Here Swings The Judge is Milt Hinton's first LP as a band leader, and includes intimate, private recordings featuring Ben Webster on tenor saxophone before his departure to Europe in 1964. The remaining tracks consist of dynamic studio recordings produced by Harry Lim, and feature prominent players such as Jon Faddis and Budd Johnson. These sessions range from the swinging "Blue Skies,' to the slow, serene blues of "Blues for the Judge." This is truly an impressive collection of recordings from the group of early jazz musicians.
Us is a compilation of rare material from Sun Ra and his Arkestra, drawing from tapes recorded between 1963 and 1970, taken from both live and studio performances. The space-age jazz shaman conjures up a variety of styles and moods along the way. The album has been remastered, and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas in Germany.
Teamed up with pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath for a club date at Copenhagen's Montmartre in 1967, the great tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin really stretches out on four numbers: "The Man I Love," "Hush-A-Bye," "Blues for Harvey" and a memorable version of "The Masquerade Is Over." Griffin shows why he was early on billed as "the world's fastest tenor" although he also displays warmth on "Sophisticated Lady." A fine example of Griffin's underrated talents. The album was remastered for vinyl from original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman, and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany.
Dexter Gordon recorded dozens of albums and played hundreds of live shows, but none better than what's captured on this 1967 date at Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. Both Sides of Midnight marks Gordon's peak live recorded document, and a can't-miss opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts to get closer to the man and his music. The album was mastered from original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman and pressed on 180gram audiophile-
180gm audiophile vinyl LP pressing. Tenor-saxophonist Dexter Gordon was in peak form when recording at Copenhagen's Legendary Jazzhus Montmartre in 1967. A portion of that recording would later become Body & Soul, an album originally released by Black Lion Records, which has been out of press on vinyl for almost three decades. Now, just shy of fifty years after the performance was recorded, the album finally receives the audiophile treatment it deserves with this 180gram vinyl reissue, pressed at Pallas in Germany.
Duke Ellington's 'The Feeling of Jazz' from Black Lion Records, remastered for the first time in decades by legendary engineer, Bernie Grundman. Performed by the 1962 Duke Ellington Orchestra featuring: Cat Anderson, Harold Baker, Aaron Bell, Bill Berry, Lawrence Brown, Roy Burrows, Harry Carney, Chuck Conners, Buster Cooper, Leon Cox, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Russell Procope, and Sam Woodyard.
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 vinyl with this audiophile-grade pressing from Pallas Group in Germany.
The Spiritual, a free jazz album recorded by The Art Ensemble of Chicago in 1974, finds the group of stellar musicians at their creative peak. With various types of percussion, though the absence of a traditional drummer, the ensemble is able to create vivid, freeing compositions without the confines of conventional structure. The quartet, consisting of Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, and Malachi Favors, explore the depths of Avant-Garde Jazz through a means that has yet to be touched on in a comparable capacity. Previously released on red color vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day, The Spiritual will now be widely available on coke bottle clear color vinyl.
Sun Ra, the extraordinary, outlandish, and sometimes controversial pianist, is often described as an "acquired taste", with a massive and diverse catalog. This release is a good place to start for uninitiated or dismissive listeners. The album showcases Ra's grounding in the jazz tradition, with unique takes on standards like "Time After Time," "Easy to Love," and "But Not for Me". Not unordinary for Sun Ra, the recording process was informal; "Can This Be Love?" was recorded in his Chicago apartment in 1955; he is accompanied only by the great Wilbur Ware on bass. The other five tracks, which feature, among others, Ra's longtime associate John Gilmore on tenor saxophone, were recorded at the Choreographer's Workshop rehearsal space in 1962 and 1963. The album was mastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering, and pressed on metallic gold color vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany.
Billie Holiday is captured live at Storyville in Boston in 1951 and 1953. The discreet recordings capture Lady Day in prime emotive voice. On most selections she is accompanied by the Carl Drinkard Trio, but six others find her joined by Buster Harding's Trio; the great tenor Stan Getz sits in on three of these numbers. Previously out of press for over 25 years, this historic recording has now been remastered and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany.
(2-LP set) Odyssey stands as James Blood Ulmer's signature masterpiece, the purest and most accessible showcase for his bold, genre-clashing guitar vision. With minimal trio accompaniment - only drummer Warren Benbow and violinist Charles Burnham - Ulmer's guitar is always the meat of the ensemble, especially since his unique tuning (developed for this album) allows him to cover bass parts as well as guitar leads. Odyssey finally gets the audiophile treatment it deserves, in the form of a double LP, mastered at 45RPM from original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and housed in Stoughton case-wrapped jacket.
