(5-CD set) The Emerald Duets is a crowning achievement among Wadada Leo Smith's many recorded duo collaborations with drummers/percussionists that have previously featured such creative giants as Ed Blackwell, Jack DeJohnette, Milford Graves (TUM BOX 003), Louis Moholo-Moholo (TUM CD 029) and G�nter Sommer, among others. The Emerald Duets features four master drummers who have each, in their own unique fashion, contributed to the way modern drumming has developed in the past six decades and how it is now perceived. Pheeroan akLaff, Andrew Cyrille and Han Bennink are each featured on one disc and Jack DeJohnette on two discs, including Smith's five-part composition "Paradise: The Gardens and Fountains" that fills the fifth disc of this boxed set in it's entirety. The sessions with akLaff, Cyrille and DeJohnette mostly feature compositions by Wadada Leo Smith, including three very different versions of Smith's powerful statement for the protection of freedom and democracy, "The Patriot Act, Unconstitutional and a Force that Destroys Democracy." The session with Bennink includes a combination of Smith's compositions and collectively created tracks.

Continuing is Tyshawn Sorey's highly-anticipated follow-up to Mesmerism and The Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism, his two critically-acclaimed 2022 releases that were voted #4 and #5 best albums of the year, respectively, in the annual Francis Davis Jazz Poll of over 150 jazz critics. Continuing features the same musicians as on Mesmerism - Sorey on drums, pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Matt Brewer - with four long tracks allowing the musicians to explore crevices and possibilities while keeping the emphasis on melody, groove, swing, and the blues. The languorous pace taken on the standard "Angel Eyes" requires a rare intensity of concentration from the trio, but they dig deeply into the feeling of all of the songs, including compositions by Wayne Shorter and Ahmad Jamal, who both coincidentally passed away recently, and Harold Mabern, a mentor to Sorey. The performances are masterful and unforced, played with an honesty and spontaneity that get at the music's emotional core.

Roscoe Mitchell - One Head Four People - Roscoe Mitchell (Art Ensemble Of Chicago) was 2023's recipient of an American Society of Arts and Letters award which let to the creation of this work. Mainly a trio and quartet work Roscoe plays Bass saxophone as well as his percussion array.

The variety and fluidity of bodies of water has always fascinated guitarist/composer Scott DuBois and inspires his first solo guitar recording, Summer Water. The view of Lake Michigan from his window was a daily reminder of the range of water's expressive forces. During the bone-chilling Chicago winter of 2019, he wrote pieces for solo guitar that would not only utilize his symphonic compositional voice but would emulate the sound without the use of overdubs, loops or layering. DuBois has captured the textures and colors of an orchestra and has maintained a bold sound, not just in terms of volume, but in the intensity, much as one hears from an orchestra, whether loud or soft. He has also created great variety within the sound and the compositions, an important aspect of his work. All of this was accomplished with the barest of essentials: a solo guitar. // This double LP set is the vinyl version of the CD album released in the spring of 2021.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. In February of 2023 close friends, Cory Weeds and Champion Fulton travelled to OCL Studios just outside Calgary to record a new live, duo album in front of a rapt audience. Their special bond was evident as pianist and vocalist Fulton delivered sophisticated, swinging turns across a set of beautiful tunes, in conversation with Weeds at his expressive best.

Jazz from The Pacific Northwest combines two previously unissued concert recordings from one of the greatest jazz drummers of all-time, Shelly Manne. The first recording features Monty Budwig on bass, Russ Freeman on piano, Stu Williamson on trumpet, and Herb Geller on flute and alto saxophone recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival on October 4, 1958. The second recording features Hampton Hawes on piano, Frank Strozier on flute and alto saxophone, Conte Condoli on trumpet and guest vocalist Ruth Price on two tracks recorded at the Penthouse jazz club in Seattle on September 7 and 15, 1966. - The deluxe package includes an extensive booklet with essays by renowned archival producer Zev Feldman and label owner/producer/musician Cory Weeds, plus passages from Tim Jackson of the Monterey Jazz Festival, Charlie Puzzo Jr. From the Penthouse, and engineer/radio host Jim Wilke; interviews from musicians Jim Keltner, Peter Erskine, Ruth Price, Bill Holman and Joe LaBarbera; and rare photos and memorabilia. - New York City-born Manne rose to fame in the 1950s after moving to Los Angeles and is known as a founding father of the "West Coast Jazz" scene. He is highly regarded as one of the most versatile and talented drummers of the day performing with countless legends including Andre Previn, Sonny Rollins, Stan Kenton, Charlie Ventura, Kai Winding and many others. Manne teamed up with Previn and Leroy Vinnegar to produce the first jazz album of a Broadway score for their version of "My Fair Lady, " and he has numerous television/movie credits along with performing and composing scores. His recorded works include numerous albums for Capitol, Atlantic, Impulse!, Mainstream, Contemporary, Flying Dutchman and other international labels.

Introducing another timeless jazz masterpiece: Hello Herbie (1970) by The Oscar Peterson Trio with Herb Ellis, the legendary guitarist who played with the likes of Jimmy Dorsey, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald, just to name a few. Ellis was a permanent member of Peterson's trio from 1953-58, while it was featuring a guitar but no drums - one or even the greatest jazz combo of the 1950s. Rediscover the magic of this timeless album where Ellis is joining Peterson and his trio again with Sam Jones on bass and Bobby Durham on drums. With Peterson's incredible skill, Ellis thoughtful playing and a more than solid foundation in Durham and Brown this album showcases exceptional artists at their very best. Both, Ellis and Peterson feed of each other and the album's fusion of playful interplay, together with nuanced arrangements and combined with the AAA remaster by Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Christoph Stickel, delivers an immersive experience. - The album includes a scan of the original master tape box and new liner notes by jazz journalist Scott Yanow. Hello Herbie is a 1969 album by pianist Oscar Peterson and his trio, joined by guitarist Herb Ellis.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in tip-on jacket. Released as part of the Acoustic Sounds Series celebrating 70 years of Contemporary Records, saxophonist Art Pepper's classic big band album, + Eleven, features modern jazz classics by Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and more. First released in 1960 and recorded by legendary engineers Roy DuNann and Howard Holzer, this reissue features all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman.

Recorded live in 1980 at San Francisco's legendary Keystone Korner Jazz Club, this release includes the only known recording of Hubbard performing Coltrane's "Giant Steps." Produced by George Klabin, Todd Barkan, and David Weiss, Freddie Hubbard has performed/recorded with some of the most important players in jazz history including John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery; Quincy Jones, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and many more. A must-have for Hubbard fans, jazz historians, and audiophiles.

Throughout his decades-long career, Oscar Peterson accomplished the near impossible: greatness with every note played and the acquisition of new generations of fans worldwide, regardless of the obstacles life threw at him. In 1994, only one year after suffering a stroke that rendered his left hand weakened, Peterson took the stage in Munich to prove to his collaborators, fans, and himself, that his earned title of "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington still rang true. By reinventing his playing style at 68 years old, he demonstrated his undiminished inventive prowess with an all-star band including Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass), Lorne Lofsky (guitar) and Martin Drew (drums).

A heavyweight entry in the Rollins catalog, East Broadway Run Down was recorded in 1966 and released the following year by Impulse Records. It was his last album before industry pressures led him to take a six-year hiatus. - Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve's Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. Vinyl LP pressing.

The brilliant and beloved cornetist and composer Ron Miles released his Blue Note debut Rainbow Sign in 2020 shortly before his tragic death in 2022 from a rare blood disorder. His legacy is honored with the release of Old Main Chapel, a recording that captures a sublime live performance by Miles' trio with guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Brian Blade in 2011 at Old Main Chapel in Boulder, Colorado. The 7-song set featured 6 of Miles' indelible originals along with a cover of "There Ain't No Sweet Man that's Worth the Salt of My Tears." The CD package includes heartfelt remembrances by Frisell, Blade, pianist and frequent collaborator Jason Moran, Blue Note President Don Was, and Ron's daughter Justice Miles.

Double vinyl LP pressing. In 1999, the same year that Jason Moran released his debut recording Soundtrack To Human Motion, the pianist and composer also joined New Directions, a band made up of young stars from the Blue Note roster. At the core of New Directions was the genesis of a rhythm section-with Moran, bassist Tarus Mateen, and drummer Nasheet Waits-that would go on to become one of the most enduringly creative and acclaimed piano trios in jazz. The Bandwagon made their first recording as a trio with Facing Left in 2000 and has been the foundation of the majority of Moran's artistic statements since. On his 2010 album Ten, Moran celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Bandwagon with an assured album that was a snapshot of a mature band with a decade of shared musical experience from which to draw. In addition to provocative originals the album presented singular interpretations of pieces by Thelonious Monk, Jaki Byard, Leonard Bernstein, and Conlon Nancarrow. This first-time vinyl release includes the bonus track "Thelonious" previously only available in Japan.

Clifford Brown - "Memorial Album" / The incomparable trumpeter Clifford Brown recorded two leader sessions for Blue Note in 1953 (a co-led quintet date with Lou Donaldson and his own sextet date) that were compiled on the Memorial Album shortly after his tragic death in 1956. Brownie's star burns bright from the blistering "Cherokee" to the stunning ballad "Easy Living." Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180gram vinyl at Optimal : [Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series] [LP]

Live archive release. Ella Fitzgerald's Songbook records - with her peerless renditions of the best songs from iconic composers from Irving Berlin to Rogers & Hart to Cole Porter to George & Ira Gershwin - are the cornerstone of the Verve catalog and the standard for jazz vocal recordings. Ella never released a live version of these Songbooks. This record, discovered in the private collection of Norman Granz, will make the first time a live Songbook has been released from the First Lady of Song.

Trane's adventurous 1960 release, the first to feature solely his own compositions. Remastered from the original tapes, this landmark of modern jazz is further enhanced with 4 alternate takes. Includes the title track; Cousin Mary; Countdown; Spiral; Syeeda's Flute Song; Naima, and Mr. P.C.

For nearly a decade, the endlessly exploring pianist / composer / improviser Denny Zeitlin has focused on an individual composer for his annual solo concert at Oakland's Piedmont Piano Company. Zeitlin brings his full creative force to these efforts to transform these well-known pieces into remarkable musical journeys. In 2018, Zeitlin decided to focus on the great American composer, George Gershwin, for his concert and recorded the proceedings, released now as Crazy Rhythm: Exploring George Gershwin.

2018 release. Pianist-composer Edward Simon presents the album Sorrows and Triumphs, featuring Afinidad, his quartet with alto saxophonist David Binney, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade. The richly textured Sorrows and Triumphs is also colored by very special guests: vocalist Gretchen Parlato, guitarist Adam Rogers and chamber quintet Imani Winds.

New Day (Sunnyside - 2015). Coming in early 2015, Kevin's latest is an eclectic and mainly electric blast with the New Day Trio (featuring Rob Jost and Greg Joseph) and special guests Gregoire Maret and Tony Scherr. There is an interesting paradox on Kevin Hays's New Day, namely Hays applies lyrics to music to express content that the music alone cannot but, further, allows the music to stand on it's own if it feels right. Mixing material with vocals and without shows a maturation of this brilliant artist, allowing more facets of his musical identity to shine through.

Cornetist and composer Nat Adderley (b. Nov. 25, 1931 in Tampa, FL) recorded this first album with his new band just one year after the untimely death of his brother Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, three years his senior. The Adderley brothers had worked side by side in the highly successful, one of the funkiest jazz bands in USA for more than 15 years. “ The septet here, whose members are mostly young, New York -based musicians, is more interesting by far than the celebrated Cannonball Adderley Quintet ever was. ..” (Stereo Review) “...This is some of the best straight-ahead jazz to have come out in the last few months....” (Musician Magazine)

NHØP is undoubtedly the most widely recorded and most highly regarded jazz bassist today. This is his second leader album recorded in New York while he was touring with Oscar Peterson. NHØP selected the very best of sidemen from the New York scene to make this “supremely musical album which will afford a lot of listening pleasure to a lot of people.” (Mike Hennessay)