Forty years ago Mark Gilbert sensed a lot of style and not much content in the second album from Ornette Coleman's Prime Time bassist

Forty years ago Simon Adams heard the Celestial Traveller reverting mostly to the 30s heyday of swing and issuing a 12" single aimed at the disco market

Forty years ago Mark Gilbert welcomed the landmark session in which John Scofield applied his polytonal jazz attitude to a range of popular American musical forms

Forty years ago vibist Mike Mainieri talked about Paul Whiteman, Buddy Rich, farming, the hippie era, the history of Steps Ahead and the ignorance and prejudice of the critical establishment

Fifty years Mike Shera was mystified that a session distinguished by the 'constant swing and excellent ideas' of Tommy Whittle should have been issued late and under Phil Seamen's name

Fifty years ago, in a belated review, Mark Gardner marvelled at the swing and invention on Hubbard's 1969 date with Eddie Daniels et al, recommending it without reservation

Fifty years ago Roger Dean was pleased to find no rock on Jarrett's latest LP but nevertheless variety within a consistent stylistic setting and 'delightful use of extremely high notes in huge melodic jumps'

Fifty years ago Chris Sheridan thought rock - 'the illegitimate heir to urban blues' - a blundering intruder into jazz and that most 'Jazz-Rock' was an ephemeral ripple on the surface of the music

Sixty years ago Graham Boatfield thought that efforts in London to marry jazz and poetry were a failure and recommended instead Langston Hughes with Henry Allen and other jazz musi­cians

Sixty years ago Sinclair Traill was delighted by the pungent phrasing, ferocious beat and direct, unpretentious creativity of Dexter Gordon, Sonny Clark, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins

Sixty years ago Mark Gardner, thinking Dolphy had trapped himself in a musical blind alley, was surprised to find he enjoyed half of this 1961 collection

Sixty years ago, Steve Voce, having found Coltrane's long workouts too harrowing, wasn't surprised to see Crescent panned by US critics but was surprised to find - thanks to its focus and avoidance of blind alleys - that he liked it