Gregg Allman – Midnight Rider / These Days – Analogue Productions 45 rpm Vinyl Single
Groove Note – True Analogue: The Best Of Groove Note – One-Step Numbered Limited Edition 180g 45rpm 2LP
Announcing the very first Groove Note Best Of One Step LP — True Analogue: The Best of Groove Note Records (25th Anniversary Edition). The program is similar to Groove Note's existing True Audiophile series of SACDs but features more tracks from the recent releases by Vanessa Fernandez and Jacintha. The program contains 12 tracks spread over 4 x 45 rpm sides and is plated One Step by RTI.
Read Exclusive Review by Ken Kessler
Hall and Oates – H2O 180g Mofi Vinyl
1982 Multi-Platinum Smash Both Creatively Ambitious and Commercially Successful
Hall and Oates' biggest-selling album also stands as their most ambitious. Recorded in 1982, when the duo practically owned the pop market, H20 strikes a keen equilibrium between polish, melody, muscle, and craft. The vocalists expand the emotional reach of their songwriting, and shepherd meticulous production and measured arrangements toward thrilling intersections of blue-eyed soul, edge new wave, soft rock, and dance. Staked to two giant singles, the double-platinum affair lingers as the group's last masterwork.
Hall and Oates – Rock ‘n Soul Part 1 – MOBILE FIDELITY NUMBERED SACD
Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g vinyl LP and SACD reissues present nine Top 10 Hall and Oates singles with awe-inspiring detail and palpable realism. Lifelike tones grace the array of guitars, pianos, basses, and voices placed against synthesized backdrops. Each member’s singing claims enhanced intimacy and balance. The collective harmonies sound sharper, the dynamics richer, and the soundstages wider and deeper. With just one listen to these definitive-sounding versions of Rock ’n Soul Part I, you’ll understand why the duo’s music not only ruled radio and record stores in the Reagan era but continues to be referenced by influential artists today.
Hank Mobley – A Caddy for Daddy – (Blue Note Tone Poet) – Blue Note 180g Vinyl
Hank Mobley – A Slice of the Top (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) Blue Note 180G Vinyl
Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley had already been building a formidable Blue Note catalog for more than a decade when he conceived of his unique album A Slice of the Top, which was recorded in 1966 but not first released until 1979 as part of the LT Series.
Inspired by Miles Davis’ Birth of the Cool, Mobley collaborated with Duke Pearson who arranged four Mobley originals and the pop standard “There’s a Lull In My Life” for an octet that added Kiane Zawadi’s euphonium and Howard Johnson’s tuba to a group consisting of James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums.
Behold Mobley’s lyrical flights on standout tunes including “Hank’s Other Bag,” “A Touch of Blue,” and “A Slice of the Top.”
Hank Mobley – Soul Station Blue Note 180G Vinyl
Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley had already led nine dates for Blue Note Records by the time he arrived at Rudy Van Gelder's studio on February 7, 1960 with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey, but on that day the quartet laid down what would become his masterpiece: Soul Station. The crystalline six-song set was a showcase for Mobley's lyrical flow from the breezy opening take on Irving Berlin's 'Remember' through bluesy originals like 'Dig Dis' and the title track, and the swinging up-tempo numbers 'This I Dig of You' and 'Split Feelin's.' Soul Station endures as a jazz classic for the ages..
Hard Bop ART BLAKEY’S JAZZ MESSENGERS Impex Records
Some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time have passed through Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers: Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham, Wayne Shorter, and Donald Byrd, among many others.
However brief their stay, working with the demanding and full-throttle drummer not only increased their visibility, but also their chops and interprative capacity. Blakey’s ability to drum up the best players in the game may have even eclipsed his superhuman ability to play drums.
