Released in 1964 on Verve, The Individualism of Gil Evans stands as one of arranger-composer Gil Evans' most compelling works, showcasing some of the finest music of his career. The album blends Evans' originals and Miles Davis collaborations with inspired interpretations, all rendered through his distinctive big band lens. A core group of musicians, including Johnny Coles, Steve Lacy, Jimmy Cleveland, Tony Studd, Bill Barber, Elvin Jones, and Paul Chambers, lend a remarkable consistency of texture and mood. Evans himself plays piano throughout, his touch especially poignant on "The Barbara Song," where a sense of deep pathos is underscored by Shorter's expressive tenor. From the brooding atmosphere of "Time of the Barracudas" to the one-chord intensity of "El Toreador," the album highlights Evans' mastery of tone, space, and orchestral nuance. The Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Organist Big John Patton's 1966 soul jazz manifesto Got A Good Thing Goin' was a showcase for the dynamic duo of Patton and guitarist Grant Green, whose deep rapport elevate this set of Patton-Green originals and covers of hits by Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. They're backed by Hugh Walker on drums and Richard Landrum on congas. This stereo Blue Note Tone Poet Vinyl 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 tip-on gatefold jacket.
Stella Cole's first live album captures the magic of her sold-out engagement at New York's iconic Cafe Carlyle. Featuring Great American Songbook favorites - many inspired by the classic films she grew up with - she delivers warm", heartfelt takes on standards like "It's Magic"," "Moon River"," and "Singin' in the Rain"," joined by pianist Michael Kanan", bassist Michael Migliore", and drummer Hank Allen-Barfield.
With scores of #1 Billboard Contemporary Jazz radio hits and over a million sales, Euge Groove has reached iconic status in the world of Smooth Contemporary jazz. Having shared the stage with artists ranging from Elton John to Dave Koz, Euge's high energy shows continue to thrill audiences from coast to coast. Euge Groove's artistry is in full flight with the release of The Phoenix. The album kicks off the heart-warming "Heart Of Gold" then launches into high gear with the hard driving title tune "The Phoenix." Other highlights include the deeply emotional ballad "Those Nights Alone," the loving "Odysseus," and much more!
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.
Stella Cole's first live album captures the magic of her sold-out engagement at New York's iconic Cafe Carlyle. Featuring Great American Songbook favorites - many inspired by the classic films she grew up with - she delivers warm, heartfelt takes on standards like "It's Magic," "Moon River," and "Singin' in the Rain," joined by pianist Michael Kanan, bassist Michael Migliore, and drummer Hank Allen-Barfield.
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.
Charles Lloyd pays homage to his dear friend and longtime collaborator Zakir Hussain with Sangam & Friends", an extraordinary document of the deep musical camaraderie between the legendary saxophonist/flutist and master tablaist along with their Sangam trio mate drummer Eric Harland. The album is built around studio recordings made in Mumbai in 2009 for an album that was begun but never completed featuring an expanded ensemble with Carnatic singer Vijay Prakash", Rakesh Chaurasia on bansuri", Sabir Khan on sarangi", Ranjit Barot on keyboard", and Niladri Kumar on sitar.
New generations of musicians continue to explode existing notions of what jazz is by fearlessly taking the music in new directions. The new collective Fathers consists of four broad-minded artists who have established their presence at the forefront of that movement: producer Kenny Beats, keyboardist Kiefer, bassist CARRTOONS, and drummer Nate Smith. On their eponymous debut album, Fathers, the collective uses jazz as a jumping off point for an 8-track set that seamlessly blends jazz textures, hip-hop beats, and funk grooves into a potent mix.
Vinyl LP pressing. Charles Lloyd pays homage to his dear friend and longtime collaborator Zakir Hussain with Sangam & Friends", an extraordinary document of the deep musical camaraderie between the legendary saxophonist/flutist and master tablaist along with their Sangam trio mate drummer Eric Harland. The album is built around studio recordings made in Mumbai in 2009 for an album that was begun but never completed featuring an expanded ensemble with Carnatic singer Vijay Prakash", Rakesh Chaurasia on bansuri", Sabir Khan on sarangi", Ranjit Barot on keyboard", and Niladri Kumar on sitar.
New generations of musicians continue to explode existing notions of what jazz is by fearlessly taking the music in new directions. The new collective Fathers consists of four broad-minded artists who have established their presence at the forefront of that movement: producer Kenny Beats, keyboardist Kiefer, bassist CARRTOONS, and drummer Nate Smith. On their eponymous debut album, Fathers, the collective uses jazz as a jumping off point for an 8-track set that seamlessly blends jazz textures, hip-hop beats, and funk grooves into a potent mix.
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.
In February 2018 artist Marsha Hammel invited me to bring my trio to a special event at The Gallery at Flatrock (NC) in which she would paint a portrait of the trio while we performed. Marsha also offered the use of the painting for an album cover. Months later, when I saw the magnificent finished portrait I confirmed it was a great opportunity to create an album to go with the painting. 723867192724 RIHH1927.2 46249005 9.35 13.98 .14 RICHHEART MUSIC COMPACT DISCS POP JAZZ 05/22/2026 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/02/3684102-3589579.jpg 1 1 N
BLAKEY,ART & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS MOANIN (BLUE NOTE ESSENTIALS SERIES) More than any other album in the canon of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, 1958's Moanin' was the perfect crystallization of the band's bluesy, soulful sound, and it still stands today as perhaps the most quintessential hard bop recording of all time. Originally self-titled, the album was later renamed Moanin' due to the popularity of Timmons' unforgettable opening track. Featuring the great drummer with trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt, the album also introduced several indelible Golson compositions that would become standards of the jazz songbook including, "Along Came Betty" and "Blues March." Blue Note Essential Series is mastered from hi-resolution digital masters on 140g vinyl.
Freddie Hubbard's 2nd Blue Note album, Goin' Up, delivered on the promise of his debut Open Sesame, once again proving him to be one of the most exciting new trumpeters on the jazz scene. The 1960 date featured Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums for a set of high-energy hard bop. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Even by the high-water marks set by Herbie Hancock's tremendous 1960s Blue Note output, 1965's Maiden Voyage remains one of the pinnacle artistic achievements of the great pianist's career. Hancock is joined here by his Miles Davis Quintet bandmates Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums, along with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and George Coleman on tenor saxophone. The quintet embarks on an oceanic exploration of five original Hancock compositions, several of which have since become enduring standards of the jazz lexicon including the title track, "Eye of the Hurricane," and "Dolphin Dance." Blue Note Essential Series is mastered from hi-resolution digital masters on 140g vinyl.
A decade into his recording career", pianist Horace Silver made the album that would endure as the crown jewel of a catalog that boasts numerous hard bop classics. Song for My Father captured the transition of his quintet with two tracks taken from an October 1963 session with Blue Mitchell", Junior Cook", Gene Taylor", and Roy Brooks. A year later Silver entered Van Gelder Studio again with a new band featuring Carmell Jones", Joe Henderson", Teddy Smith", and Roger Humphries for a session that yielded four more cuts including what would become his signature tune", "Song for My Father"," a dedication to his father that was inspired by both his Cape Verdean heritage and the music Silver had heard on a recent trip to Brazil. Blue Note Essential Series is mastered from hi-resolution digital masters on 140g vinyl.
There are several Chet Baker albums with the title Chet Baker Sings", but this one recorded for Pacific Jazz in 1954 and 1956 is the original", and arguably", the best. The album features Chet's indelible vocals and sterling trumpet playing with two different quartet line-ups both featuring pianist Russ Freeman on a set of classic standards that he made his own including "My Funny Valentine"," "That Old Feeling"," and "I Fall In Love Too Easily." For the first time in more than 60 years", this definitive edition was cut from the original master tapes in the correct order with pristine fidelity. The gatefold packaging includes additional session photography by William Claxton. Blue Note Essential Series is mastered from hi-resolution digital masters on 140g vinyl.
Lee Morgan's 1960 album, Lee-Way, is vintage hard bop of the highest quality with the trumpeter leading a quintet featuring Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Bobby Timmons on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. The 4-song set includes tunes by Cal Massey, McLean and Morgan's tribute to Blue Note's founders, "The Lion and the Wolff." This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Gregory Hutchinson's "Kind of Now - The Pulse of Miles Davis" is a fascinating and highly rewarding album that breathes new life into some of the immortal classics from Miles Davis' repertoire, such as Charlie Parker's "Ah-Leu-Cha" or Miles' own "Seven Steps to Heaven", discounting the obvious while closing in on the deep cuts. The leader's excellent drum interludes tie this hour-long program tightly together, adding a futuristic newness that's all in Hutch's time. The overall quality and density of "Kind of Now" has everything to do with the musicians involved, a great group of young legends and lions carefully selected by the leader, just the way Miles used to do: Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Ron Blake (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Jakob Bro (guitar), Emmanuel Michael (guitar), Gerald Clayton (piano) Joe Sanders (double bass).
Limited double orange and magenta colored vinyl LP pressing. As if from the farthest reaches of space, a tremendous positive energy has come to us via Light on a Satellite: It is Sun Ra's music, played by his Arkestra, more than 30 years after the legendary band founder's earthly demise - or, in other words, after his reported ascent to Saturn. Under the direction of Marshall Allen, the NEA Jazz Master (2025) and multi-instrumentalist, who celebrated his 100th birthday on May 25, 2024, Sun Ra's big band has arrived safely in the 21st century, after traveling Sun Ra's space ways for almost 70 years. This album pays tribute to the lifetime achievement of Marshall Allen, who leads the Sun Ra Arkestra since 1993. Recorded in Studio A at New York's Power Station on June 16, 2024, the album celebrates the mastery of the exceptional musician Marshall Allen as a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, bandleader, teacher, and guardian of Sun Ra's unique legacy. Perhaps this day will one day become part of the collective jazz memory, for what we are experiencing here is a simultaneity of the non-simultaneous, projected into the future, a time machine traveling through 100 years of jazz, out of the free approach of the Sun Ra Arkestra and in it's signature groove right into the heart of swing - with a century-old jazz master as captain. That in itself is a superlative. We are even more inspired by the power with which the virtuoso Marshall Allen continues his life's vocation. As a tribute to the life's work of Marshall Allen, Frank Kleinschmidt of IN+OUT Records invited the Sun Ra Arkestra into the studio with 24 musicians in the largest possible line-up, with the goal of documenting the music in it's polyphony and expansion in space and time in the best possible way. It is not only the variety of instruments used, but also the fact that musicians from four generations come together with a repertoire that spans 100 years of jazz history.
