Jazz /
Da Bang!
Da Bang! was recorded in February 2011, just two months before the master violinist Billy Bang (1947-2011) succumbed to cancer. In this final session, the Billy Bang Group featured one extended composition by Bang, "Daydreams," as well as compositions by some of Bang´s favorite musicians, including Barry Altschul, Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins. For Da Bang!, the Billy Bang Group featured legendary trombonist Dick Griffin as well as Bang´s regular accompanists in his …
The Prophet
In 1954, during his first trip to Paris, the adventurous pianist and be-bop pioneer Thelonious Monk recorded a handful of songs for French radio, later issued as The Prophet. Unencumbered by bass, drums or other a companiment, Monk gives us all we need in left-hand rhythms and right-hand melodies; ‘Round About Midnight’ and ‘Reflections’ di play masterful command and there’s a one-off take of ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.’ Highlighting his capabilities in full, this is required listening for Monk fa…
The Unique
Pioneering be-bopper and unorthodox pianist Thelonious Monk was largely underacknowledged for the role he played in changing jazz forever. The Unique Thelonious Monk, the second of his LPs for Riverside, was recorded in 1956 with bassist/cellist Oscar Pettiford, who Monk had bonded with in Coleman Hawkins’ band, and the wildcard drummer, Art Blakey, pushing things farther into the realm of experimentation, despite the set being comprised of jazz standards. Thus, ‘Tea For Two’ becomes a hard-bop …
Jazz Epistles
The Jazz Epistles were the very first South African jazz group who broke away from the swinging and danceable jazz forms in vogue during the 1950s. A group formed by strong personalities like pianist Dollar Brand, later known as Abdulah Hibrahim, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, saxophonist Kippi Moeketzi, trombonist Jonas Gwangwa, bassist Johnny Getze and drummer Makaya Ntschoko. A bunch of jazz modernists who already in the late 1950s, under the influence of the American "Bop" attitude began to switch…
Filet De Sole (Philly Of Soul)
* 2022 stock * Recorded at the Studio Jazz Unité in Paris, France, on June 19, 1981, Filet de Sole / Philly of Soul was the only recording made by brilliant drummer Philly Joe Jones with this exact octet formation.The group plays a variety of tunes, including well-known pieces by Tadd Dameron, Benny Golson, Randy Weston, and the tandem of John Lewis & Dizzy Gillespie, plus an homage to Tadd Dameron composed by the group's tenor saxophonist Charles Davis (a regular with Archie Shepp and Sun Ra), …
'Round About Midnight (Live At The Totem Vol. 2)
* 2022 stock * "Archie Shepp's 1979 quartet of American and European musicians (Clifford Jarvis, drums; Seifried Kessler, piano; Bob Cunningham, bass) put more fire under him as an improviser than anybody since Coltrane. These cats came to play, and they were playing for keeps. It's all Shepp can do to lead the band. Opening with a furiously paced "Donna Lee," with Shepp's solo winding all around the intervals and changing them in mid-phrase, Jarvis double times even his legato. For 16 minutes t…
On The New Jersey Road
* 2022 stock * Futura Records presents On the New Jersey Road: Dany Doriz (vibraphone), Philippe Duchemin (piano) & Patricia Lebeugle (contrebasse) – Invité sur trois titres : Enrico Granafei (harmonica) Paterson (New Jersey – USA) Recorded on 26th and 27th september 2005 at Bioya Recording Studios, Paterson (New Jersey - USA)
Empyrean Isles (LP)
Reissue of Empyrean Isles a classic Herbie Hancock album from 1964. From soul-jazz cuts to avant-garde explorations, Empyrean Isles revealed that Herbie Hancock was a jazz icon in the making. Clear vinyl.
Bebop Live
Temporary Super Offer! This release can be seen, informed by the 100th anniversary of Charlie Parker’s birth, as an occasion for not only celebration, but reexamination and rediscovery, based upon the special qualities these particular performances provide. Parker is the focal point, the vortex of energy and ingenuity. The effect of hearing him in this arena of spontaneity and inventiveness is like watching Edison at work in his laboratory. It is Parker at his most audacious and prophetic. - Art…
Mingus Ah Um
**180 gram audiophile vinyl** When driving a band with his upright bass, Charles Mingus looked -and was- gigantic, in more ways than one. He had huge creative appetites (as well as being hot tempered), creating his own combination of hard bop, blues, and avant-garde jazz. There was no one more multi-faceted than Mingus between the 1950s and 1970s and of his many albums, Mingus Ah Um (1959) is considered to be a jazz classic.
Live at Molde International Jazz Festival 1976
Classic Cool/Bop session from 76, and regarded as one of the finest Norwegian jazz live recordings of the seventies featuring an impeccable performance by alto sax player Carl Neumann, playing mostly original songs by pianist Christian Reim, Bjørn Kjellemyr on Bass and Ole Jacob Hansen on drums. First time on vinyl format and with great sound quality, new pictures, new notes.
House Party
House Party is the fourteenth album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1957 and 1958 and released on the Blue Note label. Rudy Van Gelder used the Manhattan Towers Hotel Ballroom in New York City for recording sessions in 1957-1958, while he was still using his parents' Hackensack, N.J. home studio to record artists for Blue Note. House Party was the first of two Smith albums recorded on two dates, the second was Smith's next album The Sermon!, released in 1…
New Faces, New Sounds
What style of piano does Elmo Hope play? It would be easy to answer “The same as Bud Powell,” but this would not do justice to a musician who, while coming along the same route as Bud for so many years, is now ploughing a separate path for himself, though in a similar general neighborhood. His original material, though it has the intense, rapt quality of Bud’s, remains personal, whether it be the relatively serene approach of Happy Hour or the minor Moroccan mood of Stars Over Marakech. When you…
New Star On The Horizon
The date took place just a week before Brownie took off for Europe, as a member of that vast edifice built by the master of multiple decibels, the Lionel Hampton orchestra. Like Gigi Gryce, the alto saxophonist and fellow-Hamptonian whom Brownie pressed into service for this session, the young hornman found the occasions for expressing his individual personality few and far between in so large and monolithic an organization. The opportunity to record with a small, compact group, aimed at the cre…
Chico Hamilton Special
Typical Chico genius of the era. This is one of only two recordings by Chico's fourth quintet lineup, Bye Bye Birdie - Irma la Douce being the other. Featuring Charles Lloyd on alto sax and flute. The numbers featuring Lloyd on flute (like "Autumn Leaves", "New Rhumba" and "Afternoon of a Breeze") are especially cool.
Coolin'
An obscure and excellent 1957 session produced by master Rudy Van Gelder and originally released on Prestige Records. A tight sextet with a distinctive sound run by vibraphonist Teddy Charles, featuring great pianist Mal Waldron and some fine and often underrated musicians such as Idrees Sulieman – trumpet, John Jenkins – alto saxophone, Addison Farmer – bass and Jerry Segal – drums. The album consists of one standard and five originals, all based on complex melodies and hard swinging rhythms.
Brown And Roach Incorporated
Recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles in August 1954, this is the first Emarcy recording of the legendary Brown & Roach Quintet featuring the great Harold Land on tenor sax, Richie Powell on piano and George Morrow on bass. Under the direction of two modern Jazz masters such as trumpeter Clifford Brown and drummer Max Roach the quintet shines through a fine set of classic standards, including "Stompin' at the Savoy", Cole Porter's "I Get a Kick out of You" and a couple of Brown-Roach origin…
The Fox
Harold Land, one of the greatest West Coast tenor saxophone voices of all time. A strong player rooted in Bop language, famous for his role in the legendary Max Roach and Clifford Brown quintet and later as part of another great Los Angeles based combo such as bassist's Curtis Counce group. The Fox is a 1960 album originally released on the Hifijazz label and reissued by Contemporary in 1969. Here Land is at the head of a marvelous quintet, some sort of who's who of the LA jazz scene: Dupree Bol…
Letter From Home
Released on Riverside records in 1962, "Letter from Home" was the debut album of Jazz vocalist Eddie Jefferson. Often credited as the founder of vocalese, Jefferson wrote memorable lyrics to classic jazz standards including "Parker's Mood.", "Lady Be Good," "So What," "Freedom Jazz Dance,"... Eddie Jefferson is backed here by a bunch of Jazz heavyweights, all at the top of their game. Among them: tenor sax masters Johnny Griffin and James Moody, trumpeter Clark Terry, pianists, Winton Kelly, an…
The Birth of BeBop - Celebrating Bird at 100 vol 2
Temporary Super Offer! The incomparable life and extraordinary, trailblazing career of jazz titan and influential composer Charlie Parker will be honored throughout 2020 with a worldwide celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth (August 29, 1920). Lovingly dubbed Bird 100 after the nickname of the preeminent alto saxophonist who was one of the fathers of bebop and progenitors of modern jazz, the centennial will include a host of major initiatives including exciting new music r…