When an artist follows trends, "electric" can sound like a gimmick. But with Donald Byrd, it's a natural evolution. On "Electric Byrd", electronic textures become an organic extension of his unmistakable lyricism, never artificial, always personal. With Duke Pearson on electric piano and the subtle rhythmic wizardry of Airto Moreira, the album unfolds as a series of vivid "feelingscapes." Moods shift fluidly from expressive trumpet solos to richly layered ensemble passages and intricate rhythm designs, creating a deeply cohesive listening experience. From the cool, floating woodwinds of "Estavanico" to the understated brilliance of drummer Mickey Roker on "Essence", 'Electric Byrd' is mood-driven jazz fusion at it's most imaginative and immersive.
A Frauta de Pa, released in 1975 when Carlos Walker was only 19, stands as a cult masterpiece of 1970s Brazilian music. An album where MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) sophistication meets jazz-fusion virtuosity and psychedelic imagination. Featuring an all-star cast of musicians including Joao Bosco, Helio Delmiro, Jose Roberto Bertrami (Azymuth), Gilson Peranzetta, and Roberto Quartin, the record delivers a rich, orchestral sound that continues to captivate collectors and DJs worldwide.
Chet Baker At George Jazzcafe was recorded live in 1983 at George Jazzcafe in Arnhem, the Netherlands, and at New Morning, Paris France. Dutch Jazz pioneers Wim and Ria Wigt had the privilege of supporting Chet's lifestyle by offering him a steady series of concerts that suited his way of living and traveling. The line-up often changed, depending on the tour. These four live recordings were made during a memorable run with two outstanding musicians from Copenhagen: veteran pianist Duke Jordan and bassist Jesper Lundgaard. The album offers a first selection from the tapes of a tour which took place at George Jazzcafe in Arnhem and New Morning in Paris. Chet Baker performs "Walkin'," "Solar" (written by Miles Davis) and "Star Eyes" all three recorded at George Jazzcafe as well as "September Song" recorded at New Morning. All tracks are available on CD for the first time. Booklet includes liner-notes by Wim and Ria Wigt, an original review published in the Dutch newspaper de Gelderlander in 1983 and an excerpt from the book George Jazzcafe: An Arnhem Legend 1974-1996 released in 2024.
Return to Forever's "The Complete Columbia Albums Collection" is a comprehensive 5-CD box set released on June 12, 2012, by Columbia Records. It showcases the band's influential mid-to-late-1970s era, a period marked by their evolution from jazz fusion to more expansive symphonic and vocal arrangements. It captures Return to Forever's dynamic range and innovation during their Columbia Records tenure. From the intricate compositions of "Romantic Warrior" (1976) and "Musicmagic" (1977) to the expansive live performances in "Live: The Complete Concert" (1978), the box set offers a deep dive into the band's evolution and their contributions to the jazz fusion genre. The Live album spans three discs and captures the full 1977 performance at New York City's Palladium Theatre, the only time with the lineup of Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Joe Farrell, Gayle Moran, and a six-piece horn section. Each CD in this boxset is housed in a mini-LP replica sleeve, faithfully reproducing the original album artwork. The box set also includes a comprehensive 28 page booklet with detailed liner notes by Grammy-winning producer Bob Belden, rare in-studio photographs, and full discography information.
Herbie Hancock's "Crossings" is a landmark album released in 1972, marking a pivotal point in his evolution as a jazz artist. It's the second album in his Mwandishi trilogy-a set of three experimental, electronic jazz fusion records-following "Mwandishi" (1971) and preceding "Sextant" (1973). "Crossings" was ahead of it's time, blending electronic music with jazz in a way few had done before. The album is highly experimental, featuring electric instruments, synthesizers, and complex arrangements. It fuses African rhythms, spacey textures, and jazz improvisation into a bold sonic journey. If you're into deep spacey grooves, cosmic jazz, or sci-fi soundscapes, this album is your jam. It's not easy-listening jazz-it's exploratory, immersive, and a bit surreal.
Paul Desmond's album Summertime, released in 1969 on the CTI label, features performances recorded in 1968. It showcases Desmond's alto saxophone in a mix of jazz and bossa nova styles. The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Miles Davis Quintet - The Complete Studio Recordings 1965-1968 is a 6-CD box set originally released by Columbia Records in 1998. It compiles the complete studio recordings of Miles Davis' legendary "Second Great Quintet," which featured: Miles Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor-saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. This quintet is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential jazz groups in history, pushing the boundaries of post-bop into free, more experimental territory. The box set gathers all the studio sessions from 1965 to 1968 that produced the albums: "E.S.P." (1965), "Miles Smiles" (1967), "Sorcerer" (1967), "Nefertiti" (1968), "Miles in the Sky" (1968), and "Filles de Kilimanjaro" (1968). It includes both the originally released takes and several alternate versions and unreleased material. These recordings document the transition from Miles' structured post-bop sound toward the freer, more open-ended playing that paved the way for his electric period. The box set includes a 68 page booklet with extensive liner notes, session details, and historical context, making it essential for jazz collectors and Miles Davis enthusiasts.
The Headhunters started out as Herbie Hancock's backing group for such groundbreaking funk jazz albums as "Thrust" and "Man Child". When 1975 rolled around, Herbie had moved on to other things and The Headhunters decided to keep performing without him. "The Survival Of The Fittest" is a very solid set of intricate funk jazz leaning towards fusion. Due to their ultra technical drummer, Mike Clark, The Headhunters take on the funk is jazzy and abstract in a style where the beat constantly turns around and shifts in unpredictable directions. An interesting cut is "Rima" on which the guys, led by ace composer and woodwinds player Bennie Maupin, drop the funk for a bit and get into an extended woodwinds and electronics tone poem. Another standout track is the album opener, "God Make Me Funky (Feat. The Pointer Sisters)," which has been heavily sampled in hip-hop, becoming a cornerstone of many classic songs by hip-hop greats such as 2Pac, N.W.A., de la Soul, Eric B. & Rakim, Nas, DMX, Usher, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, and the Beastie Boys, to name just a few. The album closes with "If You've Got it, You'll Get it", on which Blackbyrd is given room to play an extended acid rock/jazz fusion solo reminiscent of the great Pete Cosey.
Donald Byrd's "Thank You... For F.U.M.L." CD is a vibrant tribute to the jazz-funk fusion genre that he helped pioneer. The album showcases Byrd's masterful trumpet playing, blending seamlessly with groovy basslines and rhythmic guitar riffs. Each track is a journey through energetic and soulful landscapes, highlighting Byrd's versatility and innovation. The production quality is superb, capturing the essence of live performance with crisp and dynamic sound. Byrd's collaboration with talented musicians adds depth and richness to the overall sound. The album's title track stands out with it's infectious groove and memorable hooks. Overall, "Thank You... FOR F.U.N.K.I.N.G. Up My Life" is a fitting homage to Byrd's legacy and a must-listen for jazz-funk enthusiasts.
On "The Blue Yusef Lateef" (1968), listeners get an amazing chapter from the late '60s, an amazing period when everything in the world of Jazz was changing. Yusef Lateef was big on concept recordings. This album examines all the different ranges of emotion contained within the blues genre. With a band that included Detroit Jazz gods Roy Brooks on drums and Kenny Burrell on guitar, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Hugh Lawson on piano, Sonny Red on alto, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, and a very young Cecil McBee on acoustic bass, you get the idea that Lateef was after something different. Lateef performs on not only his tenor and flute, but bamboo and pneumatic flutes, tamboura, koto, and others; Lateef was exploring the outer reaches of the blues as they might appear and appeal to Eastern as well as Western cultures. "The Blue Yusef Lateef" is one wild album. In sound, it is the very best the '60s had to offer in terms of experimentation and accessibility. This is blues you can dance to, but also meditate to and marvel at. On this CD is the bonus track "DB Blues" included.
'Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation' is an influential album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman. Released in 1961, the album had a profound impact on the development of avant-garde jazz and has influenced countless musicians in various genres. The album is renowned for it's innovative approach to group improvisation, where multiple musicians play freely and interactively without predetermined harmonic progressions or fixed time signatures. The recording uses stereo panning to separate the two quartets into the left and right channels, creating a spatial effect that enhances the listening experience. The album originally consists of a single continuous piece, split into two parts for the original LP release. This performance lasts almost 40 minutes. This CD release contains a CD only bonus track: 'First Take' of approx. 17 minutes. This track is an alternate take of the main piece 'Free Jazz', recorded during the same session. It provides listeners with insight into the creative process and the evolution of the final performance featured on the original album.
Herbie Hancock recorded this album in 1970, in the early days of the jazz fusion movement, and was still transitioning from post bop and avant-garde jazz to fusion. The first thing he did was use electronic instruments and experiment with the jazz song format. This is the first album with the Mwandishi Sextant, where every member had a Swahili name attributed to them (Mwandishi was Herbie's name).The album has 3 very different tracks. "Ostinato (Suite for Angela)", is composed by an ostinato (riff for the rockers) in 15/8 time signature, and the whole band builds upon that continuous and hypnotic riff, with improvisation and dynamic changes. "You'll Know When I Get There" is quite smooth and calm, if we compare with the other two songs. "Wandering Spirit Song" is an almost free jazz song, that as so much tension, that the listener tries to gasp air in the release moments. This is a mystical album, and should be listened as such.
Dee Dee takes on the mantle of disco diva on this 1979 album. "Bad For Me", the title cut, is one of the best club cuts of all time. The material is strong and the jazz influences give the album greater heft than the run of the mill material released by contemporary's at the time. This upbeat disco album encapsulates all that was right about the Disco Era. Sure she has graduated on to the upper echelons of jazz, but this is where she got her start. It's fun. She adds depth and fire to the dance cuts "Don't Say It" and the sassy "For The Girls", the album closes with the excellent Ashford & Simpson penned "Is This What Feeling Gets" from The Wiz. "Bad For Me" was produced by George Duke.
CD reissue. "A Funky Thide of Sings" is all about the funk! Space rock drumming to be precise. The album opener "Panhandler" begins with an eerie type of ambience that reminds of hiding under a rock until this unexplainable ominous danger above clears. This song keeps a tight melody flowing and even when an extraordinary jazzy guitar solo comes in, the song remains high-octane and awesome. Keith Jarrett's "Sorcery" displays the Cobham funk sound at it's best. "Moody Modes" lives up to it's name! 'A Funky Thide Of Sings' is an album with Cobham's thunderous drumrolls and triple kick bass drums, with his signature sound. To hear them is to realize you'll always recognize, and appreciate what a great drummer sounds like.
CD reissue. Monk is among the most moving piano players ever to stroke the keys. His masterful use of silence and surprise forces you to become entwined in the melody, to enter the song. Step into the world of master artist Thelonious Monk, and embrace the melody and mystique that was his to command. One would expect marvelous renditions of "'Round Midnight" and "Ruby My Dear", and Monk delivers. Equally precious are the performances of lesser-known original gems such as Introspection and "Ask Me Now", and the bravura renditions of standard-bearers such as "I'm Confessin' That I Love You", "Dinah", and the immortal ballad "Body and Soul". As Picasso was to painting, Monk was to jazz. Truly one-of-a-kind.
CD reissue. Quiet Nights is Miles Davis' his fourth album collaboration with Gil Evans, originally released in 1964 on Columbia Records. Recorded mostly at Columbia's 30th Street Studios in Manhattan, it is the final album by Davis and Evans. The genesis of this Davis/Evans album encountered far greater difficulties than it's three predecessors. Bossa nova had recently become a commercial success in 1962 and Columbia executives may have pressured Davis and Evans to attempt something similar with this album.
CD reissue. Black Codes (From the Underground) is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis that won two Grammy Awards in 1986: Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group and Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist. Wynton is an American virtuoso trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has been awarded nine Grammy Awards and is the only musician to win a Grammy Award in jazz and classical during the same year.
Nine CD clamshell box featuring a 34 page booklet with the story about Nina Simone, beautiful pictures and all the information about the CDs, all from the RCA collection. Nina Simone's concert debut, a classical recital, was given when she was 12. An upcoming talent. Her parents, who had taken seats in the front row, were forced to move to the back of the hall to make way for white people. An emerging civil rights activist was formed. In 1958 she recorded her first studio album for Bethlehem Records, followed by Colpix and Philips and in 1967 RCA Victor. 'Nuff Said! Spawned the hitsingles "Ain't Got No - I Got Life" and the Bee Gees cover "To Love Somebody". After "Mississippi Goddam", from the same album, a civil rights message was the norm in Simone's recordings and became part of her concerts. In 1969 Simone recorded "To Be Young, Gifted And Black". Renditions of the song have been recorded by Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway.
Two CD reissue of this 1976 live album from the jazz legend. Both Pangaea and it's predecessor Agharta were recorded on February 1, in Osaka, Japan, at the Festival Hall. The Agharta concert took place during an afternoon matinee, whereas Pangaea was recorded in the evening. The band: Sonny Fortune, saxophones, Pete Cosey (who also played synth) and Reggie Lucas on guitars, Michael Henderson on bass, Al Foster on drums, James "Mtume" Foreman on percussion, and Miles Davis on trumpet and organ. Featuring only two resounding epic tracks which run for nearly two hours, 'Zimbabwe' and 'Gondwana' gives the listener it's unique and primitive kind of 'Afro futurism', a brand of jazz-funk that only Miles can deliver.
CD reissue. On this 1983 release, Miles Davis rediscovers the blues. Beside the members of the band from the We Want Miles album, the recordings feature John Scofield for the first time, who worked alongside Mike Stern in Davis' band in late 1982 and early 1983 before Stern's departure later in the year. Marcus Miller played on five of the six tracks and would later be replaced by Tom Barney, Al Foster and Mino Cinelu are heard on drums and percussion. Miles Davis plays trumpet and Oberheim synthesizer often at the same time (without using overdubs) and also on separately recorded interludes for the over 18-minute long blues "Star People".
