‘A never-before-issued live recording of McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson leading a stellar quartet with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Jack DeJohnette at the hallowed lost jazz shrine Slugs’ Saloon in New York City in 1966. Recorded by the legendary engineer Orville O’Brien — behind classic 1960s jazz albums such as Freddie Hubbard’s The Night of the Cookers and Alice Coltrane’s Journey to Satchidananda — the tape has been in DeJohnette’s personal archives for nearly 60 years.’

The rivetingly lucid, acrobatic expression of raw emotion characteristic of this altoist, fronting the same unit which had recently recorded Sonny Clark’s masterpiece Leapin’ And Lopin’, including Tommy Turrentine, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins.
Supposedly Clark came across the music of the opener knocking around Monk’s apartment. Amongst five JM originals, the title track shows how hard bop was too hip to sit still or look back. Sundu is a tasty Clark blues.

The more expensive new LP is in the all-analogue Blue Note 80 Vinyl series.

Scorcher. Crucial Jackie Mac, with Pete La Roca also on top form.
‘Classic Vinyl Series.’

Japanese: GXK 8085.

‘Classic Vinyl Series.’

‘Classic Vinyl Edition.’

Delightfulee, The Cooker, Leeway, The Rumproller, Search For The New Land.

‘Classic Vinyl Series.’

Lee Morgan (trumpet), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Ronnie Mathews (piano), Victor Sproles (bass), Billy Higgins (drums).
Japanese one-off CD. The LP is in the Blue Note Classics series.

‘Classic Vinyl Series.’

At the fountainhead of soul jazz and boogaloo, the stinging opener is an all-time, humungous, utterly irresistible jazz hit.
Joe Henderson and Barry Harris are superb throughout. Don’t miss Hocus-Pocus.

‘Ndegeocello’s second Blue Note pays homage to the great writer and activist James Baldwin. Her transformative music and collaborative spirit ignites this genre-bending work that is at once a musical experience, a church service, a celebration, a testimonial, and a call to action. Features frequent collaborators Justin Hicks, Kenita Miller, Abe Rounds, Jake Sherman, Jebin Bruni, and Julius Rodriguez, as well as powerful spoken word performances by Jamaican poet and activist Staceyann Chin.’

With the Turrentines. ‘Classic Vinyl Series.’

Flexing, in 1965, with Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Harold Vick (tenor sax), Grant Green (guitar), John Patton (organ) and Ben Dixon (drums) — not to mention Fat Judy.

It’s a Christmas album but fear ye not. It’s from the same six months as How Insensitive and Now Hear This, with Airto running between these sessions and the recording of Bitches Brew. Try the grooving opener, with DP alternating on piano and celeste.

Japanese, with insert: GXK 8146.