Roger “Buck” Hill (1927-2017) was a full-time employee of a Washington D.C. post office when his much-acclaimed debut album was released from SteepleChase in 1978. Since then this legendary tenorman has invested more of his time in the musical activities and has regularly brought his band to the enthusiastic European audience. He otherwise performed after work at local live spots, sometimes with visiting artists such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, among others. “Buck Hill is one of the most notable ‘regional’ jazzmen in America … SteepleChase albums feature Hill with two different rhythm sections, … each winds up with the same result: honest, proficient blowing that has its individual clout…” (The Penguin Guide to Jazz)

This was the first appearance of the popular Clifford Jordan & The Magic Triangle (alias The Cedar Walton Trio) on SteepleChase. (Other releases are SCCD 31047 “Highest Mountain” and SCCD 31104 “On Stage vol. 3”.) “...a truly fine quartet recording.” (MM)

Dexter In Radioland vol. 7 The seventh and last volume of live transmission from the 60’s captures the exuberant atmosphere of the legendary ‘Dexter nights’ at Montmartre. “...The music here, recorded for Danish radio. all comes form 1964, when Dexter was at...the zenith of his career and probably the happiest time of his life...” (Steve Voce, Jazz FM)

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. The first of Sonny's albums for Impulse!, this 1965 collection caught Rollins at the peak of his creative powers, and is arguably the tenor hero's best for the label-an intense, freewheeling set, featuring classic takes on "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Three Little Words" in the company of Ray Bryant (piano), Walter Booker (bass) and Mickey Roker (drums).

Coleman Hawkins was a hugely influential exponent of the tenor saxophone in jazz, being widely regarded as the first artist to establish the instrument as an essential component of the genre's sound. Beginning his career in the early days of jazz in the late '20s, he became a major figure during the swing and big band eras spanning WWII, but also made a significant contribution to the bebop scene into the 1950s. His distinctive but highly adaptable style and sound enabled him to perform over the years in small bands and large orchestras alike both as sideman, leader and featured soloist, and this collection draws on examples of all those elements of his career, from his early recordings with Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra in 1927 through to bebop sessions alongside lush recordings with strings in the mid-'50s. It's a great value 48-track 2-CD, and along the way, there are contributions from many great names of the genre, too numerous to list here, but including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Cozy Cole, J.J. Johnson, Charlie Christian, Benny Carter, and many more. It's a worthy addition to the Fabulous label's Jazz Legends series. It does not duplicate any tracks included on our existing Fabulous label Coleman Hawkins CD 'Bean Soup' (FABCD 136).

In 1958, the first issue of a new magazine named Jazz Review contained an essay by musicologist Gunther Schuller, titled "Sonny Rollins and Thematic Improvisation". The piece's premise was simple - to examine a single Rollins' solo on a recording called Blue 7 (heard on the saxophonist's iconic 1956 LP Saxophone Colossus), whose title gave away the basic structure of the performance - that of the back-bone of jazz, the twelve bar blues. Rollins was already one of the most talked-of jazzmen of his generation, seen by many as a genuine heir to Bebop's founding father Charlie Parker, but Schuller's painstaking analysis elevated him further still, to the rank of innovator whose blues improvisations had a level of compositional cogency of one "who spends days or weeks writing a given passage". Rollins, Schuller believed, had provided a defining example of the art of jazz. Yet, like all good critics, he was aware that such a performance didn't come out of nowhere. Although Blue 7 was undoubtedly a high spot, it was a peak that dominated a landscape littered with other such achievements. Indeed, it was just the latest in a series of classic blues solos Rollins had been setting down on record with his own groups and those led by others since the early 1950s. This new collection collates a selection of those great performances - the first ever issue to concentrate solely on Rollins; blues specialist. Well-regarded for his musical wit and penchant for oddball song choices, since Blue 7 remarkably little has been written about the great saxophonist's ability to wring pure invention from the most fundamental format in jazz, yet the blues (part of his artistic DNA since his days as a teenage Louis Jordan fan) has been at the back of all Rollins' stylistic shifts over a sixty year career. Packaged with period photographs and a fascinating booklet note by saxophonist Simon Spillett, this anthology charts a course through some of his greatest musical encounters - with other giants like Dizzy, Miles, Coltrane and Monk - as well as documenting his never-ending quest for the most stimulating of instrumental contexts. There are pianoless trios, a series of classy quartets and quintets and one especially memorable session, a two-piano sextet. Whatever the setting though, and whatever the tempo (which ranges from a roar through Sonnymoon For Two to the slow purr of Sumphin'), this is Sonny Rollins proving time and again that the blues is at the very core of his immense contribution to the music. Number of Discs: 2

On his Criss Cross debut, 29-year-old Detroit-born saxophonist J.D. Allen brings his own perspective to the aesthetic rumblings that stamped middle '60s jazz music. Boasting an open, richly textured tone, a meticulous, thoughtful approach, and a definitive sense of time, Allen interacts continuously with pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Gene Jackson over a stimulating hour of original music. On three titles as guest, the great new trumpeter Jeremy Pelt.

This is Eric Alexander's 4th release as a leader, and is his most cohesive to date. His trademark big-sound tenor sax is joined here by 74 year old baitone sax legend Cecil Payne, pianist David Hazeltine, bass player John Webber and Joe Farnsworth on drums.

Hot rising tenor sax player & quartet is presented here in an organ context w. veteran Melvin Rhyne that transcends the traditional organ-tenor session w. a sensitive & swinging modern presentation, joined by Bobby Broom-guitar, Joe Farnsworth-drums.

Limited two CD set includes an extensive booklet with rare photos, liner notes and an archival interview with Sonny Stitt. Boppin' In Baltimore: Live at the Left Bank is a previously unreleased recording of saxophone master Sonny Stitt captured live at the famous ballroom in Baltimore on November 11, 1973. Recorded by Left Bank founder Vernon Welsh, it features an all-star rhythm section of pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes.

Though the term "visionary" is rather overused, it certainly applies to tenor saxophonist and composer JD Allen. A musical sponge of sorts, Allen is a remarkable amalgam of a wide variety of musical styles and influences, blurring the boundaries of contemporary jazz by creating a dynamic fusion of tradition and modernity. There is a decidedly "third stream" quality to Allen's compositions, combining as they do advanced classical compositional techniques, the incorporation of electronic sounds and the distillation of historic jazz genres such as call and response, field hollers and, of course, the blues. This type of music relies on the total dedication of all the performers and Allen's latest recording features three of his regular colleagues, the acoustic and electric basses of Gregg August and Ian Kenselaar and the remarkably expressive drummer, Nic Cacioppo. These men have worked with Allen on his previous Savant recordings, perhaps most notably on the unofficial trilogy of "Americana," "Americana Vol. 2" and "Barracoon," and can be considered kindred spirits with their leader. Together, they delve into themes of culture and history, offering moving narratives through their sophisticated approach and profound improvisational skills.

Boston doesn't get enough credit as a jazz town. From the days of the Storyville club and Cambridge-based Transition label to the star factory that is Berklee College of Music, the city stands tall against more celebrated places like Chicago and Detroit. One big part of that high level of creative output is Jerry Bergonzi who, for this date, leads his most Bostonian band in recent memory, reuniting with trumpeter pal Phil Grenadier and drummer Luther Gray. Bassist Harvie S came up from New York for the gig and it was he who suggested guitarist Sheryl Bailey for the album. She completes the Boston connection with her position as the Assistant Chair of Berklee's legendary Guitar Department. "To work with Jerry and study and perform his music is the definition of a dream come true," says Bailey who has played with artists ranging from Ken Peplowski to Shingo Okudaira. Here, Bergonzi has convened a fine band for a compelling album, another feather in Boston's tricorn hat.

Time was when the use of any electronically-generated effects in an artist's work, would immediately brand you as a member of the avant-garde. Eventually, however, jazz embraced the modernism of electronics as people like Rashaan Roland Kirk, John Zorn and classical composers like Edgard Varese took electronics down a less self-destructive and more communicative road. On THIS, tenor saxophonist and composer JD Allen explores the possibilities of electronics+jazz with a set of new compositions for himself, drummer Gwilym Jones and electronics effects wizard Alex Bonney. These works exhibit an astonishingly wide spectrum where you may find modal, blues-infused melodies juxtaposed against startling and provocative electronic effects. There can be a slim line in jazz between being a traditionalist troglodyte and being a radical visionary. On his latest recording, JD Allen has demonstrated that there is a musically satisfying and emotionally fulfilling middle ground.

Together with Americana: Musings on Jazz and Blues, and Barracoon, two of JD Allen's previous Savant releases, Americana, Vol. 2 forms a trilogy of sorts, exploring and encapsulating a universal spirit based in roots and reflection. But despite the profound political, racial, financial and historic issues examined by Allen and company, at the central musical core of all three recordings is the underestimated but crucial role the blues has played in the history of jazz and how it continues to evolve and influence the art form today. On Americana, Vol. 2 Allen continues this investigation with his long-time colleagues Gregg August and Rudy Royston, but is now joined by guitarist Charlie Hunter, who shares not only Allen's interest in the blues and it's legacy, but they also share many similar life experiences. As Allen himself says, "(Charlie's) music brings light to me as a listener. When we met, we found out that we grew up in different areas of the country, but our experiences happen to be very similar. That's Americana right there. I wanted that on this record." Here the blues not only provides a welcome outlet for tension and gentle melodicism but it also gives us an unflinching look into deep-seated and long-lived injustices, particularly via the almost expressionistic utterances of three trio-only tracks. Once again JD Allen shows himself to be a player and composer as remarkable for his directness of communication as he is for the sometimes unforgiving sternness of his message.

In JD Allen's liner notes for Queen City, it becomes clear that he spent a great deal of time thinking about how the pandemic has impacted his relationship with music and specifically his saxophone.  In the notes Allen writes, "Performing music for and with people is what I do and I've come to the realization that an audience of listeners of any size is a part of the music; it's also a shared experience. Covid-19 changed that and forced me to try to remember why I started playing in the first place, the years before I started performing and recording."  The tenor saxophonist's response to his period of introspection is this current recording, a solo saxophone program.  It is a recording full of stark, uncompromising power, affording some rare insight into the psyche of the performer.  This is not a Coleman Hawkins' "Picasso"-toned, I-love-my-horn-and-my-horn-loves-me type of symbiosis.  There is a real sense of confrontation between Allen and his horn and, by extension, the audience which makes for a unique listening experience.  This is not to imply that Queen City is some severe piece of avant garde abrasiveness.  Rather, it encompasses an extraordinarily wide-range of musical languages which communicates an equally broad spectrum of emotions.  Melodies   of ravishing beauty alternate with angular, aggressive phrases to express frustration, anger, resolve, hope, love and acceptance in what may become one of the most personal and revealing recordings to come out of the trying time of Covid-19.

There's an old saying that a great jazz musician never plays a song the same way once. That could certainly be said of Jerry Bergonzi. He is an intellectual artist of uncompromising integrity and a bold, original composer. On Jerry's new Savant recording he returns to the organ-tenor trio format after a long hiatus from it. From the opening track, Cy Coleman's "Witchcraft" with it's hypnotic organ vamp and "bewitching" chord substitutions Jerry gives to the first 8 bars, you know this isn't going to be your parents' organ-tenor gig. Bergonzi and his discmates, Renato Chicco on organ and Andrea Michelutti on drums, take these standards down new harmonic paths and use them as a launching pad for fertile and impressive improvisation. The playing is always intense and distinctive, fresh and spontaneous.