John Coltrane – Crescent Acoustic Sounds Series – 180g Impulse Vinyl
Crescent is widely regarded as one of John Coltrane’s finest albums, featuring the talents of McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. During 1964, John Coltrane spent the least amount of time in the recording studio of his entire career as a leader. It wasn’t until April 27th that he, along with Tyner, Garrison and Jones went to the familiar surroundings of Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliffs studio to record all the tracks that appear on Crescent. In a hint of things to come for the Classic Quartet, both Garrison and Jones are featured on extended solos on the album’s second side.
Miles Davis – On the Corner – Mofi 180g Super Vinyl
Available to Pre-Order
1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe
Miles Davis' boundlessly influential On the Corner was so far ahead of its time upon release in 1972, the jazz cognoscenti rejected its groundbreaking concoction as middling in nature. Yet time has a way of righting wrongs and shifting views by adding needed context and perspective to visionary ideas, music, and approaches — the likes of which fill Davis' boldest and most controversial — undertaking. Designed to bring the focus back on the groove and bottom-end frequencies, the funk-loaded On the Corner revolutionized jazz. It also set new standards for record production, presaging remixing and electronica by more than a decade. And the work has never sounded more thrilling thanks to this very special pressing.
Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges – Back to Back – Analogue Productions 45RPM 200g 2LP
Several times in his career star alto-saxophone soloist Johnny Hodges struck out on his own, only to return each time to Duke Ellington’s band. There seemed to be a constant tension between them, though it was old hat by the time of this recording. In the enclosed notes, critic Michael Ullman examines this complex relationship, suggesting that the blues classics chosen for this program may have been neutral ground. A place where Ellington’s unique piano playing could come to the fore and Hodges’ irrepressible sensuality could have free rein. This is one of the very best small-group records Ellington ever made — a relaxed, perfectly integrated set of music that truly swings the blues.
Gregg Allman – Midnight Rider / These Days – Analogue Productions 45 rpm Vinyl Single
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.
Crosby, Stills and Nash – Daylight Again – Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series 45 rpm 180g Vinyl
Available to Pre-Order
Although Crosby, Stills & Nash had, in effect, been together for well over a decade when Daylight Again (1982) was issued, it was only their third studio long-player of concurrently new material. Initially, the project began as a collaborative effort between Stephen Stills (guitar/banjo/keyboards/percussion/vocals) and Graham Nash (guitar/keyboards/percussion/vocals), as David Crosby was descending into a self-induced state of perpetual drug dependency. However, Crosby was included, although arguably in name alone, and his hauntingly lyrical "Delta" stands as one of his finest contributions. Perhaps the most telling element in the trio's state of affairs was the addition of the Eagles' Timothy B. Schmit and CSN bandmember Mike Finnigan (keyboards/vocals) on vocals throughout.
Otis Redding – Complete & Unbelievable… The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul – Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series 45 rpm 180g Vinyl
Donny Hathaway – Everything Is Everything – Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series 45 rpm 180g Vinyl
Dizzy Reece – Star Bright Lp (Blue Note Classic Series) Blue Note Vinyl
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, the trumpeter Dizzy Reece moved to London at age 17 and began working across Europe, frequently in Paris, where he played with the likes of Don Byas and Kenny Clarke. Reece also made fans of Miles Davisand Sonny Rollins who spread the word about a hot new trumpeter on the European scene. So when Donald Byrd and Art Taylor came through Paris on tour in 1958 they sought out Reece and even found their way into the recording studio together for what would become Reece’s Blue Note debut Blues In Trinity.
Charlie Hunter – Bing Bing Bing! (Classic Vinyl Series) Blue Note 2 LP Vinyl
Charlie Hunter’s 1995 Blue Note debut Bing Bing Bing! was a groove-heavy tour-de-force that marked the arrival of a virtuosic guitarist whose unique concept on his 8-string guitar produced music that was both impressive and irrepressible. Hunter’s trio laid down a program of originals plus an unforgettable cover of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are.” 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.
Arturo Michelangeli – Concerto For Piano – The Lost Recordings 180g Vinyl
For decades now pianists and other musicians have acclaimed the recording of this concert, only available on video. It was of utmost importance to us to publish it as a record. While we were looking for the video recording in the BBC archives, we stumbled upon the analog stereo tape that had fallen into oblivion. We used it to bring this emotion-filled, historical evening back to life.
Sarah Vaughan – Live At Laren 1975 – The Lost Recordings 2LP 180g Vinyl
First publication of this unreleased concert. August 5, 1975: Sarah Vaughan is chosen to open the famous Jazz Festival in Laren, a small village near Amsterdam. She slips in among her musicians, including Bob Magnusson, Jimmy Cobb, Miles Davis's drummer, and Carl Schroeder, her pianist who has accompanied her for more than 20 years. At 51, not only does the "Divine" use the full range of her voice to sail from the roughest bass to the most scintillating highs, but she smiles, grasps the slightest emotion, seeks communion with each spectator as if he or she were unique, as if she were singing only for him.
