Aretha Franklin – Aretha with The Ray Bryant Combo – Speakers Corner 180g vinyl
Bill Evans: The Bill Evans Album 180g vinyl
The global corporation Columbia recorded and released only two LPs with pianist Bill Evans. A meagre result when one considers the numerous concerts that the new trio undertook between 1969 and 1974. Together with Eddie Gomez, a phenomenon on the bass, and drummer Marty Mortell, the three established a firm – and ever better – trio. Evans became interested in the possibilities offered by the Fender Rhodes piano and used it for the first time in “The Bill Evans Album”.
Pure Pleasure releases are created from the original artwork and re-mastered from the original tapes by engineers who on occasions, have mastered the originals. Some in the original studios! The sleeves are re-created from the originals. An exciting journey! The End Result?
The Touch. The Feel. The Look. The Craftsmanship. What could be better?
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends: To Bonnie From Delaney 180g vinyl
The married couple and musical duo Delaney & Bonnie ignited critics, fans and famous musical colleagues to veritable bursts of exultation. Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones talked matter-of-factly of »convincing white gospel song«, while Eric Clapton regarded the duo as the "best pop band in the world".
Pure Pleasure releases are created from the original artwork and re-mastered from the original tapes by engineers who on occasions, have mastered the originals. Some in the original studios! The sleeves are re-created from the originals. An exciting journey! The End Result?
The Touch. The Feel. The Look. The Craftsmanship. What could be better?
Donny Hathaway: Everything Is Everything – Speakers Corner 180g Vinyl
Many a musical career began in the gospel church choirs of the black communities, but that of Donny Hathaway must certainly be one of the most meteoric. Rolling Stone magazine named him the 49th greatest singer (of 100) of all time, though this might sound somewhat abstract.
But just the very first few bars of the opening number “Voices Inside” promises a programme in which the instrumental and human voices are on a par.
Freddie Hubbard & Stanley Turrentine: In Concert – Speakers Corner 180g 2LP Vinyl
The producer was certainly on the ball when he recorded a concert with CTI stars on a short tour of the USA in 1973. Thus the beginning of the jazz-rock era was documented in jazz’s country of origin. Liberated from the often-sterile atmosphere in a studio, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine and friends (here also without a sometimes stifling studio band) could exhibit their amazing improvisational talents as soloists in lengthy works. This was greatly facilitated by the groove conjured up by Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Jack deJohnette – who had all profited from Miles Davis’s tutoring. And let’s not forget Larry Gale, a not unknown or bad guitarist, who transported hot Jamaican rhythm to the wintery Chicago and Detroit.
Lou Reed – Transformer – Speakers Corner 180g Vinyl
‘Transformer’ is the second solo studio album by American artist Lou Reed, released in 1972. David Bowie offered Lou Reed some much needed help with his career, which was stuck in neutral after his first solo album came and went. The sound and style of ‘Transformer’ would in many ways define Reed’s career in the 1970s, and while it led him into a style that proved to be a dead end, you can’t deny that Bowie and Ronson gave their hero a new lease on life — and a solid album in the bargain.
Miles Davis – Miles Smiles – Speakers Corner 180g Vinyl
Miles Davis – Round About Midnight – Speakers Corner 180g Vinyl LP
Few musicians have managed to change the course of music–trumpeter Miles Davis did it several times. An early disciple of Charlie Parker, Davis created an austere, understated approach that became the model for cool. His superb albums in the 1950s made him a star, and in the following decade, he brought small-group jazz to the limit before he unapologetically (and, for some, unforgivably) took on jazz-rock. After a break, he re-emerged in the ’80s with a mixture of pop and dense, bristling funk. All the while, his refusal to follow anyone but his own muse made him both a hero and an enigma–either way, he was one of the most magnetic, influential figures in American music.
Ornette Coleman – The Shape Of Jazz To Come – Speakers Corner 180g Vinyl
It was John Lewis, pianist of the Modern Jazz Quartet, who brought Ornette Coleman to the renowned Atlantic label, having heard him play in Los Angeles. »Ornette Coleman is doing the only really new thing in jazz …« he reportedly said. The present initial Atlantic album was released just in time to coincide with the New York debut of the Coleman Quartet in November 1959. Lewis was sure that Coleman would open up new paths for jazz, and his opinion is reflected in the title of the album – “The Shape Of Jazz To Come”.
Thelonious Monk – It’s Monk Time – Speakers Corner 180g Vinyl
Weather Report Live In Tokyo – Speakers Corner 180g Vinyl 2LP Gatefold Sleeve
Do you remember what you did you on the evening of 13 January 1972? A multitude of Japanese jazz lovers walked or drove to the grand Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo where they enjoyed a veritable firework display of a concert, which was – without exaggeration – a milestone in the history of jazz. The technicians from the Japanese subsidiary of Columbia, Sony, had placed their microphones and tape machines with great care and captured this memorable concert live.
Two of the numbers had already been recorded in New York with the same group of musicians for the album I Sing The Body Electric. But to experience Weather Report live with this ensemble was only granted to the enthusiastic Japanese jazz fans.
