Herbie Nichols Trio – Herbie Nichols Trio (Mono) – Blue Note (Tone Poet) 180g Vinyl
Herbie Nichols was one of the most original pianists and composers in jazz history. Blue Note founder Alfred Lion considered him to be as unique and important a voice as Thelonious Monk, another singular talent who Lion was the first to record a few years before he signed Nichols in 1955. Little-known during his lifetime, recognition has begun to grow in recent decades for Nichols' incredibly hip, angular compositions, each of which were miniature marvels built with their own sturdy inner logic.
Horace Parlan – Speakin’ My Piece (Classic Vinyl Series) Blue Note Vinyl
Best known for his work with Charles Mingus, pianist Horace Parlan began recording for Blue Note in 1960 with an excellent run of hard bop classics including Speakin’ My Piece, a quintet date featuring a frontline of Stanley Turrentine on saxophone and Tommy Turrentine on trumpet with the rhythm team of George Tucker on bass and Al Harewood on drums. 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.
Horace Silver – Silver’s Serenade Blue Note Tone Poet Series 180g Vinyl LP
The program on Silver’s Serenade consists of five Silver tunes that epitomize his exceptional compositional style: captivating melodies, sophisticated harmonies, and intricate rhythmic inventions with a soulful and unerring sense of swing at the core. From the relaxed groove of the opening title track to the hard-charging finale “Nineteen Bars” the Quintet delivers their swan song with style.
Horace Tapscott – TAPSCOTT and WINDS
Horace Tapscott Conducting The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra: Flight 17 – Pure Pleasure Records
Horace Tapscott Conducting The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra: The Call – Pure Pleasure Records
There are certain albums you hear something new every time you revisit the music and this is one of those albums. An important part of Afro-American history; the politics and art which surrounded the album. If you get a chance check out the film ‘Horace Tapscott, Musical Griot’, by filmmaker Barbara McCullough, or buy the book ‘Songs Of The Unsung’: The Musical & Social Journey of Horace Tapscott’
UK VIBE Mark Jones
Horace Tapscott: Dial ‘B’ For Barbra – 2 x LP Pure Pleasure Vinyl
“The best of pianist Horace Tapscott’s recordings for the tiny Nimbus label is this 1981 LP which features him in a sextet with trumpeter Reggie Bullen, altoist Gary Bias, tenor saxophonist Sabir Matteen, bassist Roberto Miranda and drummer Everett Brown, Jr. The group stretches out on a couple of Tapscott’s originals plus a 19½-minute version of Linda Hill’s”Dem Folks.” Although the music could be called avant-garde, its use of rhythms and repetition keep the results from being forbidding and the performances have a momentum of their own.”
Scott Yanow/AMG
Howard McGhee – Maggie’s Back In Town! – Contemporary Records (Acoustic Sounds Series) 180g Vinyl
Just in time for summer comes this reissue featuring the criminally unsung Howard McGhee, the dexterous bebop trumpeter who’s frequently compared to greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. Maggie’s Back in Town!! (Maggie was McGhee’s nickname), captures the musician’s triumphant return to music in 1961. AllMusicrates the album as, “McGhee’s finest recording of the period.” He overachieves in rhythmic fluidity, a through line that’s particularly potent in seemingly carefree songs such as “Sunset Eyes” and the title track.
This new edition, released as part of the Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds Series, features (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Bernie Grundman and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP, and presented in a Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket.
Illinois Jacquet – Swing’s The Thing (Mono Version) 180g 45rpm Verve Re-Issue Vinyl
Illinois Jacquet's 1956 album Swing's The Thing features Roy Eldridge, Jimmy Jones, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Jo Jones.
"...these are all truly classic Verve titles that you simply don't want to miss...most importantly, the sound of these reissues is nothing short of astounding. Particularly the early Billie and Ella mono records are incredible treasures of sonic beauty. I'd definitely ask Santa for the whole set, or, if you want to cherry pick, the most classic titles. Whatever you decide, you owe yourself at least a half dozen!" Winner of a 2012 Positive Feedback Online Writers' Choice Award - Danny Kaey, Positive Feedback Online, November/December 2011
