Today, the inimitable jazz vocalist, activist, and nominal godfather of the LA jazz scene, Dwight Trible, returns with the announcement of his new album “Ancient Future”. Out 17th March via London jazz aficionados and analog specialists Gearbox Records , the new record follows his critically acclaimed album “Mothership”, which was released in 2019 and saw him collaborate with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, and more.

This CD was the first of the "Trip Tease" collections, of which there are three volumes. This is not to be confused with the "Blue Note Trip" series which does include remixes of songs. So, these are the originals, not remixes. The earliest track on here is "I'll Remember April," a 1953 piece by Lee Konitz & Gerry Mulligan. There are a handful of other tracks from the mid to late 1950s, including Kenny Dorham's fabulous "Afrodesia" from 1955 or Chet Baker's & Bud Shank's "Jimmy's Theme" from 1956, but most of the material on these discs comes from the fertile 1960s and 1970s era, when many Blue Note artists fused elements of soul and funk along with traditional jazz.

The very successful 'Maestro' compilation features 29 tracks from the likes of Donald Byrd, St. Germain, Horace Silver, Lonnie Smith, Dianne Reeves, Ronny Jordan, Nancy Wilson, Eddie Palmieri, a Taste of Honey and more. The first disc contains 14 funky, intoxicating beats to prepare you for a long night out. The second disc is filled with 15 soothing yet sexy tunes for a joyful morning after.

International Anthem is proud to present 'Step on Step', a double LP collection of home recordings marking the de-facto eponymous debut album by enigmatic producer, arranger, and composer Charles Stepney (1931-1976). The music that makes up Step on Step was created by Stepney alone, in the basement of his home on the Southside of Chicago, sometime in the late 1960s and early 1970s, before his untimely death in 1976.

34 tracks from the biggest artists on the label have been mixed together to create this two hour Blue Note Trip. Features tracks from Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Andrew Hill, Duke Pearson, Donald Byrd and many others.

One of trombonist Nils Landgren's early inspirations was Cannonball Adderley's group. Paint It Blue is dedicated to Adderley with Landgren performing five songs associated with the altoist plus seven originals that pay tribute to Cannonball's bands. Some of the music is in the soul-jazz vein while other tunes (particularly the originals) are more modern, even incorporating a little bit of rap in a couple places. Landgren is a fine trombonist (sometimes a little reminiscent of Wayne Henderson) and he manages to keep up with Michael and Randy Brecker, who in this situation are superior supportive soloists. Without merely copying the past, Landgren expands on the legacy of Adderley quite successfully.

Fever is a studio album by American musician Roy Ayers. It was released in 1979 through Polydor Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Sigma Sound Studios and Electric Lady Studios in New York City, and at Record Plant in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Ayers himself with co-production by Carla Vaughn. The album peaked at number 67 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and at number 25 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States. Its lead single, "Love Will Bring Us Back Together", reached peak position #41 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Jimmy Smith brought the Hammond organ into hard bop and jazz in the 1950s, and his piano-fast solo runs on the instrument have never been equaled. This warm set from Blue Note Records, the label where Smith built most of his impressive legacy, selects eight of his performances for the label, including a 20-minute (and ten second) version of "The Sermon," the bouncing "Back at the Chicken Shack," and a fun romp through "See See Rider," among other delights, making this a quick introduction to the peak creative era of this one-of-a-kind jazz artist's long career.

This 1998 CD reissues keyboardist Patrice Rushen's first two recordings as a leader except for one selection ("Puttered Bopcorn") from the first date that was left out due to lack of space. Twenty at the time of the earlier set, Rushen showed a great deal of potential for the future, potential that (at least in the jazz world) was unfortunately never realized. Rushen is heard on the Prelusion album heading a septet that includes tenor-saxophonist Joe Henderson (the most memorable soloist), trumpeter Oscar Brashear, trombonist George Bohanon and Hadley Caliman on reeds; the music is essentially advanced hard bop with touches of fusion. The later date has a similar group (without Henderson) and with guest spots for flutist Hubert Laws and guitarist Lee Ritenour. The R&B-ish vocal by Josie James on "What's the Story" hints at where Rushen would be going in the future: straight to the pop market. So overall this CD, which should have served as a bright beginning for the young keyboardist, is practically the artistic high point of Patrice Rushen's erratic career.

Unjustly ignored at the time of its release, Fred Jackson's lone album, Hootin' 'N Tootin', is a thoroughly enjoyable set of funky soul-jazz with hard bop overtones. It is true that Jackson doesn't try anything new on the set, but he proves to be a capable leader, coaxing hot, infectious performances out of guitarist Willie Jones, organist Earl Vandyke and drummer Wilbert Hogan, all of whom were collegues of Jackson in the Lloyd Price band. All of the songs on the album are Jackson originals, and while there are no substantial, memorable melodies, they provide an excellent foundation for the group's smoking interplay. Both the uptempo R&B numbers and the slower blues give the musicians plenty of opportunity to flaunt their chops while working the groove, and the result is a modest but highly entertaining set of earthy, bluesy soul-jazz that should have been heard by a wider audience…

All of Hank Crawford's many recordings for Milestone in the 1980s and '90s are worth picking up by his fans although this reasonably enjoyable outing is not one of the more essential ones. The soulful altoist is joined by Dr. John on piano and organ, guitarist Melvin Sparks, bassist Wilbur Bascomb, Jr., drummer Bernard Purdie and a five-piece horn section (Houston Person and David "Fathead" Newman get a tenor solo apiece) for a set mostly comprised of group originals plus the old ballad "Say It Isn't So" and Thomas A. Dorsey's spiritual standard "Precious Lord"; Dr. John takes a vocal on his "Tragick Magick."

Willie Bobo pulled an impressive lineup for his debut as a leader, due in part to a profile gained from his work with Cal Tjader and Herbie Mann. Leading the brass section in this midsized group is trumpeter Clark Terry, who lends the necessary grit and fire, while Joe Farrell's burring tenor gives the record dynamic range. Though Bobo's percussion kit is displayed on the front, it's occasionally difficult to appreciate his playing on the record; he sounds bored and in the background during a trio of Brazilian crossover numbers (this was the year of Jazz Samba, after all), leaving organist Frank Anderson to flare his way playfully through his own "Bossa Nova in Blue." Bobo does finally allow himself some solo space at the end of "Capers," after several minutes of brilliant interplay between brass and reeds. The highlight comes with the group's interpretation of Freddie Hubbard's "Crisis," a slow-burning hard bop number with Bobo's timbales shuffle framing more excellent sectioning, with Farrell's tenor and an unnamed trombone positioned in counterpoint to Terry's trumpet.

This 1965 set by organist Bill Doggett's band is well-played and spirited but quite lightweight. The nine selections are mostly blues-oriented jams without any memorable melodies, stirring solos, or moments that lift the program above the routine. The rather brief results are pleasant and groovin' but rather predictable.