Jazz /
Ryo Fukui in New York
With confident touch, a solid sense of swing, and emotion seeping through its dynamism, Ryo Fukui lands in New York and approaches the essence of bebop alongside the rhythm section of his mentor, Barry Harris.
Ryo Fukui, who passed away in 2016 after releasing only five albums, recorded this fourth work in 1999. Featuring bassist Lyle Atkinson and drummer Leroy Williams—the longtime rhythm section of Barry Harris this New York‑recorded album captures the full appeal of Fukui as a bebop pianist. …
The Voice That Is!
Drawn from two September 1964 sessions at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio with producer Bob Thiele, The Voice That Is! features vocalist Johnny Hartman in his third and final album for Impulse! following a celebrated collaboration with John Coltrane. The album blends two sessions arranged by Bob Hammer: one pairing Hartman with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Osie Johnson, and another for octet, with English horn, flute, marimba and Latin percussion flourishes throughout. The rep…
Structurally Sound
Best known for his association with Charles Mingus, the Texas-born tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin was a distinctive soloist with an assertive and immediately recognizable sound. One of Ervin’s pinnacle statements as a leader was the first of his two Pacific Jazz albums, Structurally Sound, which he cut in 1966 shortly after returning to the U.S. from a two-year period of living in Barcelona and working across Europe. Featuring Ervin fronting a top-shelf quintet with Charles Tolliver on trumpet, …
Hub Cap
Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard burst out of the gates taking the jazz world by storm with his Blue Note debut Open Sesame in 1960. Within 14 months he had recorded three more hard bop classics—Goin’ Up, Hub Cap, and Ready For Freddie—each one a showcase for his dynamic playing. Recorded in April 1961, Hub Cap was the first of his Blue Note dates that also highlighted Hubbard’s growing skill as a composer, with four of the album’s six pieces coming from his pen including the hard-charging title track,…
Dear John C.
Cut on February 23 and 25, 1965, at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio and released later that year on Impulse!, Dear John C. marks drummer Elvin Jones’s first album for the label as a full-fledged leader, boldly looking forward while honoring his transformative contributions with the John Coltrane Quartet since the beginning of the decade. Produced by Bob Thiele, the sessions feature alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, pianists Roland Hanna and Elvin’s brother Hank Jones, bassist Richard Davis, and Jones o…
Sevda (Exclusive Collector’s Edition)
Box with both Caprice albums by Sevda, Maffy Falay’s Turkish folk and jazz group with Okay Temiz and Salih Baysal: the 1972 Jazz i Sverige record and the Montmartre live set, plus a DVD of the Swedish TV programmes.
More Peace + Carsten Meinert / C.M. MusicTrain (2LP Bundle)
Two new archival LPs from Formalibera, Alga Marghen's free jazz imprint, both drawn from the same circle of Copenhagen musicians around 1970, gathered here as a pair.
On one LP, More Peace: Tordenskjolds Soldater (Jesper Nehammer on tenor saxophone, Ole Matthiessen on piano, Henrik Hove on bass, Jon Finsen on drums) live at Jazzhus Montmartre in late April 1970, shortly before they recorded Peace for Spectator Records. The four Matthiessen compositions of that album stretch out here at far great…
More Peace
Live at Copenhagen's Café Montmartre in April 1970, Tordenskjolds Soldater (Jesper Nehammer, Ole Matthiessen, Henrik Hove, Jon Finsen) stretch out the four Matthiessen pieces from their Spectator album Peace, restored from the original tapes.
Mirage
Seven unreleased BBC radio performances from 1969, the last year of the Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet with Michael Garrick, Dave Green and Trevor Tomkins, saved on the drummer's own tapes and issued on CD with notes by Richard Morton Jack.
Music Book (LP)
Very rare sole edition on Spectator of the first album by the trombonist and bandleader, a Danish jazz classic never re-issued on either LP or CD.
On The Underground Road (LP)
1995 re-issue on Right Tempo of the great 1971 album by the dynamic Italian jazz and library music duo.
Zwischenspiel (LP)
Sole edition on KNSE International of the 1983 avant-garde jazz fusion album by the Swiss trio. Never re-issued on either LP or CD. With insert.
Carsten Meinert / C.M. MusicTrain
Unreleased recordings by Danish tenor saxophonist Carsten Meinert, with the Danish Radio Jazz Group on side A and his C.M. MusicTrain on side B, Coltrane-rooted fire with Ole Matthiessen and Pierre Dørge. Liner notes by Mats Gustafsson.
Jazz Raga: Spiritual Explorations Of The Two Greatest Melodic Creators On The Planet
Three CDs pairing John Coltrane's early modal recordings, from My Favorite Things and Naima to India and Impressions, with Ravi Shankar ragas from his 1956 and 1961 Abbey Road sessions.
Reference: Miles Davis’ 2nd Quintet Live 1967 in Europe
The Second Quintet with Shorter, Hancock, Carter and Williams on its autumn 1967 European tour: Antwerp, Copenhagen, Paris and Karlsruhe on three CDs, restored by Michael Brändli, with an essay by Art Lange.
Once Upon a Time
Alan Skidmore's 1970 Deram Nova album with Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Harry Miller and Tony Oxley, fresh from their Montreux triumph: a jazz waltz, long suites and free passages, back on vinyl from the stereo masters.
Racco
Few musicians, and few albums, embody such a joyful sense of freedom and vitality. Racco is where the artistry of Ryojiro Furusawa reaches its peak.
First Meditations on John Coltrane
CD version. This album is a tribute to the person and spirit of John Coltrane. It was produced by musicians who not only admire Coltrane but embody similar values.While it’s always a good time to honor Coltrane’s memory, this particular moment seems to carry an increased urgency of remembering his message and mission.Since some owners of this amazing record may be unfamiliar with Coltrane’s character, it’s worthwhile to briefly state a few biographical details.First, Coltrane was a compassionate…
MG and The Echoes of Swing
The world knows Muriel Grossmann as a bandleader, saxophonist, and composer of highly individual and original music. Her work has become closely associated with a modern revival of spiritual jazz, reflected in albums such as Golden Rule, Universal Code, and Quiet Earth, and in performances across Europe with herlong-standing quartet.
That is one side of the story. In Ibiza, where Grossmann has lived and worked for over two decades, another side of the artist reveals itself. Locals know her not o…
Oppression Is Nine Tenths of the Law
Gustav Horneij’s Organic Pulse Ensemble blends jazz tradition with modern groove, inspiring unity & protest, uplifting listeners in the fight for freedom and justice for all.