The Syd Lawrence Orchestra – Big Band Spectacular
The Thelonious Monk Quartet – Straight No Chaser 180g Audiophile Vinyl
180-GRAM 33RPM 2LP SET
This mid-period masterwork from jazz piano’s most uncommon voice find Monk and his quartet ( Charlie Rouse on tenor, Ben Riley on drums and Larry Gales on bass) exploring every texture, tone and melodic turn of seven expansive tracks. This group was subtle, mature and confident, easily supporting Monk’s more idiosyncratic side-tracks (check out the solo on “Locomotive” or the restless exposition on “Japanese Folk Song”) while allowing listeners freedom to move through or contemplate all the sublime subtexts Monk conjures from the endless well of his inspiration.
Weather Report Live In Tokyo – Speakers Corner 180g Vinyl 2LP Gatefold Sleeve
Do you remember what you did you on the evening of 13 January 1972? A multitude of Japanese jazz lovers walked or drove to the grand Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo where they enjoyed a veritable firework display of a concert, which was – without exaggeration – a milestone in the history of jazz. The technicians from the Japanese subsidiary of Columbia, Sony, had placed their microphones and tape machines with great care and captured this memorable concert live.
Two of the numbers had already been recorded in New York with the same group of musicians for the album I Sing The Body Electric. But to experience Weather Report live with this ensemble was only granted to the enthusiastic Japanese jazz fans.
