Digitally remastered two-fer containing a pair of albums from the jazz great on one CD. These are vibes player Jackson's 1972 and 1973 albums for CTI. They feature sidesmen such as Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard. These albums were recorded whilst Jackson was still a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ), finally leaving in 1974, though they reformed in 1981. Jackson died in 1999, but he leaves behind a phenomenal catalog of albums both as a soloist and as a member of MJQ.
When the world's preeminent vibraphonist joins with one of the world's most talented big bands, it's definitely Explosive. Bassist/arranger John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton have worked with Milt Jackson since the '70s. Now with the Clayton Brothers (Jeff on alto sax) and "Bags" as Qwest label mates, it was inevitable that their distinctive grooves would unite. A firestorm of soulful, swinging tunes, key tracks include "Bag's Groove," "Since I Fell for You" and "Emily."
Also released as "Soul Pioneers" (reissue title, with different artwork in the 1960s/70s), "Milt Jackson Quartet" is one of most important album of this fantastic vibraphone player and composer discovered from Dizzy Gillespie in a small New York club and introduced from him to the major musical figures of 52nd Street. "Milt Jackson Quartet" was recorded in May 1955 at Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack studio: the sound is warm and intimate, especially for vibraphone and have as personnel also Horace Silver, Percy Heath and Connie Kay. This is an interesting lineup because it includes Jackson, Heath, Kay who are parts of the Modern Jazz Quartet, but here with Horace Silver (at that time closely associated with the nascent hard bop / bop movement). A true blend of lyricism and swing. Milt Jackson's naturally swinging vibraphone style draws from both gospel and bebop and he made the vibraphone take a decisive step forward, towards the absolute solo realisation of the instrument. With a more muted sound, a more flexible playing style, and extensive use of vibrato, Milt Jackson has successfully distinguished himself from the influence of Lionel Hampton making it become one of the most brilliant vibraphonists in the history of jazz.
Early Songs of Alban Berg / Steven Kimbrough, Margaret Jackson, Mary K. Jackson
Centaur Records
CD
$17.99Apr 30, 2021
Alban Berg left behind a wonderful group of songs. These early songs were unpublished during Berg's lifetime. They deserve a serious listening. This album presents these songs in the excellent performances they so richly deserve. Steven Kimbrough is an internationally known operatic, concert, and musical theater singer (baritone), and recording artist, who has performed on the professional stages of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. He has been described as a remarkable singer, with a cultivated, easily flowing baritone of fine quality and a rare command of words and rhythms. (The New Yorker) Margaret Jackson is a professionally trained opera singer who has traveled all over the world. She is also an expert in musicology and Western music history.
Volker Mainz - Mainz Studio Recordings (1963-1969)
SWR
CD
$13.99$27.99Save 50%May 14, 2021
When the Darmstadt teenager Volker Kriegel (1943-2003) officially debuted his first chords in the late 1950s, the guitar was still an outsider instrument in jazz. It could boast a few luminaries, but actually everything was still open when, in 1963 and 1964, the autodidact from Hessen won first prizes as guitarist and soloist at the amateur jazz festival in Düsseldorf. The debut recordings in 1963, which Südwestfunk (SWF) recorded with the nineteen-year-old guitarist in trio at the Deutschhaus in Mainz, and the 1969 studio sessions in the Kammersaal Studio, are worlds apart. For one thing, the guitar itself had carved out a career. On top of this, Kriegel had gained in self-confidence. But above all, he had found a counterpart in Claudio Szenkar, who opened up perspectives not only in terms of communication and composition but also through Kriegel’s own instrument. The combination of vibraphone and guitar was then still fairly new. In 1968, Kriegel decided to make music his main profession. Thanks to "With A Little Help from My Friends" and an appearance at the German Jazz Festival in Frankfurt, he achieved the breakthrough into public recognition. Together with the vibraphonist Dave Pike, the bassist Hans Rettenbacher and the drummer Peter Baumeister, he founded the Dave Pike Set, which became for four years his artistic center and a beacon combo of European jazz rock. And for the SWF (Südwestfunk, today SWR) he went twice into the sound studio. With the exceptions of The Beatles’s anthem "Norwegian Wood" and "Mother People" by the young guitar berserker Frank Zappa, hardly any pieces by other musicians are still to be heard in these recordings.
Vibraphonist Milt Jackson and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane make for a surprisingly complementary team on this 1959 studio session, their only joint recording. AllMusic notes that with fine backup by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Connie Kay, Bags and Trane stretch out on two of Jackson's originals (including "The Late Late Blues") and three standards: a romping "Three Little Words," "The Night We Called It a Day," and the rapid "Be-Bop." The highlight of the set is the eponymous opening track, which just oozes late-night cool. This deluxe 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP reissue from Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) is a gem and will be a must-have for all jazz music fans.
Vibraphonist Milt Jackson was a frequent presence on Blue Note sessions in the bebop era. As part of the fabled 1500 Series begun in 1956, the label issued the 12-inch compilation Milt Jackson and The Thelonious Monk Quintet which expanded Jackson's 10-inch LP Wizard of the Vibes with tracks from 1948 and 1951 dates led by Monk. The album cover was the first designed by Reid Miles. 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.
