The Gil Evans Orchestra – Out Of The Cool 180g – Acoustic Sounds Verve Re-Issue
“The album is worth getting for the 15 minutes of ‘La Nevada’ alone but the rest is equally great including the cinematic side closer ‘Where Flamingoes Fly.’ … The sonics here with a cut from the master tape by Ryan K. Smith (yes, the master tape- I have a current photo that for some reason I can’t share with you) are incredibly transparent, spacious and flat-out thrilling … and somewhat brighter and less mid-band rich than the long out of print Alto-Analogue edition Bernie Grundman cut in 1997. Both are worth having for different sonic reasons and if you have a clean original Rudy Van Gelder cut (A-4) you may think you are set, but that cut is less spacious, somewhat dynamically compressed, has the RVG lower bass roll-off and is definitely less transparent — not that it’s bad and some people do like the more ‘in your face’ excitement. This one’s here now though! Do not miss it!” — Music = 10/11; Sound = 10/11 – Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet.com.
The Groundhogs – Scratching The Surface – Pure Pleasure Records 180G Vinyl
The Groundhogs' debut album is a long way from the "classic" sound of the better-known Thank Christ for the Bomb/Split/Who Will Save the World? trilogy.
Indeed, the mellow classic blues through which the band pursues its nine tracks offer the unsuspecting listener little more than a direct blast from the peak of the British blues boom past.
The Ornette Coleman Double Quartet: Free Jazz Speakers Corner 180g Vinyl
The term ‘free jazz’ was already in existence – but it had a quite different meaning, namely jazz without paying for an entrance ticket. The album “Free Jazz”, however, was intended to lend its name to a quite different style of jazz. ‘Free’ playing – now this meant that no one was bound to conventions, you could let your imagination run loose. Free jazz gave one the chance to find new rules for every new composition. And it was to be the greatest boost to innovation in the world of jazz. Ornette Coleman’s album from December 1960 stands at the beginning of the free jazz era like a massive portal.
The Oscar Peterson Trio – West Side Story – Verve 200g 45 RPM Vinyl
One of the first Broadway musical scores to be overtly jazz-influenced was Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, a tale of rival street gangs in the inner city. In 1962, pianist Oscar Peterson put his light-swing signature on the already popular score, making it, in the words of one critic, "a delight to hear again" and earning him a Grammy nomination.
Originally released in 1962
The Spinners – Spinners 180g Mofi Vinyl
Sweeping Strings, Funk Rhythms, Brassy Rejoinders, Immaculate Harmonies, and Satiny Lead Singing Fill Thom Bell's Melodic Arrangements: Few Albums Sound Creamier Than This Watershed Effort
The timeless music and expert arrangements are about the only things smoother than the powder-blue suits sported by the Spinners on the cover of their resplendent self-titled 1972 record. The band's first album for Atlantic after departing Motown, Spinners ranks as an all-time soul classic – a filler-free set boasting immaculate harmonies, sweet melodies, and impeccably matched vocals. Thom Bell's flawless production puts it all over the top. Yielding an ideal balance of lushness and grit, the collaboration between the Detroit-based group and studio veteran yielded a record that birthed the celebrated Philadelphia Sound. Now, you can finally experience it in audiophile-grade sonics.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.
The Three Blind Mice – 180g 45rpm 6LP Box Set
180 Gram 45rpm Audiophile Vinyl Collector's Box Set! Three of the All-Time Great Jazz selections from Three Blind Mice!
A Must Own Collection!!! Mastered by Tohru Kotetsu & Kevin Gray & Pressed at RTI!
Finally returning after a long and mysterious absence, Impex's re-pressing of the highly collectible Three Blind Mice 45 Box has been improved in almost every way: a full-cover box, newly rendered LP jackets with improved clarity and colour, a deluxe four-color insert with session photos and brand new notes by noted radio personality and audiophile Tom Schnabel (Rhythm Planet / KCRW Los Angeles).