Rising through the golden bebop days of the ‘40s and ‘50s and playing with legends such as Art Blakey and Dizzy Gillespie, saxophonist James Moody would eventually be known as one of the smoothest jazzers of the mid-20th century. His penchant for dishing out intoxicating sax melodies can be seen in tracks like “I'm in the Mood for Love (a.k.a. Moody's Mood for Love)” and “Just Moody,” but he was also a monster on the flute (“With Malice Towards None”). Moody helped connect the controlled balance of Charlie Parker and the unhinged runs of John Coltrane—tracks like “Mean to Me” show how.