Jazz & Improvisation / Swing

"It was, all things considered, just an unexceptional whistle stop on a wearying circuit of dance halls and theaters – the night before they had played in Winnipeg, Manitoba and, conveyed by train the 200 miles to this evening’s North Dakota gig, wou…

Books have been written, recordings analyzed, colleagues questioned, and nevertheless Bix Beiderbecke remains as much an enigma today, ninety-five years after his death, as he was to friends and fellow musicians during his all-too-brief, personally a…

On Hot Five & Hot Seven at 100, Louis Armstrong’s seminal Chicago sides are reborn in vivid new mastering, letting his trumpet solos, daring rhythms and easy charisma speak afresh as the very moment jazz pivots into a true soloist’s art.

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 Co…

This is a hitherto unknown recording of the influential Danish composer, pianist, and bandleader Jeppe Zeeberg, dated November 9, 1963. On this recording, Zeeberg is accompanied by a band comprised of several of his generation’s finest musicians. Ins…

Don Byas Takes His Place Among the Greats A historical document of jazz at a time when the musicians, steeped in the swing tradition, were creating and setting the mold for the modern sounds of bebop.

King Of The Tenors is a landmark album by Ben Webster, recorded in 1953 and initially released as The Consummate Artistry of Ben Webster, then retitled for its classic 1957 Verve Records reissue. Webster is joined by jazz icons including the Oscar Pe…

Recorded live 1958 in Stuttgaert. First time on CD. Performed by: Eddie Williams, Art Hoyle, Eddie Mullens, Dave Gonzales, Macky Kasper trumpets; Louis Blackburn, Wade Marcus, Larry Wilson, trombones; Leon Zachary, Bobby Plater, alto saxophones; Andy…

2009 release ** "Ruby Ruby Ruby are more or less a vehicle for experimental German singer Margareth Kammerer. She has been involved in The Magic ID, a song-based project with Berlin improviser Christof Kurzmann, and also formed Ruby Ruby Ruby to pay …

"After hitting Paris in 1950, saxophonist Bobby Jaspar enthralled jazz fans and jazzmen alike with his smooth, elegant playing, with the lyricism of his tranquil phrases heavily influenced by Stan Getz in particular. So when Jaspar began regularly pe…

*2024 repress* Belgian jazz artist Bobby Jaspar died far too young at age 37 in 1963, but fortunately made a handful of memorable dates as a leader. This is the last studio session under his name. Jaspar sticks exclusively to flute on these December …

2024 stock. Critics often complain that small-group sessions comprised of members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra are somewhat disappointing; this is definitely not the case with this session led by Clark Terry, recorded during a 1959 tour of Europe …

We Are Busy Bodies announces the reissue of the rare and sought-after 1973 Venezuelan jazz album Espejismo ('Mirage') by Virgilio Armas Y Su Grupo, offering a fascinating snapshot of the thriving music scene in early 1970's Caracas, until now largely…

The new Acoustic Sounds series is mastered from the original tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged in high-quality gatefold ("book-like") covers, curated by Stoughton Printing Co. where the printed sheet of paper is applied to the cardboard. …

1984 Japanese re-issue on Felsted's "Mainstream Jazz Series" of the 1959 album. With insert and obi.

1985 Japanese re-issue on Verve's "Best 50" series of the 1963 live album. With insert and obi.

1982 Japanese re-issue on Capitol's "Jazz Great 1800" series of the 1967 Japan-only compilation. With insert and obi.

Promotional copy of the Japan-only 1979 compilation on Commodore's "Jazz Library 1500". With insert and obi.

1979 Japanese re-issue on Commodore's "Jazz Library 1500" series of the 1961 album with recordings from 1938 and 1944. With insert and obi.

1979 Japanese re-issue on Commodore's "Jazz Library 1500" series of the 1961 album with recordings from 1938 and 1944. With insert.

1973 Japanese re-issue on Verve's "Modern Jazz Verve Best" of the 1961 album. With insert and obi.

1991 Japanese re-issue on Impulse!'s "Gold Of G.D. 100" series of the 1962 album. With obi and original innersleeve.

When time pulled the rug from under Earl Hines in 1983, he was still enjoying a comeback that had lasted almost twenty years. That comeback was one of the most important events in recent jazz history and the music included here was recorded when his …

Jay McShann secured a lasting place in jazz history on April 30, 1941, when he became the first bandleader to usher Charlie Parker into a studio for a commercial recording session. For years, that was how McShann was remembered, if at all—as an early…

The Texas Twister is a relaxed, gently probing session; its several highlights begin with the title selection, a thirty-two-bar riff confection with a characteristically willful opening solo by Buddy Tate. His best playing on the date is heard on "Ta…

Original copy in great condition of the first edition of Wolfgang Dauner's 1970 album on MPS with Eberhard Weber and Roland Wittich. Modal jazz weirdness by a composer loosely connected with krautrock with his band Et Cetera.

Appearing Nightly (WATT, 2008) is a live album by Carla Bley (piano, conductor) and her 17-piece big band with Steve Swallow, Billy Drummond, Andy Sheppard and Lew Soloff, recorded 17-18 July 2006 at the New Morning, Paris.

Duo tribute to Umberto Eco by Gianluigi Trovesi (piccolo and alto clarinets) and Gianni Coscia (accordion), inspired by his novel The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana. Recorded November 2017 to January 2018 at Night and Day Studio, Cascinagrossa.