William Hooker is a musician, composer, and poet with over 70 recordings as a leader, encompassing jazz, new music, experimental music and multi-disciplinary forms of expression (e.g. dance, silent film and spoken word). He has been recognized [by The Wire] as "an iconoclast, and one of the most innovative musicians and drummers of his generation," which is evident nowhere more than on his latest album. Hooker says of the work, which features collaborators Matt Lavelle, Sarah Manning, On Davis, and Adam Lane, "our express purpose was to play great music and to communicate such." The group - captured live in 2023 at acclaimed Brooklyn performance arts venue Roulette - does just that, and the result is pure Jubilation (noun; a feeling of great happiness and triumph).The release marks Hooker's fourth outing for Org Music, following Flesh and Bones (2023), Big Moon (2021), and Symphonie of Flowers (2019).
Tribe 2000 is a performance featuring Tribe Records founders Phil Ranelin (trombone) and Wendell Harrison (saxophone). The release is a celebration of Ranelin and his accomplished career, with four out of it's five compositions being penned by him. Recorded in 2000, the session reunited the nucleus of the influential Detroit label at the behest of Harrison, while also bringing numerous seasoned side musicians into the fold to flesh out the arrangements. The project underscores the brilliance of one of the most innovative collectives in jazz music.
William Hooker is a musician, composer, and poet with over 70 recordings as a leader, encompassing jazz, new music, experimental music and multi-disciplinary forms of expression (e.g. dance, silent film and spoken word). He has been recognized [by The Wire] as "an iconoclast, and one of the most innovative musicians and drummers of his generation," which is evident nowhere more than on his latest album. Hooker says of the work, which features collaborators Matt Lavelle, Sarah Manning, On Davis, and Adam Lane, "our express purpose was to play great music and to communicate such." The group - captured live in 2023 at acclaimed Brooklyn performance arts venue Roulette - does just that, and the result is pure Jubilation (noun; a feeling of great happiness and triumph).The release marks Hooker's fourth outing for Org Music, following Flesh and Bones (2023), Big Moon (2021), and Symphonie of Flowers (2019).
Europe 1966 is a box set consisting of live performances from free jazz visionary Albert Ayler. Each of the 4 LP's highlights some of the most magnificent moments on this European tour, showcasing Ayler and his bandmates at the height of their powers. The release includes performances from Berlin, Lorrach, Stockholm, and Paris, all of which occurred within a two week span. Ayler's masterful band on this tour included his brother Donald on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on double bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. These performances have been remastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. The package also includes a 12 x 24 fold-out insert, featuring liner notes from John Litweller and photos from the tour.
During a two-day period in July of 1967, tenor-saxophonist Dexter Gordon and his quartet recorded multiple albums worth of material at one of Gordon's favorite venues, the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. This record, Walk The Blues, is pulled from the second night, and finds Dexter in an expansive, relaxed mood in front of an appreciative audience. These brilliant recordings are finally widely available on transparent blue vinyl with this audiophile-grade pressing from Pallas Group in Germany.
Live in Los Angeles is a four LP box set from Tribe Records co-founder Phil Ranelin, celebrating a trio of LA club performances from 1978-1981 which remain especially significant to the visionary trombonist. Backed by a young Billy Childs on piano, Ralph Penland on drums, and Tony Dumas on bass, Ranelin was in peak form as a player and bandleader during this period. This is particularly true of one specific outing at the now defunct Maiden Voyage in Los Angeles on July 19, 1981, which is presented in full within this set. The audio was restored from decades old cassette tapes which have never been heard until now. A master trombonist of the J.J. Johnson tradition, Ranelin's career has spanned over five decades with eleven records as a solo artist, four as a Freddie Hubbard sideman, session recordings for Motown, and work with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Telefon Tel Aviv. The box set is available everywhere on January 26th.
The Found Tapes: Live in Los Angeles is a 3 CD set from Tribe Records co-founder Phil Ranelin, celebrating a trio of LA club performances from 1978-1981 which remain especially significant to the visionary trombonist. Backed by a young Billy Childs on piano, Ralph Penland on drums, and Tony Dumas on bass, Ranelin was in peak form as a player and bandleader during this period. This is particularly true of one specific outing at the now shuttered Maiden Voyage in Los Angeles on July 19, 1981, which is presented in full within this set. The audio was restored from decades old cassette tapes which have never been heard until now. A master trombonist of the J.J. Johnson tradition, Ranelin's career has spanned over five decades with eleven records as a solo artist, four as a Freddie Hubbard sideman, session recordings for Motown, and work with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Telefon Tel Aviv.
This 1956 concert by Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars is a historical gem, which is finally getting it's vinyl debut with this double LP release. Recorded on March 26, 1956, at the Civic Auditorium in Grand Rapids, MI, it affords jazz fans a chance to hear what the barnstorming Armstrong's shows were like in heartland America. Armstrong's affable presence is pervasive, but not always center stage, as each member of the All-Stars gets his turn in the course of the revue. The release was remastered for vinyl from analog tape and pressed at Pallas Group in Germany on purple vinyl.
Sun Ra's Arkestra was at it's most radical during this period, alternating simple chants with very outside playing and dense ensembles. Although no precise date is given, these five cuts are thought to have been documented circa 1967-1968 by Sun Ra (piano) and his Arkestra in New York City, where the band was in residence at the time. First released for Record Store Day 2014, the title is now available on gold vinyl, pressed at Pallas Group in Germany.
Shamballa is the 1993 collaboration from jazz drummer William Hooker, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), and composer Elliott Sharp. The release features Hooker performing duets with each musician. Hooker and Moore's performance is littered with bursts of feedback and distortion, while the collaboration with Sharp is characterized by a more electronic sound, building a sense of technology.
Flesh and Bones is the latest release from drummer, composer, and poet William Hooker. The album marks his third full length effort for Org Music, following "Big Moon" (2021) and "Symphonie of Flowers" (2019). Hooker has also referred to the new work as his "Black Lives Suite", a multi-disciplinary event which uses music and poetry to address the social issues of the times. Recorded at NYU Steinhart Studios, the recording features fellow New York based players Ras Moshe, Charles Burnham, On Davis, Hilliard Greene, and Luke Stewart. After more than 70 releases as a leader and nearly five decades into his career, William Hooker has solidified his reputation as one of the most unique composers and drummers of his generation, and he continues to explore new territory. Flesh and Bones was mastered by Dave Gardner, and features liner notes from Hooker himself.
William Hooker has been recognized as one of the most innovative musicians and drummers of his generation, leading a variety of ensembles within the worlds of free jazz, experimental, and new music. Hooker's prior collaborators range from avant garde jazz musicians to indie rock legends like Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. On his latest work, "Symphonie of Flowers", Hooker weaves three sections into a whole, or a "symphonie" of sorts. As he says, "the piece begins and ends with the drum... my instrument. It's rhythm and variations of timbre are the stabilizing element."
Vinyl LP pressing. Pressed to vinyl for the first time with redesigned artwork, this 20-track live double LP collection captured At New York Town Hall 1947 is filled with a set of players from all over the jazz, folk, and blues communities. A great listen for any collector, the historic Bunk Johnson and Leadbelly commandeered summit features artists like Omer Simeon, Jimmy Archey, Ralph Sutton, Freddie Moore, and many more. Sounding better than ever, the lively recordings were remastered especially for the format by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering.
William Hooker has been recognized as one of the most innovative musicians and drummers of his generation, leading a variety of ensembles within the worlds of free jazz, experimental, and new music. Hooker's prior collaborators range from avant garde jazz musicians to indie rock legends like Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. On his latest work, "Symphonie of Flowers", Hooker weaves three sections into a whole, or a "symphonie" of sorts. As he says, "the piece begins and ends with the drum... my instrument. It's rhythm and variations of timbre are the stabilizing element."
This truly incredible performance has been underappreciated throughout the years, in part because it had not been pressed in nearly three decades. Previously pressed on white color vinyl for Record Store Day 2016, Ben Webster's 'Gone With The Wind' will now be widely available on 180gram black vinyl. The performance took place at the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen during January of 1965, right in the prime of Webster's long European period.
Vinyl LP pressing. "Twelve days after Louis Armstrong died, his old friend Earl Hines recorded a solo tribute to the great trumpeter/vocalist. This album, one of three that Hines recorded in a two-day period, features eight songs associated with Satch including "Struttin' with Some Barbeque," "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," "Someday You'll Be Sorry" and two versions of Armstrong's theme "When It's Sleepy Time Down South." This set should be of particular interest to Earl Hines collectors for the pianist rarely performed most of these songs, and he gives fresh heartfelt renditions to the standards" (ORG Music / AMG). Available on vinyl for the first time in decades, the historic recordings were remastered for the format at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed at Pallas Group in Germany.
Vinyl LP pressing. Recorded in Copenhagen in September of 1964, Vibrations is the second album released by American free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler's quartet featuring Don Cherry, Gary Peacock and Sonny Murray. Originally issued by the Freedom label, it was also released under the alternate title, Ghosts. Previously out of print for decades, Vibrations has now been specially remastered for an audiophile-grade 180-gram vinyl pressing at Pallas in Germany courtesy of ORG Music.
Vinyl LP pressing. The Horn is an essential release for any Ben Webster fan! A real treat, the compelling 17-track 2LP affair is comprised of studio session tracks, along with their false starts, alternate takes, and outtakes. The first LP includes the album as originally released. The second LP contains outtakes from those same sessions. Webster absolutely shines throughout with an expert backing band featuring Clyde Hart, Charlie Drayton, Denzil Best and Oran "Hot Lips" Page. Remastered for vinyl from the original tapes at Infrasonic Mastering, ORG Music's deluxe reissue of The Horn showcases some of the best sounding Ben Webster audio around!
