Volume 2 of a double-length live set from the legendary Modern Jazz Quartet – recorded in Scandinavia in 1960, almost as a summation of the group's growing genius in the 50s! The tunes are a mix of John Lewis and Milt Jackson originals, plus other songs all given the wonderful MJQ twist – distilled into a sublime blend of piano, vibes, bass, and drums – all delivered with a sense of class, but never too much polish. Titles include "Pyramid", "It Don't Mean A Thing", "The Cylinder", "Round Midnight", "Bag's Groove", and "Skating In Central Park".

European Concert' is perhaps the classic of the Modern Jazz Quartet. The MJQ presented its jazz in a formally structured context, much like a chamber music ensemble in a classical context. This album, perhaps more than any of their studio recordings, illustrates how the band uses concepts of time, space, beat, rhythm and change to weave them into a seamless whole, where melody is the basis of improvisation, but never really constrains it.

"This is the type of album that led many bop purists to criticize the Modern Jazz Quartet (and John Lewis in particular) for being overly influenced by Western classical music. This album has seven of Lewis' compositions, episodic works arranged in a suite that portrays characters from a fictional Italian comedy based in the 1500s. Singer Diahann Carroll guests fairly effectively on "La Cantatrice." Despite being tied to a story, there are some strong improvisations from pianist Lewis and vibraphonist Milt Jackson on this unusual material. The release is not that essential but it is quite interesting." (Scott Yanow, AMG)

The Paris Swing Collective takes on the air of a Big Band and pays tribute to the music of the brilliant American pianist and arranger Duke Ellington. From his beginnings in New Orleans to his greatest hits. The Paris scene has always held a special place in the hearts of great American jazzmen such as Sydney Bechet, Benny Goodman and Josephine Baker.

The legendary Charlie Parker fronts the Charlie Parker Quartet for Parker Plus Strings, recorded live at the Apollo Theatre, Aug 22nd, 23rd, 1950 & The Rockland Palace, Sept. 26, 1952.

The jazz pianist, arranger and composer Alan Broadbent - born in 1947 - can already look back on a very successful career. He has made recordings with Natalie Cole, Diana Krall and even Sir Paul McCartney, among others. For 25 years, Broadbent has been the pianist in bassist Charlie Haden's legendary "Quartet West", recorded important albums with this band and was a regular guest with them at the most important jazz festivals in the world.

Producer Norman Granz occasionally got carried away with the quantity of his recording projects. In 1974 he recorded a full album teaming fellow pianists Count Basie and Oscar Peterson in a rhythm quintet; little did anyone realize that this then-unique matchup would eventually result in five albums…

Building on the success of his 2021 solo debut Dio C’è (“wildly ambitious” — AllMusic) and his co-led 2018 effort with pianist Jason Yeager All at Onceness, alto saxophonist Randal Despommier returns with A Midsummer Odyssey, a captivating duo session with guitarist extraordinaire Ben Monder. The central focus is the highly accessible yet always enigmatic music of Swedish baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin (1928-1976).

When the world-renowned Canadian pianist came to Villingen in 1961, there was a mood of intense excitement all round. Hans-Georg Brunner-Schwer (HGBS), former owner of the hifi dynasty SABA who died in 2004, had just set up the first version of his studio, equipped with the most advanced recording technology of the time, above the living-room in his villa. This was the bait used by the piano enthusiast to attract the famous pianist to the Black Forest.

Excellent Swedish jazz. It's definitely highly influenced by free jazz and the avant-garde but it's still quite accessible.