A subtle tour de force are the words with which Billboard met guitarist Bill Connors's Of Mist and Melting upon the album's release in 1978; and revisiting this music decades later only confirms that special spirits were indeed at work when the Manfred Eicher-produced session with Jan Garbarek, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette and Connors unfolded at Oslo's Talent Studio in December 1977. Reissued as part of ECM's Luminessence series, Of Mist and Melting arrives in a tip-on gatefold jacket with new liner notes and photos from the archive.
Double vinyl LP pressing. "Incomparable" is what the German weekly paper Die Zeit called this album on it's release in 2000, before going on to describe the music as follows: "A high, warm voice sings fragile songs, Annette Peacock accompanies herself on the grand piano, a string quartet models sound sculptures: the time measure from classical music, the feeling from jazz, openness from the lyrics, and a voice of dreams." An Acrobat's Heart is a ravishingly beautiful album by one of the most mysterious, elusive and beguiling figures on the fringes of jazz. It features the unique vocals and piano playing of singer-songwriter Annette Peacock, performing her own compositions with the acclaimed Cikada String Quartet. Available for the first time on vinyl, this ECM Luminessence Series is presented in tip-on gatefold jacket.
The internationally acclaimed 12 Ensemble return with their third studio album Metamorphosis, recorded at the iconic Abbey Rd studios. From the divine nature of transformation to alien visions of new worlds and rebirth, the conductor-less 12 Ensemble explore Renaissance hymn reborn as futuristic prayer, ancient Japanese ritual, otherworldly operatic arias and a monumental elegy that sees the ensemble harness it's biggest forces to date. This deluxe double-vinyl package has been created in collaboration with celebrated Art Director Ben Ditto, featuring photography by Greta Ilieva. Recorded in London's Abbey Road Studio 2, this high-quality edition is pressed in France from a bespoke lacquer cut by Cicely Balston. Presented in a double gatefold package with gold-foil embossing and UV gloss to the front cover, the record includes a foreword by author Charlie Fox and liner notes by Hugh Morris. The luxury 300g cover contains two slide-out double-sided record sleeves featuring further artwork from the series, and a double-sided foldout poster on 150g fine-art paper.
Vinyl LP pressing. Anchored in the idea that, despite all obstacles, the human experience casts a net of possibilities, Defiant Life - Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith's second duo recording for ECM - proves a profound meditation on the human condition and both the suffering and resilience it entails. Recorded within two days at Lugano's Auditorio Stelio Molo, Defiant Life was produced by Manfred Eicher. "This recording session was conditioned by our ongoing sorrow and outrage over the past year's cruelties, but also by our faith in human possibility." - Vijay Iyer
180g vinyl compilation captures the emotional depth and storytelling of France's legendary "Little Sparrow" through her most iconic chansons recorded between 1946 and 1961. The 18-track collection features perennial classics like "La Vie en Rose" and "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien," showcasing the dramatic vocal power that made Edith Piaf a global cultural icon.
Double vinyl LP pressing. 2024 release. Celebration, Volume 1 is the first in a series of archival releases that the legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter curated before he passed away in 2023. This thrilling 2014 live recording captured Shorter's acclaimed quartet with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade at the Stockholm Jazz Festival in Sweden. The intrepid set includes some of the band's favorite vehicles of exploration including "Zero Gravity," "Smilin' Through," "Orbits," "Lotus," and "She Moves Through The Fair."
For her new recording, entitled Or (light), cellist Sonia Wieder-Atherton has devised a two-part narrative, "like freeze frames, like incursions into time": first, Couperin's Les leçons de ténèbres or the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah. Prophecies are the time before. Before destruction and tears: "We hear the song of the prophet lamenting, but the possibility that this will not happen still exists." Then comes "our time": "With his dramatic force, Vivaldi confronts us with our present. He says, 'This is now.'" Sonia has chosen several excerpts from operas as well as two violin concertos. She transcribed most of the pieces in this programme for solo cello or two cellos, two voices that she plays herself. She also imagined bridges to other lights, those of Mahut's percussion and Marius Atherton's electric guitar and MS20 synthesiser.
With this reflection on breathing as the most intimate human experience - one that connects people through language, movement and touch - Berlin-based jazz vocalist Esther Kaiser has dedicated her ninth album to 'Breathing'. Critics have described her as a 'voice artist','shaman of jazz', and a 'jazz poet'. Esther takes responsibility where she is. Her albums breathe and are politically and socially charged, as jazz has always been. With BREATHING, the vocalist and composer provides a glimpse into the heart of jazz. It breathes in what is, and it feels and exhales that which creates space for more understanding, tolerance, peace, and freedom. The interplay of lyrics and compositions by Esther Kaiser and pianist Alexander Wienand, alongside Kaiser's own works, interwoven with elements of spoken word, invites listeners to become part of the act of breathing itself.
Ornette Coleman -"Something Else!!!! (Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds Series)" - Originally released in 1958 and recorded by legendary engineer Roy DuNann, Ornette Coleman's debut album Something Else!!!! introduced the world to his innovative style and features his band of Don Cherry, Walter Norris, Don Payne and Billy Higgins. Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds Series features all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl in a tip-on jacket at QRP.
Vinyl LP pressing. For his latest Deutsche Grammophon release, the legendary composer, conductor and pianist Joe Hisaishi turns the spotlight on his work with another leading figure in Japanese cinema, Takeshi Kitano. Recorded as part of the hugely successful collaboration with the Wiener Symphoniker that began with Hisaishi's acclaimed debut at the Vienna Musikverein in March 2023.
Pianist-composer Vijay Iyer follows his 2021 ECM disc Uneasy - the first to showcase his trio featuring bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Tyshawn Sorey - with Compassion, another album in league with these two gifted partners. The New York Times captured the special qualities of this group, pointing to the trio's flair for playing "with a lithe range of motion and resplendent clarity... while stoking a kind of writhing internal tension. Crucial to that balance is their ability to connect with each other almost telepathically." Compassion, Iyer's eighth release as a leader for ECM, continues his drive to explore fresh territory while also referencing his forebears along the way, two of them long associated with the label. The album includes a lyrical homage to Chick Corea via the late pianist's valedictory interpretation of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed." Another tip of the hat comes with "Nonaah," a whirlwind of a piece by avant-garde sage Roscoe Mitchell, a key mentor for the pianist. Then there are Iyer's own melodically alluring, rhythmically invigorating compositions, ranging from the pensive title track to the hook-laced highlights "Tempest" and "Ghostrumental."
Despite various reissue formats over several decades, the seven original LPs contained in Thelonious Monk - The Riverside Tenor Sessions stood perfectly well on their own at the time of initial release and remain among the highest achievements of a truly golden age. Recorded and released between 1956 and 1961, these seven Monk combo albums were critical in Monk's emergence from a decade of ridicule and neglect to his status at the pinnacle of the jazz pantheon. The sextet sessions from which Quartet Plus Two At the Blackhawk sprung started out as a collaboration. The occasion was Monk's second visit to San Francisco. He took his current quartet - Monk on piano; Charlie House, tenor sax; John ore, bass; and Billy Higgins, drums. Plus he added two of the most impressive horn men available on the West Coast - trumpeter Joe Gordon, and tenor sax player Harold Land. This vibrant live performance took place at the famed San Francisco jazz club in 1960. While the entire album showcases the group's remarkable chemistry and improvisational prowess, several standout tracks exemplify the quintet's dynamic energy and innovative approach to jazz. 'Epistrophy,' the iconic Monk composition, is given new life in a live setting, with it's infectious rhythms and memorable melody captivating the audience from the first note. The album displays brilliantly and evocatively several different facets of Monk - his artistry, and his magic. The addition of Land's horn makes for a very soulful set. In addition to some of his best recorded piano performances and more than two dozen of his profoundly personal compositions, the albums in this reissue series provide an overview of the era's major tenor saxophonists, with contributions by Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, Johnny Griffin, Charlie Rouse and Harold Land. Max Roach, Art Blakely, Roy Haynes and Thad Jones are among the other jazz immortals featured on the essential Brilliant Corners, Monk's Music: Thelonious Monk Septet, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, Thelonious in Action, Misterioso, 5 by Monk by 5 and Quartet Plus Two At The Blackhawk. Thelonious Monk - Quartet Plus Two At the Blackhawk One of seven standout Thelonious Monk albums from the Riverside Records catalog! Reissued on 180-gram vinyl by Analogue Productions! Mastered AAA by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tape Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Tracklist: Side 1 1. Let's Call This 2. Four in One 3. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You Side 2 1. San Francisco Holiday 2. 'Round Midnight 3. Epistrophy (closing theme)
Vox Clamantis - "Part: And I heard a voice". Estonian vocal ensemble Vox Clamantis and their leader Jaan-Eik Tulve have established themselves among the leading interpreters of Arvo Part's music over a quarter-century of close collaboration with the composer - a relationship that builds on the almost half a decade-long artistic partnership between Part and producer Manfred Eicher. 'And I heard a voice' was recorded in Haapsalu Cathedral, Estonia and is released as Arvo Part turns 90.
Miles Davis' first masterpiece, Birth of the Cool, gets the royal treatment in celebration of the legendary trumpeter's centennial. Davis' seminal nonet recordings were captured in 1949-50 with a cast of notable collaborators including Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz and Gil Evans. This mono Blue Note Tone Poet Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog phono reel master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket featuring session photos.
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Alts 'N Outs: The Other Side of Blue Note is a compilation of alternate takes & outtakes from iconic Blue Note sessions by Cannonball Adderley, Grant Green, Wayne Shorter, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith & Sonny Clark.
Deeply resonant spiritual music transmitted via piano, organ, and harmonium by beloved composer and Ethiopian Orthodox nun Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru. Church of Kidane Mehret collects all the musical work from Emahoy's 1972 private press album of the same name, alongside two additional unreleased piano recordings, exploring Emahoy's take on "Ethiopian Church Music." Recording herself in churches throughout Jerusalem, Emahoy engages directly with the Ethiopian Orthodox musical liturgy. For the first time, we hear Emahoy on harmonium and massive, droning pipe organ, alongside some of her most moving piano work.
LOVE IS HERE - COMPLETE PARIS 1975 ORTF RECORDINGS
ELEMENTAL MUSIC REC.
Vinyl
$44.99Sep 05, 2025
Pharoah Sanders' COMPLETE 1975 RECORDINGS AT THE MAISON DE LA RADIO IN PARIS. Tranferred from the original STEREO tape reels at the French INA (Institut national de l'audiovisuel). LP mastering by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. Includes an extensive booklet with rare photos from the actual performance by Christian Rose, and an exclusive essay by longtime jazz critic/historian and Down Beat contributor Kevin Whitehead.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "First Flight To Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings" - A previously unreleased live recording of drum legend Art Blakey with a classic line-up of the Jazz Messengers, trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt. It was captured on January 14, 1961, at Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo during the band's first-ever tour of Japan. Co-produced by Zev Feldman and David Weiss, the audio was newly transferred from the original 1/4" tape reels. First Flight To Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings [2 LP]
RESPIGHI: PINES OF ROME; ROMAN FESTIVALS FOUNTAINS
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
Vinyl
$59.06Mar 13, 2026
Seiji Ozawa / Boston Symphony Orchestra - Respighi: Pines of Rome; Roman Festivals; Fountains of Rome [180g 2 LP] No contemporary Italian was as successful an instrumental composer in the concert hall in the period after World War I as Ottorino Respighi with his four-movement symphonic poems, 'Fountains of Rome' (1917), 'Pines of Rome' (1924) and 'Feste Romane' (1929). In these works, programme music experienced a magnificent revival. When this Boston Symphony recording was made on 8-track analog in 1977, the nightingale's song was not recorded during the orchestral sessions but added in from an additional tape when the 2-track master was mixed a few weeks later in Hanover. That additional tape is no longer in the archives. So, in preparing this new release for DG's Original Source Series, producer Rainer Maillard decided to use one of Hampe's original recordings (as chosen by Respighi himself), playing the 1910 shellac disc (matrix no. 7438r) on an acoustic gramophone in the Emil Berliner Studios' echo chamber and mixing it in (in real time) while cutting. 2-LP set, 180g vinyl.
John Eliot Gardiner will celebrate his 80th birthday on 20th April 2023. On 7th April, we are releasing a 64-CD boxset including his complete Erato Recordings, and are also celebrating this wonderful conductor with two of his most emblematic albums to be released on vinyl: Purcell's King Arthur and Handel's Water Music. As John Eliot Gardiner converted his Monteverdi Orchestra to early instruments in the mid-1970s and renamed it the English Baroque Soloists, he engaged his magnificent instrumentalists, choir and a host of first-class soloists in the most emblematic works by "the Greatest Genius we [England] ever had": Henry Purcell! The reception was unanimously enthusiastic and led Diapason magazine to say: "Gardiner's reading of Purcell, dramatic, hyper-refined, sometimes burning, overwhelming, at all times enchanting, cannot escape the discography of the enlightened music lover. Purcell himself is there!" King Arthur was first staged at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London in mid-1691. It proved to be the most popular and enduring of all Purcell's stage works, and enjoyed revivals throughout the eighteenth century and beyond.
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