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.
Train – Drops of Jupiter – Mofi SACD
Triple-Platinum Train Album Awarded Two Grammy Awards: Drops Of Jupiter Contains The Hits “Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me)” And “She’s On Fire”
Sourced From The Original Master Tapes And Strictly Limited To 2,000 Numbered Copies: Hybrid Sacd Plays With Openness, Airiness, And Smoothness
New Release SACD Very Limited, Only 2,000 Numbered Copies!
There’s definitely nothing wrong with echoing classic rock and harmonic pop sounds, especially when it’s done this well. Drops of Jupiter, Train’s two-time Grammy-winning 2001 album, revels in sweeping hooks and soulful comfort borrowed from proven 70s methods. Remarks of jealous critics aside, the approach resonated with the public and made Train a ubiquitous presence of mainstream radio, a status the group still enjoys.
Elvin Jones – Poly-Currents Blue Note Tone Poet Series 180g Vinyl
After his six years with the seminal John Coltrane Quartet, the master drummer Elvin Jones signed with Blue Note in 1968 and began building his own career as a bandleader. His first two albums for the label were spare trio outings—Puttin’ It Together and The Ultimate—both featuring saxophonist Joe Farrell and bassist Jimmy Garrison. For his next album—1969’s unfettered post-bop exploration Poly-Currents—Jones expanded his ensemble with additional woodwinds and percussion while still maintaining spacious realms for the musicians to delve into on modal band member originals including “Agenda,” Agappe Love,” “Mr. Jones,” and “Whew.” Jones is joined throughout by a cast that includes Farrell on tenor saxophone, English horn, and flutes, George Coleman on tenor saxophone, Pepper Adams on baritone saxophone, Fred Tompkins on flute, Wilbur Little on bass, and Cuban conguero Candido Camero.
Matchbox Twenty – Yourself Or Someone Like You – Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series 45 rpm 180g Vinyl
Available to Pre-Order
Described by AllMusic as the standard-bearer for post-alternative rock ‘n’ roll because of its ’90s production dynamics, while still holding true to its classic rock core, Yourself or Someone Like You — the debut album from Matchbox Twenty — features sturdy songs and fairly strong hooks, all delivered forcefully with lead singer-songwriter Rob Thomas’s distinctive bravado.
Otis Redding – The Dock Of The Bay – Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series Hybrid Stereo SACD
In Stock
The guts of the story are this: While on tour with the Bar-Kays in August 1967, Otis Redding's popularity was rising, and he was inundated with fans at his hotel in downtown San Francisco. Looking for a retreat, he accepted rock concert impresario Bill Graham's offer to stay at his houseboat at Waldo Point in Sausalito, California. Inspired, Redding started writing the lines, "Sittin' in the morning sun, I'll be sittin' when the evening comes" and the first verse of a song, under the abbreviated title "Dock of the Bay."
Ray Charles – Ray Charles – Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series Hybrid Mono SACD
Ray Charles' self-titled 1957 album was one of the first handful of albums issued by Atlantic (and was later retitled Hallelujah I Love Her So). As AllMusic reviewer Bruce Elder notes, the album is weighted about three to one in favor of Charles' own compositions, with the hits "Hallelujah I Love Her So" and the pounding, soaring "Ain't That Love," which opens the record, its raison d'etre.
Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare – Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series Hybrid Stereo SACD
Patricia Barber – Cafe Blue – Impex 24K Gold CD
Nightclub has been newly remastered from the original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering for added warmth musicality. The deluxe book-style packaging has a heavy-stock booklet that pays homage to the original Premonition CDs while updating them to Impex Records’ premium look and feel.
