Part of Universal Japan's 'Everything Jazz - Vol. 3: Concord Edition' reissue campaign. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. Green color label coating. Universal. 2025.

Japanese SHM-CD reissue. Universal. 2025.

Japanese SHM-CD reissue. Universal. 2025.

Green color label coating. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. *UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) is an upgraded version of HQCD, a high fidelity CD format developed by Memory-Tech. Decca. 2025.

In 2009, 79-year-old jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb, then the last surviving member of the famous Miles Davis group that had recorded the iconic Kind Of Blue album, was enjoying a late-career renaissance as a bandleader. Recruiting the Texas trumpet sensation and flugelhorn master Roy Hargrove alongside guitarist Russell Malone and bassist John Webber, Cobb recorded Jazz In The Key Of Blue, an exquisite collection of quiet, moody-invoking, late-night ballads for Chesky Records. The quartet offers stunning interpretations of standards from The Great American Songbook - including 'Every Time We Say Goodbye, ' and 'I Had The Craziest Dream' - with jazz-inflected covers of pop hits (Billy Preston and Syreeta's 1979 Motown hit 'With You I'm Born Again') and striking original tunes (Cobb's 'Remembering U'). Bolstered with new liner notes featuring quotes from bassist John Webber, Jazz In The Key Of Blue is reissued in 2026 as part of the Chesky Original Masters series on SACD Hybrid Stereo. Note: These Hybrid SACD discs are compatible with all standard CD and SACD players.

The Jazz Platinum 1100 - Jazz Expo 2025-2026' is a special, limited-time campaign where 19 record labels, ranging from prestigious to unique, have gathered to offer a curated selection of 187 jazz titles, including both classic staples and hidden masterpieces. Solid. 2025.

OCTOBER FLOWERS FOR JOE MCPHEE

SOUL JAZZ DATES

Sinnerman: The Spiritual Nina Simone is a powerful collection of tracks that highlights the artist's unique fusion of jazz, gospel, and blues with deep spiritual themes. Released on a limited-edition 180-gram red vinyl, it features iconic performances including the title track's intense, rhythm-driven exploration of faith and redemption.

Grammy-winner, Boz Scaggs, known for his silky voice and genre-blending style, takes a refined turn with a jazz-influenced record that showcases his deep appreciation for classic grooves and sophisticated arrangements. Blending smoky vocals with laid-back rhythms, the album nods to the cool jazz clubs of the past while keeping Scaggs' signature soul intact. It's a smooth, mature work comprised of Boz's interpretation of classic standards as well as one new original track.

CTI All-Time Collection - Phase 2 (60 Titles) This comprehensive reissue series celebrates the legendary American jazz label CTI Records and it's sub-labels Kudu and Salvation, presenting 60 classic titles in total. Each release is accompanied by a deluxe booklet, faithfully reproducing the original liner notes from the Japanese LP editions, making this collection both a rich listening experience and a collector's treasure.

Listen Ship is the latest masterpiece in the ever-expanding sound world of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Henry Threadgill, whom The New York Review of Books recently described as "one of American music's great Romantics and a lifelong seeker of the sublime." The new work is a suite for six acoustic guitars - including individual stylists such as Bill Frisell, Miles Okazaki and Brandon Ross - and two pianos that utilize Threadgill's unique intervallic syntax to illuminate his idiosyncratic vision. The eight string instruments revel in the music's painstaking detail with intricate gestures that miraculously entwine to form a grand statement. The meticulous orchestration highlights all of the usual characteristics of Threadgill's music: unusual forms, unexpected timbres, and slippery counterpoint and rhythms, all shaped by the composer's conducting into a singular experience.

Born from personal relationships, Sung's compositions bring the masters vividly to life: "A Little Bird Watchin'" swings with Jimmy Heath's mischievous wit and lasting wisdom; "Positively C.T." crackles with Clark Terry's indomitable spirit, showcasing the top-notch trumpet section in 'Clarkisms' and flugelhorn-trumpet sleight of hand; "Wayne's World" reaches for Wayne Shorter's mighty cathedrals of sound as it dances between playful riffs, soaring melodies, and soulful grooves; while "Mr. Virtuosity" stands as tall as Ron Carter's towering bass legacy. "Pianism," a piano concerto inspired by Sir Roland Hanna's urging Sung to not forget her classical roots, celebrates the keyboard mastery of Barry Harris (keeper of Bud Powell's legacy and the bebop flame), Kenny Barron (a modern master of melody), and Herbie Hancock (transcendence personified), with Hanna presiding over the entire work in an intro and reprise which evokes his noble and generous spirit. Alongside these originals, Sung's arrangements of Terry's "Samba Da Gumz," Shorter's "Diana," Carter's "R.J.," Horace Silver's "Peace," and her own "Convergence" complete an album of stunning range and cohesion. But this deeply personal and momentous album is no jazz history lesson; rather, it is a powerful musical statement standing against the prevailing push towards isolation and division. Sung's richly layered work invites listeners to participate in the living continuum and community of Jazz as they experience the masters speaking through this music dedicated to their humanity and profound artistry. Their masterful mentorship helped Sung persevere through rites of passage to find her authentic self, and Oracles encourages the listener to do the same with joy and freedom. Oracles is created with the support of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, which awarded Sung a Fellowship in 2021 (additional support comes from the New York State Council on the Arts). The pivotal spark for exploring big band came from another organization known for pioneering new opportunities: Jazz at Lincoln Center. In 2016, it commissioned Sung to write a big band arrangement of McCoy Tyner's "Four By Five" for the Orchestra (she performed it with the ensemble, which was recorded and released on the 2017 Blue Engine live album A Handful of Keys). Now ten years later, that experience of composing for large ensemble has come full circle. It is therefore fitting that the brilliant leader of the JLCO, Wynton Marsalis, wrote the liner notes for Oracles, saying: "Helen Sung is a shining example of the heroic journey to self-realization through the art of Jazz. As a soloist, arranger, composer and bandleader she [Helen] has developed an expansive vocabulary that encompasses the richness, virtuosity, freedom and humanity that defines the best jazz... The little details that define our music are well represented and attended to with care and intelligence. That's why this is a great listen... All you have to do is check it out."

Japanese resissue, part of the Timeless 50th Anniversary (1975-2025) campaign. Ultra-Vybe. 2025.

Japanese resissue, part of the Timeless 50th Anniversary (1975-2025) campaign. Ultra-Vybe. 2025.

When Sun Ra released his debut Saturn release in 1957, he signaled the Arkestra's mission for the future. The cover declared the album a "21st Century Limited Edition." The compositions on Supersonic Jazz conveyed optimism and hope, bringing a message auguring the World of Tomorrow. Ra declared this the first dimension of a fresh art form, as he set about evolving a new American music - a composite of the past and future, the known coalescing with the unknown. The album, not very well received upon release, reveals a vibrant universe of sound, with highly developed arrangements and sophisticated musicianship, especially Ra's innovative keyboard work and John Gilmore's astonishing soloing. Official expanded 2xLP / 2xCD edition with fourteen tracks of alternate versions and studio takes, and the CD version contains an additional four CD only tracks. Liner notes by avid fan Ira Kaplan from Yo La Tengo, and additional essay from longtime Ra blogger Rodger Coleman (NUVOID Sun Ra Sundays). Vinyl includes a 12x12 insert reproduction of original jacket art.

WEEKEND AT SMALLS

Miles Davis - "Miles '55: The Prestige Recordings". Miles '55 offers a deeper look at 1955, the year in which jazz icon Miles Davis formed his first great quintet (John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones) and established his influential sound. This 2-CD set collects 16 tracks remastered from the original analog tapes by GRAMMY-winning engineer Paul Blakemore. Included are new liner notes by GRAMMY-winning music historian Ashley Kahn and session notes by Dan Morgenstern. Limited Edition.

Green color label coating. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. *UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) is an upgraded version of HQCD, a high fidelity CD format developed by Memory-Tech. Decca. 2025.

Green color label coating. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. *UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) is an upgraded version of HQCD, a high fidelity CD format developed by Memory-Tech. Decca. 2025.

Green color label coating. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. *UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) is an upgraded version of HQCD, a high fidelity CD format developed by Memory-Tech. Decca. 2025.

Green color label coating. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. *UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) is an upgraded version of HQCD, a high fidelity CD format developed by Memory-Tech. Decca. 2025.

Green color label coating. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. *UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) is an upgraded version of HQCD, a high fidelity CD format developed by Memory-Tech. Decca. 2025.

Immerse yourself in the tranquil beauty of the countryside with Beethoven's beloved "Pastoral" Symphony, brought vividly to life by Herbert von Karajan and the legendary Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This exquisite 1LP release captures one of the most iconic interpretations of Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, a deeply expressive, masterfully balanced performance that has stood the test of time. From the gentle rustle of the first movement to the dramatic storm and the joyful, hymnlike finale, Karajan's interpretation is both intimate and grand, revealing new emotional depths in every listen.

Green color label coating. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. *UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) is an upgraded version of HQCD, a high fidelity CD format developed by Memory-Tech. Decca. 2025.