This long awaited CD presents over a dozen previously unissued masters of surprisingly high quality from the premier artist on the American Music label, Bunk Johnson. Digital technology made it possible to remove the reasons - often not musical - that they were not issued at the time, seventy years ago. The venues for the recording sessions varied between the legendary 1944 sound of the San Jacinto Hall to the homes of Bertha Gonsoulin in San Francisco and George Lewis in New Orleans. The 16 page booklet includes rare images, a history of the San Jacinto Club and a detailed discography.

RARE & UNISSUED MASTERS VOLUME TWO

12 songs recorded in 1942 by Gene Williams for the Jazz Information label, which was part of Commodore at the time, plus two very different takes of Big Chief Battle Axe and Franklin Street Blues that were recorded for Purist Records in England. Some of the finest work this New Orleans jazz legend ever did!

with all-star aggregate incl.. Omer Simeon, Edmond Hall+, 1947, 20tracks.

Many never heard before treats are contained here, like "I Don't Want to Be Without You Baby", as well as Bunk playing waltzes & standards, feat. Don Ewell, George Lewis, Jim Robinson, Alcide Pavageau, Baby Dodds +.

Bunk Johnson-tpt and his band, includes nine previously unreleased tracks.

Bunk's band recording at San Jacinto Hall.

W. G. Lewis, Baby Dodd's + Myrtle Jones vocals, some prev. Unissued New Orleans 1944.

HEARTS REFLECTION

1967

WISDOM IN TIME

Black Magic Man is arguably the pivotal Joe McPhee release. It bridged the span between the regional and the international, bypassing the national altogether. Recorded in the same sessions that produced Nation Time, Black Magic Man consists of music not chosen for that LP. Like it's much-feted sister, technically it falls under the domain of CjR, Craig Johnson's herculean effort in support of McPhee. An erstwhile painter, Johnson became a self-taught audio engineer, acquiring equipment expressly to document McPhee's music. In December 1970, five years after Johnson and McPhee had met, they recorded two days of activity -a concert followed by an additional day of recordings-at Vassar College where McPhee was teaching in the Black Studies department. About half of the material was used to make Nation Time. While they had planned to issue a follow-up, the money wasn't there, so the tapes sat dormant. "Fast-forward five years-Werner X. Uehlinger, a Swiss businessman who worked for Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, contacted Johnson while on a trip to the US, and over dinner with McPhee, they discussed putting out some of the unused tracks from the Nation Time sessions. With this casual encounter in 1975, Hat Hut Records was inaugurated. The new label's maiden release was Black Magic Man, dubbed Hat Hut A, the first in what would become Hat Hut's letter series. Along the way, the series would feature seven Joe McPhee records, including the first four in a row." -John Corbett (excerpt from the liner notes)

Joe McPhee's first international release, Black Magic Man, was issued on the newly formed Hat Hut imprint in 1975. It was a watershed moment for the 35-year-old musician. Based in Poughkeepsie, New York, he was too far away from Manhattan to have participated extensively in the Loft Jazz happenings of the decade. European exposure, however, would give McPhee an alternative circuit, something of an escape route from the trappings of American cultural myopia. In support of the new record for this Swiss label, McPhee invited John Snyder on a European tour in October 1975. Snyder was a synthesizer player with whom McPhee had made the duet LP Pieces Of Light, released a year earlier on CjR. The two musicians developed an extensive repertoire, playing diverse spaces in the Hudson Valley. Geographically close gigs were a plus, since it took extra energy to hoist Snyder's ARP 2600. "McPhee and Snyder were invited to play at the Willisau Jazz Festival in Switzerland. If you compare this live record with Pieces Of Light, a studio effort, it's considerably more open. South African drummer Makaya Ntshoko is rolling thunder on the choral 'Voices,' shuffling under Snyder's bubbly beat on 'Bahamian Folksong.' It is quite a special combination, enough so that Hat Hut chose to release it as their next LP, Hat Hut B in their alphabetical series. The Willisau Concert represents the sound of Joe McPhee opening up, opening out, expanding his field of operations to include new figures, fresh experiences, new continents of sound." -John Corbett (excerpt from the liner notes)

Live in Detroit with Yusef Lateef, Barry Harris, Ber 1955.

Prev. On Columbia Records, but now w. two alternates added from digitally restored masters.

PROTOTYPE

WOODY SHAW LIVE 2

MOOD SWINGS

Playing jazz is a lot like love itself. It is as much about poignancy as it is about joy. It is Jeremy Pelt's understanding of this dichotomy of passion and restraint that makes this album so compelling. The set list is as all-encompassing as a love affair - from the straight-ahead feeling of "I Can't Escape from You" to the breathless stillness of his muted trumpet on "There'll Be Other Times." His sly, half-valve effects on "Blues in Sophistication" show an impish delight while Henry Mancini's "Slow Hot Wind" throbs with an ever so discreet Latin feel. This may be considered a "with strings" record but Pelt does not let this descend into a vibrato-laden string sound. There is an unusually classical feel to this album with the string quartet supporting, reinforcing and commenting on Pelt's playing rather than sugar-coating it. Buddy Rich once said, "Jazz should be treated the same as classical music." He was right. He "got it" and, as evidenced herein, so does Jeremy Pelt.

Tomorrow's Another Day may be trumpeter and composer Jeremy Pelt's most experimental recording to-date, with greater emphasis on the dynamic aspects of sound. This thought-provoking record gets a huge lift from the participation of drummer/technologist Deantoni Parks, who previously has lent his remarkable talents to such visionaries as Meshell Ndegeocello and Andr� 3000. Pelt's newest band features Jalen Baker (vibes), Wintz (gtr), Leighton McKinley Harrell (bs) and Allan Mednard (dms), with Frank LoCrasto (pno) on two tracks. The ensemble seamlessly works together to produce a unique galaxy of sounds which have the ability to evoke gritty scenes that pulse with primal energy or surge transcendently skyward. Through it all, it is the trumpet and creative presence of Pelt which provides a sense of ballast to the myriad sounds and textures, with an intensely personal and mesmerizing weave of arguably some of the most stunningly imaginative and communicative work he has given us so far.

Woody Shaw is widely revered across the globe as the last major innovator to significantly revolutionize modern jazz trumpet playing. Shaw's innovations vastly extended the harmonic and technical vocabulary of the instrument and remain largely unparalleled in the world of music. Shaw is also remembered as one of the great, modern jazz composers to have developed a distinct musical sound and identity through his original compositions. Here is a program of Woody Shaw playing his own works with some of his favorite sidemen.

UNDERSTANDING

The tragically short career of Shaw is fairly well documented on records; there is, however, a dearth of live material from him - here is the first installment in a series of live material recorded at the peak of his creative powers, feat. some safe, commercially recorded material, as well as cuts where Shaw stretches out and let's 'er rip on improvisational workouts

The inventive and open-minded approach of Wallace Roney's previous HighNote releases is maintained on HOME. Roney is taking the eclecticism of his influences and merging them into a coherent whole.

Walking the tightrope that is stretched between history and progress is a difficult task for a young jazz musician. During the last five years, Jeremy Pelt has explored many post-war jazz trends, but for his HighNote debut recording he has settled into the acoustic, post-bop format with his regular band that includes the tenor sax of J.D. Allen with the rhythm section of Danny Grissett, piano, Dwayne Burno, bass and Gerald Cleaver, drums. One listen and it is easy to see why he was voted Rising Star on the Trumpet five years in a row by Downbeat and the Jazz Journalists Association.

Young trumpet genius (who has toured w. Branford & Wynton Marsalis) blazes new trails on originals, feat. Greg Tardy-sax, Sherman Irby-flt, Stefon Harris-vibe, James Hurt-pno, Eric Revis-bss, Ali Jackson-drms

Fine young jazz player pushes the limits of jazz composition to the max - this album is a multi-movement suite which blurs the boundaries between jazz & other genres; he's surrounded by an accomplished group of young players

WATER & EARTH

Fiery trumpeter is an imaginative composer, forceful leader & sturdy sideman - here he has a showdown with straight-ahead, burn-your-face-off jazz, played by a quintet that plays with some real aggressive tension & a little darkness

Woody Shaw & Louis Hayes: 'The Tour' Vol. 1 (Audio CD) "By no means is jazz dead-that's essentially why Louis Hayes and I formed this band. We really enjoy playing." So wrote Woody Shaw, presumably around the time of this historic concert from their 1976 European tour, in response to the then much-heralded death of jazz. It was people like Shaw, Hayes and others who proved that it was only our out-dated preconceptions of what jazz was which were dead and that jazz itself was alive and well. Here we have a real gem from Woody Shaw's greatest period - a very hip quintet session, recorded with drummer Louis Hayes, tenor man Junior Cook, Ronnie Matthews on piano and Stafford James on bass. Cook's Trane-tinged flurries, Shaw's boprish bursts, Mathews' ever-intensifying solos and Hayes' thunder-and-lightning drumming create an energy and esprit very much in the Blakey tradition but without ever losing track of the identity or sight of their collective goal. This Woody Shaw-Louis Hayes-Junior Cook quintet is now a part of history. The concentric circles they set in motion, emanating from the center of their work so long ago continue to expand and make their influence felt right up to the present day. Personnel: Woody Shaw, trumpet; Junior Cook, tenor sax; Ronnie Matthews, piano; Stafford James, bass; Louis Hayes, drums.