In addition to appearing as a sideman with Blue Note organists Baby Face Willette & Big John Patton, the brawny tenor saxophonist Fred Jackson also cut his soulful leader debut for the label in 1962. Hootin' 'N Tootin' features organist Earl Van Dyke, guitarist Willie Jones and drummer Wilbert Hogan. This stereo Blue Note Tone Poet Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.
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.
Harpist Ashley Jackson fuses music and storytelling in Take Me To The Water, a soulful exploration of spirituals, iconic works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Alice Coltrane, and an exhilarating interpretation of Debussy's "Danse Sacree." Take Me To The Water celebrates the transportive nature of water, and of the rivers that unite us.
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.
Vinyl LP pressing. On his sole album as a leader, bassist Melvin Jackson - a veteran of the Eddie Harris band (this album includes two Harris originals) - plays with a bow, plucks and plugs his upright bass into a Maestro G-2 filter box, a Boomerang, an Echoplex, and an Ampeg amp. The result is soulful, psychedelic, and of course, funky - at once one of the grooviest and most avant-garde albums you'll ever hear. The Verve By Request Series features 180-gram vinyl, pressed at Third Man in Detroit.
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.
Handel: Brockes-Passion / Jonathan Cohen, Arcangelo
Alpha
CD
$29.99Mar 12, 2021
Barthold Heinrich Brockes wrote a libretto on the Passion of Christ – based on the account in Matthew’s Gospel – which was set to music by many composers of his time, including Reinhard Keiser, Georg Philip Telemann and George Frideric Handel. It is Handel’s version of the latter that the period-instrument ensemble Arcangelo has chosen to present here. Under the direction of Jonathan Cohen, these specialists in the Baroque repertory are joined by the voices of Sandrine Piau, whose numerous Handel recordings are regarded as a benchmark, the tenor Stuart Jackson and the baritone Konstantin Krimmel, recently revealed in a debut recital for Alpha (Saga, ALPHA549). Together they resurrect the operatic splendor of a work that was first performed in 1719 and is thought to have influenced numerous passages of J. S. Bach’s St John Passion, written a few years later.
REVIEW:
Conductor Jonathan Cohen is working with excellent soloists. They're led by soprano Sandrine Piau, who has a crushing 14 arias and brings personality to each one. Tenor Stuart Jackson has a big, exciting voice, and baritone Konstantin Krimmel is splendid in his duet with Mary Bevan. The oratorio also has smaller solo roles, here taken by members of the choir, and all are well handled.
Bonds: The Ballad of the Brown King & Selected Songs / Merriweather, The Dessoff Choirs & Orchestra
Avie Records
CD
$17.99Nov 01, 2019
A WQXR-FM Best Classical Recording for 2019
Twentieth-century African American composer Margaret Bonds receives long overdue recognition with the world premiere recording of her crowning achievement, The Ballad of the Brown King. With an expressly written libretto by Bonds’ friend Langston Hughes, this Christmas cantata which focuses on Balthazar, the dark-skinned king who journeyed to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus Christ, is beautifully interpreted by New York City-based The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra, outstanding soloists soprano Laquita Mitchell, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford and tenor Noah Stewart, under the baton of their charismatic conductor, Malcolm J. Merriweather. Bonds authority Dr. Ashley Jackson contributes the inspired liner notes. This unique seasonal album also includes a selection of specially arranged songs, including a setting of Hughes’ seminal poem I, Too, Sing America, performed by baritone Merriweather and Jackson on solo harp.
REVIEW:
Nearly 60 years after its premiere, conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather and the phenomenal New York-based Dessoff Choirs have at last provided a way experience Margaret Bonds’ genius cantata, The Ballad of the Brown King. After luxuriating in this sumptuous setting of the Nativity story (with a libretto by Langston Hughes), be sure to listen to Bonds’ heart-rending Three Dream Portraits, sung forcefully by Merriweather himself.
Thomas Tallis / Jackson, The Gentlemen of HM Chapel Royal Hampton Court Palace
Resonus Classics
CD
$9.49$18.99Save 50%Feb 01, 2019
The Gentlemen of HM Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace and their director Carl Jackson make their Resonus Classics debut with this album of works for lower voices by Thomas Tallis – himself a Gentleman of the Tudor Chapel Royal serving under four monarchs. Recorded in the impressive surroundings of the Chapel Royal where the choir are resident, this first release with the ensemble presents works for four and seven voices including a reconstruction of Tallis’s Missa Puer natus est nobis based on chant for Christmas Day, and the sumptuous Suscipe quaeso Domine. The Gentlemen of HM Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace sing services throughout the year in the palace’s splendid Chapel Royal, whose ceiling was installed by Henry VIII in the 1530s. There they are joined by up to eighteen boy choristers, who are drawn from schools nearby and led by Carl Jackson, Director of Music. Just as in the sixteenth century, the choir’s personnel is adapted dynamically to the occasion and the demands of the repertory. In ordinary times, there are six Gentlemen and for special occasions the ensemble can expand to as many as fourteen singers.
Shaping their musical heritage together for 15 years, saxophonist Keefe Jackson and vibist Jason Adasiewicz have been vital in defining and refining "The Chicago Sound". Their relationship with Delmark has spanned over a decade; combined they have 20 albums on the label. On Rows And Rows, six of the nine original compositions were composed specifically for the session, while the remaining three are older tunes re-imagined for duo. The atmosphere of a jazz duet can paint one of the most personal and intimate musical conversations. This one brings the listener into their world, creating a social environment that you may want to tap your foot to, or even go a little further.
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.
Classical Opera continue their series of the complete Mozart operas on Signum with Zaide - a new completion of Mozart's unfinished work by conductor Ian Page. Composed during his early 20's, Mozart began work on the opera in Salzburg but later left the work to compose Idomeneo, subsequently leaving no overture or third act. The opera is set in a totalitarian regime where a couple have fallen in love, incurring the jealous of the ruling sultan.
Lost Tapes - Germany 1956-1958 / Modern Jazz Quartet
SWR
CD
$9.99$19.99Save 50%Jul 29, 2016
The Modern Jazz Quartet was formed in 1952, largely by the rhythm section of the Dizzy Gillespie Band. When these recordings were made, John Lewis was still trying to develop the Modern Jazz Quartet as a jazz chamber group, attempting to make a unique style of jazz, free of cliché. The motto of the MJQ was “Change your attitude.” Each of the thirteen tracks on this album show the ensemble’s unique and dignified style. As Andre Francis wrote of the group, the musicians are “a sensitive instrument which vibrates in the same universe of sound, achieving a communion unique in the world of jazz.”
Limited vinyl LP repressing in gatefold jacket. Off the Wall is the fifth solo studio album by Michael Jackson. It was released on August 10, 1979, following Jackson's critically well-received film performance in The Wiz. While working on that project, Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to work with Jackson on his next studio album. Recording sessions took place between December 1978 and June 1979 at Allen Zentz Recording, Westlake Recording Studios, and Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, California. Jackson collaborated with a number of other writers and performers such as Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Rod Temperton. Five singles were released from the album. It was his first solo release under Epic Records, the label he would record on until his death roughly 30 years later.
Limited vinyl LP repressing in gatefold jacket. Bad is the seventh solo studio album by Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller. Bad was recorded during the first half of 1987. The lyrical themes on the record relate to media bias, paranoia, racial profiling, romance, self-improvement and world peace. The album is widely regarded as having cemented Jackson's status as one of the most successful artists of the 1980s, as well as enhancing his solo career and being one of the best musical projects of his career. Five of the singles hit #1 in the United States, while a sixth charted within the Top Ten, and a seventh charted within the Top Twenty on the Hot 100. Bad peaked at #1 in thirteen countries and charted within the Top Twenty in other territories.
Limited vinyl LP repressing in gatefold jacket. Thriller is the sixth solo studio album by Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 30, 1982, as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off The Wall. Thriller explores similar genres to those of Off The Wall, including pop, post-disco, rock and funk. Recording sessions took place on April to November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles with a production budget of $750, 000, assisted by producer Quincy Jones. Seven singles were released from the album, all of which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. In just over a year, Thriller became-and currently remains-the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide. It has become the first album ever to be certified 32 times multi-platinum for U.S. sales, marking more than 32 million sales shipped. The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984, including for Album of the Year.
Shaping their musical heritage together for 15 years, saxophonist Keefe Jackson and vibes player Jason Adasiewicz have been vital in defining and refining "The Chicago Sound". Their relationship with Delmark has spanned over a decade; combined they have 20 albums on the label. On Rows And Rows, six of the nine original compositions were composed specifically for the session, while the remaining three are older tunes re-imagined for duo. The atmosphere of a jazz duet can paint one of the most personal and intimate musical conversations. This one brings the listener into their world, creating a social environment that you may want to tap your foot to, or even go a little further.
Deluxe CD/DVD Edition of Michael Jackson's revolutionary 1979 recording Off The Wall includes the original album bundled with the new documentary Michael Jackson s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, directed by Spike Lee. The deluxe softpak includes a 16-page booklet containing a new essay and photography plus a piece of chalk and inside panels with a chalkboard finish. The importance of Michael Jackson's Off the Wall cannot be overstated. Recorded when he was just 20-years-old, the album heralded Michael's emancipation as a singular musical force and creative visionary. It's the record that "invented modern pop as we know it" according to Rolling Stone magazine. It smashed the ceiling on record sales for black artists, ushering in an exciting new era of R&B-to-pop crossover airplay, chart, marketing and sales trends not seen before in modern pop music. For Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, director Spike Lee assembles a wealth of archival footage, including material from Michael's personal archive, interviews with contemporary talents and family members, and Michael’s own words and image to create this insightful chronicle from the star's early rise to fame through the release of this seminal album. A look at a chapter of his career that is rarely examined, Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall allows audiences to travel with Michael as he gets his start at Motown, strikes a new path with CBS Records, and forges a relationship with legendary producer Quincy Jones. An illuminated portrait emerges of how an earnest, passionate, hard-working boy would become the "King of Pop."
Deluxe CD/Blu-Ray Edition of Michael Jackson's revolutionary 1979 recording Off The Wall includes the original album bundled with the new documentary Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, directed by Spike Lee. The deluxe softpak includes a 16-page booklet containing a new essay and photography plus a piece of chalk and inside panels with a chalkboard finish. The importance of Michael Jackson's Off the Wall cannot be overstated. Recorded when he was just 20-years-old, the album heralded Michael's emancipation as a singular musical force and creative visionary. It's the record that "invented modern pop as we know it" according to Rolling Stone magazine. It smashed the ceiling on record sales for black artists, ushering in an exciting new era of R&B-to-pop crossover airplay, chart, marketing and sales trends not seen before in modern pop music. For Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, director Spike Lee assembles a wealth of archival footage, including material from Michael's personal archive, interviews with contemporary talents and family members, and Michael’s own words and image to create this insightful chronicle from the star's early rise to fame through the release of this seminal album. A look at a chapter of his career that is rarely examined, Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall allows audiences to travel with Michael as he gets his start at Motown, strikes a new path with CBS Records, and forges a relationship with legendary producer Quincy Jones. An illuminated portrait emerges of how an earnest, passionate, hard-working boy would become the "King of Pop."
Double vinyl LP pressing. Dangerous is the eighth studio album by Michael Jackson. It was released on November 26, 1991 by Epic Records. His first album under his new contract with Sony Music, it was also Jackson's first album since 1975's Forever, Michael not to be produced by longtime collaborator Quincy Jones, who had agreed to split after the final recording sessions for Jackson's 1987 album, Bad. Dangerous has sold over 35 million copies worldwide, 7 million albums were shipped in the United States alone, and has been cited as one of the best-selling albums of all time. The album produced four Top Ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 including one number-one. Similar to the musician's previous material, the album's music features elements of R&B, pop and rock while also incorporating a newer genre, new jack swing, after the inclusion of producer Teddy Riley to the project in a bid to present Jackson to a younger urban audience. Jackson earned writing credits on all but two tracks on the album. Dangerous received several Grammy nominations, winning only one for Best Engineered Album. In addition to commercial success, the album received critical acclaim from contemporary critics.
Digitally remastered and expanded triple vinyl LP edition of this classic album from the King of Pop. Disc Two features 12 tracks including previously unreleased recordings and remixes. Bad was the third Michael Jackson album produced by Quincy Jones and was originally released on August 31, 1987. It was monumental in many ways; Michael wrote nine of the album's 11 tracks and received co-producer credit for the entire album. The album was #1 around the world, made history with five consecutive #1 singles on the Billboard chart, produced 10 chart-topping singles, nine ground breaking short films and to date, the Bad album has generated over 45 million units in sales. Bad was nominated for six Grammys and won two.
Howells: Hymnus Paradisi & A Kent Yeoman's Wooing Song
Chandos
CD
$6.99$13.99Save 50%Jul 31, 2012
This re-release of Herbert Howells’ Hymnus Paradisi and A Kent Yeoman’s Wooing Song forms part of the new Hickox Legacy series commemorating the life and career of that great conductor. Mestro Richard Hickox’s lifelong commitment to British music in general is well-known, as is his work with the challenging, intricate music of Howells. This disc displays extremes of Howells’ emotional language - from the intense and powerful Hymnus to the sprightly and rather flirtatious Wooing Song – communicated masterfully by Hickox and his associates.
Limited 4xLP This Is It: The Movie is made up of intimate and spectacular footage filmed during rehearsals for Jackson's proposed July 2009 comeback shows. When he died in June of 2009, he left behind hundreds of hours of footage, which have been edited together to create a glorious tribute to his majestic talents. Disc One features some of his biggest hits sequenced in the same order as they appear in the film.
Principal cast: Ernestine Jackson (Ruth Younger); Ralph Carter (Travis Younger); Helen Martin (Mrs. Johnson); Joe Morton (Walter Lee Younger); Debbie Allen (Beneatha Younger); Virgina Capers (Mama Lena Younger); Robert Jackson (Joseph Asagai). Recorded at Columbia Records 30th Street Studio, New York on October 27, 29 and November 2, 1973. Includes liner notes by Robert Brittan and Judd Woldin. All songs written by Judd Woldin and Robert Brittan. RAISIN opened at the 46th Street Theatre in New York on October 18, 1973 and ran for 847 performances, closing on December 8, 1975.
Composers include Robert Anderson, C. Coleman, Fanel Cornelius, Thomas A. Dorsey, Robert Fryson, G. Haenssler, Brendan Keeley, Robert McGimsey, Lars Morlid, Kenneth Morris, Lukas Di Nunzio, Peter Sandwall, Felicia Taylor, Ken Taylor, Leon Taylor and Lee Weisman. Lyricists include James Waddell Alexander, Robert Anderson, Anonymous, Bible - Old Testament, C. Coleman, Thomas A. Dorsey, G. Haenssler, Lars Morlid and also includes such artists as Choralerna, the Golden Gate Quartet, Mahalia Jackson, Soul Affair, Tullamore Gospel Choir, Brendan Keeley and more.
