Four for Trane, released in 1964 on Impulse! Records, was saxophonist Archie Shepp's first major studio statement and remains one of his most influential albums. Co-produced by John Coltrane and recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio, the set presents Shepp performing four Coltrane compositions alongside Shepp's own "Rufus." Rather than offering faithful renditions, Shepp and arranger Roswell Rudd reimagine Coltrane's material with bold ensemble voicings, fluctuating time signatures, and unfettered improvisation. The quintet - Shepp on tenor saxophone, Rudd on trombone, Alan Shorter on flugelhorn, Reggie Workman on bass, and Charles Moffett on drums - bridges the intensity of free jazz with the formal rigor of post-bop. Four for Trane signaled his arrival as a vital and progressive voice within the new wave of 1960s jazz. The Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Percussion Bitter Sweet, released in 1961 on Impulse! Records, is one of preeminent jazz drummer Max Roach's most politically charged and musically expansive recordings. Recorded over two days in September 1960 at Universal Studios in Chicago, the record reflects Roach's deepening engagement with themes of social justice and Pan-African identity. The ensemble features trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, and tuba innovator Ray Draper, alongside Roach's own commanding blend of cymbal textures, mallets, and explosive rhythmic detail. The inclusion of vocalist Abbey Lincoln - Roach's artistic and political partner at the time - adds urgency and emotional power to the project's most pointed statements. Elsewhere, "Mama" and "Praise for a Martyr" explore personal and collective grief through dynamic interplay and modal intensity. The Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Recorded in late 1954 and early 1955, this set marks the pinnacle of what some called the "most definitive bop group of the era" until Clifford Brown's fatal car accident in 1956. The second of four albums Brown and Max Roach made together, Clifford Brown & Max Roach enlisted the duties of Harold Land (tenor saxophone) with Richie Powell (piano) and George Morrow (bass) solidifying the rhythm section around Roach. Brown's compositions "The Blues Walk," "Joy Spring," and "Daahoud," are spotlighted as some of the finest in hard bop, with notable mentions of Bud Powell's "Parisian Thoroughfare," and Duke Jordan's "Jordu." Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Wes Montgomery's first album to reach the Billboard charts, Bumpin' showcases his exceptional command of the guitar with the support of an orchestra arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky. The rhythm section of Roger Kellaway (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Grady Tate (drums) add fire to and drive the orchestra. With a top-notch selection of compositions from Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Mandel, John Francis Burke, and Montgomery himself, Bumpin' takes the listener on a majestic journey each time it spins. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Ben Webster - "King of the Tenors (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series)". Originally released as 'The Consummate Artistry of Ben Webster' for the Norgran label in 1954, Norman Granz changed the title to 'King of the Tenors' and re-released the album on his newly minted Verve Records in 1957. Accompanied on the session by the Oscar Peterson Trio throughout, along with Benny Carter and Harry "Sweets" Edison on several tracks, Webster's level of artistry shines across the broad selection of repertoire from the album opener, "Tenderly" to Duke Ellington's "Cottontail." This album is a great entry point anyone interested in Ben Webster as it presents a solid selection of his playing. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Stan Getz/Gerry Mulligan - "Getz Meets Mulligan in Hi-Fi (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series)". Under the guidance of Norman Granz, Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan collaborate for the first time as the primary horns on Getz Meets Mulligan in Hi-Fi. Recorded in 1957, this record offers the unique opportunity to listen to the two jazz stars trade instruments on the first three tracks ("Let's Fall in Love, "Anything Goes," and "Too Close for Comfort") with Getz on baritone sax and Mulligan on tenor. The music gels with the help of a world-class rhythm section featuring Lou Levy on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. While a massive musical success, the duo never recorded again in this quintet format, making this record a rarity. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Coleman Hawkins - "Coleman Hawkins and Confreres (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series)". Released in 1958 on Verve, Hawkins playing is particularly confident and eloquent throughout the set. His group of "confreres" on the session is fortified by the Oscar Peterson Trio along with sit-in guests, including Hank Jones (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), and Roy Eldridge & Buck Clayton (trumpet) among others. The relaxed atmosphere of the session is particularly noticeable in the title, "Sunday," in which Roy Eldridge comes into the limelight with a brilliant solo. Coleman Hawkins' voluminous, supple sound which had a great influence on the styles of so many horn players who followed is best heard after Roy's solo in "Honey Flower." Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Jimmy Smith's first album for Verve, recorded in 1962, Bashin' features the organist in two very different configurations - the first with an Oliver Nelson-conducted big band (including up-and-coming trumpeter Doc Severinsen), and the second with Smith's regular trio with Quentin Warren (guitar) and Donald Bailey (drums.) This historic set was a turning point for Smith's career, with the track "Walk on the Wild Side" becoming his biggest hit to that point, reaching #21 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Released in mid-1965, Jimmy Smith took a break from the typical big band sessions he'd been doing for Verve with this pared-down trio date, enlisting Kenny Burrell (guitar) and Grady Tate (drums) to take on a selection of blues and jazz standards. From the title track to his own "Blues For J," Smith and this all-star group display complete mastery of, arguably, the most swinging of all jazz band configurations - the organ trio. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Ella Fitzgerald -"Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Volume 2" [3 CD] Ella Fitzgerald began her glorious association with the newly formed Verve label in 1956, and her Verve album debut 'Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book,' bankrolled the label's initial success. Singles taken from that album turned out to be big hits, as did many other singles in this collection, all of which were pulled from Ella's albums and helped make them top-selling LPs. 'Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Volume 2' provides 3 CDs worth of snapshots of Fitzgerald, singing with an incomparable level of artistry, whether it's songs by Cole Porter, the Gershwins or the Beatles. 3-CD Digipak set with booklet included.

Long-considered Charles Mingus' masterpiece, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady represents high-water marks in both jazz composition and orchestration. An essential recording in the history of jazz, this work has been performed as a ballet and features original liner notes by Mingus' psychotherapist. Verve's Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging. Available on limited-edition Impulse! Orange vinyl.

Originally recorded for the Clef label in 1956, Swing's The Thing features the tenor great in a stellar sextet with Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Jimmy Jones (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass) and Jo Jones (drums). While Jacquet's sessions as a leader may have been infrequent during this time, this session hits a magical mark with the 6-song set being highlighted by the tracks "Las Vegas Blues," "Harlem Nocturne," and "Achtung." Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180g vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Vinyl LP pressing. Sonny Stitt led a number of excellent record dates in 1959, especially at the end of the year when he produced three LPs for Verve over a span of three sessions with pianist Lou Levy, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Mel Lewis. Playing alto sax throughout this album, Stitt hardly sounds like a Charlie Parker clone, something that unfortunately was a frequent claim by tin-eared critics throughout a fair portion of his career. The music includes several potent originals, especially "Hymnal Blues" and the slow, powerful "Morning After Blues." Originally released in 1970.

Recorded in 1985 after a break from the studio and time spent living in Barbados and Liberia, this one-of-a-kind album in Nina's catalog features standards as well as original compositions revisited by a rejuvenated Nina. Horns and backups singers join her on "Porgy," "It's Cold Out Here," "You Must Have Another Lover," "For a While," "Touching and Caring" and more. CD or vinyl, with new artwork! Verve.

Peggy Lee had a wide-ranging and diverse career as a singer, songwriter and actress. Tony Bennett called her "the female Frank Sinatra," and Frank Sinatra said that she "should be studied by all vocalists." The focus of this collection is the jazz-oriented recordings Lee made for Decca Records from 1952-56 and includes several tracks from her stellar album, Black Coffee.

2024 collection. Known internationally as "The First Lady of Song", Ella Fitzgerald was also, importantly, the first lady of Verve Records-the label that was essentially created for her by her manager and the label's founder, Norman Granz. This collection brings together Ella's most cherished recordings in the company of American music's greatest performers and composers-Louis Armstrong, George & Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern, among many others.

Charlie Parker - "Bird In Kansas City" / This new set of rare Charlie Parker recordings dating from between 1941-1951, most of them never having been heard before and some never even having been known to exist, chronicle Bird's evolution from a blossoming soloist with the Jay McShann Band into a brilliant improviser who dominated the jazz landscape for decades to come. In addition to two unreleased 78s with the McShann band, this set offers two sets of private recordings made with local musicians and a very relaxed-sounding Parker. Verve Label Group; Verve; Jazz

Recorded at San Francisco's Columbia Studios and released in 1972, trumpeter Luis Gasca's album, For Those Who Chant, enlisted a "who's who" of the city's A-tier musical community from that period. The cast is plentiful, featuring Carlos Santana and a pre-Journey Neal Schon on guitar, a rhythm section of Lenny White on drums, Stanley Clarke on bass (who were about to jump into a new band called Return to Forever), and the indomitable Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, to name a few. The set is full of chemistry and outstanding musicianship throughout. The Verve By Request Series features 180-gram vinyl, pressed at Third Man in Detroit.

Restock inventory available. A reissue made available for Record Store Day to celebrate the 75th anniversary of this landmark recording. In September of 1949, Charlie Parker crossed paths with Swing Era giants Roy Eldridge and Lester Young onstage at Carnegie Hall. The band - which also included Ray Brown, Hank Jones, Flip Phillips, Buddy Rich and Tommy Turk - wailed on standards and extended, improvised tunes, producing this exciting performance. This LP has been mastered from the original analog sources and pressed on yellow vinyl.

An August 1964 New York session that pairs Peterson's established trio - Ray Brown (bass) and Ed Thigpen (drums) - with guest Clark Terry (trumpet/flugelhorn). It marks a clear moment in Peterson's shift from constant trio touring to more focused studio work with outside collaborators. The trio plays with it's usual cohesion, giving Terry space to add horn, and occasional "mumbles" phrasing. Key tracks include "Brotherhood of Man," noted for it's tight structure and balanced solos, and "Jim," highlighting the blend of Terry's tone with Peterson's understated approach. The album stands as a concise document of two major jazz figures working in a small group setting during a period when studio sessions were becoming more polished and deliberate. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.