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Shape of Things to Come is the fifth studio album by the American guitarist George Benson, recorded in 1968 and arranged by Don Sebesky. It was his first album for A&M Records and his first album to be produced by Creed Taylor, who would remain his producer until 1976. After four years and three different labels, Benson signed with the A&M/CTI label in 1968. He was to be the replacement for their star Wes Montgomery, who had died earlier in the year. For his first album with the label, producer Taylor brought in all of the labels heavyweights, arranger Sebesky, engineer Rudy Van Gelder, and guest artists Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter. The album is mostly cover songs from artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin, The Monkees and Glenn Miller. It also contains a pair of original compositions and some reworkings of movie soundtracks.

This 1961 set of standards, favoring ballads, is Gene Ammons in his prime. For the most part, this session is tight and structured, keeping Ammons firmly locked in the groove more so than on some of his more wandering dates. His big-as-a-house tone stands center stage in front of a sympathetic piano-bass-drums trio of Richard Wyands, Doug Watkins and J.C. Heard, respectively.

This 1967 set, recorded live at Boston’s Jazz Workshop, showcases virtuoso guitarist Szabó—a veteran of Chico Hamilton’s and Charles Lloyd’s bands—at the top of his game on a diverse program featuring standards (“What Is This Thing Called Love”) and pop hits (“The Beat Goes On”) as well as the original and psychedelic-tinged jam, “Space.”



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

Arrangements by Gary McFarland Recorded at Western Recording, Los Angeles
August 6th, 7th and 9th, 1968

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

Labeled “the Nureyev of the guitar” by jazz critic Leonard Feather, Gabor Szabo was at his creative peak at the end of the 60s, when he recorded his masterpiece “Bacchanal”. Szabo’s 60s quintet, featuring guitarist Jimmy Stewart, is on top
form here with another of his unique collections of both jazz and pop hits. His restrained use of feedback at just the right moments shows Szabo was willing to open up to new sounds yet he keeps a tight grip on his signature sound throughout these eight cuts.

After his great success as a new discovery through playing on tour and in the studio with Art Blakey’s creative and inspirational group, the Jazz Messengers, Freddie Hubbard made a dozen LPs over 16 years for Blue Note and Impulse under his own direction.
It was no wonder then that a big record company made him a lucrative offer in autumn 1966. All in all, Atlantic Records released six LPs and the very first, entitled "Backlash", is still until today the best of the bunch.
Three numbers by Freddie Hubbard, one by Bob Cunningham, and two by friends, provide the basis for a successful transition between hard bop and soul beat. Hubbard made high demands on his fellow musicians James Spaulding, Albert Dailey and especially the bass player Bob Cunningham and the drummer Ray Appleton because they had to cope with the ever-changing beat. Right from the very first note, it is obvious that Freddie Hubbard had Fats Navarro and Clifford Brown in his heart and fingers. All the titles are excellent. Of special note, however, is "Little Sunflower". The sound colouring of the flute harmonizes particularly well with Hubbard’s brass, and Ray Barretto’s contribution is more than mere decoration. You’re certainly on the right track with this LP, no matter whether it’s the beginning of a Freddie Hubbard collection or a further contribution to a large jazz collection.

This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid.

Recording: 1967 by Tom Dowd, Phil Jehle and Adrian Barber
Production: Arif Mardin

"Legendary Sun Records producer Sam Phillips knew talent when he saw it, and when he started up his new Phillips label in the early 1960s, one of the first acts he signed was Frank Frost and his electric Delta blues trio. Now known as one of the greatest harp players of his generation, Frost learned his trade playing with none other than Sonny Boy Williamson and his influence can be heard whenever he blows. Originally released in 1962, Hey, Boss Man! is one of the last great electric blues albums."

As Finders Keepers disobedient little-sister-label reaches her 20th (release) anniversaries
Cacophonic Records are proud to present a record that will not only leave rare record
collectors salivating but will open ambitious ears to a truly pioneering album from the seldom
celebrated and individualistic micro-genre that is French free Jazz. Comprising some of the
earliest uninhibited performances from key musicians behind records by Serge Gainsbourg,
Jef Gilson, Triangle, Don Cherry, Barbara and countless other groundbreaking European jazz
records and freakish films, this LP captures the birth of an exciting movement that would
soon earn its Parisian birthplace as the go-to European spiritual home of improvised and
avant-garde music. Spearheaded by polymath pianist and composer François Tusques this
1965 French LP coined the phrase “free jazz” before the American genre of the same name
had fully taken shape and packed its suitcase; laying the foundations (alongside Jef Gilson’s
Enfin!) for a unique satellite brand of jazz that would later provide visiting afro American
avant-gardeners with a vibrant Parisian platform. Having recorded a very rare single in
celebration of the architect Le Corbusier in late 1964 Tusques was lucky enough to play
live with Don Cherry (a key player on Ornette Coleman’s 1961 Free Jazz LP) thus planting a
pedigreed seed for this vibrant cultivar.
With this record we not only hear the unique differences within the Gallic approach to the art
form (combining masterful sombre cinematic changes with aerated free-form percussion and
erratic reed and brass) but we also get to witness the early lesser savoured secret ingredients
that would carry France’s mainstream pop culture into truly uncharted and unrivalled
territories throughout the following decades. Best known to faithful Finders Keepers fans as
the soundtrack composer to the horrortica films of Jean Rollin, Tusques is joined here by sax
and flute player Francois Jeanneau, who’s electronic jazz album Such A Weird Plane” would
later lead to his own band Triangle gaining recognition as France’s leading French language
prig-jazz-rock act. Featuring three players from the aforementioned Enfin! LP by French jazz
pioneer and producer Jef Gilson, Free Jazz combines the skills of Jeanneau, with clarinet
player Michel Portal (Gainsbourg Percussions/Claude Nougaro) and trumpeter Bernard Vitet
(whose avant-garde appearances on the Futura label are indispensable). In addition to this,
Free Jazz also boasts the inclusion of Tusques’ sidekick and double bass master Bernard
“Beb” Guérin (of Sonny Sharrock Monkey-Pockie-Boo infamy) who had also appeared on
the earlier Don Cherry/Le Corbusier recording providing further kudos to this LPs historical
importance.
It is by no coincidence that this carefully selected ensemble would around this time become
enlisted as the backing group for politically driven singer-songwriter Colette Magny (an action
which would arguably later influence Brigitte Fontaine’s choice to adopt The Art Ensemble Of
Chicago as her backing band after the Actuel records Pan-African Jazz festival and record
series). The fact that Colette Magny would provide the art direction for this very LP is a cute
small-print signifier of this LPs intended manifesto status. This album also captures a rare
glimpse of percussionist Charles Saudrais in free-form mode after his departure from the
Barney WIlen Quartet (Moshi) - an inclusion that would surely galvanise the relationship
between WIlen and Tusques resulting in the follow-up record Nouveau Jazz for actor Marcel
Mouloudji’s privately funded Disques Mouloudji label (on which both rare LPs were originally
pressed).
This glimpse into a seldom documented underground of a domestic, revolutionary,
uncompromised spiritual art-form successfully reveals the other-side of abstracted French
music which alongside musique concrète, protest pop, symphonic rock and Zeuhl-skool
electronic prog created a homegrown, self-contained music industry that went on to influence
a universe of Gallic magnetic inspiration. “This is free jazz, Jim; but not as we know it.”

Best known for the lush 1961 rendition of the ballad “At Last”– a slow-dance staple at wedding celebrations everywhere,she is also celebrated for having recorded one of the bestlive albums of all time, “Rocks the House.” Recorded in 1963at the New Era Club in Nashville, James is captured at her performance peak. The foundation for her reputation as a fiery no-holds-barred performer was firmly established in this recording.

Blues, soul, jazz, R&B, and rock vocalist Etta James, needs no introduction. An icon from early rock’n’roll’s pantheon of divas, she has inspired 5 decades of listeners and fellow artists with her vocal stylings. From Janis Joplin to Beyonce, her expressive and guttural style has been imitated but never quite matched.

Jackpot Records is honored to release this momentous record on stellar blue vinyl, with the original album artwork and including 3 bonus tracks which have only ever been released previously on CD. Her powerful version of “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” will shake you. Her impassioned version of “All I Could Do Is Cry,” will break you.

In 1960, the free jazz pioneered by Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Horace Tapscott and a very few others was rejected by many musicians and most listeners. For the visionary saxophonist, clarinetist and flutist Eric Dolphy, it was simply new music fed by the mainstream, a logical extension of the jazz tradition. In "Far Cry" without leaving form behind, he incorporated the spirit of adventure and abandon with which free jazz at its best infused freshness into jazz. Recording with a pianoless quartet that used Ron Carter’s cello as the other melody instrument, Dolphy worked from chord patterns developed within structures that depart from ordinary 32-bar jazz and popular song forms. He used 30-bar, 35-bar and 18-bar structures, but he also observed standard practice with 12-bar blues, “Serene”. Dolphy’s speech-like improvisations and Carter’s bowed or plucked cello solos soar over the impeccable and responsive accompaniments of bassist George Duvivier and drummer Roy Haynes.

Quantity: 2200
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
Iron Man (aka the Eric Dolphy Record), originally released in 1968, is known as an extraordinarily complex and challenging recording. A jazz multi-instrumentalist who gained prominence in the 1960s, Dolphy extended the vocabulary and boundaries of the alto saxophone and was among the earliest significant jazz flute soloists. Vinyl for the album ALL MUSIC calls “ESSENTIAL” has been long out of print and unavailable. This deluxe package for RSD Black Friday includes an OBI side strip, single album jacket, original album art work, printed inner sleeve, original record labels and specialty color vinyl.

A landmark in Eric Dolphy's discography. "Conversations" is the result of a historical studio session held in New York in 1963 with Dolphy at the core of various line up configurations featuring a bunch of young innovators like Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons, Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, Clifford Jordan, Richard Davis... Each of the four tracks is a fine example of Dolphy's highly eclectic language including an alto sax solo of rare beauty (Love me), a landmark duet with Richard Davis (Alone Together) and two magnificent quintet pieces (Jitterbug Waltz and Music Matador). A real piece of Art from a true Jazz Genius in the early "New Thing" era.

Recorded live by Rudy Van Gelder this is one of a pair of Dolphy's albums documenting the 1961 historical residency at the Five Spot, the New York's major temple of the early avantgarde. This is timeless music performed by one of the essential lineups in modern Jazz. A marvelous quintet featuring the great Booker Little on trumpet and the amazing rhythm section of Mal Waldron — piano, Richard Davis — double bass and Ed Blackwell — drums plus, of course, master Eric Dolphy on alto saxophone, bass clarinet and flute. "All forward thinking and challenged listeners need to own these epic club dates" Allmusic

One night during a one-time, two-week engagement at the Five Spot produced enough music of lasting merit for three albums. When Rudy Van Gelder took his portable equipment down to the fabled Cooper Square jazz club on July 16, 1961, he captured the interaction of an extraordinary quintet.
Eric Dolphy, Booker Little, Mal Waldron, Richard Davis and Ed Blackwell had formed a cooperative group and, if LIttle had not died in October 1961, there is no doubt that it would have been a potent force in the music of the 1960s and beyond. Dolphy himself died in June 1964, after establishing himself as one of the important contemporary reedmen. Here his alto saxophone and bass clarinet and Little’s trumpet explore three originals: "The Prophet" by Dolphy, "Bee Vamp" by Little, and "Fire Waltz" by Waldron. It’s time caught in a bottle — music for the ages.

Not macht erfinderisch! Das Album “Heavy Sounds” war eigentlich als Trio-Session mit dem Gitarristen Larry Coryell geplant gewesen. Als dieser aber kurzfristig erkrankte und nicht im Studio auftauchte, spielten Schlagzeuger Elvin Jones und Bassist Richard Davis ad hoc eine fast zwölfminütige Duo-Version von “Summertime” ein. Die restlichen Nummern nahm das Gespann einen Tag später mit Verstärkung des Saxofonisten Frank Foster und des Pianisten Billy Green auf, wobei Elvin Jones in “Elvin’s Guitar Blues” höchstpersönlich den Gitarrenpart übernahm. Es sollte seine einzige Aufnahme als Gitarrist bleiben.

Verve BY Request Serie: remastert, audiophiles 180-Gramm-Vinyl von Third Man Pressing/Detroit, Gatefold Sleeve.

Elis Regina one of the greatest Brazilian interpreters of all time! Originally released in 1963 when she was not even 20 years old, this was her fourth album and second for Columbia records. Still a few steps before she became a star, here Elis Regina's fresh and extremely ductile voice shines on top of sophisticated Jazz arrangements by Astor Silva and a mixed repertoire based on charming romantic songs and vibrant sambas, all composed by Brazilian authors, among them a couple of highlights such as Baden Powell's "Se Você. Quiser" and "O Ben do Amor" the title track composed by guitarist Rildo Hora. This is an an early and fine statement in Regina's fast way to the peak of Brazilian music history.

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”.

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London

This is one of Eddie Harris' great records. The playing is inspired! What a band! Cedar Walton (piano) and Billy Higgins (drums), Lee Morgan's favourite rhythm section. The underrated but popular tenor saxophonist introduces his "Freedom Jazz Dance," which would become a jazz standard after featuring on Miles Davis' album Miles Smiles. Plays one of the earlier versions of "The Shadow of Your Smile," romps on "Love for Sale" and "'S Wonderful," and also performs "Born to Be Blue" and his own "Cryin' Blues." Harris is heard in prime form in a quartet/quintet with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Billy Higgins, and part-time trumpeter Ray Codrington. A gem. - Scott Yanow/AMG

Recorded 1965
Engineer – Tom Dowd

Saxophonist Eddie Harris – a favorite sample staple of jazz-leaning hip-hop producers of the ‘90s – was a very busy man in the 1960s, releasing albums at a brisk pace since his first as a leader in 1961. By the late ‘60s he had fully hit his stride, as both a performer and an innovator.
A case in point is heard very clearly on this gem from Harris’ expansive catalog – 1968’s Plug Me In, which features his pioneering use of the Varitone saxophone effects processor unit (first heard on his 1967 album, The Tender Storm). The effect, used on “It’s Crazy” and “Ballad (For My Love),” never gets in the way, but gives the proceedings a feeling of “the next.” 1968 saw jazz entering a new era, influenced by electronic advances as well as the soul music dominating the pop charts of the day. Plug Me In slid perfectly into the vanguard of the day.
There is a soulful warmth to the proceedings on this classic LP, starting with album opener “Live Right Now,” which builds and swirls to a beautiful crescendo, with notes ricocheting back and forth amongst a top level crew of players including Jodie Christian, Chuck Rainey and Richard Smith. “Lovely Is Today” and “It’s Crazy” also feature waves of sunshiney brass and group interplay, alongside album ballads like “Winter Meeting” and “Ballad (For My Love).”
Eddie Harris’ catalog can be daunting, considering his impressive input throughout the 60s and 70s, but there’s a reason fans old and new come back to Plug Me In again and again. Innovation and soul is a combination that never fails, and this reissue is destined to bring more fans into the fold.

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?

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')"

Donald Byrd’s 1967 album Slow Drag was one of the last pure hard bop records the trumpeter would make before his music began evolving towards fusion. Byrd flies high on this gratifying set featuring alto saxophonist Sonny Red, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Walter Booker & drummer Billy Higgins.



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, packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

A fascinating blend of jazz and contemporary classical influences, How Time Passes is the debut album from the envelope pushing trumpeter and composer Don Ellis. Known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures, Ellis began his long career in the New York City’s post bop and avant-garde jazz scenes of late 1950s. Most notably he appeared on Charles Mingus’ Mingus Dynasty, and albums by George Russell and Maynard Feguson. But he also worked with, among others, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, and Woody Herman. On subsequent albums, Ellis would take an even wilder direction. Here, on his first recoding date as a band leader, the experimentation begins. Ellis stretches the boundaries of bop-based jazz playing with time, tempo and meter. It is the start of his exploration of Third Stream - a fusion of jazz and contemporary classical music. The album title itself - How Time Passes - was taken from an article written by the controversial German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen on the “function of time.” The exceptional section features Ron Carter on bass, the underrated Jaki Byard on piano and saxophone, and Charlie Persip on drums. The LP includes extraordinary liner notes by Candid A&R man and producer Nat Hentoff, and noted musician, historian and writer Gunther Schuller - the originator of the term “Third Stream” - giving a context and insight that adds to the experience of hearing these extraordinary performances.

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.

With his 1966 debut for Atlantic, jazz vibraphonist and marimba player Dave Pike and an all-star lineup produced a perfect blend of Jazz, Latin, Soul and R&B that stands the test of time. Produced by Pike's frequent collaborator Herbie Mann, ''Jazz for the Jet Set'' featured a young Herbie Hancock on organ (an instrument he rarely played again), Clark Terry on trumpet, Billy Butler on guitar, Grady Tate on drums, and many other talented musicians. From an artistic perspective, the album marked a pivotal time in Pike's career, where he began to move away from straight ahead jazz and forge a relationship with soul music, Latin rhythms, pop arrangements and more experimental styles. With this official reissue courtesy of Nature Sounds, ''Jazz For The Jet Set'' is now back on limited-edition vinyl while supplies last. 1. Blind Man Blind Man 2. Jet Set 3. Sunny 4. When I'm Gone 5. You've Got Your Troubles 6. Sweet Tater Pie 7. Just Say Goodbye 8. Devilette

Limited Clear Vinyl edition, 500 copies! Originally released on Impulse in 1962 "Soul Trombone and the Jazz Clan" was a major statement from one of the great trombone players in American jazz. Here Fuller displays an outstanding hard-bop ensemble based on a bunch of great individuals all at the top of their game. Fuller himself is part of a super strong horn section with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath, while the groove is assured by a hard swinging rhythm section with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Jimmie Merritt and drummer Jimmy Cobb. Fuller gives lots of space to his musicians who naturally respond and empathize with great solos.In one word: an outstanding record!