Tyrone Washingto - Natural Essence Blue Note Tone Poet Edition Tyrone Washington's 1967 debut 'Natural Essence' introduced a vital new voice whose unique conception moved between exploratory post-bop and groove-based soul jazz. Having emerged from Horace Silver's Quintet the saxophonist offered his own calling card with this set featuring Woody Shaw, James Spaulding, Kenny Barron, Reggie Workman and Joe Chambers. This stereo Blue Note Tone Poet Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

The band are all from Los Angeles, mostly South Central, and it's members - who call themselves variously "The Next Step" and the "The West Coast Get Down" - have been congregating since they were barely teenagers in a backyard shack in Inglewood. The story The Epic tells, without words but rather though some combination of magic, mastery, and sheer force of imagination, the story of Kamasi Washington and the Next Step and their collective mission: to remove jazz from the shelf of relics and make it new, unexpected, and dangerous again.

2018 release. Kamasi Washington's sophomore album Heaven and Earth not only fulfills it's overarching ambition, but illustrates the dialectic between seen and unseen, real and imagined, citizen and culture, self and self, as well as self and other, and does so through the lens of a mature but never jaded revolutionary consciousness. The artist's own words best convey the inspiration behind this monolith of an album "The world that my mind lives in, lives in my mind. This idea inspired me to make this album Heaven and Earth. The reality we experience is a mere creation of our consciousness, but our consciousness creates this reality based on those very same experiences. We are simultaneously the creators of our personal universe and creations of our personal universe. The Earth side of this album represents the world as I see it outwardly, the world that I am a part of. The Heaven side of this album represents the world as I see it inwardly, the world that is a part of me. Who I am and the choices I make lie somewhere in between."

180 gm vinyl three LP pressing. The most ambitious jazz album to arrive in ages, Los Angeles saxophonist/composer Kamasi Washington's eagerly awaited debut clocks in at 172 minutes with never a dull moment. While his terrific 10-piece band already pack a wallop thanks to their doubled basses and drums, Washington usually embellishes them with a string section and angelic choir. Like his luminous playing on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Washington solos with power and grace here. Versions of "Cherokee" and Terence Blanchard's "Malcolm's Theme" nod to jazz tradition, but it's originals like "Changing of the Guard" that signal his aspirations.

Vinyl LP pressing. Kamasi Washington's sophomore album Heaven and Earth not only fulfills it's overarching ambition, but illustrates the dialectic between seen and unseen, real and imagined, citizen and culture, self and self, as well as self and other, and does so through the lens of a mature but never jaded revolutionary consciousness. The artist's own words best convey the inspiration behind this monolith of an album "The world that my mind lives in, lives in my mind. This idea inspired me to make this album Heaven and Earth. The reality we experience is a mere creation of our consciousness, but our consciousness creates this reality based on those very same experiences. We are simultaneously the creators of our personal universe and creations of our personal universe. The Earth side of this album represents the world as I see it outwardly, the world that I am a part of. The Heaven side of this album represents the world as I see it inwardly, the world that is a part of me. Who I am and the choices I make lie somewhere in between."

Turning his attention to dance for his latest album, Fearless Movement out this May on Young, Kamasi Washington resumes his ongoing study of music as a means of connection. His 2015 album The Epic, as well as 2018's Heaven and Earth were received by critics and audiences as a reimagination of modern jazz showcasing Washington's larger-than-lift compositions full of celestial grandeur and his distinct blend of jazz, Latin, funk, classical, hip-hop and soul. Fearless Movement, however, offers something different: terrestrial rhythms and collaborations from rappers, musical icons and even Washington's own daughter. Features include: Thundercat, Taj Austin, Ras Austin, Patrice Quinn, DJ Battlecat, Brandon Coleman, D-Smoke, George Clinton, Bj the Chicago Kid, and Andre 3000.

Turning his attention to dance for his latest album, Fearless Movement out this May on Young, Kamasi Washington resumes his ongoing study of music as a means of connection. His 2015 album The Epic, as well as 2018's Heaven and Earth were received by critics and audiences as a reimagination of modern jazz showcasing Washington's larger-than-lift compositions full of celestial grandeur and his distinct blend of jazz, Latin, funk, classical, hip-hop and soul. Fearless Movement, however, offers something different: terrestrial rhythms and collaborations from rappers, musical icons and even Washington's own daughter. Features include: Thundercat, Taj Austin, Ras Austin, Patrice Quinn, DJ Battlecat, Brandon Coleman, D-Smoke, George Clinton, Bj the Chicago Kid, and Andre 3000.

October 24, 1992 was a fateful day indeed for saxophonist Benny Barksdale, Jr. In the week leading up to the event, an impending concert from saxophone legend Grover Washington, Jr. That was to take place in Red Bank, New Jersey, Washington had been in New York doing interviews to prepare for a series of upcoming shows taking place in the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. One of the people that had reached out to Grover during the week was the young saxophonist Benny Barksdale, Jr., a long-time fan, acolyte and professional musician who was a member of Chicago Soul giants The Dells and a top session player whose talent was in demand on many sessions, among them as a frequent member of The Society Hill Orchestra. Grover invited Benny to come meet him before the Red Bank show and meet they certainly did. They hit it off so well that Grover invited Benny to perform with the band that night. Truly a dream come true, Washington called Barksdale to the stage of the Count Basie Theatre to play on one his favorite tunes, the worldwide hit, "Mister Magic." Grover awarded Benny an extended solo and the young Mr. Barksdale acquitted himself magnificently as he and his idol exchanged choruses. Thankfully, this momentous occasion was recorded, and it was a night that Barksdale would never forget. Presented here is Grover Washington, Jr. #and Benny Barksdale, Jr. #delivering an awesome rendition of Grover's smash, "Mister Magic."

Dinah Washington - Hits And Classics: The Singles Collection 1944-62 - Dinah Washington was one of the most popular and successful female singers of the post-war decades, her immaculate vocal style and phrasing enabling her to encompass blues, R&B, jazz, big band and sophisticated pop with ease, and had her life not been cut short in 1963 at the age of 39, she would undoubtedly have had a lengthy career as an album artist. As it was, she was consistently successful with her single releases, racking up 60 hits across the US pop and R&B charts. This 108-track 4-CD collection comprises selected A & B sides of her releases on the Keynote, Decca, Apollo and Mercury labels from this era, with at least one side of most of her records included. It features 58 of her hits, including the R&B No. 1s "Am I Asking Too Much", "Baby Get Lost" and "This Bitter Earth", and numerous Top 5 hits including "What A Difference A Day Makes", "It's Too Soon To Know", "September In The Rain", "Teach Me Tonight" and the Top 5 duet hits with Brook Benton "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" and "A Rockin' Good Way". It features performances with some of the top orchestras of the day, including the sextets of Lionel Hampton and Leonard Feather, and with Lucky Thompson's All Stars, plus the orchestras of Quincy Jones, Hal Mooney, Belford Hendricks, Ike Carpenter and more. It's a substantial and varied showcase for one of the great singers of the era

The recordings on this release are chosen from three terrific evenings at Montmartre in October 2015, during Kenny’s second visit to Copenhagen. “Those of us who attended the concerts witnessed the great affection that developed between Kenny and the audience; the public simply wouldn’t let him leave the stage,” writes Christian Brorsen, music director at Jazzhus Montmartre. A smiling Jacob Christoffersen distributed warmth from behind the piano, and bassist Jesper Bodilsen and Zoltan Csorsz easily join the magnificent musical union. Brorsen also writes ”Kenny has a lot of heart and exudes a kind of warmth rarely encountered. Along with possessing perfect pitch and presiding over a repertoire that seems practically endless, he is a sensational singer—and a greater entertainer than he realizes!” Kenny Washington is an authentic virtuoso who exposes new facets of himself every time he performs. The quintet extracts new warmth from classics such as “Do You Know What It Means to Miss Orleans” an excel on the title track “Moanin’”. Kenny’s talent puts him among the world’s best jazz vocalists—at the very top of the list!

This performance of Rigoletto features possibly the most famous tenor of all time, Luciano Pavarotti. This three act opera by Giuseppe Verdi was premiered in Venice on March 11, 1851. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave, and is based on Victor Hugo’s play Le roi s’amuse. Alongside Pavarotti is a world-class cast, including Kostas Paskalis in the title role, Renata Scotta as Gilda andRosa Laghezza as Maddalena.

This live La Forza del Destino by Giuseppe Verdi from Firenze, Italy in June 1956 stars a young and dynamic tenor Giuseppe di Stefano near the beginning of a brilliant, decades-long stage career and Renata Tebaldi, a lyric soprano blessed with one of the most gorgeous and forthright voices in 20th century opera, and in all likelihood in operatic history. The mezzo-soprano Fedora Barbieri is always a welcome presence in Italian opera recordings of this period. Gabriele Santini conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Comunale di Firenze.

“Dinah Washington, the “Queen of the blues”, was the most outstanding blues artist among female jazz singers and the greatest female jazz vocalist to sing the blues! She occupies a place in the history of Afro American vocal art at the summit, alongside Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson and Ella Fitzgerald. Jean Buzelin allows the listener to discover the amazing talent of Dinah Washington in this 42 titles double CD-set accompanied with a French and English 24 pages booklet.” Patrick Fremeaux

The Italian composer Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842) isn’t much remembered today, though a not inconsiderable number of recordings are making known his instrumental, vocal and, most significantly, his operatic works that, historically, carry the most weight and are his most significant contribution to music. Long before re-discovery however, came this 1960 Elisa, a two-act opéra comique that had its premiere in Paris in 1794, a time of much turmoil in that city. An all-Italian cast, conductor, orchestra and locale feature here, with Gabriela Tucci and Gianni Raimondi assuming the lead roles.