Jazz /
Sea Breeze
George Otsuka, sadly passed away in March 2020, was one of Japan’s most renowned jazz drummers. After three records with the George Otsuka Trio in the late part of the 60’s, “Sea Breeze” was released in 1971 on the Union label, his first record in quintet formation and a superb album which showcases the thrilling talent of this band. Included the brilliant jazz-funk track “Sea Breeze” and the astonishing cover of “Fool on the Hill”.
Utopic Cities : Progressive Jazz In Belgium 1968-1
** Limited Grey Marbled edition ** Sdban Records presents Utopic Cities: Progressive Jazz in Belgium 1968-1979 featuring twelve essential compositions from a highly creative period in Belgian jazz. The release follows Sdban's critically acclaimed Let's Get Swinging: Modern Jazz in Belgium 1950-1970, released back in 2017. Utopic Cities is an eclectic selection of forward-thinking jazz from the Belgian underground, including the left-field fusion of Marc Moulin's Placebo, Koen De Bruyne and Solis…
Debut
** 2021 Stock. In process of stocking ** Craftman Records presents Debut by Takao Uematsu Quartet/Quintet. Art Direction – Ben Nishizawa, Bass – Yoshio Suzuki, Drums – George Ohtsuka, Electric Piano [Fender Piano] – Sadayasu Fujii, Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Yoshihiko Kannari, Producer – Takeshi Fujii, Tenor Saxophone – Takao Uematsu, Trombone – Takashi Imai.
Fish Feet
** 2021 Stock ** Another jazz gem unearthed from the Strata archives by Amir Abdullah for his magnificent 180 Proof imprint. From garage rock roots as a founding member of the Woolies, to tours backing the Four Tops, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and Mary Wilson, Ron English has enjoyed a storied life in music, effortlessly moving between genres with chameleon-like malleability. English found his calling with 1970s work on Detroit’s Tribe and Strata labels that blended styles such as funk, be-…
East Plants
BBE Music is proud to present another instalment in the J Jazz Masterclass Series: East Plants by Takeo Moriyama, one of Japan’s finest jazz drummers. A genuine ‘under the radar’ album known only to a handful of Japanese jazz collectors, East Plants is now available again, reissued for the first time as a double 180g LP, with exact reproductions of the original artwork, obi strip and insert. It also comes with the original notes fully translated. This reissue is fully endorsed by Takeo Moriyama …
Location
**In process of stocking** Following on from the welcome revival of Lyman Woodard’s classic ‘Saturday Night Special‘ and drummer, Bert Myrick’s ‘Live ’n Well’ – which features the epic ‘Scorpio’s Child’ – BBE Records continue to dig deeper into the vaults of Detroit’s Strata label with The Contemporary Jazz Quintet album ‘Location’.
Working in conjunction with 180 Proof’s Amir Abdullah BBE are poised to unearth a steady flow of hard to find or previously unheard gems from the short-lived but con…
Live ‘n Well
**In process of stocking** Rescued from relative obscurity by DJ Amir’s 180 Proof Records, BBE is delighted to present a gem from the tiny yet highly influential catalogue of Strata Records. Preceding New York’s Strata East, Detroit’s original Strata label issued only a handful of underground titles in the early 70’s, making it a ‘holy grail’ imprint among jazz lovers and record collectors the world over.
Released by Strata in 1974, Bert Myrick’s ‘Live ‘n Well’ was originally recorded by Strata …
Pause, And Think Again
Eargong Records present a reissue of John Taylor's Pause, And Think Again, originally released in 1971. Pianist John Taylor's debut album featuring an all-star octet with John Surman (soprano sax), Stan Sulzmann (alto sax), Kenny Wheeler (trumpet), Chris Pyne (trombone), Chris Laurence (bass), Tony Levin (drums), and Norma Winstone (vocals). A great example of the fine art of British jazz in its marvelous original gatefold cover. A precious object from an unrepeatable era. Licensed from Turtle R…
Soundmagnificat
* Restocked, reduced price. Last copies * "Soundmagnificat“ is the successor to "Soundnitia“ (GorBra Records F 665 532), the first release from the Talismen, an international group with Jamaican Tenor saxophonist Fitz Gore (born1935) as founder, spiritual and musical leader, main soloist. "Soundnitia“ contained concert performances of June, 1975, including compositions by John Coltrane, Horace Silver and one by Gérard "Prof. Dr. Splüm“ Ebbo, bassist of the Talismen.
This second offering from the…
Revisited
A compilation of lost tracks by the Zurich based Sextet “Jazz Community”. One of the most important Post-Bop and Modal Jazz bands from Europe, that featured the exceptional brass section of Hans Kennel (tp, flh), Paul Haag (tb) and Heiner Althaus (ts). Their most celebrated tracks from the rare LP’s "Jazz Community" and "Il Topo" are on one album. All recordings produced in 1979 at the studio of Bruno Spoerri and in 1983 in concert at The Club in Rubigen, Bern. Lovingly restored and remastered i…
Invisible Roots
** First LP reissue of rare 1974 Canadian Free Jazz album ** Beyond the striking photography of the cover artwork, a cursory glance at this LP may appear misleading. One could be forgiven in thinking that what they had discovered was of a more obvious British provenance, but on closer inspection the truth is revealed… London in fact refers to London, Canada, an artistic hotbed that famously spawned the highly influential insurgent noise ensemble, ‘The Nihilist Spam Band’. Less celebrated yet equ…
Four Units
** Reissued for the first time with its original gatefold sleeve and cover ** Four Units is a kind of Japanese jazz "all star". Recorded in Tokyo on April 1969, it was released the same year on Union records. On the first two long songs that open this album, “Four Units” and “Dull Slumber”, we can feel the influence of the “avant-garde” scene of US jazz (and in particular ESP Disk), without however the music sounding too "free". A whole new vibe on the astonishing cover of "Scarborough Fair", in…
Misty
*2022 stock* Few, if any, international audiophile jazz recordings have maintained the kind of deep and profound influence over techniques and even entire label repretoire as Three Blind Mice's Blow Up, Midnight Sugar and Misty. Originally recorded in Tokyo in 1974, this Piano Trio release from TBM features Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on piano, Isoo Fukui on bass and Tetsujiro Obara on drums. The of-the-moment realism of Yoshihiko Kannari's recordings and production aesthetic of producer and label head Ta…
Lush Life
* Limited edition 180 gram solid purple coloured vinyl. 2020 Stock * Lush Life (1958) is among John Coltrane's best endeavors on the Prestige label. One reason can easily be attributed to the interesting personnel and the subsequent lack of a keyboard player for the August 16, 1957 session that yielded the majority of the material. Coltrane (tenor sax) had to essentially lead the compact trio of himself, Earl May (bass), and Art Taylor (drums). The intimate setting is perfect for ballads such as…
Compassion
I have to admit that I'm biased in favor of Charles Tolliver. He plays with a combination of strength and sweetness that goes beyond mere language. The fact that he is self taught is more miraculous. This particular recording has the best sound quality I've ever heard. The clarity is stunning and all the music is magnificent. The recording is so good, one can hear the sound of a musician's fingertips accidentally brushing across the bass strings, for example. Alvin Queen is always brilliant on t…
Africa / Brass
* Limited edition 180 gram solid orange coloured vinyl. 2020 Stock * This 1961 Impulse album was particularly notable for Coltrane’s use of the ex- panded sound provided by a ‘big band’ with trumpets, trombone, baritone sax, Eric Dolphy’s bass clarinet and flute, and (most unusually) French horns, euphonium and tuba. Overlaying this backing is one of Coltrane’s great quartets with Messrs. Tyner (who, with Dolphy, did the arranging), Workman and Jones. The album’s centrepiece is the extended Colt…
Mona Lisa - Moldejazz 73
* Edition of 500 * An amazing loft tape find of a Norwegian Jazz concert suite taped at Molde Jazz Festival 1973, Christian Reim’s sextet Mona Lisa features Norway's top jazzmen at the time and it’s a rollercoaster post-bop showcase with influences from modal and spiritual jazz with folk undertones and pop psychedelia, one of a kind, never previously released and in great sound quality!
Swing
* 2020 Stock. Edition of 300 * Swedish free jazz trio consisting of piano, double bass and drums. The trio has during the years since their first recording moved from composition-like melodies, riffs and rhythms to 100% improvised music. However, the trio has strong roots in “conventional” jazz which shines through from time to time with tough swing and clear rhythms and melodies. Correction has received fine reviews from all over the world for their releases, the strong point being their interp…
I'll Remember
LP version. Tip-on sleeve. For every celebrated name in jazz, soul and related music, there are probably another 1000 musicians who had all the talent and potential but for whom widespread recognition remained elusive. Roscoe Weathers is one such figure, a jazzman who earned his chops the hard way, a sideman in smoky clubs from Memphis to Seattle, before finally settling in LA. He recorded a significant amount of music through the 1960s, but never found the slightest modicum of commercial acclai…
Filles De Kilimanjaro
**180-gram audiophile vinyl** Filles de Kilimanjaro (named after the Kilimanjaro African Coffee) is one the many masterpieces American composer and trumpeter Miles Davis recorded during his lifetime. It can be seen as a transitional album, right between his “acoustic” and “electric” period. He recorded this incredible work of modern jazz together with music great's such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea. The five different songs all fitting together as expressions of the same bas…