Eric Alexander - Timing Is Everything / Although Eric has made several appearances on my label: One For All - Invades Vancouver, Michael Weiss - Persistence, The Heavy Hitters, Xaver Hellmeier - X-Man in New York and my record O Sole Mio, he has never appeared as a leader until now. When I started Cellar Live in 2000, recording a musician the stature of Eric Alexander was a dream-Eric enjoyed long stints with some pretty incredible record labels over the years and I wasn't ready to play in the BIG leagues at that point. But many incredible things have happened at the label since that time. And now that the opportunity to record him has come up, I am able to jump at the chance. Timing Is Everything is an appropriate title for both this recording, but, as Eric explains, "for life in general." "When you're playing jazz music," he continues, "you can play all the right notes, but if you don't time them correctly, it's nothing... and when you do time them correctly, it's everything." Similarly, when talking about life, Eric states, "one of the few things that a human being possesses is their time. You don't own your life. You don't own your car. You only own your time. In order to have a fulfilled life, you have to protect your time and your timing. Timing is Everything because you can't get time back."

Jim Rotondi - Finesse - Trumpeter Jim Rotondi has been a major figure in the world of jazz for over 30 years, both in New York and on the international scene. His sound, soul, and sense of swing have been in demand as leader and sideman all over the world. For his new album for Cellar Music, Rotondi has joined forces with arranger Jakob Helling and the Notes & Tones Orchestra to record some incredible versions of his own compositions with big band and strings.

Bloch's Israel Symphony is a large-scale work anticipating the Hollywood film composers' styles for biblical epics... The vigour and spontaneity of Abravanel's Utah performances... transferred to CD with great success" [Penguin Guide] "Nelsova's Schelomo, with Abravanel's support, is a fitting setting for the cellist who was Bloch's own choice for the work." "The Three Jewish Poems hints towards Respighi's Roman triptych (then yet to be composed)... Bloch's subtly coloured canvasses seem custom-built for an age increasingly attracted to late-romantic musical tone-painting. We are therefore greatly indebted to Sedares for these clear-headed, sensitively turned performances, extremely well engineered. Anyone with a taste for atmospheric evocations cannot fail to enjoy" [Gramophone]

(6th) "Richter's friendship with Prokofiev dated back to their student years, and Prokofiev entrusted him with the premieres of the Sixth and Seventh Sonatas and wrote the Ninth Sonata for him". (7th) "a superb achievement" "a big wartime work... that can easily sound sentimental if played with less elegance than this, and a brilliant final toccata in 7/8 rhythm [Gramophone] (8th) "(the recording) is the Prokofiev 8th Sonata which encompasses breadth and depth in a way none can match"[Penguin Guide3*]"

Art Pepper - "Intensity (Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds Series)" / Recorded in 1960, Art Pepper's 5th album release on Contemporary Records, "Intensity", was released in 1963. A collection of 7 jazz standards the album features Dolo Coker (piano) along with Jimmy Bond (bass), and Frank Butler (drums). This new edition, released as part of the Acoustic Sounds Series, features (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Bernie Grundman and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP, and presented in a tip-on jacket.

Art Pepper's third album on the Contemporary Records label, "Gettin' Together" was released in 1960. Featuring a selection of both standards and originals the album also includes Conte Candoli (trumpet), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Jimmy Cobb (drums). This new edition, released as part of the Acoustic Sounds Series, features (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Bernie Grundman and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP, and presented in a tip-on jacket.

Titles featuring Art Pepper, Sonny Rollins, Helen Humes, Ben Webster and many more! Mastered AAA by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes. 180-gram LPs pressed at Quality Record Pressings! - Saxophonist Art Pepper was considered one of the best altos of his time, just behind Charlie Parker. This 1960 recording, whose album's title presages the addiction that would soon offline the self-taught musician's career, features compositions written by fellow saxophonists (including Ornette Coleman's "Tears Inside" and Buddy Collette's "A Bit of Basie"). Finding Pepper at his finest, most limber form, his own composition "Las Cuevas de Mario" is a particular standout in 5/4 time and would pop up on his set lists in subsequent years. - This new edition is released as part of the Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds series on 180-gram vinyl pressed at QRP with (AAA) lacquers cut from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman and is presented in a Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket.

Sonny Rollins - "Go West!: The Contemporary Records Albums" - Go West!: The Contemporary Records Albums combines legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins' two studio albums for Lester Koenig's Contemporary Records (Way Out West, Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders) with a third disc, Contemporary Alternate Takes. Featuring remastered audio by Bernie Grundman, the 3 LP set pressed at RTI on 180-gram vinyl and includes an expanded booklet with new liner notes and an interview by GRAMMY Award-winning music historian Ashley Kahn.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Jimmy Smith revolutionized the use of a Hammond B-3 organ. Arguably his finest moments, the sessions with Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax) helped define jazz. Prayer Meetin' is brimming with the bluesy grooves that made their collaborations classics. Highlights include "Red Top" and the title track's incredible interplay, while Stanley delivers a ballad tour-de-force on "I Almost Lost My Mind." Blue Note Tone Poet Series features all-analog, remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

John Lee Hooker - "It Serve You Right To Suffer (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series)" [180g Heavy Vinyl LP] Released on the Impulse! Records label in early 1966, this collection is a mix of new compositions and re-workings of tunes John Lee Hooker had previously recorded, including a cover of Barrett Strong's 1959 Motown hit "Money (That's What I Want)." Featuring Panama Francis on drums, Milt Hinton on bass, and Barry Galbraith on second guitar, the result is some of the best John Lee Hooker material with a band that you're likely to come across. Verve's Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging. Verve Label Group; Verve; Jazz; Catalog

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Recorded in 1962, Cole Hawkins Quartet featuring Tommy Flanagan (piano), Major Holley (bass) and Eddie Locke (drums) puts forth an easily palatable selection of repertoire, with up-tempo moments like "Go Li'l Liza," and "Swingin' Scotch," alongside a trio of ballads including Quincy Jones' "Quintessence."

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in deluxe gatefold jacket. Root Down was Hammond B-3 jazz legend Jimmy Smith's 1972 live album for Verve. Recorded in Los Angeles in 1972, it features a young band that were very influenced by the funk and rock scenes of the time. The album's title track was famously sampled by the Beastie Boys for their 1995 recording of the same name. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in deluxe gatefold jacket. The Cat is jazz organist Jimmy Smith's 1964 album, a notable release that reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200. Featuring Smith on the Hammond B-3, this set has some tasteful big band arrangements by Lalo Schifrin and some other-worldly playing by the great organist on a variety of other blues-oriented material. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered.

After emerging from Terence Blanchard's band, pianist Aaron Parks made his own Blue Note debut in 2008 with Invisible Cinema, a striking album that has only grown in it's influence of the modern jazz landscape since it's release. Featuring a quartet with guitarist Mike Moreno, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland, the music drew inspiration from Wayne Shorter, Radiohead, and more. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Bobby Hutcherson - "Happenings (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)" / On his 1966 classic, Happenings, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson assembled a quartet with Herbie Hancock (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Joe Chambers (drums) for a sublime post-bop outing featuring captivating Hutcherson originals, including the stunning ballad "Bouquet" and Latin-tinged "Rojo," as well as a version of Hancock's "Maiden Voyage." Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series features stereo, all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.