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Milt Jackson, Ballads & Blues, 1956 on Atlantic
Jackson’s most well know as the vibraphonist in the Modern Jazz Quartet but he also collaborated and recorded with many other bop musicians. Here he is joined by Lucky Thomson (sax), John Lewis (piano), Skeeter Best (guitar), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums), Barney Kessel (guitar), Percy Heath (bass), Lawrence Marable (drums), and Barry Gailbraith…
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Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra, Hollywood Stampede, 1972 on Capitol
Seventies reissue – volume 5 in the Capitol Jazz Classics series – with songs taken from sessions in February and March of 1945. Players joining Hawkins on these tracks include Howard McGhee (trumpet), Sir Charles Thompson (piano), Allan Reuss (guitar), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Denzil Best (drums), Vic Dickenson (trombone), John Simmons (bass). Great classic jazz…
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Various Artists, The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs of Nick Drake, 2023 on Chrysalis
Tribute album full of covers of Nick Drake songs, by modern artists including: Fontaines D.C., David Gray, John Parish & Aldous Harding, Ben Harper, Joe Henry & Meshell Ndegeocello, Liz Phair, and John Grant (among many others). This pressing also includes a one-sided 7″ single of Nick Drake himself covering Dylan’s “Tomorrow is a Long…
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Depeche Mode, Some Great Reward, 1984 on Sire
I’ve not shared many Depeche Mode records here, mostly because I’m sharing new additions to my collection and I don’t find many DM records I don’t already have, but also because my collection is very 80s heavy, and I’m trying to rotate through decades. That said, I have been a massive Depeche Mode fan from…
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Waylon Jennings, The Taker / Tulsa, 1971 on RCA/Victor
Love this early 70s Waylon Jennings. It’s only 30 minutes long but has great takes on some Kris Kristofferson tunes like “Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)” and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” It was recorded at RCA “Nashville Sound’ studio and in LA, and produced by Danny Davis and Ronny Light.…
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Commodores, All the Great Hits, 1982 on Motown
Wonderful collection of Commodores songs – their second compilation of hits, with many more to follow. “Lady.” “Sail On,” “Brick House,” “Easy,” and “Three Times a Lady” are each worth the price of admission. Solid find as I don’t have any of their original records from the 70s or 80s. My copy, via Bull Moose…
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James Taylor, One Man Dog, 1972 on Warner Bros.
This was Taylor’s fourth studio album, with “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight.” 18 tracks means lots of short bits / interludes, some of which can feel a bit unfinished but overall I like the effect. Performers include Carly Simon and Carole King on backing vocals, Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and John McLaughlin…
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Herbie Hancock, Empyrean Isles, 1964 on Blue Note
Early jazz Herbie Hancock – this was his fourth studio LP for Blue Note, backed by Freddie Hubbard on cornet, Ron Carter on bass, and Anthony Williams on drums. Recorded on June 17th, 1964 at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. The most well known track here is “Cantaloupe Island” which became something…
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Django Reinhardt, Nuages, 2017 on Jazz Images
Nuages was first issued under that name in 2002, as a reissue of The Great Artistry of Django Reinhardt, a 1953 10″ record on Norman Granz’s Clef label, plus 4 bonus tracks that had been issued as singles by Decca (also in 1953). This vinyl issue was produced in 2017 by Jazz Images, presumably a…
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The Suburbs, Poets Party, 2021 on Suburbs Music (Self-Released)
Before there was The Tortured Poets Department, there was a Poets Party – the most recent release from reliable Minneapolis art-rock stalwarts The Suburbs. I’ve been a fan since the early 80s, and happy to say they keep making great albums. Recorded and mixed at Dream Hog, which is Steve Price’s studio, and produced by…
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Screaming Blue Messiahs, Bikini Red, 1987 on Elektra
Bill Carter and the Screaming Blue Messiahs put out four major label studio albums in the 80s – this was the third, in 1987. Some great and funny songwriting here: “I Wanna Be a Flinstone” and “Jesus Chrysler Drives a Dodge” as well as “I Can Speak American.” Power rock trio of Carter on guitar…
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Eagles, The Long Run, 1979 on Asylum
Fun fact: even though virtually everyone calls them The Eagles, it’s really just Eagles. (There was already some soul band called The Eagles). This was their sixth (and penultimate) studio album, their final one for Asylum records, and the first with Timothy Schmidt on bass (replacing Randy Meisner). They wouldn’t release another studio album until…
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Sonny Boy Williamson, The Real Folk Blues, 1966 on Chess
This album was first released in the UK in 1965 as In Memorium, (Williamson died in May of 1965). In the US it was retitled to The Real Folk Blues and released in 1966. Later reissues have appeared with either title in different regions. This is one of my favorite blues albums of all time…
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Jens Lekman, The Cherry Trees Are Still in Blossom, 2022 on Secretly Canadian
“This is a reconstruction / reimagining / excavation of the album ‘Oh You’re So Silent Jens’ that originally came out in 2005″ Jens Lekman is a very intriguing independent Swedish musician who has put out a series of imaginative releases since 2004. This release is a revisit, 17 years later, of an earlier compilation which…
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Safety Last, Safety Last, 1982 on Twin/Tone
Safety Last only put out two records – this self-titled “mini-album” and Struck By Love, both on Twin/Tone and produced by Paul Stark. On this EP, recorded at Blackberry Way (in Minneapolis) the personnel (many of whom went on to other MNPLS bands) are: Rusty Jones on bass & vocals, Jim Tollefsrud on drums, Sprague…
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Steely Dan, Katy Lied, 1975 on ABC Records
Walter Becker and Donald Fagen on the fourth full length studio album from Steely Dan. This was the first album after the departure of Skunk Baxter and Jim Hodder and the shift into studio albums with session musicians. (One of the session musicians here is Michael MacDonald providing backing vocals.) Apparently Becker and Fagen were…
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Fleetwood Mac, The Pious Bird of Good Omen, 1969 on Blue Horizon
This is the earlier, Peter Green led, British Blues Fleetwood Mac, and collects their first four non-album UK singles and their B-Sides. It serves as a pretty good intro to what that first-stage Fleetwood Mac was all about. Eddie Boyd guests on “The Big Boat” and “Just the Blues” – and there are covers here…
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S. Carey, Break Me Open, 2022 on Jagjaguwar
S. Carey (aka Sean Carey) is the drummer and backing vocalist from Bon Iver – he put out a solo album All We Grow back in 2010. Break Me Open is his fourth full length under the S. Carey moniker, all on Jagjaguwar – though he has put out some EPs as well. It’s a…