Years before Paul Horn became famous for his pioneering new age and mood music albums, he was an adventurous bop-based improviser trying to create an alternative to the hard bop music of the era. [source]

Paul Horn – Saxophone, Flute
Emil Richards – Vibes
Jimmy Bond – Bass
Paul Moer – Piano
Billy Higgins – Drums

Composed by Paul Moer
Produced by David Axelrod

“Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don’t Tease Me)” is a 1941 popular song composed by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Lee Gaines. The song has been recorded numerous times by a number of artists in the years since, having become a jazz standard. [source]

Unity is an album by jazz organist Larry Young, released on the Blue Note label. While not free jazz, the album features innovative experimentation. The title was chosen by Young because “although everybody on the date was very much an individualist, they were all in the same frame of mood. It was evident from the start that everything was fitting together.” The album was Young’s second for Blue Note, following on from Into Somethin´. [source]

Larry Young – Hammond
Woody Shaw – Trumpet
Joe Henderson – Tenor Saxophone
Elvin Jones – Drums

Despite the metaphysical suggestion in Spirit Fiction´s title, this is Ravi Coltranes most cerebral, process-oriented recording to date. This does not mean, however, that his debut offering for Blue Note Records is dry or academic. There is an abundance of emotion and sensual detail, most of it expressed gently, with the confidence — and authority — of a veteran bandleader. [source]

Ravi Coltrane – Tenor & Soprano Saxophone
Luis Perdomo –  Piano
Drew Gress – Bass
E.J. Strickland – Drums
Ralph Alessi – Trumpet
Geri Allen – Piano
James Genus – Bass
Eric Harland – Drums

It is surprising how artistically productive altoist Arthur Blythe was during his period on Columbia. Despite the hype and Columbia’s reputation for pressuring artists to play mass-appeal music, Blythe´s recordings for that label are inventive and creative. For this, his third Columbia release, Blythe uses two different groups: an “in the tradition” quartet with pianist John Hicks, bassist Fred Hopkins, and drummer Steve McCall, and a more eccentric unit with guitarist James Blood Ulmer, cellist Abdul Wadud, tuba player Bob Stewart, and drummer Bobby Battle. No matter the setting, the distinctive alto of Blythe is heard in top form on six of his unusual originals. It’s recommended. [source]

Bob Stewart - Tuba
James Blood Ulmer - Electric Guitar
Bobby Battle - Drums
Arthur Blythe - Alto Saxophone
Abdul Wadud - Cello

Ray Nance – Trumpet / Shorty Baker – Trumpet / Cat Anderson – Trumpet / Bill Berry – Trumpet / Ed Mullens – Trumpet / Lawrence Brown – Trombone / Leon Cox – Trombone / Chuck Connors – Trombone  / Russell Procope – Alt Saxophone / Johnny Hodges – Alt Saxophone / Paul Gonsalves – Tenor Saxophone  / Jimmy Hamilton – Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone / Harry Carney – Bars / Duke Ellington – Piano / Aaron Bell – Bass / Sam Woodyard – Drums

Pithecanthropus Erectus is a 1956 album by jazz composer and bassist Charles Mingus. Mingus noted that this was the first album where he taught arrangements to his musicians by ear in lieu of writing everything down. [source]

Tracks on Pithecanthropus Erectus: 1. Pithecanthropus Erectus – 10:36 / 2. A Foggy Day - 7:50 (George Gershwin) / 3. Profile of Jackie” – 3:11 / 4. Love Chant – 14:59

Line up: Charles Mingus – Bass / Jackie McLean – Alto Saxophone / J. R. Monterose – Tenor Saxophone / Mal Waldron – Piano / Willie Jones – Drums

Science Fiction was Ornette Colemans creative rebirth, a stunningly inventive and appropriately alien-sounding blast of manic energy. Coleman pulls out all the stops, working with a variety of different lineups and cramming the record full of fresh ideas and memorable themes. Bassist Charlie Haden and drummers Billy Higgins and/or Ed Blackwell are absolutely indispensable to the overall effect, playing with a frightening, whirlwind intensity throughout. The catchiest numbers — including two songs with Indian vocalist Asha Puthli, which sound like pop hits from an alternate universe — have spacy, long-toned melodies that are knocked out of orbit by the rhythm section’s churning chaos, which often creates a totally different pulse. [source]

Ornette Coleman - Alto Saxophone  / Charlie Haden - Bass / Billy Higgins - Drums  /                     Ed Blackwell – Drums / Dewey Redman - Tenor Saxophone /                                                   Carmon Fornarotto - Trumpet / Gerard Schwarg – Trumpet / Asha Puthli - Vocals

Dave Green –  Bass
Trevor Tomkins - Drums
Michael Garrick - Piano
Don Rendell - Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute
Ian Carr - Trumpet, Flugelhorn