Tag: jazz
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Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Study in Brown, 1955 on EmArcy
Brown and Roach are joined by Harold Land (tenor), Richie Powell (piano), and George Morrow (bass). Recorded Feb 23rd and 25th of 1955. Fantastic album. My copy—via private sale—is the 2021 Acoustic Sounds Series reissue on 180g vinyl, supervised by Chad Kassem, cut by Ryan Smith, and pressed at Quality Record Pressing. As you’d expect,…
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Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Drum Suite, 1957 on Columbia
Art Blakey is joined here (at least on the A-side) by Cuban drummers Candido and Sabu, with Ray Bryant, Oscar Pettiford, and Charles Wright. On the B side, Jackie McLean, Spanky DeBrest, Sam Dockery, and Bill Hardman join as the Jazz Messengers. My copy—via private sale—is a 1950s Columbia Hollywood plant pressing with the 6-eye…
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Sarah Vaughan, Sarah Vaughan, 1955 on EmArcy
Later reissued as Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown, this was Vaughan’s second self-titled LP, and her second studio album. The band also includes Paul Quinichette on tenor sax, Roy Haynes on drums, Herbie Mann on flute, and Jimmy Jones on piano. It was originally recorded December 18th, 1954, and released in 1955. What a masterful…
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Bill Evans, Live at Art D’Lugoff’s Top Of the Gate, 2012 on Resonance
Another Sunday, another Bill Evan’s live LP from Resonance. This one was recorded October 23, 1968 in Greenwich Village. This time Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell join Evans. This was recorded by Geoge Klabin himself, founder of the Rising Jazz Stars foundation and Resonance Records, as a 22 year old college student. My copy—via a…
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Sarah Vaughan, Sarah Vaughan Sings George Gershwin, 1958 on Mercury
Fantastic collection of Sarah Vaughan doing Gershwin standards from the twenties and thirties, supported by Hal Mooney & His Orchestra. My copy—via a private sale—is a 2xLP gatefold reissue in mono by Verve/UMe, which reproduces the old Mercury labels.
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Booker Ervin, The Freedom Book, 1964 on Prestige
Sixth full-length with Ervin as leader, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1963, for Prestige. Ervin is joined here by Jaki Byard (piano), Richard Davis (bass), and Alan Dawson (who was a drum instructor at Berklee in Boston) (drums). My copy—via a private sale—is the 2023 Analogue Productions / Craft Recordings reissue, in the Prestige…
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Milt Jackson & John Coltrane, Bags & Trane, 1961 on Atlantic
Jackson and Coltrane are joined by Hank Jones (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Connie Kay (drums). Recording supervised by Nesuhi Ertegun, engineered by Tom Dowd. Great LP, bringing together Milt Jackson (Bags) of The Modern Jazz Quartet and John Coltrane (Trane) who had a year earlier put out Giant Steps. I’m not always a fan…
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Bill Evans, At The Montreux Jazz Festival, 1968 on Verve
Second 1968 Bill Evans performance I’ve posted this week, this one has the trio (again with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette) at Casino de Montreux in Switzerland, and was recorded by the technical department of Radio Suisse Romande. My copy (via a private sale) is the 2020 Analogue Productions reissue on two 45rpm 200g records,…
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Blue Mitchell, Down With It, 1966 on Blue Note
Another fantastic Blue Note jazz LP, this came out originally in 1966. It features Mitchell (trumpet) with Junior Cook (tenor sax), Chick Corea (piano), Gene Taylor (bass), and Aloysius Foster (drums), and was recorded at Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey. My copy- via a private sale – is the Blue Note Tone Poet reissue…
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Bill Evans, Live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2020 on Resonance
Recorded back in July of 1968, this is Evans with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette at London’s landmark Ronnie Scott’s club. Resonance Records itself is part of the non-profit Rising Jazz Stars Foundation. The trio in this form had a month long residency in 1968 at the club. The recording here was made by DeJohnette…
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Thelonious Monk, The London Collection Volume 3, 1989 on Black Lion
Recorded at Chappell Studios in London Nov 15th, 1971 but not released until the late 80s on Black Lion, these recordings are from near the end of his recording and performing career. Monk’s joined by Al McKibbon on bass and Art Blakey on drums. There are at least 3 volumes in the London Collection as…
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Oscar Peterson, “Motions and Emotions,” 1970 on MPS
Oscar Peterson covering “popular” tunes, including “Yesterday,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Ode to Billy Joe.” I know some folks will find this schmaltzy but as an Oscar Peterson fan I really enjoy it. My copy is the 2018 reissue in the Ambassadors for MPS series, on 180g vinyl pressed at Optimal GmbH and an insert reproducing…
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Bud Powell, Time Waits (The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 4), 1958 on Blue Note
Powell joined by Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack NJ, and produced by Alfred Lion. Sleeve notes by Leonard Feather. My copy is the 2022 Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series reissue, pressed at Optimal GmbH and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent – wonderful pressing.
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Herbie Hancock, Inventions and Dimensions, 1964 on Blue Note
Hancock is joined by Paul Chambers, Willie Bobo and Chihuahua Martinez—though it’s not really what you’d call a Latin jazz album so much as post-bop or modal. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at his Englewood Cliffs studio. My copy—direct from Blue Note—is the 2019 Blue Note 80 Vinyl Series reissue mastered for vinyl by Kevin…
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Bobby Hutcherson, Montara, 1975 on Blue Note
Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s ~13th album on Blue Note – west coast Latin jazz. Recorded in LA (Record Plant) in August 1975 and produced by Dale Oehler. Hutcherson passed in 2016. My copy is part of the Vinyl Me Please Anthology The Story of Blue Note Records (2024 edition) which reproduces the mid-70s Blue Note labels.
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Abbey Lincoln, Golden Lady, 1981 on Inner City
Originally issued by Blue Marge in France under the name Painted Lady (Abbey Lincoln in Paris), the first US issue was on Inner City Records under the name Golden Lady. Aminata Moseka, the name she adopted in the mid seventies, also appears in a parenthetical on the cover, along with Archie Shepp who accompanies her.…
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Wayne Shorter, Schizophrenia, 1969 on Blue Note
Eleventh Wayne Shorter album, with Herbie Hancock, Curtis Fuller, Ron Carter, James Spaulding, and Joe Chambers. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, with Francis Wolff producing. This is transitional between post-bop and free jazz – looser and closer to the edge than my normal taste, but worth a listen for anyone interested in post-bop or Shorter…
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Lou Donaldson, The Natural Soul, 1963 on Blue Note
Another album from the excellent Story of Blue Note Records VMP Anthology, this came five years after Blues Walk, and features Grant Green, John Patton, Ben Dixon, and Tommy Turrentine (brother of Stanley). Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in his Englewood Cliffs NJ studio and produced by Alfred Lion. My copy is part of the…