Bill Evans / Jim Hall – Undercurrent

Other than four piano solos from April 4, 1962, this set was pianist Bill Evans’ first recordings after a hiatus caused by bassist Scott LaFaro’s tragic death in a car […]

Wayne Shorter – Speak No Evil

On his third date for Blue Note within a year, Wayne Shorter changed the bands that played on both Night Dreamer and Juju and came up with not only another […]

Alice Zawadzki / Fred Thomas / Misha Mullov-Abbado – Za Górami

Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas & Misha Mullov-Abbado Za Gorami LP / Vocalist and violinist Alice Zawadzki, pianist Fred Thomas and bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado present a rare alchemy on their [...]

Makaya McCraven – Deciphering The Message

Drummer, producer & beat scientist Makaya McCraven digs through the Blue Note vaults with this new remix project that puts a modern bounce on jazz classics by Art Blakey, Horace […]

Dave McMurray – Grateful Deadication

Dave McMurray made his Blue Note debut in 2018 with Music Is Life, an album that focused largely on his own assertive original tunes. Now, the saxophonist returns with Grateful […]

Cautious Clay – Karpeh

On Cautious Clay’s deeply personal Blue Note debut KARPEH, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer takes an artistic leap forward with an ambitious yet introspective [...]

Jean-Luc Ponty – Civilized Evil

All of the titles here make some kind of reference to cosmic issues of good and evil on the planet Earth, but the suggestive wordplay doesn’t make this music much […]

Wayne Shorter – Adam’s Apple

With the possible exception of its song, “Footprints,” which would become a jazz standard, Adam’s Apple received quite a bit less attention upon its release than some of the [...]

John Coltrane – Blue Train

Although never formally signed, an oral agreement between John Coltrane and Blue Note Records founder Alfred Lion was indeed honored on Blue Train — Coltrane’s only collection of [...]

Frederick Knight – I’ve Been Lonely For So Long

The Bessemer, AL native has his finest hour with this, his first and only album for Stax Records. The title track, co-written by his wife Posie, was his biggest hit […]

Johnathan Blake – Passage

Passage captures the arc of personal and collective evolution: the passing from one moment to the next, from one phase into another. Johnathan Blake – “Passage” / Johnathan [...]

Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers* With Thelonious Monk – Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers With Thelonious Monk

Most of the titles on this album are derived from Thelonious Monk’s vast catalog of bop standards. Both co-leaders are at the peak of their respective prowess with insightful [...]

Yusef Lateef – The Gentle Giant

Yusef Lateef’s music from the early ’70s commands large doses of both appeal and skepticism. At a time when funk and fusion were merging with the intensely volatile and distrustful [...]

John Coltrane – Olé Coltrane

The complicated rhythm patterns and diverse sonic textures on Olé Coltrane are evidence that John Coltrane was once again charting his own course. His sheer ability as a maverick — […]

Charles Mingus – Changes Two

Along with its companion volume Changes One, this is one of the great sessions from one of the best working bands of the 1970s. Starting with the spirited “Free Cell […]

Duke Ellington – The Feeling Of Jazz

This is a nice all-around set by the 1962 Duke Ellington Orchestra. Whether it be the lightweight but fun “Taffy Twist,” “I’m Gonna Go Fishin'” (the theme from [...]

Billy Cobham – Reflected Journey

Cobham live in Japan with Ira Coleman & Joe Chindamo. A little wild but VERY new age & more esoteric sounding instrumentation around Cobham going apeshit.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Brubeck Plays Bernstein

John Coltrane – Giant Steps

History will undoubtedly enshrine this disc as a watershed the likes of which may never truly be appreciated. Giant Steps bore the double-edged sword of furthering the cause of the […]

John Coltrane – My Favorite Things

Although seemingly impossible to comprehend, this landmark jazz date made in 1960 was recorded in less than three days. All the more remarkable is that the same sessions which yielded […]

Decent set featuring the highly stylized, often erratic vocalist Lorez Alexandria doing conventional jazz and jazz-centered pop tunes and standards. She’s backed by a capable band, and [...]

Steve Tibbetts – Northern Song

With percussionist Anderson, Tibbetts explores urban landscape, especially on “Nine Doors/Breathing Space.” Tibbetts is reminiscent of Ralph Towner. Northern Song Review by Michael G. [...]

Lou Bennett – Dansez Et Rêvez

This release contains Bennett’s second LP as a leader in its entirety: Dansez et Rêvez avec le trio Lou Bennett (RCA Victor 430.051). Presented here for the first time ever […]

John Handy – Recorded Live At The Monterey Jazz Festival

John Handy’s performance at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival was a sensation and arguably the high point of his career. The altoist, using a quintet that included violinist Michael White, [...]

Miles Davis – Sorcerer

Sorcerer, the third album by the second Miles Davis Quintet, is in a sense a transitional album, a quiet, subdued affair that rarely blows hot, choosing to explore cerebral tonal […]

Monk – Straight, No Chaser

This is the sixth studio album cut by Thelonious Monk under the production/direction of Teo Macero for Columbia and as such should not be confused with the original motion picture […]