Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in deluxe tip-on jacket. The brilliant arranger, composer, and pianist Gil Evans had already collaborated with Miles Davis on Birth of the Cool and Miles Ahead and made his own debut album Gil Evans & Ten for Prestige when he signed with World Pacific Records in 1958 and made the first of two albums for the label: New Bottle Old Wine with featured soloist Cannonball Adderley. The next year Evans was back in the studio to record the follow-up Great Jazz Standards with two different ensembles featuring the likes of trumpeter Johnny Coles, trombonists Curtis Fuller and Jimmy Cleveland, soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy, tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Budd Johnson, guitarist Ray Crawford, drummer Elvin Jones, and others. As the title promises, the album presents a program of great jazz standards leading off with Bix Beiderbecke's "Davenport Blues," a showcase for Coles, before launching into a shimmering version of Thelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser" where Coles, Lacy, Fuller, and Evans all get the spotlight. A stunning presentation of Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf's "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" and a no-nonsense take on Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring" close out the first side. On the flipside, John Lewis' "Django" gets an impressionistic arrangement full of surprises, while a modernistic version of Don Redman's "Chant of the Weed" is a solo vehicle for Johnson's clarinet. The album culminates with a soaring performance of the Evans original "Theme," later known as "La Nevada." Mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes.
After receiving four Grammy nominations for his highly successful series of recordings that "latinize" the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Horace Silver, Conrad Herwig turns his attention to the legendary Charles Mingus. An imposing figure in jazz, Mingus was known for being complicated, volatile and a touched-by-genius innovator. As an homage to this influential artist, Conrad Herwig provides a fiery excursion into the world of Afro-Caribbean rhythms skillfully applied to Mingus' wildly imaginative compositions. Joining Herwig is special guest trumpeter Randy Brecker together with long-time "Latin Side" band colleagues pianist Bill O'Connell, reedman Craig Handy and the trumpet/flugelhorn of Alex Sipiagin with the rhythm section of Luques Curtis, Robby Ameen and Camilo Molina. Collectively they bring a vibrant spirit and authority to this repertoire which is unique among today's salsa ensembles. Featured tunes run the gamut from the thoughtful and intimate "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" to the unbridled joy of "Boogie Stop Shuffle" with the somewhat lop-sided introduction to the opening track, "Gunslinging Bird," being the perfect harbinger of things to come. This latest installment in Conrad Herwig's "Latin Side" series pays tribute to the work of Charles Mingus with progressive arrangements, propulsive rhythms, exciting solos and the consummate musicianship of the leader and his bandmates.
Picture the scene, The year 2000 has passed and the new millenium is just getting underway - A new scene explodes onto the nation's Indie Dancefloors - some called it Indie Sleaze, Nu Rave, Future Disco or even Electroclash - 'Strobes in Space' takes you back to a time when the Indie kids re-discovered the joys of dancing, raving and having fun at Indie clubs. Day-Glo, Light Sticks, Baggy T-Shirts and Hedonism on the Dance Floors - welcome to Strobes in Space! When the Indie Dance / Nu Rave scene crashed onto the dancefloors and ignited the youth of the time it seemed like uber cool and incredible new bands were appearing from all corners of the globe almost every day. An explosion of creativity and excitement flooded the clubs and airwaves. From the UK you had bands like Bloc Party, Klaxons, Test Icicles, Playgroup, Simian Mobile Disco. Coming out of NYC you had the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fischerspooner. From France you had Phoenix from Versailles and Black Strobe coming out of Paris. DJ / Producer Tiga from Canada, Digitalism from Hamburg Germany, Cut Copy from Melbourne Australia, and from Belgium Soulwax and Goose, and even spreading to South America with CSS coming out of Sao Paolo, Brazil. It really was a global scene. Two-Piers Records brings you a snapshot of that scene at the time on their latest compilation 'Strobes in Space'. Spanning across 3 x LPs, 30 tracks and artists. Hopefully it has captured a slice of the excitement and creativity of the time, and this compilation makes you feel joyful, happy and you just want to get Up, Dance and have Fun!
