Junior Mance and Gary Bartz - also produced by Cuscuna. Being an ever-enterprising genius, Cuscuna pitched the idea for a recording between Guy, Mance, and Junior Wells to Blue Thumb label boss Bob Krasnow, who jumped at the chance. The all-acoustic Buddy & the Juniors was recorded on December 18 of 1969, and on December 19, they mixed this album and the Vanguard date…

Pianist Junior Mance originally released these albums in 1967-1968 on the Atlantic label; they were then combined in 2000 for the first time on CD by the Collectables label. Harlem Lullaby is a haphazard recording with a revolving-door rhythm section that is marred by Mance's insistence to occasionally utilize a harpsichord instead of piano. By contrast, I Believe to My Soul is a horn-laden affair with Mance sticking to piano; appearances from David "Fathead" Newman, Frank Wess, and Joe Newman also help make this the better date of the two. Neither album is essential, but they will be of interest to collectors of mid-'60s mainstream soul jazz.

Deftly handling the alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone, bebop giant Sonny Stitt is heard to perfection here on a variety of early-'50s dates. Stitt not only shows off his patented speed throughout, but he goes a long way in dispelling criticisms of him being all fire and no grace. The 16-track disc kicks off with four tight, Latin-tinged swingers featuring an octet that includes trumpeter Joe Newman and timbales player Humberto Morales. Switching to piano quartet mode for the bulk of the disc, Stitt ranges effortlessly from frenetic blasts ("Cherokee") to golden-hued ballads ("Imagination"). Capping off the set with four bonus cuts featuring the likes of Gene Ammons and Junior Mance, Stitt delivers one of the top sets of performances from the late bebop era.

Veteran pianist Junior Mance has worked and recorded with Jazz greats like Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley, Lionel Hampton, Art Blakey. He accompanied singers like Dinah Washington and Aretha Franklin. Since the late 1980s he has been an acclaimed member of New Yorks New School and has given piano lessons to rising stars like Brad Mehldau, Larry Goldings and Stephen Scott. On "Nadja" Mance shows his gentle lyrical and thoughtful side as well as his blues-drenched and soulful take on bop and hard bop. The Junior Mance Trio delivers classicism the way it’s supposed to be! Clear, unpretentious, prodigiously swinging piano improvisations on standards and originals.