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Soulville
Ben Webster
1957 [Verve]

As the title suggests, veteran tenor Ben Webster can rightly take some of the credit for laying the foundations of soul jazz. Here his seemingly unlikely teaming with the Oscar Peterson Trio works to perfection, with guitarist Herb Ellis sounding like he is having a ball. The CD includes three bonus tracks from the sessions not on the original LP.

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The Sermon
Jimmy Smith
1958 [Blue Note]

Jimmy Smith may not have created soul jazz, but he is certainly the artist most closely associated with it. This is a raw and energetic set from the Hammond's greatest hero. Hotshots in support include Lee Morgan, Art Blakey, Kenny Burrell and Lou Donaldson. Also worth checking out is the popular Back at the Chicken Shack from 1960.

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Blowin' the Blues Away
Horace Silver
1959 [Blue Note]

Pianist Silver cut a host of fine albums for the Blue Note label. This one contains the soulful 'Sister Sadie' and the wonderfully serene 'Peace'. Blue Mitchell excels on trumpet, but there's not a bad note in sight throughout. This is well and truly a hard bop album, although there are enough funky grooves to prove it also has soul.

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Soul Station
Hank Mobley
1960 [Blue Note]

While not recognised as one of the masters of the tenor, Mobley was nevertheless a great showman. This exuberant hard bop outing finds him at this best, with outstanding support coming from drummer Art Blakey, bassist Paul Chambers and Wynton Kelly on piano. Mobley sandwiches four originals between two intuitively selected standards.

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Blue & Sentimental
Ike Quebec
1962 [Blue Note]

Tenor Ike Quebec had a resurgence in the early 60s, this rating as a forgotten gem of soul jazz. With a soulful mixture of blues and ballads, as well as guitarist Grant Green helping out, this superb album was always going to have some feeling. The bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones rhythm section didn't hurt either.

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Idle Moments
Grant Green
1963 [Blue Note]

Full of supple lines and flowing runs, this is guitarist Green's finest moment on record. Drug troubles probably contributed to Green's death in 1979 following a year-long bout with illness. Here, however, his music is fresh and vibrant - with support players Duke Pearson, Bobby Hutcherson and Joe Henderson making valuable contributions.

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Song for My Father
The Horace Silver Quintet
1964 [Blue Note]

This is the best known of pianist Silver's many fine albums. Although dubbed a Quintet record, it also features tracks played by Silver's new lineup featuring tenor Joe Henderson. Made up mostly of original Silver compositions, there are hints of exotic rhythms - with the outstanding title track grooving to a subtle bossa nova beat.

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Unity
Larry Young
1965 [Blue Note]

On 1962's Groove Street organist Young sounded like just another one of a host of Jimmy Smith clones. By the time Unity was made he was charting a new course for the Hammond, while taking the first tentative steps towards integrating John Coltrane's free jazz mantra into soul. The record was also an important step towards fusion.