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Rückverzauberung im Tunnel
Wolfgang Voigt makes a return to Astral Industries, seeing the continuation of his long-running Rückverzauberung (Reverse Enchantment) series. In line with previous volumes, one may expect the unconventional, idiosyncratic sound Voigt is reputed for. ‘Im Tunnel’ however, takes a more concentrated viewpoint - a metaphysical transmutation that brings with it an experience of mind-melting drones and swelling intensity.
Entering the tunnel is like opening a portal, but as the fabric of time-space b…
La Gran Corriente
Colombian-born artist Juan Carlos Torres Alonso, aka OKRAA, presents his third sonic exploration on A Strangely Isolated Place titled, La Gran Corriente. This album marks a profound shift in Juan's creative journey, where themes of portals, the illusion of time, and the paradoxes of self-discovery converge into a powerful auditory experience. Following a transformative visit to Bogotá in May 2023, Juan underwent an introspective journey that inspired a new direction in his music. This experience…
Page One
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Page One, Joe Henderson introduces his tenor alongside Kenny Dorham on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Pete La Roca on drums. Together they bring to life a set of tunes – including future standards – that balance memorable themes with ample improvisational room. Henderson’s tone is earthy yet flexible, his lines combining logical development with sudden, surprising detours. Dorham’s lyrical, slightly tart trumpet provides a perfect foi…
Bass On Top
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Bass on Top, Paul Chambers quietly but firmly moves the bass into the spotlight, supported by Hank Jones on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Art Taylor on drums. Standards become opportunities for Chambers to state themes and improvise with a singing, resonant tone that never gets lost, even in the lowest register. The rhythm section reverses the usual hierarchy: Jones and Burrell comp and solo with taste, but always leave room for Chambers’ lines to lead. …
Out To Lunch!
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Out to Lunch! remains one of the most strikingly original statements on Blue Note. Eric Dolphy marshals Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums into a unit that treats his knotty compositions as springboards rather than straitjackets. Themes like “Hat and Beard” arrive full of angular intervals and odd accents, while the rhythm team tilts and lurches under them, propelled by Williams’ restless …
Speak No Evil
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Speak No Evil, Wayne Shorter fronts a quintet of Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancockon piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Shorter’s compositions are haunted and luminous: melodies that are instantly memorable yet subtly elusive, harmonies rich with unresolved tension, forms deceptively straightforward. His tenor lines slide between inside and outside, often stating a theme in stark tones before twisting it into ambiguous shapes. The ba…
Maiden Voyage
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Maiden Voyage, Herbie Hancock turns the small jazz group into an ocean vessel, steering a dream team of Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), George Coleman (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Williams (drums) through a suite of sea‑evoking pieces. Modal harmonies, open forms, and long, swelling melodies create a sense of expanse; Carter and Williams suggest tides and undertows, while Hubbard and Coleman trace arcs that feel both exploratory and inevitable. Hancock’…
Poly-Currents (Blue Note Tone Poet Series)
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** After his six years with the seminal John Coltrane Quartet, the master drummer Elvin Jones signed with Blue Note in 1968 and began building his own career as a bandleader. His first two albums for the label were spare trio outings—Puttin’ It Together and The Ultimate—both featuring saxophonist Joe Farrell and bassist Jimmy Garrison. For his next album—1969’s unfettered post-bop exploration Poly-Currents—Jones expanded his ensemble with additional woodwinds and pe…
Moanin'
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Moanin’ is the sound of Art Blakey turning a band into a congregation, with Lee Morgan’s trumpet, Benny Golson’s tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons’s piano, and Jymie Merritt’s bass all testifying over Blakey’s unmistakable cymbal crashes and press rolls. From the call‑and‑response of the title track to the burning hard‑bop vehicles that follow, the record distils church‑infused, blues‑drenched celebration into a small‑group format. Each soloist brings a distinct voi…
Cool Struttin'
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Cool Struttin’ remains one of those Blue Note dates that somehow bottle the atmosphere of an era. Sonny Clark leads from the piano with Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Art Farmer on trumpet, Paul Chambers on bass, “Philly” Joe Jones on drums, a line‑up that walks the line between laid‑back and razor‑sharp. Medium‑tempo themes feel designed for city sidewalks and late‑night conversations, while the solos emphasise feel over flash. Clark’s comping is buoyant and s…
Somethin' Else
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Somethin’ Else remains one of those rare records where everything lines up: the room, the band, the material, and the moment. Cannonball Adderley leads on alto saxophone with Miles Davis’s trumpet cutting through alongside Hank Jones on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Blakey on drums, a Blue Note all‑star line-up operating at peak equilibrium. The album sounds like a conversation between Adderley and Davis, two distinct voices who know exactly how far they can …
Where Is Brooklyn?
Where Is Brooklyn? by Don Cherry returns as a Japanese UHQ-CD, featuring Pharoah Sanders, Henry Grimes, and Ed Blackwell. This classic Blue Note session is remastered for superior fidelity, capturing the spirit of avant-garde jazz with exceptional clarity.
Schizophrenia
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** "Wayne Shorter’s Schizophrenia found the legendary saxophonist at the pinnacle of post-bop with a sextet of like-minded musical explorers including James Spaulding, Curtis Fuller, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter & Joe Chambers performing Shorter originals like ‘Tom Thumb’, ‘Go’, and ‘Miyako’. Recorded on March 10, 1967, at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey." - HHV
Fuchsia Swing Song
Special Time-Limited Offer "One of the greatest modern moments on Blue Note – ever! From the cover, to the compositions, to the playing on the set – the whole album crackles with an unbelievable fire that was hardly ever matched again. A young Sam Rivers leads a quartet that includes Jaki Byard on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Anthony Williams on drums – coming together in a sound that's got lots of sharp edges, yet which also beats with an undeniably swinging heart. Rivers blows incredibly on…
Destination Out
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Destination... Out! sees Jackie McLean stepping decisively into less charted territory, flanked by Grachan Moncur III on trombone, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Larry Ridley on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums. Moncur’s compositions stretch form and harmony to the point where the music hovers at the edge of abstraction while still clinging to memorable themes. McLean responds with heightened intensity; his alto lines slice through the ensemble’s cool, translucent textu…
Bluesnik
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On Bluesnik, Jackie McLean teams with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Pete La Roca on drums to prove there is still plenty to say within the twelve‑bar form. The band leans heavily on the blues but treats it as a living language, shifting tempos from strolling to urgent and varying the feel from tough swagger to reflective drag. McLean’s solos are full of sharp edges and vocal inflections, while Hubbard brings a more ext…
Demon's Dance
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Demon’s Dance (often mis‑typed in catalogues) captures Jackie McLean with a younger, firebreathing band: Woody Shaw on trumpet, LaMont Johnson at the piano, Scott Holt on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The tunes are packed with rhythmic snaps and melodic hooks, yet the improvisations regularly veer into more angular, exploratory territory. McLean’s alto tone is piercing and urgent, cutting through the ensemble with authority, while Shaw’s harmonically advanc…
No Room For Squares
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** On No Room for Squares, Hank Mobley leads shifting line‑ups that include Lee Morgan and Donald Byrd on trumpet, Andrew Hill and Herbie Hancock on piano, John Ore and Butch Warrenon bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The compositions are tightly constructed, full of memorable heads and smart twists that keep everyone on their toes. Mobley’s solos retain his trademark flowing lyricism but with a noticeably harder edge, reflecting the changing climate around him. …
Evolution
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** Evolution documents Grachan Moncur III stepping out as a composer‑leader with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. The pieces blend post‑bop structures with freer approaches to metre and harmony, resulting in music that feels constantly tilted yet never topples. Moncur’s trombone leads themes that are by turns mournful, eerie, and boldly declamatory; the band responds with solos…
Unit Structures
** Special Time-Limited Offer ** The intrepid free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor produced some of his best work for Blue Note Records, including his explosive 1966 label debut Unit Structures featuring Eddie Gale on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto saxophone, Ken McIntyre on alto saxophone, oboe, and bass clarinet, Henry Grimes and Alan Silva on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums. Over the course of four extended original pieces by Taylor—“Steps,” “Enter, Evening,” “Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section,” a…