There’s an irresistible swagger to old-fashioned, grease-popping soul jazz records, something so far removed in this hidebound era of button-down classicists. You May Also Like: No related posts.

An underappreciated Dizzy Gillespie record on Verve, includes some s-s-smokin’ thoughts of “Con Alma” — two, in fact. You May Also Like: Dizzy Gillespie and Friends – Concert of the Century: A Tribute to Charlie Parker (2016) ‘Hot House: The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Recordings’ (2023) Wes Montgomery withRead More

Funky and tough, the Jazz Messengers were, until the very end, a group best heard blasting away on stage as vital, hard bop pioneers. That made this the definitive late-period release from Art Blakey. “Art Collection” features two celebrated tracks with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, as well as one withRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Some favorite jazz albums of mine that don’t come up at the top of anyone else’s top records list, but I thought were outstanding despite the lack of publicity about them. … You May Also Like: Jazz’s Best Last Records by John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy +Read More