Jazz | Fusion Vinyl 359 Items

Limited Clear Vinyl edition, 500 copies! Originally released in 1961 by Prestige/New Jazz label, "Straight Ahead" marks the last Dolphy's appearance within a series of fortunate collaborations with saxophonist Oliver Nelson. This is a great modern jazz album taking shape from a quintet studio session (all first takes) engineered and supervised by master Rudy Van Gelder and featuring: Oliver Nelson - alto and tenor saxes, clarinet - Eric Dolphy - alto sax, bass clarinet, flute - Richard Wyands - piano - George Duvivier - double bass and Roy Haynes on drums. A serious bunch of jazz stylists all caught in fine form and concentration. Needless to add that the Nelson-Dolphy sax tandem shines throughout the whole album while Duvivier and Haynes inject their angular yet hard swinging groove. The track list consists of five Nelson's originals plus Milt Jackson's "Ralph's new blues".

Limited Clear Vinyl edition, 300 copies! Roland Kirk was one of the most creative, extravagant figures in jazz history. A master multi instrumentalist with no boundaries in terms of language, style and technique. Here we find him co-leading a strong studio session with organ specialist Brother Jack Mcduff. Backed up by Joe Benjamin on bass and Art Taylor on drums, Kirk and McDuff give voice to a soulful post-bop set full of groovy riffs and highly inventive instrumental ping pong. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder and released in 1961 by Prestige Records, this is a fine early step in Kirk's varied and intense career.

When Bill Evans played those haunting exploratory notes that introduce So What on the Miles Davis album Kind Of Blue he made a lifelong impression on generations of music lovers. Bill thereafter launched a solo career greeted with the kind of critical acclaim the bespectacled, classically-trained Pianist no doubt found unsettling yet deeply satisfying. While his association with Miles, which included performing on the most influential Jazz album of all time, was relatively short, his time with the Bill Evans Trio was longer lasting and in many ways more productive. Certainly Explorations proved a great success when first released by the Riverside label in 1961. The trio was completed by Scott LaFaro on double bass and Paul Motian on drums, gave the leader the right combination of swing and subtlety needed to suit Evans’ sensitive and yet ultimately commanding style. It was the second album by the trio and Bill claimed it was his personal favourite. Explorations produced by Orrin Keepnews certainly impressed the Jazz critics of Billboard magazine who voted it the Best Piano LP of 1961 in their annual poll.

Originally issued as Savoy Records MG 12154

The Booker Ervin Quintet Booker Ervin (tenor sax), Richard Williams (trumpet), Horace Parlan (piano), George Tucker (bass), Dannie Richmond (drums). Recorded at Medallion Studios, Newark, New Jersey, on November 26, 1960

Sound engineer: Paul Cady Cover art: Lee Jack Morton Liner notes & recording supervision by Tom Wilson Album preparation: Herman Lubinsky

"James Clay's debut album as a leader (and one of only two that he cut before moving back to Dallas for nearly 30 years) matches him with fellow Texas tenor David 'Fathead' Newman, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Art Taylor. Cannonball Adderley supervised the session, putting the spotlight on the competitive horns who really battle it out on the Babs Gonzales blues "Wide Open Spaces." Clay, who plays flute on the date's lone standard "What's New," holds his own with Newman and plenty of sparks fly." —Scott Yanow (All Music Guide)

Limited Clear Vinyl edition, 300 copies! This is Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers, with guests Bud Powell - piano and Barney Wilen - alto sax, caught live at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris in1959. At that time Blakey's Messengers were no less than Lee Morgan – trumpet, Wayne Shorter – tenor sax, Walter Davis Jr. – piano and Jymmy Meritt – bass. In other words one of the greatest Hard Bop combos ever, a pool of great young individuals under the direction of one of the most influential drummers and band leaders in the history of Jazz. No need to add that "Paris Jam Session" is regarded as an essential release in Blakey's extensive discography.

George Russell was one of the most advanced composers and arrangers in the history of Jazz, A theorist and innovator who worked extensively between the 40's and the early 2000's. Originally released by Decca in 1960, "Jazz in the Space Age" was Russell's third effort under his name. A visionary work including music composed and arranged by Russell for various lineups featuring the likes of pianists Bill Evans and Paul Bley, trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, drummer Charlie Persip and others. This is adventurous yet highly accessible music that still sounds fresh today!

One of the most active bebop trumpeters, Kenny Dorham started in the big bands of Mercer, Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie and eventually landed in the Charlie Parker Quintet. In addition, he was a charter member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, recorded as a sideman with Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins and replaced Clifford Brown in the Max Roach Quintet. Throughout his career he can be heard playing trumpet on various recordings with Lou Donaldson, Sonny Stitt, Fats Navarro, Kenny Clarke, Mary Lou Williams and many more musical legends. “Quiet Kenny” is a jazz masterpiece. Recorded by the great Rudy Van Gelder with a group of musicians playing at the top of their game, this title continues to be one of the most collectible Jazz LPs due to its high demand and short supply.

We Are Busy Bodies is proud to announce the first official reissue of 'Zodiac' by brilliant French tenor saxophonist, Barney Wilen. Originally released on the Disques Vogue label in 1966, the album has been restored and remastered from Barney Wilen's personal copy of the album. The album was recorded a few years after performing on albums and European tours with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis. The album is an exploration of free jazz, dedicated to the signs of the zodiac. Wilen and his friend, photographer Jean Larivière worked together to create the photos and artwork for his album, Zodiac. The intention at the time was to also create a film with a storyline and characters developed by Jean. Unfortunately, the concept was never fully realized at the time,. Sketches, photos and further context are included in the accompanying album insert.

First time release on vinyl of the breathtaking songs Patty Waters recorded with engineer Steve Atkins in 1970 at the Coast Recordings studio, together with the unreleased single 'My One And Only Love' and a recorded live session at Lone Mountain College in 1974.

The album 'You Loved Me' is the missing link between her two groundbreaking pioneering and highly acclaimed ESP-Disk records from the end of the 60's and her post 90's releases. The missing link between the radical ingenue of the 1960s and her late 90's songs wherein she expressed the resolution of all of her life's moments through mature readings of traditional songs and jazz standards. This collection aims to provide that missing link and to finally complete the picture of her storied recording career.

In what would have been her third LP, the 'You Loved Me' album serves as the inverse of Patty's debut. While her debut "Sings" concerned itself with themes of heartbreak, loneliness and yearning, there's an abundance of love, joy and togetherness on "You Loved Me".

Or in Patty's own words:

"I was a young girl alone at age 19, I was longing for love and dreaming of how wonderful love could be"

On 'You Loved Me' Patty Waters velvet voice captures this longing for love, straight from her soul to your heart. Crossing the border of the avant garde jazz entering a strange zone, somewhere between spiritual jazz, early folk vibes on the songs on the A-sides while the 14 minute composition 'Touched By Rodin In A Paris Museum' on the B-side is (dixit David Stubbs for Uncut in 2004) a brilliant extended showcase for the uneasy Cageian minimalism of her piano playing.

'You Loved Me' proves also again why Albert Ayler introduced her to ESP-Disk president Bernard Stollman, impressed Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders and Henry Grimes with her concerts and can count Patti Smith and Yoko Ono (to name a few) amongst her fans.

Re-issue of 1968 album by British jazz guitarist (born January 2, 1933 in Doncaster, England). He played with Norman Burns, "Ray Ellington's Quartet", Benny Goodman (in tour in England, 1971), "Don Lusher's Big Band", and as a session man in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Judd uses varying permutations of the following instruments on various tracks. Twelve string guitar, electric Fender guitar, electric Gibson guitar (l4) with a Charlie Christian bar pick-up, and a Maton acoustic guitar.

British Jazz Masterpiece from 1965 featuring Neil Ardley, Ian Carr, Barbara Thompson and John Hiseman

180 gram black vinyl. Reissue for the first time Worldwide In the mid-60’s London scene, the NJO was one of those unavoidable and big-band groups (originally started as Clive Burrows Orchestra), where almost everyone who was anyone on the scene or almost transited through the group, which was normally the vehicle for composer Neil Ardley. You’ll find in the WR album, among others, stellar names like Ian Carr (of RCQ and Nucleus fame), Barb Thompson, Tony Reeves, John Hiseman (all three of future Colosseum fame), Trevor Watts (future Amalgam) plus a bunch more of lesser-known, but no-less gifted musicians like Paul Rutherford, etc. The line-up would fluctuate to include many other household names.

The New Jazz Orchestra was formed in December 1963, its name reflecting both the youth of its members - their average age was only 23 - and their mission to perform the new kind of orchestral jazz that was then developing in America but still to be heard in Britain. The personnel included such (then) non-jazz instruments as flute, horn and tuba in addition to the standard brass, saxes and rhythm line-up of the big band. This is the NJO's first album, recorded in March 1965 before an invited audience to make the young band feel at ease. The NJO was the offspring of a popular weekend jazz club, the "Jazzhouse" based at the Green Man, Blackheath (demolished to make way for Allison Close) where the "house" band was the Ian Bird Quintet (initially comprising Ian Bird, tenor sax; Clive Burrows, baritone sax; Johnny Mealing, piano; Tony Reeves, bass and Trevor Tomkins, drums - Mealing and Tomkins left to join the newly formed Rendell-Carr Quintet and were succeeded by Paul Raymond and Jon Hiseman respectively. The ensemble featured many London-based jazz musicians, such as Harry Beckett, Jack Bruce, Ian Carr, Dave Gelly, Michael Gibbs, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Jon Hiseman, Henry Lowther, Don Rendell, Frank Ricotti, Paul Rutherford, Barbara Thompson, Trevor Tomkins, Michael Phillipson, Les Carter, Tom Harris, Trevor Watts and Lionel Grigson. Ardley, Gibbs, Carter, Rutherford, Michael Garrick, and composer Mike Taylor all contributed pieces and arrangements.

Under exclusive license of Universal Music Portuga

Recorded in Stockholm in 1962, and originally released on Sonet Records, these sessions stand as Ayler's first step into a new sonic world. This was when Ayler was still dealing with classic Jazz standards such as "I'll remember April", M Davis's "Tune Up" and "Rollins Tune", a declared tribute to the older master Sonny Rollins. His already super-strong tenor sax voice dominates a quiet, almost shy, local rhythm section featuring Torbjorn Hultcrant on bass and Sune Spangberg on drums. This was just before stepping into his unique, hyper energetic and ecstatic form of Free Jazz. This was Ayler sowing the seeds of a revolution to come!

Limited Clear Vinyl edition, 300 copies! Dorothy Ashby album from 1961 that also features female vibes player Terry Pollard. Comes with a version of The Skatalites 'Guns of Navarone' which is a pretty surreal listening experience. From the original liner notes: "Dorothy Ashby may not be the first jazz harpist (Caspar Reardon) or the first female jazz harpist (Adele Girard), but her good feeling for time and ability to construct melodic, guitar-like lines, mark her as the most accomplished modern jazz harpist (...) Accompanying her was another Detroit girl, Terry Pollard. Terry's main instrument is the piano and she is one of the best in the country, bar none. She is also a pretty fair country vibraharpist and in this set, Miss Pollard plays vibes exclusively. With them is still another Detroiter, Herman Wright, who like Miss Pollard has worked with Terry Gibbs and Yusef Lateef, and who also served as Miss Ashby's regular bassist. (...) Completing the quartet is Jimmy Cobb, drummer for the Miles Davis group. During the proceedings, Cobb travels between brushes and sticks without upsetting the equilibrium of this essentially quiet set. There is wide range of material presented here, from blues like Benny Goodman's title number, 'Soft Winds', and Miss Ashby's 'With Strings Attached', to movie themes such as 'Laura', 'Wild Is the Wind', and 'The Guns Of Navarone'. Then there are works by such superior writers of standards as Kurt Weill ('My Ship'); Gershwin ('The Man I Love' and 'Love Is Here To Stay')"

In 1959, flutist Herbie Mann put together a very interesting band that was in its brief existence (before Mann's interests shifted elsewhere) one of the top in Afro-Cuban jazz. Utilizing four trumpets (including Doc Cheatham), up to three percussionists and a flute-vibes-bass-drums quartet, Mann performs four standards (including "Dearly Beloved," "I'll Remember April" and "Autumn Leaves") and two originals in a style that was beyond bop and much more African- and Cuban-oriented.

Personnel: Herbie Mann (flute, bass clarinet), Johnny Rae (vibes), Nabil Knobby Totah (bass), Rudy Collins (drums), Ray Mantilla (conga drums), Ray Barretto (bongos except on #8 and #12). Plus trumpet section: Doc Cheatham, Siggy Schatz, Jerome Kail and Leo Ball. Recorded in New York City, 1959

"Heavy Soul" can be easily considered as one of Ike Quebec's best showcases. Recorded in 1961 by master Rudy Van Gelder and originally released on Blue Note, this fine studio session sounds as a perfect mixture of down-home blues spirit and warm, sensual ballads, with Quebec's big tenor sax voice as the leading force of a hard swinging quartet featuring Freddie Roach - organ, Milt Hinton - bass and Al Harewood - drums.

Deliberately presented as a dance music release, this brilliant Quincy Jones album - first released on Mercury label in 1961 - comprises material from two marvelous big band performances recorded the year before in Paris and New York. Here the great composer and arranger leads a first class "dance organization", a top-flight big band featuring the cream of NY Jazz musicians, among them: Clark Terry and Freddie Hubbard - trumpets, Curtis Fuller and Melba Liston - trombones, Phil Woods, Oliver Nelson and Sahib Shihab - saxes, Stu Martin - drums. An exquisite platter of highly swinging and danceable grooves signed by the genius of Quincy Jones

It is 1960, Rock’n’Roll has just lost a couple of its protagonists during this and the previous year, the time of the great balladeers has just begun but soon will run out due to the new and exciting beat invasion. In US mainstream the tiki culture has reached a certain peak and is about to collapse but still goes strong and with it comes the so called “exotica” music, a crossover between smooth jazz and swing, Latin grooves, haunting melodies that are rooted in the folkloristic sounds from different parts of this world plus weird sound effects that often create a spooky jungle or dreamy island beach atmosphere. It can even bend your mind that far you would see palm trees growing out of your speakers and witness monkeys and parrots having fun in your room. Eden Ahbez, born in 1908, passed in 1995, a man living an even more consistent dropout and hippie lifestyle way before the movement was born in the mid 60s, a beat poet and composer who wrote the hit tune “Nature boy” that gave Nat King Cole his first big success in 1947, approaches the field of exotica music from a different point of view creating an epic concept album about an utopian society living in peace and harmony on an island far away from the modern western world as we know it. And indeed we find many trademarks of the prototypical exotica music beginning with this relaxed groove combining easy listening swing and Latin patterns, peaceful, dreamy and even transcendental vocal melodies, tinges of folk music from around the world including powerful dances and a whole color palette of mind expanding sounds giving the whole music an even greater depth and width.

Record Store Day 2021 Drop 2 release

Psychedelic Percussion definitely sticks to his title. With the help from Paul Beaver of Beaver & Krause (famous keyboard wizard and sound engineer for the likes of Stevie Wonder), vibe master Emil Richards (check is two fantastic album on Impulse! with The Microtonal Blues Band featuring Joe Porcaro, father of the famed Toto brothers) and Gary Coleman (percussionist in the famous Wrecking Crew), Blaine goes wild in the studio with drums, gong, xylophone, organ, bongos, congas and timpani. Unusual textures and tones lead the way to 12 instrumental exotic numbers similar in a way to Raymond Scott most visionary experiments. This is pure madness, a record full of breaks and still unsurpassed in many ways. Blaine was an American drummer and session musician, estimated to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the history of the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. His drumming is featured on 150 US top 10 hits, 40 of which went to number one, as well as many film and television soundtracks. He became one of the regular players in Phil Spector's de facto house band, which Blaine nicknamed "the Wrecking Crew". Some of the records Blaine played on include the Ronettes' single "Be My Baby" (1963), which contained a drum beat that became widely imitated, as well as works by popular artists such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, Neil Diamond and the Byrds.

Originally issued in Stereo on Prestige LP (PR 7190) Subsequently reissued in the Prestige/New Jazz budget subsidiary label Status (ST 7190) The John Wright Trio John Wright (piano), Wendell Roberts (bass), Walter McCants (drums). Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliff, New Jersey, August 30, 1960 Engineered & mastered by Rudy Van Gelder Cover photo & design: Esmond Edwards Back-liner notes: LeRoi Jones Recording supervised by Esmond Edwards

Be With is delighted to present Jorge López Ruiz’s El Grito (Suite Para Orquesta De Jazz), eternal Argentinian magic released on CBS in 1967 that must be one of the most sought-after South American jazz LPs. Living in Buenos Aires in the 60s, driven by creative impulse and rage Jorge López Ruiz used music as his platform to protest the Argentine military dictatorship: “I could never stand dictatorships, to be told how you have to think, what you have to do. Nor did I endure discrimination”. A young López Ruiz had appeared on a television panel alongside writer, politician and philosopher Arturo Jauretche, criticising the Onganía dictatorship. Jauretche told López Ruiz “Now say it with music”. This was the deep inhale that lead to El Grito, literally “The Scream”. As López Ruiz later explained “Jauretche urged me that my protests should not remain in words and acquire the consistency of a work… but it was not so much what he told me but how he told me, what prompted me to make the work take shape, first in a live concert and then in a recording”. As the police and military began resorting to kidnapping, torture and summary executions to quiet dissent, with depressing inevitability the artist community and their work were a particular target of the increasingly brutal regime. El Grito was banned not long after it was released and the majority of original copies were unceremoniously destroyed. The work of a genius artist living under an opressive dictatorship, erased by the government of the time, this is buried treasure in every sense and it’s been a rare record for over 50 years.

The long-awaited reissue of this rare Eastern and psychedelic Jazz LP by the famous Hungarian guitarist, originally released in 1968.

"Due to his decision to settle in Los Angeles, tenor saxophonist Harold Land has long been underrated. A strong bop stylist who later on would be influenced a great deal by John Coltrane, Land in 1959 had a sound closer to Sonny Rollins. For this excellent straight-ahead quintet set with trumpeter Dupree Bolton and pianist Elmo Hope, Land performs four of Hope's superior but little-known compositions along with two of his own. This is high-quality hard bop, easily recommended to fans of straight-ahead jazz." Scott Yanow -All Music Guide

"[...] Tenor saxophonist Harold Land leads an all-star sextet that includes guitarist Wes Montgomery, trumpeter Joe Gordon, pianist Barry Harris, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes. Together, they perform three of Land's originals, "Don't Explain," and Charlie Parker's "Klactoveedsedstene," and an early version of Montgomery's "West Coast Blues." The music is as well-played and swinging as one would expect from this superior bop group." Scott Yanow -All Music Guide

"This fine set matches together the already distinctive tenor of Clifford Jordan with veteran trumpeter Kenny Dorham, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath. Other than Duke Ellington's "Don't You Know I Care," the group sticks to originals by Jordan, Dorham and Walton. The music is straight-ahead, and although the tunes are pretty obscure, the solos and high musicianship uplift the music. Recommended to straight-ahead jazz collectors." Scott Yanow -All Music Guide

Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley had already led nine dates for Blue Note Records by the time he arrived at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio on February 7, 1960 with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey, but on that day the quartet laid down what would become his masterpiece: Soul Station.

The crystalline six-song set was a showcase for Mobley’s lyrical flow from the breezy opening take on Irving Berlin’s “Remember” through bluesy originals like “Dig Dis” and the title track, and the swinging up-tempo numbers “This I Dig of You” and “Split Feelin’s.” Soul Station endures as a jazz classic for the ages..

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

A Svart Mondo Release. Limited to 500 copies on black vinyl. By early 1960’s, jazz in its mainstream form had become the standard dance music for the student parties in high schools and several student union clubrooms in Helsinki. The Polytech union even organized matinée dances for high school students on Sundays. The change in the musical preference of young people’s dance music occurred with the arrival of British rock in the mid-sixties and this, of course, coincided with another cultural and musical development. As the new campus for the school was built in Otaniemi, Espoo in 1955-1966 and its operations gradually moved there, the modern style “Dipoli” building became the crowning edifice on the campus. It was to be the new home for the Polytech student union. When this controversial building was opened in 1966, it was meant to introduce a new vision of the future and constituted an embodiment of the modernist spirit of those times in the late 1960’s. This reissue of The Complete Jazz at the Polytechnicum recordings, done in 1967-68, also provides us with a glimpse of the modern directions of those days, not only in jazz music, but also in performance art. It is easy to hear that the main aesthetic in these performances was to break conventions and find new avenues for individual expression. The publisher of these recordings was the Jazz Society of the Tech Students, which was formed a little before these recordings. The name of the society was a take-off from Norman Granz’ Jazz at The Philharmonic and it became Jazz at the Polytechnicum. Both are, of course, abbreviated as J.A.T.P., which became formulated in musicians’ mouths into “Jappa”. This Svart Records re-issue consists of four EP-records in chronological order. The first three feature three jazz groups of the leading young players with their ages ranging from 21 to 30. The fourth one documents an avant-garde art “happening” held in Dipoli on March 20th – 24th 1968 called “Posotusta, pimputusta, pompotusta”, which could freely be translated as “Huff ‘n’ puff ‘n’ plonk”.

Depending on the nature of the person involved, success either dictates more and more compulsive activity, or else it permits relaxation. With Cannonball Adderley, the latter certainly appears to be the case; and this album can, among other things, serve as a testimonial to the truth of the impression. In a peculiar way, the present album is a result of that success. For it is something that Adderley might well not have dared attempt in the past, and that he might not have been able to convince his record company to do. This his most satisfying LP. The nature of this album should be immediately apparent from Adderley's choice of associates. Cannonball feels, and many agree, that pianist Bill Evans is unexcelled when moody delicacy is called for.

Dexter Gordon, one of the true sax giants in the history of Jazz. Recorded in 1961 and released the following year, "Dexter calling" is his second recording for Blue Note.A solid swinging session with Gordon at the head of a great quartet featuring pianist Kenny Drew and the great bass and drums team of Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. This is a very well-balanced selection of hard-driving numbers, gospel-tinged blues, and deep ballads.

"Recorded for Berry Gordy's short-lived Workshop Jazz imprint, Roy Brooks' simply but authoritatively titled Beat fuses the intellectual rigors of the modern idiom with the physical prowess of soul-jazz to create a record of uncommon scope and reach. Working with Horace Silver Quintet colleagues Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, and Gene Taylor alongside Detroit contemporaries George Bohanon and Hugh Lawson, Brooks channels influences spanning the breadth of the Motor City scene, resulting in a clutch of challenging but engaging performances with the unmistakable patina of the embryonic Motown sound. While their technical proficiency is stunning, Brooks' rhythms never lose sight of the almighty groove, and for its hard bop stridency, the record has the proverbial good beat and you can dance to it."

One of the major statements in the history of Jazz and African American liberation movements. Originally released in 1960 on Candid Records, Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite consists of five original compositions and performances staging and celebrating different moments and aspects of the African American history and culture. Here is a wonderful cast of musicians reunited around Max Roach – drums and Abbey Lincoln – vocals. Throughout the album you can find great contributions from the likes of Booker Little – trumpet, Julian Priester – trombone, Walter Benton – tenor saxophones, James Schenk – bass and three percussionists Michael Olatunji, Raymond Mantilla and Tomas du Vall. Highlights include the highly intense triptych for Drum and Voice by Roach & Lincoln and a special appearance of tenor sax giant Coleman Hawkins on the opening Driva Man.

Record Store Day 2020 Release.
Limitation: 1500 copies.

The remarkable 1965 New York Concerts performances offer a rare, revealing glimpse into the discographic dark period. This captivating double LP would be valuable solely for the brilliant music, which finds Jimmy Giuffre leading otherwise undocumented trio & quartet lineups, advancing his experiments in counterpoint and abstraction into more adventurous avant-garde territory. But it also offers insight into one of jazz's most innovative thinkers at a key moment in his development. 180-gram vinyl. LP1 / Side A - 1. Syncopate 2. Introduction 3. Crossroads LP1 / Side B - 1. Drive 2. Quadrangle 3. Angles LP2 / Side A - 1. Syncopate 2. Quadrangle 3. Three Bars In One LP2 / Side B - 1. Cry, Want 2. Angles 3. Drive

When stars collide, sparks will fly. At least that's the theory. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington accepted the invitation to record together with dignity and polite courtesy. While keen to see what this pairing might produce artistically speaking, it was certainly an historic occasion. As the red light went on and the tapes rolled, Duke on piano and Louis on trumpet and vocals, backed by the Armstrong All-Stars began to play. As Ellington hits the keys on a riff that sounds suspiciously like C Jam Blues and Satchmo sings cheerfully 'Baby, take me down to Duke's Place!' the champions are ready to exchange ideas rather than blows. Perhaps unsurprisingly Louis soon emerged from this unique musical gathering as the natural born leader. But all the source material was firmly Ellingtonian. Both men had enjoyed extraordinary careers and were world renowned figures when the idea of bringing them together was first proposed.

Here's a true West Coast soul-jazz gem originally released on pacific jazz in 1961. Les McCann's warm and emotional singing shines over some gorgeous big band arrangements signed by the great conductor and bandleader Gerald Wilson. McCann's usual trio with Herbie Lewis on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums is augmented by a phenomenal bunch of West Coast top musicians including clarinetist Buddy Collette, tenor sax lions Charles Lloyd, Teddy Edward, and Harold Land, and two absolute guest stars: tenor sax giant Ben Webster and organ stylist Richard "groove" Holmes, what else?

Soul-jazz and blues at their best. Allmusic Guide