Bill Evans and Jim Hall – Undercurrent Mobile Fidelity Vinyl
Diverse Set Encompasses Ballads, Waltzes, Hard-Swinging Bop
Bill Evans catapulted to the top of the jazz world in June 1961 after reeling off three straight masterpiece sessions at New York's Village Vanguard with his trio. Yet the emotional highs came to a screeching halt shortly thereafter when bassist Scott LaFaro died in a car accident. Devastated, Evans refrained from playing for nearly a year. If not for an inspirational collaboration of tremendous creative outpouring, one wonders what fate may have befallen Evans. Undercurrent, the outcome of two studio sessions with guitarist Jim Hall, is that project.
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.
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.
Shoji Yokouchi Trio Yuri Tashiro Greensleeves
This is the LA & OC Audio Society version released in an edition of 500 copies on red vinyl. Cover has unique sticker identifying limited edition.
Upon his death in 1996, many within the jazz community heaped fulsome praise on Shoji Yokouchi. To this day, he remains one of Japan's finest jazz guitarists; a dexterous and inventive guitarist capable of playing immaculate, blues-inspired solos on both electric and acoustic guitars. Proof of his skills is provided by this reissue of Greensleeves, an album he recorded in 1978 alongside his regular "Trio" and organist Yuri Tashiro. Musically, the album offers an attractive blend of jazz-funk, "trad" and fusion tracks laden with impeccable solos from both Yokouchi and Tashiro. The best combination of the two players' styles can be found on "Misty", a fine blend of undulating fairground organ flourishes and evocative Spanish guitar.
CHASING THE DRAGON – Beethoven Piano Sonatas: Moonlight & Pathetique Direct Cut CD
Jennifer Warnes Another Time, Another Place Impex Vinyl
Sam Cooke – Night Beat – Analogue Productions 45RPM Vinyl
Clearly Sam Cooke’s most intimate, most soulful and ultimately most real recording. This one has the feel of a private performance captured after hours when the audience had gone home and the singer was singing purely for the love of his songs. The performance put forth is simply straight from Cooke’s soul. His selection of songs include spiritual, bluesy ballads and gospel classics. Cooke owns these songs, making each interpretation all his own. This is warm music that’s easy to connect with. Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound from the original three-track masters.
Originally released in 1963.
Shakey Jake – Mouth Harp Blues – Analogue Productions 45RPM 180g Vinyl
The late James Harris earned the moniker "Shakey Jake" due to his proficiency at dice, but he was equally adept at the blues game. The Arkansas-born, Chicago-based singer and harmonica blower traveled to Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio in November 1960 to record Mouth Harp Blues.. Jake brought along Jimmie Lee Robinson, the brilliant, fast-fingered guitarist best known for his work with Little Walter's band. Also making tasty contributions to the session was Robert Banks, the New York R&B and gospel studio organist who, in this case, ably appointed himself as a two-fisted blues piano stylist. Among the 10 selections is the distinctively loping "Easy Baby," a tune also associated with Jake's nephew Magic Sam.
Janos Starker Bach: Suites For Unaccompanied Cello Complete 45RPM 180g 6LP Box Set
- JS Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello Complete performed by Janos Starker
- Six 180-gram QRP-pressed LPs!
- Cut directly from the original 3-track, first-generation master tapes at 45 RPM by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound using an AMPEX ATR-100 tape machine customized with 3-track flux magnetic heads!
Miles Davis – E.S.P. Vinyl Impex Records
Bob Dylan – Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Hybrid SACD
Mastered from the original master tapes on Mobile Fidelity’s world-renowned mastering system, and strictly limited to 2,500 numbered copies, this hybrid SACD features reference-level instrumental separation and full-bodied tones that allow the songs to blossom amidst soundstages whose dimensions are limited only by the breadth of your stereo system. The flinty, raw acoustic edge of Dylan and Bruce Langhorne’s guitars come into immediate relief. Booker T. Jones’ relaxed albeit taut bass, Jolly Roger’s down-home banjo, Russ Kunkel’s textured bongos, and the crucial string accompaniments similarly flourish.
