A brilliant sequel to the highly acclaimed Standard Issue (SCCD 31439) of 1998, this volume has a welcome addition of pianist Harold Danko on three of the five tracks. In the warm atmosphere of live house, the band gets extra energy from the appreciative audiences. Dick Oatts’ personal sound on alto sax (and tenor sax on one track) is once again a real treat for all listeners.

Jazz critic Owen Cordle once described Dick Oatts as “an uncompromising jazz musician, one who possesses monster chops without trumpeting them.” Dick Oatts has, since his move to NYC in the late 70s, been one of the most sought-after soloists on alto sax on both the NY scene and the international stage. Dick Oatts’ sensitive and cerebral approach to music enhanced by his “monster chops” manifested here again on his 11th leader album on SteepleChase. “… maybe the best showcase we've ever heard for the alto sax work of Dick Oatts!” (Dusty Groove on Sweet Nowhere SCCD 31778)

Vinyl LP pressing. 2019 archive release. In 1964, the National Film Board of Canada asked John Coltrane to record the soundtrack for a French-language film titled Le Chat Dans Le Sac (The Cat in the Bag). In June of that year, Coltrane's classic quartet entered Rudy Van Gelder's studio and recorded five previously-recorded Coltrane originals. For many years, viewers of the film who recognized the music thought that they were listening to the original recordings, though in fact they were new and had never been heard.

This December 1977 recording features two of the most prominent AACM musicians, Roscoe Mitchell and Anthony Braxton. Mitchell's composition "run the gamut, beginning with the darkly gorgeous opener that features Braxton's contrabass clarinet nestling evocatively beneath the composer's earthy flute, Mitchell's other pieces investigate the sparer, more abstract realm, as the duo's wide variety of reeds populate the sonic environment with scattered moans, squeaks and pops. Overall, this is a fine meeting between two of the most forward-looking thinkers and players in the music. Recommended. " - Brian Olewnick, allmusic. Com Anthony Braxton also contributes three compositions.

Smooth Jazz Superstar Marion Meadows is without question one of the most popular and unique talents on the jazz scene today. Blessed with movie star looks and the smoothest sax- ophone tone on the on the planet, Marion has sold over two million albums in his brilliant career. His constant string of radio hits and relentless touring have garnered legions of fans, and his appearances with such varied artists as The Temptations, Michael Bolton and Will Downing are a testament to his broad audience appeal. Just Doing Me, Marion's most intimate and heartfelt album to date, takes the listener on a sensuous journey through a soundscape of brilliant original compositions and masterful improvisations. The album is produced by the top producers in smooth jazz: Marion's long-time collaborator, Chris "Big Dog" Davis (Will Downing, Gerald Albright, Maysa), Wirlie Morris (Norman Brown, Charlie Wilson), and Paul Brown (Boney James, Peter White)! Highlights include the deeply sensuous "Pink Glass," the funky and spirited "Say What," and much more!

Smooth Urban Jazz superstar Kim Waters has sold over two million albums in his more than 20 years of touring and recording. Loved by R&B and Jazz fans alike, his crossover appeal, Smooth Jazz #1 radio hits, and dynamic performances have placed him among the elite in his field. That Special Touch has special significance to the artist because the album features the young smooth jazz hit maker, Kim's daughter Kayla! The energy and joy of this occasion have inspired and elevated Kim's writing and playing to new heights! Highlights include Kim and Kayla's dream-like remake of Adele's smash hit "Go Easy On Me," the ebullient "Joy Dance," the intensely pulsating "House Call," and more Kim Waters originals!

2017 release. Poetry In Motion is the highly anticipated follow up to Najee's much loved You, Me and Forever which was #1 both on the Billboard chart and at Smooth Jazz radio. As the title implies, the album represents Najee's exploration into the world of sensuality and romance, interspersed with some fantastic spirited grooves that have made Najee a favorite the world over!

Saxophonist Euge Groove is one of the bestselling Contemporary Jazz artists, scoring more than half a dozen #1 Smooth Jazz radio hits and selling over 250,000 albums. His last album, HOUSE OF GROOVE, hit #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, continuing his hit driven chart reign. GOT 2 BE GROOVIN delivers Euge Groove's trademark Funk/Jazz grooves on a wide ranging set including potential radio hits as well as featuring a couple of vocal tracks by AMERICAN IDOL finalist Elliot Yamin and Gospel singer Chanel Haynes of Trin I Tee 5:7.

Smooth Jazz superstar Marion Meadows is without question one of the most popular and unique talents on the Jazz scene today. Blessed with movie star looks and the smoothest saxophone tone on the planet, Marion has sold close to one million albums in his brilliant career. WHISPER is probably Marion's most intimate and sensuous album yet. In support of this album, Marion Meadows will be touring coast to coast as part of Sax and the City with special guest Paul Taylor.

2021 release. Smooth jazz superstar Marion Meadows is without question one of the most popular and unique talents on the jazz scene today. Blessed with movie star looks and the smoothest saxophone tone on the on the planet, Marion has sold over one million albums in his brilliant career. His constant string of radio hits and relentless touring have garnered legions of fans, and his appearances with such varied artists as The Temptations, Michael Bolton and Will Downing are a testament to his broad audience appeal. Twice As Nice, Marion's most intimate and heartfelt album to date, takes the listener on a sensuous journey through a soundscape of brilliant original compositions and masterful improvisations. The album is produced by smooth jazz superstars in their own right: Grammy winners Jeff Lorber and Paul Brown plus Marion's long-time collaborator, Chris "Big Dog" Davis (Will Downing, Gerald Albright, Maysa).

Black Magic Man is arguably the pivotal Joe McPhee release. It bridged the span between the regional and the international, bypassing the national altogether. Recorded in the same sessions that produced Nation Time, Black Magic Man consists of music not chosen for that LP. Like it's much-feted sister, technically it falls under the domain of CjR, Craig Johnson's herculean effort in support of McPhee. An erstwhile painter, Johnson became a self-taught audio engineer, acquiring equipment expressly to document McPhee's music. In December 1970, five years after Johnson and McPhee had met, they recorded two days of activity -a concert followed by an additional day of recordings-at Vassar College where McPhee was teaching in the Black Studies department. About half of the material was used to make Nation Time. While they had planned to issue a follow-up, the money wasn't there, so the tapes sat dormant. "Fast-forward five years-Werner X. Uehlinger, a Swiss businessman who worked for Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, contacted Johnson while on a trip to the US, and over dinner with McPhee, they discussed putting out some of the unused tracks from the Nation Time sessions. With this casual encounter in 1975, Hat Hut Records was inaugurated. The new label's maiden release was Black Magic Man, dubbed Hat Hut A, the first in what would become Hat Hut's letter series. Along the way, the series would feature seven Joe McPhee records, including the first four in a row." -John Corbett (excerpt from the liner notes)

Joe McPhee's first international release, Black Magic Man, was issued on the newly formed Hat Hut imprint in 1975. It was a watershed moment for the 35-year-old musician. Based in Poughkeepsie, New York, he was too far away from Manhattan to have participated extensively in the Loft Jazz happenings of the decade. European exposure, however, would give McPhee an alternative circuit, something of an escape route from the trappings of American cultural myopia. In support of the new record for this Swiss label, McPhee invited John Snyder on a European tour in October 1975. Snyder was a synthesizer player with whom McPhee had made the duet LP Pieces Of Light, released a year earlier on CjR. The two musicians developed an extensive repertoire, playing diverse spaces in the Hudson Valley. Geographically close gigs were a plus, since it took extra energy to hoist Snyder's ARP 2600. "McPhee and Snyder were invited to play at the Willisau Jazz Festival in Switzerland. If you compare this live record with Pieces Of Light, a studio effort, it's considerably more open. South African drummer Makaya Ntshoko is rolling thunder on the choral 'Voices,' shuffling under Snyder's bubbly beat on 'Bahamian Folksong.' It is quite a special combination, enough so that Hat Hut chose to release it as their next LP, Hat Hut B in their alphabetical series. The Willisau Concert represents the sound of Joe McPhee opening up, opening out, expanding his field of operations to include new figures, fresh experiences, new continents of sound." -John Corbett (excerpt from the liner notes)

Europe 1966 is a box set consisting of live performances from free jazz visionary Albert Ayler. Each of the 4 LP's highlights some of the most magnificent moments on this European tour, showcasing Ayler and his bandmates at the height of their powers. The release includes performances from Berlin, Lorrach, Stockholm, and Paris, all of which occurred within a two week span. Ayler's masterful band on this tour included his brother Donald on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on double bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. These performances have been remastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. The package also includes a 12 x 24 fold-out insert, featuring liner notes from John Litweller and photos from the tour.

This album's sound & style is similar to the route Mitchell chose on his "Hey Donald" album, mainly because he uses the same quartet, minus Malachi Favors, who was replaced by Reggie Workman; the remaining players are Jodie Christian & Albert Heath.

Originally released on Sackville recordings in 1974 as "The Roscoe Mitchell Solo Saxophone Concerts", this historical reissue has been remastered and contains the same material as the original, which is primarily solo concerts from Montreal, Michigan and Pori, Finland recorded in 1973-1974. It captures Roscoe Mitchell in a very important period in his development as a musician as he started exploring his own solo voice again after a very productive period with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It beautifully displays his virtuosity and range on the different horns in the saxophone family, and many of the melodies he explores in these recordings were expanded on in his later works. It is truly a peek into how some of his elaborate compositions may have begun.

Roscoe Mitchell Orchestra performs two masterpieces for the Fault Zone Festival April 21 2022. Distant Radio Transmission Fault Zone and Sustain and Run II features Roscoe on Alto Sax, James Fei on Synth, vocalist Thomas Buckner and a stellar thirty piece orchestra.. Also from the festival is Cards in 3D colors a duet written by Mr Mitchell for Piano and Violin and two Pieces from Space Trio

Recorded in Oslo in September 1970, Afric Pepperbird was released on New Year's Day in 1971. Half a century later, it still conveys the freshness and excitement of discoveries being made. The album signaled the arrival of four Norwegian improvisers - Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen - at the fledgling ECM label. It was the start of a lifelong association with each of the musicians, whose influence was soon to reach far beyond the borders of their homeland.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. 1968's Love Cry mixes Albert Ayler's free jazz with a catchy combination of nursery rhythms and brass band marches, resulting in a peak example of experimental jazz of the period. This was Ayler's last recording with his brother, Donald, who keeps the pace fiery along with the rhythm section of Alan Silva (bass), Milford Graves (drums), and Call Cobbs (harpsichord). The Verve By Request Series features 180-gram vinyl, pressed at Third Man in Detroit.

Here is the second volume of “In The Tradition” with all titles in first takes to complete the session which started with Volume one. The session was originally meant for Dexter Gordon. As Dexter was taken ill at the time of recording, Braxton filled in and the rest is history. “ This music confirms Braxton’s talent for striking a fine balance between the purely experimental and the more conventional.” (Jazz Journal)