Jon Batiste - "Monk Movements" On the fourth volume of the Batiste Piano Series, multi-Grammy® and Oscar® winner Jon Batiste returns to some of the music that first shaped his voice at the piano, expanding upon the majestic, contemplative beauty at the heart of some of Thelonious Monk's most iconic works. Verve; Jazz.
Art Blakey's New Messengers blaze through hard-driving rhythms, soulful melodies, and breathtaking improvisation. Anchored by Keith Jarrett's virtuosic piano, Frank Mitchell's fiery sax, and Reggie Johnson's inventive bass, this album captures the band's live energy and intensity in full flight.
Released in 1962 on Verve, Big Band Bossa Nova continued Stan Getz's early-1960s engagement with Brazilian music in a large-ensemble format. Produced by Creed Taylor and arranged/conducted by Gary McFarland, the album places Getz's tenor saxophone within orchestrated settings that combine brass and woodwind writing with the rhythmic qualities of samba and bossa nova. Recorded in August 1962 at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York, the session featured studio musicians including guitarist Jim Hall, trumpeter Doc Severinsen, bassist Tommy Williams, and drummer Johnny Rae. Verve's Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes remastered on 180g vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. The Velvet Fog meets The Great White Way! Mel Torme was at the height of his powers on 1960's Swings Shubert Alley, a collection of Broadway standards backed by the renowned Marty Paich Orchestra. This stunning union of musical theatre and jazz is regarded as one of the jewels of Torme's work for Verve Records, and his unforgettable vocal delivery elevates familiar chestnuts from the songbooks of Lerner and Loewe ("On the Street Where You Live"), Rodgers and Hammerstein ("Hello, Young Lovers," "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top") and Cole Porter ("Too Darn Hot"). The Verve Vault series is all-analog, cut from the original master tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed on 180-gram vinyl.
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. An undisputed yet underrated architect of what we now know as modern rock and roll, 1956's Gospel Train was an innovative release for Sister Rosetta Tharpe in more ways than one. For starters, her first release on the Mercury Records label was also her first available from any label on the then-new 12" long-playing format, still the industry standard for vinyl albums today. Most importantly, Gospel Train took Sister Tharpe's distinctive blend of primordial electric guitar-driven blues and traditional gospel and harnessed it's power in a polished studio setting, backed by first-call session musicians including the vocal quartet the Harmonizing Four. The Verve Vault series is all-analog, cut from the original master tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed on 180-gram vinyl.
Giblet Gravy, released in 1968 on Verve Records, documents guitarist George Benson during his early period with the label. Produced by Esmond Edwards and featuring arrangements by Tom McIntosh, the sessions draw on a range of jazz and studio musicians, including pianist Herbie Hancock, bassists Ron Carter and Bob Cranshaw, drummer Billy Cobham, percussionist Johnny Pacheco, and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, alongside a brass and rhythm section assembled for selected tracks. Across these varied settings, Benson's fluid articulation, blues-inflected phrasing, and rhythmic dexterity remain the music's central focus. The repertoire blends contemporary popular material, standards, and original compositions, illustrating the stylistic breadth that would inform his later crossover success while remaining grounded in the late-1960s jazz ensemble format. The Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Meditations, released in 1966 on Impulse! Records, captures John Coltrane's late-period quartet in transition, expanding into new sonic territory while retaining the core intensity of his classic lineup. Recorded in 1965 at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio with producer Bob Thiele, the session features pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, drummer Elvin Jones, tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, and drummer Rashied Ali. Across the suite-like program, the music flows as a continuous meditation on transcendence and collective expression, pushing Coltrane's spiritual jazz into heightened realms of energy and abstraction. It marks one of the final appearances of his "classic quartet" members Tyner and Jones before they departed, leaving Coltrane to pursue new directions with Sanders and Ali. The Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Jon Batiste - "Monk Movements" [LP] On the fourth volume of the Batiste Piano Series, multi-Grammy® and Oscar® winner Jon Batiste returns to some of the music that first shaped his voice at the piano, expanding upon the majestic, contemplative beauty at the heart of some of Thelonious Monk's most iconic works. Verve; Jazz
No, we're not yelling at you. That's the answer. WHO ASKED? is the long-awaited sophomore album from the French-born Domi Louna and Texas native JD Beck. Following two GRAMMY nominations, including Best New Artist for a debut album (2022's NOT TiGHT), WHO ASKED? is unlike anything they've done before. Bringing together a small sinfonietta of seasoned classical players, WHO ASKED? showcases the duo's incredibly singular, super maximalist, and strikingly beautiful orchestral vision.
For 'A Sun That Never Sets,' Ralph Alessi expands the quartet configuration with a fifth player for a set of eleven new compositions that elaborate on Alessi's intricate writing with deep thought and a fresh sense of adventure. The last time Alessi operated with a quintet was with saxophonist Ravi Coltrane in his This Against That ensemble, captured on 2019's acclaimed Imaginary Friends. Instead of a saxophonist, this time the trumpeter's brother Joseph Alessi comes into the fold and fortifies an already state-of-the-art group with inspired trombone lines in frequently wild interplay with the trumpet.
Double green colored vinyl LP pressing. No, we're not yelling at you. That's the answer. WHO ASKED? is the long-awaited sophomore album from the French-born Domi Louna and Texas native JD Beck. Following two GRAMMY nominations, including Best New Artist for a debut album (2022's NOT TiGHT), WHO ASKED? is unlike anything they've done before. Bringing together a small sinfonietta of seasoned classical players, WHO ASKED? showcases the duo's incredibly singular, super maximalist, and strikingly beautiful orchestral vision.
Recorded and released in 1958, just over a year before his death, Laughin' to Keep from Cryin' captures saxophonist Lester Young in one of his final studio sessions. Though his tone had softened, Young's phrasing remains fluid and expressive, favoring subtlety over force. Produced by Norman Granz, the date brings together Roy Eldridge and Harry "Sweets" Edison on trumpet, whose contrasting styles (fiery drive and relaxed, bluesy restraint) create a compelling musical contrast. Backed by Hank Jones (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), George Duvivier (bass), and Mickey Sheen (drums), the session blends small-group swing with a polished studio feel. Highlights include "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and "Salute to Benny," a tribute to Benny Goodman, who gave Young his first clarinet. Verve's Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes remastered on 180g vinyl.
