Jazz | Fusion 292 Items

Blow-Up is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, featuring music composed for Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blow Up. The album features performances by Hancock, trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Joe Newman, alto saxophonist Phil Woods, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Furthermore, there are four psychedelic rock songs that Antonioni strongly wanted to include in the movie, the pearl of them being Stroll On by the Yardbirds, performed live in the film by the band.

Hank Mobley was inspired by 'Birth of the Cool' on his 1966 album 'A Slice of the Top' featuring Duke Pearson’s arrangements for an octet that added euphonium and tuba to a group with James Spaulding on alto sax, Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, 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 gatefold sleeve with deluxe tip-on jacket.

A follow up to the similarly-titled Conversations With Myself album recorded several years before -- and like that one, a record that has Bill Evans playing "with" himself, via the technology of overdubs! The album's less a solo album, than a duet one -- given that most of the numbers feature Evans working between melody and rhythm on overlapping piano lines -- creating a mini chorus of pianos that sounds totally great, and wonderfully unique! Titles include "Emily", "Yesterdays", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Funny Man", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Little Lulu" and "Quiet Now”

One of the great line-ups of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers coalesced when saxophonist Wayne Shorter joined trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt, as heard on the 1960 album "A Night In Tunisia". Opening with a fiery version of Dizzy Gillespie’s famous piece, the rest of the set showcased new bandmember originals.

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

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.

Why you'll love it...
Creating harmony out of unlikely combinations was integral to Charles’ genius, and that’s evident with how effortlessly he navigates multiple genres on In Person, oftentimes on the same song. It’s an album that’s a testament to him as a versatile musical pioneer: someone who was unafraid to explore different ideas and sounds throughout his career, becoming a seminal figure in American music in the process.

Why you'll love it...

Cadet Records was one of the oddest jazz labels to ever issue LPs in America; it was the jazz imprint of Chess Records, and most of its releases came from the minds of two men: Charles Stepney and Richard Evans. The latter man ran point on the short-lived label's lone holiday release, which found the label's house band – which included luminaries like Phil Upchurch – doing their thing on 10 holiday classics. A curio for the cratedigger who already owns every Dorothy Ashby album, this album was AAA remastered by Barry Grint.

Limited to 2,000 copies, the VMP exclusive version of The Soulful Strings' The Magic of Christmas is pressed 180g Opaque Olive vinyl at Independent Record Pressing (IRP). The AAA 1 LP will arrive in a single, tip-on, foil-stamped and numbered jacket. The lacquers were cut by Barry Grint at Alchemy Mastering at AIR.

180 gram audiophile vinyl
Sleeve finished with linen laminate
Recorded live at the Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center, New York, February 12, 1964
Featuring Herbie Hancock, George Coleman, Ron Carter and Tony Williams
Album produced by Teo Macero
Black vinyl

Recorded at the same Feb. 12, 1964 New York concert that yielded the more balladic album My Funny Valentine, Four & More showcases the Miles Davis quintet at their blistering best. The great trumpeter and bandleader (1926-1991), and his stellar group, which was less than a year old at the time of this recording, mostly essayed tempos that ranged from Indianapolis 500 to Bonneville Salt Flats. Offering a well-balanced, albeit reconfigured, repertoire featuring the familiar hard-bop strains of “Four” and “Walkin’,” newer, original free bop compositions like “Joshua” and “Seven Steps To Heaven,” and the standard “There Is No Greater Love,” which the ensemble performed relatively infrequently and is the only tune herein not taken at a supersonic pace, the quintet electrified a sold out Philharmonic Hall. Spurred on consistently by the mercurial rhythm section of pianist Herbie Hancock (23 years old at the time), bassist Ron Carter (then 26), and especially by the cross rhythms of 18-year old genius drummer Tony Williams, Davis’ work, particularly in the upper register, was seldom more commanding. As for his front line partner, tenor saxophonist George Coleman, Davis would write in his autobiography that he “played better that night than I ever heard him play.”

Four & More is available on black vinyl and comes in a sleeve finished with linen laminate.

Why you'll love it...
Nina was singular in both her ability and the music she made. She will always be one of the best to ever do it. "Nina Simone Sings the Blues' comes on 180 gram blue vinyl.

Originally released on Roulette records in 1960, this is a unique and yet often overlooked document in the form of a split album featuring early, little known works by John Coltrane and Lee Morgan. Coltrane, already in full modal flight, is featured with an unusual quartet that includes McCoy Tyner on piano, Steven Davis on bass and the great Billy Higgins on drums. Lee Morgan's straight ahead hard bop set sees the young trumpet genius leading a hard swinging group that includes a fabulous Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano (both were Morgan's colleagues in Art Blakey Jazz Messengers) Jimmy Rowser on bass and Art Taylor on drums. A must have item for fans of these two masters of modern jazz

A cult album from 1968 that has long since become known as a groove classic across genre boundaries, now for the first time as a deluxe edition, freshly remastered, with bonus tracks and attractive packaging. Along with Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby was the only world-famous jazz harpist. Thanks to deep grooves and sophisticated orchestral sounds, “Afro-Harping” is her most famous album to date, which is continually breathed new life into thanks to samples and remixes by Pete Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Dee (aka J Dilla), Madlib, Flying Lotus and others. Remastered from the original ¼-inch tapes by Alex Wharton/Abbey Road Studios and featuring eight strong, previously unreleased alternate tracks, including an explosive version of the single “Soul Vibrations”, the classic album is now available for the first time in a high-quality format appropriate to its ever-growing importance.

2-lp: gatefold sleeve, padded black inner sleeves, illustrated eight-page insert with detailed liner notes by Seán Casey/Shindig! magazine.

Reissue of the 5th studio album by Brazilian jazz legend Antônio Carlos Jobim. Considered one of Jobim’s best albums, this masterpiece peaked at #5 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. It features a plethora of star sidemen, such as Dom Um Romão, Claudio Slon, Jerome Richardson, Ron Carter & Urbie Green, among others, as well as superb arrangements by Claus Ogerman.

Reissue of the debut album on A&M Records by jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, released in 1967. It reached #1 on the Billboard Jazz Album chart and #2 on the R&B chart. Considered by far the best of his three albums on A&M (in partnership with Creed Taylor’s CTI Records), A Day in the Life features a plethora of star sidemen, such as Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Ray Barretto, and Grady Tate, among others, as well as superb arrangements by Don Sebesky. The LP was masterfully engineered by Rudy Van Gelder.

Mixed Bag is the debut studio album by Richie Havens, released in 1966. Mixed Bag is frequently cited as the singer's best work,[1] and was his first album to appear on Billboard's charts (appearing on both the jazz and pop charts). The recording was the first to introduce a wider audience to Havens's rich baritone vocals and the full-sound of Havens's distinct guitar style (thumb-chorded and played in open E tuning).[1] Electric Havens and Mixed Bag were two of the records reported among the personal collection of Havens' one-time Greenwich Village buddy, Jimi Hendrix.

Jamaican-born jazz trumpeter Dizzy Reece recorded one of his best opus in 1962. Released on the New Jazz label the album featured greats such as bassist Ron Carter, renowned saxophonist Cecil Payne and pianist Hank Jones. It’s a beautifully recorded and sequenced album, the compositions reflecting Reece’s interest in the music of the Asian continent and regions of North Africa, with each piece transitioning nicely into the next. Asia Minor would be the last session Reece would lead until 1967/68. A fixture of the European jazz scene of the Fifties, Reece came to New York in 1959. This intriguing, Eastern-flavored date, is still regarded has one of the best example of cross-pollination in the jazz genre.

Nobuo "Hara", whose real name is Nobuo Tsukahara, is a Japanese saxophonist who became known in 1951 with his big band, the Sharp & Flats. Together they recorded more than a hundred album during their career. Hozan Yamamoto is, for his part, a Shakuhachi player, a traditional Japanese flute, enjoying such recognition in his country that he was awarded a Living National Treasure in 2002. The first record bringing together the two musicians is a live recorded in 1967 during the Newport Jazz Festival. It was a year later, in 1968, that New Jazz in Japan, their first studio recording, was released. Accompanied by the ower of the Sharps & Flats, Nobuo Hara"s tenor sax and Hozan Yamamoto"s shakuhachi respond subtly to give this record, which had not been reissued since 1971, a completely unique style.

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.

Formed by Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland, the Clarke-Boland Sextett, with the participation of numerous musicians from both Europe and the United States, made significant contributions to the development of jazz in Europe. At the core of this ensemble, the powerhouse sextet consisting of Kenny Clarke, Francy Boland, Sahib Shihab, Jimmy Woode, Joe Harris, and Sadi came together to record the album "Music For The Small Hours" in 1967, and it is now set to be reissued with an obi.

This album spans a wide range of styles, from standards like Burt Bacharach's "Wives & Lovers" to Brazilian and Afro-Cuban influences such as Luiz Bonfá's "Ebony Samba" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Tin Tin Deo." Additionally, it features original compositions like Shihab's "Please, Don't Leave," where he takes on vocal duties. The entire recording exudes a sophisticated and relaxed mood, showcasing the utmost skill of this formidable sextet. "Music For The Small Hours" is a masterpiece that deserves a place in the history of European jazz, boasting the ultimate level of refinement.

Lee Morgan’s 1968 album "Taru" found the trumpeter at a crossroads exploring a variety of styles from modal jazz and post-bop to beautiful balladry and funky boogaloos. The band here is notable for the elevating presence of guitarist George Benson and the addition of tenor saxophonist Bennie Maupin.

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 Gatefold Sleeve with deluxe tip-on jacket.

Vibes player Johnny Lytle was one of the heroes of the early acid jazz club circuit, with his cut 'Selim' being an anthem of the scene.

Yes, *that* Al Hirt record. Featuring the godlike "Harlem Hendoo", looped unforgettably by De La Soul for the legendary Buhloone Mind State cut, "Ego Trippin' (Part Two)"!

Al Hirt's infamous Soul In The Horn is inextricably tangled up in crate-digger lore. Originally released in 1967, the album has been in heavy, heavy demand for over 30 years, entirely down to the majestic soul-jazz fire of "Harlem Hendoo". And it's a song so good, so vital, so timeless, that it will always tower above everything else in its proximity. This one track alone is worth the price of admission - even if the cost of entry were $100 or even $1000.

However, it would be an error to dismiss this record as merely a one tracker, loaded as it is with dope samples for adventurous beat makers. Certainly the funkiest Al Hirt record, it definitely lives up to the "soul" in the title. Thanks to composer Paul Griffin and arranger Teacho Wiltshire, Hirt got uncharacteristically free and groovy throughout. It comes on more like an obscure KPM library funk record than the easy listening Al was notorious for.

A Louisiana trumpeter and band leader who made Allen Toussaint’s “Java” famous, Al Hirt was also known for TV themes, Dixieland, Swing and being a minority owner of the New Orleans Saints. Unlike every other Al Hirt record - and despite most "diggers" claiming otherwise - this here gem is genuinely hard to come across "in the wild". Normally, you can't give Al Hirt records away, except this particular one, which raises pulses in the crate digging community to life-threatening levels. For every owner claiming to have found their copy for a dollar, there's scores more claiming to have *never* unearthed one in the field. So, paradoxically, you can consider this the most tricky-to-pull "thrift store record", ever. This is why we're finally making it available for everyone, not just those with endless hours to spend scouring the global goodwills!

Soul In The Horn represented an expressive detour into authentic soul-jazz for Al Hirt. Throughout, we're struck by a fierce, fiery energy that's otherwise absent from his typically easy listening work. Without question, the slinky, magical "Harlem Hendoo" is the standout, here. It's also the reason why the record is so scarce and commands awe among crate diggers, sounding like something from an obscure and deeply revered spiritual jazz record. As is often the case, the true genius of the song is tricky to do justice to; it's like a minor miracle of songwriting and performance that simply swooned down from the heavens on the back of horns, bells and harpsichord. It's one of the sweetest musical compositions ever recorded inside a studio - it's only failing is that it's just too short. Sampled brilliantly by De La Soul, it has also been used by The Roots for "Stay Cool" and Nightmares On Wax for "Damn".

The rest of the record makes for a mighty fine listen. From the opening cover of Booker T. & The MG's "Honey Pot", to the propulsive, ultra-funky "Mess Around", it's nothing but a good time. Given its title, the elegant stepper "Calypsoul" sounds exactly as you'd hope whilst the melancholic, wistful "Long Gone" hurts so good. Truly, this is just dying to be looped up, Al's muted playing capturing a soulful longing only horns can often achieve. The bluesy, slo-mo swing of "Sweetlips" oscillates between cool disaffection and swelling pride whilst the graceful, low-key funky "Girl" closes out the A-Side in the fine style. Ushering in the B-Side, the brief but brilliant strut of "Love Ya' Baby" shines brightly before the skipping funky-jazz of true highlight "Sunday-Goin' To Meetin' Time" demands both your attention and your dancing shoes. The mellifluous piano-funk of bass and horn-drenched "Snap Back" serves as the sumptuous prelude to "Harlem Hendoo"'s main character energy before the irrepressible, upbeat R&B of "Ludwig" closes out this quite remarkable album. An album deserving of a place in every serious record collection.

The audio for Soul In The Horn has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue. This is after-hours music. Let it speak for itself. Listen. Listen to the soul in Al Hirt's horn.

The first and best out of just two collaborative albums by organist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery, Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo was recorded in 1966 and features arrangements by Oliver Nelson. It is frequently listed among Jimmy Smith's best albums. The duo's follow-up record, Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes, was taped during the same sessions and released in 1968. Al/Music critic Richard S. Ginell gave The Dynamic Duo the maximum * * * * * rating, stating that "Creed Taylor matched two of his most famous artists, Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith, on this session (Montgomery's last for Verve), and the results are incendiary- a near-ideal meeting of yin a.nd yang. Smith comes at your throat with his big attacks and blues runs while Montgomery responds with rounder, smoother octaves and single notes that still convey much heat. They are an amazing pair."

Released in 1967, California Dreaming was Wes Montgomery's last album for Verve (other than an exciting collaboration with Jimmy Smith). It’s an extraordinary orchestral date featuring arrangements by Don Sebesky that showcases soloists such as pianist Herbie Hancock and percussionist Ray Barretto. The songs (which include "Sunny" and the title tune "California Dreaming") are in this case mostly pop material of the era, from which the great performer extracts magic sounds. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard jazz album chart and No. 4 on the R&B chart, and was one of the last great works by Montgomery, whose later guitar style influenced jazz fusion and smooth jazz. At the peak of his popularity, the guitarist unexpectedly died of a heart attack on June 15, 1968, at the age of 45.

Saar Records, through its famous Music subsidiary, re-releases the second Chet Baker’s LP, recorded with his sextet and quartet and originally released in March 1960; one of the rare occasions for our musicians to team together with an American trumpet player for a rather long period.

Chet Baker is one of the most important and essential characters of modern jazz and over the years he has not lost his strength and colour, a fact that’s clearly demonstrated by this release, indeed showing us a quite different Chet Baker. His style has become less slender, more excited, more precise, more violent, and several tracks of this record prove it.

The musicians here accompanying Chet Baker are the very best the Italian jazz scene of the time could offer: Glauco Masetti on alto sax, Gianni Basso on tenor sax, Renato Sellani on piano, Franco Cerri on double bass, together with the Italian-American Gene Victory on drums. As usual in such situations, arrangements were entrusted to Giulio Libano, who wisely provided the musicians with ample space for their solos. Chet Baker is undoubtedly the protagonist, but a lot of freedom of expression is granted to his fellow adventurers.

The album was recorded on 25 and 26 September and on 6 October 1959 at the Guertler Bros studio.

Complex, emotive, and straddling several genres, Sketches Of Spain is one of Miles Davis’ masterpieces, a landmark of orchestrated jazz. The third of his collaborations with Gil Evans, Sketches was inspired by the classical ‘Concierto de Aranjuez,’ which sparked the suite that makes up the LP. Drummers Jimmy Cobb and Elvin Jones and bassist Paul Chambers reconfigured their approaches to blend with the orchestra under Evans’ command and Davis uses a muted flugelhorn for the epic opener; his solo on ‘Saeta’ is blinding and the adapted Andalusian folk song ‘Solea’ draws on flamenco. This absolute stunner is a must-have!

"Space Flight" was the debut recording by the mysterious organist Sam Lazar, who disappeared from the music scene after just a few recordings in the 1960s. Issued on Argo in 1960, it features guitar wizard Grant Green—on only his second recording—as well as Chicago blues legend Willie Dixon on bass.



Verve BY Request Series: remastered, audiophile-quality 180-gram vinyl from Third Man Pressing/Detroit, Single Sleeve

Tracklisting: Space Flight (1960)

Bobby Hutcherson’s 1968 album "Total Eclipse" was the vibraphonist’s first recording to feature saxophonist Harold Land who would become a key collaborator for years to come. Rounding out the band were pianist Chick Corea, bassist Reggie Johnson, and drummer Joe Chambers on this impassioned and probing 1968 set of post-bop.



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.

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers with Barney Wilen provide an essential jazz soundtrack to an extended ‘surprise party’ scene in director Roger Vadim’s 'Les liaisons dangereuses'. Originally released on the Fontana label, Blakey’s lively hard-bop and latin originals were used specifically as night club and party music in the film and his ‘No Problem’ became a classic with Blakey’s band in full flight. Decca France present the original soundtrack recording on 180gm vinyl in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket with English translation of the original liner notes, and a photo from the film of Gérard Philippe and Jeanne Moreau. Included is a 2pp insert with additional notes by recording producer Marcel Romano from 1988.

When first released Astro-Sounds From Beyond The Year 2000 promised an uncharted trip beyond the now generation! And it certainly delivered, as soon as the needle drops onto the opening track ‘Flameout’
we are in astral freak-out territory with cosmic strings phased beats & displaced fuzz guitars... Despite being released as a budget label’s take on the burgeoning psychedelic scene Astro Sounds, delivers the real deal.
This is thanks in no small part to the central role played by Wrecking Crew guitarist Jerry Cole. Cole had previously been the involved some L.A. session colleagues and cut his own psychedelic
album: The Inner Sounds of the Id by 'The Id' and was the perfect choice to front Astro Sounds which can be considered a development from the seminal sounds of the Id.
Astro Sounds has suffered from some unofficial releases that offer poor audio quality. This Vinyl Exotica re-issue is remastered from the original tapes and is presented on coloured vinyl

Jazz snare & ride cymbal meet classical Indian tabla & pakhawaj!

What happens when one of the best jazz drummers of all time combines efforts with one of India’s most renowned tabla players? Voilà! Rich À La Rakha. Calypso-flavored compositions, spontaneous jams, and a genuine instrumental dialogue between the two greats truly makes this a one-of-a-kind listen.

Flutist Herbie Mann is backed by a large rhythm section and a small horn section on this Creed Taylor-produced A&M set (which has been reissued on CD). Actually the most interesting aspect of the R&B-oriented date (which includes such songs as “Hold on, I’m Comin’,” “House of the Risin’ Sun” and “Unchain My Heart”) is that the up-and-coming flutist Hubert Laws is matched with Mann on several tracks.

Released on the Verve label in 1968, Giblet Gravy marked jazz/soul guitarist George Benson's fourth album as a leader. It features Benson backed by an all-star group arranged and conducted by Tom Mcintosh, that includes such jazz luminaries as Ernie Royal, Pepper Adams, Johnny Pacheco, Billy Cobham, Ron Carter, and Herbie Hancock. According to AllMusic reviewer Richard S. Ginell, the label's "immediate goal was to groom Benson as the next Wes Montgomery (who was about to leave Verve) - and so he covers hit tunes of the day, playing either with a big band plus voices or a neat quintet anchored by Herbie Hancock, and the sound is contoured to give his guitar a warm mellow ambience. But the eclectic Benson is his own man, as his infectious repeated-interval rhythm trademark tells us on his self-composed title track. George's work is always tasty and irresistibly melodic."