James Taylor – JT – Mofi 180g Vinyl
Sourced From the Original Analog Master Tapes and Pressed at Rti for Exceptional Sound 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe
James Taylor's best-selling record since 1970's hallmark Sweet Baby James, the triple-platinum JT takes its permanent place as one of the singer's most enduring albums — an affair that gorges on country, blues, and rock styles as well as incisive songwriting. As the preeminent singer-songwriter's Columbia debut, it catapulted Taylor back into the limelight and reestablished his place as the era's leading-edge folk-rock troubadour.
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
Milt Jackson : Sunflower – Pure Pleasure Records 180g Vinyl
Recorded over two days in December of 1972 at Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood, New Jersey home studio, vibraphonist Milt Jackson’s Sunflower is the first and best of his three albums for Creed Taylor’s CTI imprint. (And one of the finest offerings on the label.) With a core band consisting of Herbie Hancock (playing electric and acoustic piano), bassist Ron Carter, drummer Billy Cobham, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, drummer/percussionist Ralph McDonald, and guitarist Jay Berliner. A chamber orchestra exquisitely arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky adorns the session as well.
Pharoah Sanders : Live – Pure Pleasure Records 180g 2 LP Vinyl
John Coltrane – With The Red Garland Trio – Analogue Productions 200g Vinyl
For his second long player, John Coltrane (tenor saxophone) joined forces with his Prestige labelmate Red Garland (piano) to command a quartet through a five-song outing supported by a rhythm section of Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Taylor (drums). The absence of any unessential instrumentalists encouraged a decidedly concerted focus from Coltrane, who plays with equal measures of confidence and freedom. The Coltrane original “Traneing In” Is a rousing blues that exemplifies the musical singularity between Coltrane and Garland. Even though Garland, the pianist, takes charge from the start, the structure of the arrangement permits the tenor to construct his solo seamlessly out of Garland’s while incrementally increasing in intensity, yet never losing the song’s underlying swinging bop.
Buddy Guy & Junior Wells – Going Back To Acoustic – Pure Pleasure Records 180g Vinyl
“…These classic songs are matched by an impeccable re-master of the kind of recording which constantly reminds me exactly just why I own a turntable. Fantastic transparency, a jaw dropping presentation of rough hewed vocal dynamic shifts and the kind of inner details that scream ‘intimacy’ recreates the atmospheric roots of the Deep South – making this a must own record from a sonic perspective as well.” Recording = 9.5/10; Music = 9/10 – Reuben Parry, Hi-Fi+, Issue 45
Miles Davis In Person: Friday And Saturday Nights At The Blackhawk – Impex 2LP, 180G, 33RPM Vinyl
Miles Davis – Nefertiti – MOFI 2 x 180g 45RPM Vinyl
STEEPED IN INQUISITIVE INTERPLAY AND SUBCONSCIOUS IMPRESSIONISM
1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe
Nefertit will always be known as the final all-acoustic record made by Miles Davis’ classic second quintet. A thematic bookend to the preceding Sorcerer, the 1967 set shares much in common with its equally nuanced predecessor yet deviates by way of its focus on rhythm and exploratory soundscapes. The low-key music blooms with colorful bouquets of shadings, gradations, and overtones that on Mobile Fidelity’s analog edition bring listeners to closer to the creative passions than ever before.
Miles Davis – My Funny Valentine – Mofi 180g Vinyl
Deep Emotions, Spontaneous Brilliance, Sensitive Beauty, And Sublime Poignancy
1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe
Miles Davis' My Funny Valentine marks several historic turning points. For Davis, the live album represents the final time on record he'd perform standards rather than original compositions. It also stands as one of the last documents made by the same band that created Seven Steps to Heaven. As such, the work teems with bebop melodicism yet steers clear of Davis' oft-controversial avant-garde leanings. Most significantly, however, the set captures the ballads performed at a benefit concert from New York's then-new Philharmonic Hall just months after President Kennedy's assassination. Tapping into a seemingly divine inspiration, Davis never sounded so elegant or poetic.
MILES DAVIS – E.S.P. – MOFI 2 x 180g, 45RPM VINYL
Splits Divide Between Accessible Hard-Bop And Cutting-Edge Improvisation: A Paragon Of Cohesion, Chemistry, Interplay 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe
A landmark recording and masterful symphony of performance, composition, and execution, Miles Davis' E.S.P. established the template jazz would follow for the following decade. The 1965 record splits the gap between accessible hard-bop and the cutting-edge approach Davis increasingly pursued into the 1970s. Adventurous, sophisticated, and yet altogether cohesive, E.S.P. stands out not only due to its elastic compositions but via its chemistry, interplay, and feeling attained by the instrumentalists. The first album Davis' classic second quintet made together, it's also very arguably the group's best. Never before has the effort been experienced in such transformational sound.
Jazz at the Pawnshop Deluxe Edition 200g 2xHD Audiophile Vinyl 2LP
Jazz at the Pawnshop is a multi-session recording made by Swedish sound engineer Gert Palmcrantz on December 6-7, 1976, at Jazzpuben Stampen (Pawnshop) in Stockholm, Sweden. A pawnshop had operated on the site prior to the jazz club. Proprius Records founder Jacob Boethius produced the album, and it has been issued several times under multiple labels and formats.
The album is regarded by many audiophiles as one of the best jazz recordings of the 20th Century.
The recording features Arne Domnérus (alto sax, clarinet), Bengt Hallberg (piano), Lars Erstrand (vibes), Georg Riedel (bass), and Egil Johansen (drums).
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.
