Jazz | Fusion 373 Items

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Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

With his big, warm, round-toned sound, sophisticated phrasing, and hip quotes, Dexter Gordon was one of the major forces on the tenor saxophone from the mid-1940s until his death in 1990. Gordon was cited by both Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane as a major influence on their playing and is acknowledged as a jazz icon.

The popularity of mainstream jazz was on the decline in the States during the 1960s. The Vietnam war and racial turmoil were in high gear, and many of the music’s top-flight musicians, including Gordon, migrated to Europe in order both to escape and to make a living playing jazz. Gordon eventually settled in Copenhagen, Denmark. During this period, he usually played and recorded backed by a piano trio, but this 1969 recording is different. The usual quartet has been expanded with some of those premiere jazz ‘refugees’, each a major voice on his instrument, assembled for the session.

One of the great modern jazz trombonists, Slide Hampton, is also a composer/arranger of note. The album was a collaborative venture between Gordon and Hampton, and three of the compositions and all the arrangements on the album are his. The classy Jamaican trumpeter Dizzy Reese completes the front line. The rhythm section includes two jazz giants who were Gordon’s constant companions at Copenhagen’s famous Club Montmartre, fellow American expatriate pianist Kenny Drew and the great Danish bassist N-H Örsted-Peterson. The Gordon/Drew pairing is one of the classic horn-/piano matchups in jazz, and has often been compared with the Miles Davis/Red Garland and John Coltrane/McCoy Tyner pairings. Art Taylor, who “helped define the sound of modern drumming”, was brought in from Paris to complete the all-star rhythm section.

Sacd

180g 2LP 45rpm

The late percussionist Milford Graves was one of the most unique artists the world has ever seen. Born in Jamaica, Queens in 1941, he began his career in the early '60s as a part of New York's vibrant Latin jazz scene. His focus quickly turned inward, shifting towards a practice that explored the very nature of self. From his work in the New York Art Quartet and collaborations with Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock and more to his important contributions during NYC's loft era – he is, simply put, free jazz royalty. In April 1966, the duo of Graves and pianist Don Pullen played at Yale University. As John Corbett writes in the liner notes, "This performance was something of a turning point for Graves. Until then he had been working in other people's bands or collective ensembles. He was phenomenally busy. In 1965 alone, he recorded with Nyaq (two LPs), Giuseppi Logan Quartet, Paul Bley Quintet and Lowell Davidson Trio, and he made his first recording released under his own name, Percussion Ensemble. Every one of these is important in its own way, but none of them quite anticipate how radical was the music that he and Pullen would unleash that evening in New Haven." Originally released on the artists' own Self-Reliance Program label, this legendary one-night performance would be split into two volumes: In Concert At Yale University and Nommo. While rooted in African rhythms, Graves' music has its own sense of time. As the drummer stated in a 1966 DownBeat interview, "Time was always there, and the time I see is not the same as what man says time is. It works by impulsion."

"Easterly Winds"—the second of three Blue Note albums Jack Wilson recorded for Blue Note in the late-1960s—found the pianist at the helm of a first-rate hard bop sextet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Garnett Brown on trombone, Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums.



BLUE NOTE TONE POET EDITION: Stereo, produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

180g

All of You is a live album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded at Jamal's own club in Chicago in 1961 and released originally on the Argo label. Jamal's group had a personal sound of its own, often playing quietly and leaving space but never losing the passion. These versions of "Time on My Hands," "Star Eyes" and "All of You" in particular are well worth hearing. On the cover, photographed by Don Bronstein, one of the first staff photographers for Playboy magazine, Jamal sits in an MAA chair, designed by George Nelson.

Drummer Roy Haynes was just about everywhere in the golden age of jazz, recording classic albums with some of the most legendary names of the genre. The hard-bop-verging-on-post-bop Out Of The Afternoon is an excellent example of the adventurous spirit that was taking flight in the jazz world in the early 1960s. Haynes swings as the leader of this 1962 Impulse! session, featuring A-list jazzmen Roland Kirk (multiple instruments including stritch and nose flute!), Tommy Flanagan (piano) and Henry Grimes (bass).

VERVE ACOUSTIC SOUNDS SERIES: mastered fully analogue from the original tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, QPR pressing (180 g), firm tip-on gatefold (Stoughton Printing), padded inner sleeve.

Vinyl reissue of the live album by American jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. Featuring tracks recorded in Italy in 1961, during an extensive European tour that also resulted in recordings from Paris. The album was originally released on the Riverside label in 1963 and would be Monk's final recording for the label before signing with Columbia. Includes the tracks 'Straight No Chaser', 'Bemsha Swing' and 'Rhythm-A-Ning.

In the late 1960s, vibraphonist Roy Ayers was among the top young talents in jazz, thriving during a remarkable era for the genre. While Ayers would later become a jazz-funk pioneer and delve heavily into R&B fusions, his third album Stoned Soul Picnic is a masterful showcase of soul-jazz grooves. Produced by Herbie Mann, Stoned Soul Picnic features a memorable Laura Nyro-penned title track, along with an exceptional lineup of musicians, including Gary Bartz, Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, and Grady Tate. Originally released in 1968, this early Roy Ayers classic is now receiving an official reissue via Nature Sounds.

Re-mastered from a copy of the Mono Master Tapes. Limited edition 2000 copies. 180 gr vinyl pressed by Pallas in Germany. Deluxe high-gloss flipback album jacket. Facsimile reissue using the original photo by JP Leloir. Double insert using an original photo by JP Leloir from 1959. Each record has been visually checked to prevent defects.

Recorded October 1959, Paris.

Original LP issue: Decca 153.924

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 in the final month of the trumpeter’s almost eight-year tenure with the band. Fellow Ellington sidemen Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Woode, and Sam Woodyard are present, along with Raymond Fol at the piano. Terry was one of the most gifted trumpeters to grace the Ellington band and he blossoms when he has more opportunities to solo in a small group setting like this one. Gonsalves proves to be the perfect foil for Terry as they trade lines on several of the numbers. Unlike many dates led by Ellington veterans, this one doesn’t rely heavily on songs from the vast Ellington songbook; instead, Terry includes only ‘Satin Doll’, a Monk’s tune, one by Babs Gonzales and three of his own compositions, with ‘Serenade to a Bus Seat’ (a remake of his upbeat instrumental interpretation of the hectic life of a touring musician) proving to be the most memorable.

This studio date was recorded for French Decca label and was almost impossible to find until now.

Clark Terry (Trumpet) Paul Gonsalves (Tenor saxophone) Raymond Fol (Piano) Jimmy Woode (Bass) G. T. Hogan (Drums)

1968’s Love Cry mixes Albert Ayler’s free jazz with a catchy combination of nursery rhythms and brass band marches, resulting in a peak example of experimental jazz of the period. This was Ayler’s last recording with his brother, Donald, who keeps the pace fiery along with the rhythm section of bassist Alan Silva and drummer Milford Graves, and harpsichordist Call Cobbs.



Verve BY Request Series: remastered, audiophile-quality 180-gram vinyl from Third Man Pressing/Detroit, gatefold sleeve.

Recorded in New York in 1957 (though not released until 1962), 'Tijuana Moods' was, according to Mingus himself, "the best album i ever made." The music is a vigorous stew of Mexican rhythms and sophisticated post-Ellington arrangements, further invigorated by the soloing of trumpeter Clarence Shaw, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, and, particularly, saxophonist Shafi Hadi. Mingus's vision of Tijuana was clearly sensual, the music evoking strippers, frenetic street scenes, and heart-broken lovers. Making use of suite like thematic material and various forms of counterpoint, the group sounds much larger than it is, and points toward Mingus's later experiments with form. the bristling sound and spirit of the music, however, are its primary attractions - a remarkable place where Mexican fantasy and hard bop meet.

The “straight horn” referred to in the title of this superb album from 1961 is the soprano saxophone, and Lacy is recognized as one of the greatest to ever play the instrument, ranking alongside John Coltrane and Sidney Bechet. Because of the difficulty involved in mastering it’s pitch challenges, very few jazzmen concentrated on it. Lacy is widely considered the first “modern” musician to specialize on the instrument. Lacy had long and prolific career and a fascinating style trajectory. At sixteen he began playing Dixieland with the likes of Pee Wee Russell. In the mid 1950’s he played free jazz with Cecil Taylor, and appeared with his groundbreaking quartet at the 1957 New Port Jazz Festival. He made a notable appearance on the 1959 Gil Evens, Great Jazz Standards album. Along the way, Lacy became obsessed with the music of Thelonious Monk, working with him several times including the 1963 Big Band and Quartet in Concert album, and devoted much of this life’s work to the interpretation of Monk’s materiel

Vibes player Johnny Lytle was one of the heroes of the early acid jazz club circuit, with his cuts 'Selim' and 'The Man' being anthems of the scene.

The Ohio-born player’s first album as a leader was on the Jazzland label in 1962 with “Nice And Easy”. His second, three years later, on Riverside, "The Village Caller", made him a star in the jazz world. When Riverside encountered difficulties, co-owner Orrin Keepnews collaborated with Lytle on two albums which came out on the Detroit label, Tuba.

The first of these, "The Loop", featured his regular trio partners, organist Milt Harris and drummer “Peppy” Hinnant. This line-up was augmented on some tracks by former Miles Davis pianist Wynton Kelly and bassist George Duvivier. A 7” version of the title track actually spent five weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1966. As for the album, as well as the acid jazz cut 'The Man', it features a stunning version of Duke Pearson's 'Cristo Redentor' and the dancefloor-friendly 'Possum Grease' and 'Hot Sauce'. The band also stretch out on extended track ‘The Shyster’.

"The Loop” is a classic album and Ace’s pressing is the first time it has been legally reissued on vinyl.

Originally released in 1963, this is a majestic piece of work. Considered as one of Ellington's best studio recordings of the Sixties this is also an essential mosaic piece within Duke's open wide afro-centric vision. Performed by a top version of his famous big band, Afro Bossa sounds as a sophisticated, sensual blend of orchestral Jazz arrangements and black bossa flavoured grooves. Among the players, many of Duke's historical sidemen such as trumpeter Ray Nance, sax giants Paul Gonsalves and Johnny Hodges, drummer extraordinaire Sam Woodyard and last but not least, Ellington's alter ego Billy Strayhorn, what else?

Long before becoming an icon of funk, acid jazz, and R&B, Roy Ayers was a promising young jazz vibraphonist. Originally released in 1967, Virgo Vibes was Ayers' second album, and his debut for Atlantic. With five cool, funky jazz tracks, the LP features talented musicians like Joe Henderson, Charles Tolliver, Bruno Carr, Jack Wilson and the mysterious pianist Ronnie Clark (Herbie Hancock playing under a pseudonym). A rare treasure infused with the relaxed, sunny vibe that defined Ayers’ stellar career, Virgo Vibes is now available again on vinyl.

While stationed in Germany in the RAF during the late 1950s and early 1960s, York-born alto and soprano saxophonist Trevor Watts met the drummer John Stevens, with whom he would form the Spontaneous Music Ensemble upon returning to the UK in 1965, which became an important vehicle for British free improvisation. Watts’ spin-off project Amalgam came two years later with Stevens and bassist Jeff Clyne, previously in the Jazz Couriers with Ronnie Scott; their debut LP Prayer For Peace is jazz improv at its most melodic, an unpredictable album of varying shades, with three unique takes of the song ‘Judy’s Smile.’

On June 27th, 1969, Michel Portal pushed the door of the Pathé Marconi studios. With him were drummers Jacques Thollot and Aldo Romano, bassist Jean-François Jenny-Clark and pianist Joachim Kühn. They hadn"t rehearsed anything, as if entering the studio to record an album without any plan was something normal. The musicians were obviously very used to playing with each other, as the five tracks on Our Meanings And Our Feelings seem to flow perfectly without any hint of improvisation. The zokra, an oriental clarinet that Michel Portal plays on "Walking through the land" and "Dear old Morocco" brings a singular touch to this album. This singularity is transcended by Joachim Kühn"s ability to easily go from the piano to the saxophone alto, from supporting to soloing, before playing the bells, then the tambourine, opening the soundscape. Our Meanings And Our Feelings may not be the first French free jazz record - as it was preceded by the fantastic Free Jazz by François Tusques, released in 1965 and on which Michel Portal plays as well - but it remains one of the most important. Its incredible outburst of sounds and melodies is completely free yet never turns into cacophony. 44 years after its release, it is still urgent to listen to Our Meanings And Our Feelings and what these five talented musicians had to tell us.

When Charlie Byrd toured South America in 1961, Bossa Nova—a melding of Brazilian samba rhythms with the harmonic structures and cool sound of West Coast jazz—was booming. He brought back records for Stan Getz to hear and they planned a session. The result was Jazz Samba—the first album of Bossa Nova music by jazz artists and the one that created the Bossa Nova wave.



VERVE ACOUSTIC SOUNDS SERIES: Stereo, mastered fully analogue from the original tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, QPR pressing (180 g), firm tip-on gatefold (Stoughton Printing), padded inner sleeve.

Limited Clear Vinyl edition, 300 copies! In 1959, at the time of this recording session, Yusef Lateef was already approaching a new and more open form of Jazz. A sophisticated, spiritual yet urban music form informed by non western languages and cultures. Cry Tender! is a deeply inventive, mostly contemplative album inspired by an original cosmopolitan vision of Jazz and based on masterful playing from a bunch of solid Jazz musicians including among others: Wilbur Harden – flugelhorn, Hugh Lawson – piano, Herman Wright – bass and Oliver Jackson – drums, percussion, all under the direction of master of ceremonies Yusef Lateef on tenor sax, flute and oboe.

Charles Mingus brought together an amazing lineup spanning the totality of the nation's jazz scene with such luminaries as Eric Dolphy, Buddy Collette, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, Pepper Adams, Jaki Byard, Grady Tate, and more. Brought together to perform new Mingus compositions for the first time in public, the recording was initially considered weak due to limited rehearsal time but the years have been kind to this recording and it's a fantastic set of Mingus compositions, including the powerful "Freedom" which rivals the works on Mingus Ah-Um (1959) for its strength of purpose and message, in a similar vein to Max Roach's legendary We Insist! album (1960). Mingus is one of the most important figures in 20th century music and this live recording documents his compositional and arranging process as well as sheer swinging joy.

“Gabor Szabo exploded onto the American jazz scene in the early sixties. His unusual approach and unique sound brought something startling and new to jazz. With Chico Hamilton, Charles Lloyd and Gary McFarland, Szabo offered something few in jazz had ever heard before: guitarist as enchanter and conjurer and musician as storyteller and mesmerist. Once Szabo declared his independence in 1966, he also proved how seamlessly jazz can blend the Beatles and Bacharach with Latin and Indian styles. The guitarist released a string of albums on Impulse that challenged many assumptions about jazz and stand out today as some of the most radical, yet appealing music of the period. But the times were woefully a-changing. Szabo biographer Károly Libisch considers the year 1969 a “turning point” for the guitarist. The spell Szabo weaved in the press was beginning to wane. The blizzard of coverage he generated in the previous few years began to trickle off. Perhaps the rise of rock – and rock-guitar heroes – tamped down the guitarist’s exotic allure and faddish charm. Then, too, Szabo’s erratic behavior started attracting poor notices and hastened the demise of his storied quintet, featuring guitarist Jimmy Stewart and percussionist Hal Gordon, in late 1968. Now, both Gabor Szabo, the artist and businessman, needed a hit. 1969 was his response to the call of 1969.

The album was released in August 1969, initial reviews were positive. Cash Box raved that Gabor Szabo 1969 “is magnificent music, and an album that deserves great success” while Record World called it “luscious guitaring” that features “lots of contemporary material, which he makes completely his own.” Gabor Szabo 1969 never did find the success it was seeking. But it remains a lovely listening experience that finds the guitarist at his melodic best at an important crossroads in his recording career. “

The most important artists in the history of Japanese free jazz, Masahiko Togashi, Masayuki Takayanagi, Mototeru Takagi and Motoharu Yoshizawa. A solemn and crazy improvisation work originally recorded in 1969! "It was not until 1969, when this album was recorded, that the quality of Japanese free jazz works reached a world-class level. The most important artists in the history of Japanese free jazz feast the solemn and insane improvisation has not faded away even in the present age of 2022." - Kouki Hanawa (Craftman Records)

Canadian composer Bruce Haack one of the true pioneers in the field of electronic and children's music. Originally released in 1962 "Dance, Sing & Listen" was Haack's debut album. Following instructions from children dance teacher Esther Nelson the album comes as a hyper-eclectic work based on a great variety of sound material. A hybrid soup of medieval, country, classical, and pop styles including tons of electronic effects, guitars, banjos and other acoustic string instruments and bongos!!! This is open minded music for children at its best.

180g Vinyl LP pressing. High Priestess of Soul is the last album Simone released under Philips Records. The songs are accompanied by a large band directed by Hal Mooney. The album contains popular songs, such as "Don't You Pay Them No Mind" and African American gospel and folk related songs written by Simone herself, such as "Take Me to the Water" and "Come Ye." After this album title, Nina Simone was sometimes referred to as "the high priestess of soul." Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist who worked in a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop. Simone's musical style fused gospel and pop with classical music, in particular Johann Sebastian Bach, and accompanied expressive, jazz-like singing in her contralto voice.

First Lady of Song Ella Fitzgerald overcame the challenges of a tumultuous youth through music, her performances with the Chick Webb Orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom and distinctive scat singing leading to early recordings and the 1938 breakthrough, ‘A Tisket A Tasket.’ After recording bebop LPs for Decca, manager Norman Granz launched the Verve label to allow her to broaden her musical horizons, exploring the Great American Songbook. Released in 1960, Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas sees her tackle Christmas classics as only Ella can, the lavish orchestration overseen by noted conductor Frank de Vol.

Limited Clear Vinyl edition, 500 copies! Twistin' the Night Away is Sam Cooke's eighth studio album. Released in April 1962 by RCA Victor, the album shows how the one and only Sam Cooke approached the twist dance phenomenon and as a result became one of Cooke's most successful releases. In fact Twistin' the Night Away peaked while the single of the same name charted high at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Twistin' the Night Away stands as one of the great dance albums of its period,"and "a brilliant soul album as well.