Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Heavy Soul, Ike Quebec’s big, breathy tenor is wrapped in the glow of Freddie Roach’s organ, with Milt Hinton on bass and Al Harewood on drums. The organ‑tenor setting gives the session an intimate, club‑like feel: slow blues, shuffles, and strolls that prioritise mood over flash. Quebec favours clear, singing melodies, letting the natural grain of his sound carry the emotional weight. Roach’s organ lines and comps supply warmth and subtle grit, while Hinton a…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Search for the New Land shows Lee Morgan in a more reflective, exploratory mood, joined by Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Grant Green on guitar, Reggie Workman on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The compositions stretch out over modal frameworks and evocative themes that suggest journeys as much inward as outward. The band plays spaciously yet intently, building tension through dynamics and texture more than sheer speed. Morgan’s tone is full …

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On The Cooker, Lee Morgan fronts a quintet with Pepper Adams on baritone saxophone, Bobby Timmons at the piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and “Philly” Joe Jones on drums, and lives up to the album’s title. Recorded when he was still in his early twenties, the session showcases a trumpet voice brimming with swagger and control. The band digs into blues‑based vehicles and brisk swingers with equal commitment, Adams’ baritone adding a gruff counterweight to Morgan’s br…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Genius of Modern Music gathers early recordings that reveal just how far ahead Thelonious Monk was thinking, with different sessions featuring combinations of Idrees Sulieman, Milt Jackson, Gene Ramey, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, and others. The tunes – “’Round Midnight,” “Epistrophy,” “Ruby, My Dear” and more – present themselves as puzzles: jagged melodies, off‑kilter accents, harmonies that jab when one expects glide. Monk’s pianism, all percussive attack and un…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Evolution documents Grachan Moncur III stepping out as a composer‑leader with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. The pieces blend post‑bop structures with freer approaches to metre and harmony, resulting in music that feels constantly tilted yet never topples. Moncur’s trombone leads themes that are by turns mournful, eerie, and boldly declamatory; the band responds with solos…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On No Room for Squares, Hank Mobley leads shifting line‑ups that include Lee Morgan and Donald Byrd on trumpet, Andrew Hill and Herbie Hancock on piano, John Ore and Butch Warrenon bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The compositions are tightly constructed, full of memorable heads and smart twists that keep everyone on their toes. Mobley’s solos retain his trademark flowing lyricism but with a noticeably harder edge, reflecting the changing climate around him. …

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** It’s Time! finds Jackie McLean in the company of Charles Tolliver (trumpet), Herbie Hancock(piano), Cecil McBee (bass), and Roy Haynes (drums), fully committed to pushing forward. The compositions carry spiritual and political weight, and the arrangements make room for assertive horn lines, driving rhythms, and moments of unexpected lyricism. McLean’s playing is as biting as ever, but his navigation of more open, modal spaces shows an expanded vocabulary. Hancock…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Let Freedom Ring, Jackie McLean fronts a quartet with Walter Davis Jr. on piano, Herbie Lewison bass, and Billy Higgins on drums, and turns the LP format into a manifesto. Stark, ringing themes and open, modal frameworks give the music a declamatory character, while McLean’s alto pushes into the upper register with cries and shouts that go beyond tidy bebop language. Higgins and Lewis oscillate between march‑like insistence and freer undercurrents, and Davis’ …

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Destination... Out! sees Jackie McLean stepping decisively into less charted territory, flanked by Grachan Moncur III on trombone, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Larry Ridley on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums. Moncur’s compositions stretch form and harmony to the point where the music hovers at the edge of abstraction while still clinging to memorable themes. McLean responds with heightened intensity; his alto lines slice through the ensemble’s cool, translucent textu…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Bluesnik, Jackie McLean teams with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Pete La Roca on drums to prove there is still plenty to say within the twelve‑bar form. The band leans heavily on the blues but treats it as a living language, shifting tempos from strolling to urgent and varying the feel from tough swagger to reflective drag. McLean’s solos are full of sharp edges and vocal inflections, while Hubbard brings a more ext…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Demon’s Dance (often mis‑typed in catalogues) captures Jackie McLean with a younger, firebreathing band: Woody Shaw on trumpet, LaMont Johnson at the piano, Scott Holt on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The tunes are packed with rhythmic snaps and melodic hooks, yet the improvisations regularly veer into more angular, exploratory territory. McLean’s alto tone is piercing and urgent, cutting through the ensemble with authority, while Shaw’s harmonically advanc…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Total Eclipse, Bobby Hutcherson leads a band featuring Harold Land on reeds, Chick Corea on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums. The tunes are more expansive, the structures less immediately obvious; the interplay between vibes and saxophone often feels like a conversation unfolding on the spot. Even brighter passages seem to carry a shadow, a lingering sense of unresolved tension that Hutcherson’s solos trace without trying to dispel. Cor…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Oblique deepens Bobby Hutcherson’s quartet explorations with Herbie Hancock on piano, Albert Stinson on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums. The inclusion of harpsichord as well as piano opens up unusual timbral possibilities, allowing chords to glisten, clatter, or hang in space in unexpected ways. Hutcherson favours tunes that sidestep predictable resolutions, keeping the listener pleasantly off balance and heightening attention. The group plays with chamber‑like s…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Happenings, Bobby Hutcherson pares things back to a quartet with Herbie Hancock on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums. The transparency of the setting throws every gesture into relief: a single vibraphone note, a piano chord, a cymbal swell can tilt the whole mood. The tunes hover between impressionistic and singable, their harmonies unfolding slowly, their rhythms shifting between gentle propulsion and suspended drift. Hutcherson’s tone is…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Dialogue finds Bobby Hutcherson at the centre of a forward‑looking sextet: Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Sam Rivers on reeds, Andrew Hill on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums. The compositions are exploratory, blending post‑bop, free jazz, and avant‑garde impulses into structures that encourage risk‑taking. Hutcherson’s vibes oscillate between delicate, bell‑like patterns and sharply articulated lines, often bridging Rivers’ angular statements…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On San Francisco, Bobby Hutcherson joins forces with saxophonist Harold Land, plus Joe Sampleon electric piano, John Williams on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums, to chart a different kind of urban landscape. The record weaves elements of soul, funk, and freer jazz into a set that’s as rhythmically grounded as it is harmonically curious. Hutcherson’s vibes and Land’s reeds trade phrases with conversational ease, while the rhythm section mixes backbeat, swing, and …

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Recorded in 1968 but long unreleased, Dance with Death showcases Andrew Hill with Charles Tolliver on trumpet, Joe Farrell on saxes, Victor Sproles on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Hill’s themes are knotty yet singable, his rhythms subtly displaced, his harmonies rich with ambiguity. He sometimes sketches skeletal frameworks at the piano, sometimes erupts into dense, percussive passages, while the horns and rhythm section navigate shifting tempos and unexpect…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Point of Departure, Andrew Hill convenes a dream ensemble: Eric Dolphy on alto, bass clarinet, and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Hill’s compositions bend conventional form with asymmetrical phrases, overlapping lines, and harmonies that hover between centres, creating a sense of forward motion as much psychological as rhythmic. Each soloist finds personal routes through these land…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Inner Urge finds Joe Henderson pushing his quartet – McCoy Tyner (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass), and Elvin Jones (drums) – into more intense and complex territory. The title track’s driving rhythm and restless harmonic motion set the tone for a session where the stakes feel higher and the edges a bit sharper. Henderson probes motifs, worrying them from different angles, unafraid of jagged contours or sudden leaps. Tyner’s dense voicings and rolling left hand, Crans…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Page One, Joe Henderson introduces his tenor alongside Kenny Dorham on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Pete La Roca on drums. Together they bring to life a set of tunes – including future standards – that balance memorable themes with ample improvisational room. Henderson’s tone is earthy yet flexible, his lines combining logical development with sudden, surprising detours. Dorham’s lyrical, slightly tart trumpet provides a perfect foi…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** The Prisoner is one of Herbie Hancock’s most ambitious large‑ensemble works, featuring Johnny Coles and Thad Jones on trumpet/flugelhorn, Garnett Brown and Jack Rains on trombones, Joe Newman on bass trombone, Hubert Laws and Romeo Penque on reeds, Tony Studd on tuba, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums, among others. Written in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the music uses orchestral textures to explore themes of oppression and …

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Speak Like a Child, Herbie Hancock opts for subtler shades with an unusual front line of Thad Jones on flugelhorn, Peter Phillips (or Jerry Dodgion) on alto flute, and Jackie McLean on alto sax, supported by Ron Carter on bass and Mickey Roker on drums. Carefully voiced harmonies create a soft‑focus glow around lullaby‑like themes that harbour unexpected harmonic turns. Hancock’s piano is restrained and lyrical, often leaving wide spaces around simple phrases,…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** My Point of View shows Herbie Hancock widening his palette with a larger band: Donald Byrd on trumpet, Garnett Brown on trombone, Hank Mobley on tenor, Grant Green on guitar, Chuck Israels on bass, Tony Williams on drums, and Patricia “Patty” T. on vocals on one track. The writing is richer and more layered, from soulful vamps to waltz‑like lyricism, yet unified by Hancock’s sense of structure and colour. The horns are given space to develop ideas; Green’s guitar…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Maiden Voyage, Herbie Hancock turns the small jazz group into an ocean vessel, steering a dream team of Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), George Coleman (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Williams (drums) through a suite of sea‑evoking pieces. Modal harmonies, open forms, and long, swelling melodies create a sense of expanse; Carter and Williams suggest tides and undertows, while Hubbard and Coleman trace arcs that feel both exploratory and inevitable. Hancock’…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Out to Lunch! remains one of the most strikingly original statements on Blue Note. Eric Dolphy marshals Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums into a unit that treats his knotty compositions as springboards rather than straitjackets. Themes like “Hat and Beard” arrive full of angular intervals and odd accents, while the rhythm team tilts and lurches under them, propelled by Williams’ restless …

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Volume 2, Miles Davis again fronts shifting line‑ups – including Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, and Horace Silver – in a programme that continues the exploration begun on its companion. The arrangements juxtapose brisk, tightly coiled numbers with more relaxed pieces that give Davis room to stretch his lyrical side. His phrasing shows a growing command of silence and attack; a single, slightly bent note can carry as much weight as a flurry of scales. The band’s in…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Volume 1 presents Miles Davis in a transitional bebop/hard‑bop setting, surrounded by players hungry to prove themselves: J. J. Johnson on trombone, Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Sonny Rollins on tenor, Horace Silver at the piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums on the original 10" sessions. Later tracks add different personnel, but the through‑line is Davis’ preference for space and contour over sheer velocity. Even at brisk tempos, his muted p…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Volume 2 of At the “Golden Circle” finds Ornette Coleman, David Izenzon, and Charles Moffett pushing even further into the freedoms opened the night before. The pieces feel more expansive, the silences more charged, the interactions even bolder. Coleman’s improvisations unfold like stories without fixed endings, full of sudden turns that never break the underlying logic. Izenzon’s bass veers between bowed cries and elastic walking; Moffett’s drums slip from polyr…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** The first volume of At the “Golden Circle”, Stockholm places Ornette Coleman’s alto saxophone in front of his stripped‑down trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums, in a snowy club where the microphones catch every spark. Free of a chording instrument, the group moves with startling elasticity: themes flash by and dissolve into collective improvisation where roles are fluid. Coleman’s tone is both keening and tender, capable of slicing throug…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** With My Conception, Sonny Clark pushes deeper into his own compositional world, joined by Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Clifford Jordan on tenor, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey and Philly Joe Jones alternating on drums. The music balances intricate structures with a direct, singing quality: heads full of unexpected turns that still lodge in the ear, solo sections that encourage the horns to stretch without losing the thread. Clark…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Cool Struttin’ remains one of those Blue Note dates that somehow bottle the atmosphere of an era. Sonny Clark leads from the piano with Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Art Farmer on trumpet, Paul Chambers on bass, “Philly” Joe Jones on drums, a line‑up that walks the line between laid‑back and razor‑sharp. Medium‑tempo themes feel designed for city sidewalks and late‑night conversations, while the solos emphasise feel over flash. Clark’s comping is buoyant and s…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Bass on Top, Paul Chambers quietly but firmly moves the bass into the spotlight, supported by Hank Jones on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Art Taylor on drums. Standards become opportunities for Chambers to state themes and improvise with a singing, resonant tone that never gets lost, even in the lowest register. The rhythm section reverses the usual hierarchy: Jones and Burrell comp and solo with taste, but always leave room for Chambers’ lines to lead. …

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On A New Perspective, Donald Byrd imagines hard bop through stained glass, fronting a band with Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Donald Best on vibraphone, Butch Warren on bass, Lex Humphries on drums, and a wordless choir led by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson. Byrd’s trumpet sits at the crossroads of church, street, and conservatory, with the choir’s sustained voicings bathing the grooves in a luminous, spiritual glow…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Byrd in Flight finds Donald Byrd’s trumpet carried aloft by shifting combinations of Jackie McLean on alto sax, Hank Mobley on tenor, Duke Pearson at the piano, Doug Watkins and Reggie Workman sharing bass duties, and Lex Humphries and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The album’s variety of line‑ups underlines Byrd’s range: from soulful, medium‑tempo burners to more introspective pieces that spotlight his warm tone and melodic ease. Each configuration finds a different…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** With Roots & Herbs, Art Blakey leads a Jazz Messengers unit that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass, a line‑up that can pivot from crisp unisons to eruptive solos in a heartbeat. The tunes are full of rhythmic feints and harmonic twists, yet the band makes it all sound effortless. Blakey’s drumming is simultaneously a grid and a storm: he sets up hits, detonates climaxes, and constan…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Moanin’ is the sound of Art Blakey turning a band into a congregation, with Lee Morgan’s trumpet, Benny Golson’s tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons’s piano, and Jymie Merritt’s bass all testifying over Blakey’s unmistakable cymbal crashes and press rolls. From the call‑and‑response of the title track to the burning hard‑bop vehicles that follow, the record distils church‑infused, blues‑drenched celebration into a small‑group format. Each soloist brings a distinct voi…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Mosaic, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers show exactly why the band became a kind of graduate school for hard bop. This edition of the Messengers fields Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Cedar Walton at the piano, Jymie Merritt on bass, and Blakey himself driving the drums, a front line and rhythm section as elegant as they are explosive. The compositions are memorable without ever feeling formulaic, stit…

** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Somethin’ Else remains one of those rare records where everything lines up: the room, the band, the material, and the moment. Cannonball Adderley leads on alto saxophone with Miles Davis’s trumpet cutting through alongside Hank Jones on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Blakey on drums, a Blue Note all‑star line-up operating at peak equilibrium. The album sounds like a conversation between Adderley and Davis, two distinct voices who know exactly how far they can …

This first-time reissue of Quinteplus’ 1971 album revives a key moment in Argentine jazz, featuring crisp trumpet and tenor sax, electric piano-driven funk and modal grooves, and a tight, spacious rhythm section. It showcases prominent figures like Jorge Anders and “Pocho” Lapouble. Quinteplus was born in Buenos Aires at the end of the 1960s, emerging directly from the ideas and experiments of the legendary Agrupación Nuevo Jazz. Founded in the early ’60s, this collective brought together some o…

Tone Poet, the series created in 2019 to mark the 80th anniversary of the blue label, continues its releases. The Blue Note vinyl reissue collection was created with the intention of celebrating the musical and sonic journey of the great artists who have travelled their creative path in the grooves of the label's great albums, helping to make the brand a legend. The series stems from Don Was's (President of Blue Note) admiration for the exceptional reissues for true audiophiles produced by the i…