Jazz

Longtime Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne keys and guitar player Adam Wakeman (as Milton Keanes) is back with Jazz Sabbath Vol. 2.

According to the liner notes, the UK jazz trio Jazz Sabbath were recording 2 albums in 1969 when disaster struck. Their debut album was cancelled, and their second album shelved; leaving room for a certain band from Birmingham becoming famous by playing metal versions of their jazz songs; claiming they were their own. Jazz Sabbath were powerless to do anything about it. Their 50-year-streak of misfortune ended in 2020 with the discovery of their debut album master tapes and the following re-release of the album. Now, reunited after 52 years, Jazz Sabbath entered the studio and finished recording their sophomore album. With the theft by the band from Birmingham exposed, Milton Keanes and colleagues can now present these songs in their original form, replenished with 52 years of experience, vigor... and rage. The tranquil 'Symptom Of The Universe', the full 8-minute version of 'Paranoid' (not that metal afterthought version everyone knows) and of course the song that other band so blatantly named themselves after.

• 1 Paranoid
• 2 Snowblind
• 3 Behind the Wall of Sleep
• 4 Sabbra Cadabra
• 5 Symptom of the Universe
• 6 N.I.B
• 7 Black Sabbath

One of the finest sets ever recorded by this quartet, back in print for the first time in 35 years. Remastered by Bernie Grundman and pressed on 180g limited edition opaque blue vinyl.

PROMISES by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra - Sam (Floating Points): Pharoah... Pharoah: Huh... ? Sam: Were you asleep? I'm sorry... Pharoah: No no... I was listening... and dreaming... and listening to music in my head... Sam: Oh wow... sorry. Pharoah: Many times, people think I might be asleep... but in fact, I am just listening to music in my head. I'm always listening... to the sounds around me... and playing, in my mind... and sometimes I dream. Sam: What were you dreaming about? Pharoah: I'm on a ship. In the ocean. Bears coming around smoking cigars. The bears are singing, 'We have the music. We have what you're looking for. * * * Pharoah: How you like that take, Sam? Sam: It's cool. I think the bit in the middle, where it stops again... I think you can hear... We were both kind of confused. I like it as well because it sounds like two musicians that are trying to guide each other. Pharoah: I think that's it right there. It came out different. It came out good though. Sam: You happy? Pharoah: Yeah, I'm cool with it. Sam: Okay. Yeah, I think your playing is beautiful.

• 1 Movement 1
• 2 Movement 2
• 3 Movement 3
• 4 Movement 4
• 5 Movement 5
• 6 Movement 6
• 7 Movement 7
• 8 Movement 8
• 9 Movement 9

On September 15, 1957, John Coltrane went into Rudy Van Gelder's living room studio in Hackensack, New Jersey and recorded his first great masterpiece: Blue Train. It would be the legendary saxophonist's sole album as a leader for Blue Note, a locomotive five-track album fueled by the bluesy title track that featured a dynamic six-piece band with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. To mark the 65th anniversary of the album's recording, Blue Train will be released as part of Blue Note's acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series: a 1-LP mono pressing of the original album.

Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series) [LP]

One of the quintessential Charles Mingus recordings regardless of label, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus finds a mini-big-band playing some of Mingus’ best-known compositions –albeit with new titles! Features Mingus favorites Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, and Jaki Byard among its all-star cast. Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 II B.S
• 2 I X Love
• 3 Celia
• 4 Mood Indigo
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul
• 2 Theme for Lester Young
• 3 Hora Decubitus

Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP Mastered by Kevin Gray Directly from the Original Master Tapes and Manufactured at Optimal in Germany

Blue Note Records is pleased to present the Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series, a continuation of their acclaimed Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series which was launched in celebration of the label's 80th anniversary in 2019. The Classic Series will once again feature all-analog 180g vinyl pressings in standard packaging that are mastered by Kevin Gray directly from the original master tapes and manufactured at Optimal in Germany. The first 16 titles of the Classic Series will focus on the enduring classics of the Blue Note catalog. The Classic Series will be on-going, running alongside the Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series which is produced by Joe Harley.

Time and troubles seem to melt away during the 15 enrapturing minutes of Idle Moments, the opening track of Grant Green's sublime 1963 album of the same name. As the piece unhurriedly unfurls all the unique colors of the ensemble present themselves with Green's soulful guitar joined by Duke Pearson's elegant piano, Bobby Hutcherson's crystalline vibraphone, Bob Cranshaw's reassuring upright bass, Al Harewood's subtle drums, and lastly Joe Henderson's magnificent tenor saxophone. The pace quickens for the rest of this set including the Green original "Jean de Fleur," a bluesy take on John Lewis' MJQ standard "Django," and Pearson's original "Nomad."

Musicians:
Grant Green, guitar
Duke Pearson, piano
Joe Henderson, tenor saxophone
Bobby Hutcherson, vibes
Bob Cranshaw, bass
Al Harewood, drums

Features:
• Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series
• All analog 180g vinyl LP
• Mastered by Kevin Gray directly from the original master tapes
• Manufactured at Optimal in Germany
• Standard packaging

1. Idle Moments
2. Jean De Fleur
3. Django
4. Nomad

Jazz Sabbath (1968) were considered to be at the forefront of the new English jazz movement. Their self-titled debut album would be released on February 13, 1970, but on February 12th founding member and pianist Milton Keanes was hospitalized with a massive heart attack; leaving him fighting for his life. The record company shelved the album and cancelled the scheduled release out of financial uncertainty of releasing a debut album from a band without its musical leader.

When Milton was released from the hospital in September 1970, he found out that a band from Birmingham, conveniently called ‘Black Sabbath', had since released two albums containing so-called metal versions of his songs. His recalled albums had been destroyed in a warehouse fire in June 1970; leaving only a few bootleg tapes of Jazz Sabbath's live performances as proof of existence.

The master tapes, believed to be lost in the fire, were found in 2019. These songs will now finally be heard; proving that the heavy metal band worshipped by millions are in fact nothing more than musical charlatans, thieving the music from a bedridden, hospitalized genius.

1. Fairies Wear Boots
2. Evil Woman
3. Rat Salad
4. Iron Man
5. Hand Of Doom
6. Changes
7. Children Of The Grave

The Montreux Jazz Festival takes place for two weeks every summer in Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva. Created in 1967 by Claude Nobs, the Montreux Jazz Festival has become over the years an essential event, generating fantastic stories and legendary performances. In it's 50 year plus history, Montreux has hosted iconic performances by artists including Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Elton John and Stevie Wonder. The High Priestess of Soul made five appearances at the Montreux Festival between 1968 and 1990. The essential 180g vinyl 2LP compilation The Montreux Years gathers material from all five of her storied performances (1968, 1976, 1981, 1987 and 1990) there and serves as one of Simone's definitive live collections!

Tracks

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 Someone to Watch Over Me (Intro)
• 2 Backlash Blues
• 3 I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free
• 4 See-Line Woman
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 Little Girl Blue (PT 1 and 2)
• 2 Don't Smoke in Bed
• 3 Stars
• 4 What a Little Moonlight Can Do
• - Disc 3 -
• 1 African Mailman
• 2 Just in Time
• 3 Four Women
• 4 No Woman No Cry
• - Disc 4 -
• 1 Liberian Calypso
• 2 Ne Me Quitte Pas
• 3 Montreux Blues
• 4 My Baby Just Cares for Me

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series) [LP]

Described by Mingus himself as “ethnic folk-dance music,” The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady is a single song cycle rather than a traditional jazz album of separate tracks. The intricate arrangements and raw emotional swings of the piece make it a highlight of Mingus’ career, and one of the most compelling listens in jazz.

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 Solo Dancer (Stop! and Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!)
• 2 Duet Solo Dancers (Heart's Beat and Shades in Physical Embraces)
• 3 Group Dancers ([Soul Fusion] Freewoman and Oh This Freedom's Slave Cries)
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 Trio and Group Dancers (Stop! Look! and Sing Songs of Revolutions!)
• 2 Single Solos and Group Dance (Saint and Sinner Join in Merriment on Battle Front)
• 3 Group and Solo Dance (Of Love, Pain, and Passioned Revolt, Then Farewell, My Beloved, 'Til It's Freedom Day)

Time OutTakes features tracks that have never been heard before. These newly discovered recordings feature wonderful performances that are every bit as compelling as those on the original Time Out. We discovered that during the original 1959 sessions the Quartet also recorded "I'm In a Dancing Mood" and an unlisted trio jam with a major drum solo that included snatches of the melody from "Watusi Drums." Two tracks from Time Out, "Pick Up Sticks" and "Everybody's Jumpin, " were achieved in one take so no alternates exist to include here. These 7 exciting performances (and bonus track) are fascinating finds.

Chris Brubeck We've all heard Dave Brubeck's Time Out - but never quite like this. You'll hear Dave Brubeck's signature pieces afresh and anew. Listening to this album will make you rediscover why you fell in love with The Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Paul Desmond, Joe Morello and Eugene Wright. This is mesmerizing music. - Kabir Sehgal, Grammy Award Winning Producer Once the Dave Brubeck Quartet released Time Out in 1959, the world of jazz was never the same. Every note of the seven original compositions soared with wild originality and trained musical genius. "Take Five" became the best-selling jazz single of the twentieth century. I've often wondered how this work of genius came to fruition in the studio? How did Brubeck develop such chemistry with alto-saxophonist Paul Desmond? Now the mysteries are solved with the historic release of Time OutTakes (alternative takes to the masterpiece that blew the hinges off the doors of jazz). What a high privilege it is to be able to be in the studio with the quartet as they innovate using 9/8, 5/4 and 2 bars of 3/4 alternating with 2 bars of 4/4 on such classics as "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and "Three to Get Ready." All listeners of Time OutTakes will experience the Cold War era jazz revolution as it unfolded. What joyous music for the ages! Douglas Brinkley, CNN historian and Grammy-winning Jazz producer.

• 1 Blue Rondo À la Turk
• 2 Strange Meadowlark
• 3 Take Five
• 4 Three to Get Ready
• 5 Cathy's Waltz
• 6 I'm in a Dancing Mood
• 7 Watusi Jam
• 8 Band Banter from the 1959 Recording Sessions

• Bewitched: The Goddess Edition (Colored Vinyl, Blue, Booklet, Board Game)

180-gram vinyl with bonus tracks! the one and only conjunct recording by three jazz geniuses!

• 1 Money Jungle
• 2 Fleurette Africaine
• 3 Very Special
• 4 Warm Valley
• 5 Switch Blade
• 6 Little Max (Parfait)
• 7 Wig Wise
• 8 Caravan
• 9 Solitude
• 10 REM Blues
• 11 Backward Country Boy Blues

Vinyl LP pressing. In February 1964, Eric Dolphy assembled a quintet of modern jazz visionaries with Freddie Hubbard - trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson - vibraphone, Richard Davis - bass, & Tony Williams - drums, & headed into Rudy Van Gelder's studio to record what would stand as his masterwork: Out to Lunch! Dolphy possesses the revolutionary spirit of the avant-garde while keeping a foot firmly planted in the feeling of swing, perfectly captured from the opening Monk tribute "Hat and Beard" to "Straight Up and Down."

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 Hat and Beard
• 2 Something Sweet, Something Tender
• 3 Gazzelloni
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 Out to Lunch
• 2 Straight Up and Down

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Includes two bonus tracks. Collection of classic performances from John Coltrane as a sideman, featuring fellow jazz legends Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Tadd Dameron, and Art Taylor. This insightful new compilation features liner notes from award-winning music historian Doug Ramsey - recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tracks

LP1

1. Sonny Rollins Quartet - Tenor Madness
2. Miles Davis And The Modern Jazz Giants - 'Round Midnight
3. The Miles Davis Quintet - Oleo
4. The Miles Davis Quintet - Airegin
5. Tadd Dameron With John Coltrane - Soultrane
6. Art Taylor - C.T.A.
7. Thelonious Monk - Monk's Mood

LP2

1. Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane - Epistrophy (Alternate Take)
2. Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane - Trinkle, Tinkle
3. Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane - Nutty
4. Red Garland Quintet (featuring John Coltrane And Donald Byrd) - Birks' Works
5. The Red Garland Quintet With John Coltrane - Billie's Bounce
6. Miles Davis - Someday My Prince Will Come

Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP Mastered by Kevin Gray Directly from the Original Master Tapes and Manufactured at Optimal in Germany

Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series which presents 180g vinyl LP reissues in standard packaging mastered by Kevin Gray and manufactured at Optimal. The pressings are all-analog whenever an analog source is available, with Gray mastering directly from the original master tapes. While the first 16 titles of the series focused on the best-known Blue Note classics from the 1950s and 60s, the new run of titles curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman broadens its scope to span the many eras and styles of the legendary label's eight-decade history presented by themes: Bebop, Hard Bop, Soul Jazz, Post-Bop, Avant-Garde, The 70s, The Rebirth, and Hidden Gems.

At 27 years, Horace Silver's tenure as a Blue Note recording artist was the longest of any artist in the history of the label. The legendary pianist and composer cut his first Blue Note session Horace Silver Trio in 1952 and his session for Silver ‘N Strings Play The Music of the Spheres was the very last recording date before the label went dormant in 1979. In between, Silver recorded some of the most beloved albums in the Blue Note catalog, traversing bebop, hard bop, soul jazz, and charting his own path through the 1970s fusion movement.

With his 1956 album 6 Pieces of Silver, Silver struck gold with a sterling set of hard bop that introduced one of his greatest compositions, "Señor Blues." The indelible theme is one of five excellent Silver originals (plus the standard "For Heaven's Sake") performed by an ace quintet featuring Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Doug Watkins on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. Other highlights include the hard swinging opener "Cool Eyes," the stunning ballad "Shirl," the intricate stop-start rhythm of "Camouflage," and the beguiling Latin beat of "Enchantment."

Musicians:
Horace Silver, piano
Donald Byrd, trumpet
Hank Mobley, tenor saxophone
Doug Watkins, bass
Louis Hayes, drums

Features:
• Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series
• All analog 180g vinyl LP
• Mastered by Kevin Gray directly from the original master tapes
• Manufactured at Optimal in Germany
• Standard packaging

Tracks

1. Cool Eyes
2. Shirl
3. Camouflage
4. Enchantment
5. Senor Blues
6. Virgo
7. For Heaven's Sake

JIMMY SMITH / HOME COOKIN - Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. The Incredible Jimmy Smith was a self-taught keyboard virtuoso who gave up the piano in 1954 in favor of the Hammond B3 organ, setting up shop in a warehouse in Philadelphia and woodshedding for a year before emerging with a revolutionary approach to the instrument that immediately caught the ear Alfred Lion. The Blue Note founder recorded the B3 innovator as often as he could between 1956-1963 in a range of different settings and released a tremendous run of albums that laid the foundation for the Soul Jazz movement. Drawn from three different sessions recorded in 1958-1959, Home Cookin' featured Smith in a quartet with tenor saxophonist Percy France, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and drummer Donald Bailey, and it stands as one of the most deeply soulful albums Smith ever made. The band gives a soul jazz symposium on this seven-song set that includes covers of tunes by Ma Rainey, Ray Charles, and Jimmy McGriff along with originals by Smith and Burrell. - This Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optima

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 See See Rider
• 2 Sugar Hill
• 3 I Got a Woman
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 Messin' Around
• 2 Gracie
• 3 Come on Baby
• 4 Motorin' Along

Vinyl LP pressing. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong devoted his life to "the cause of happiness," as he once put it, giving the gift of joy every time he put his trumpet to his lips. Since his passing, his music has become synonymous with the holiday season. Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule is the first Louis Armstrong Christmas record. This record includes a previously unheard recording of Louis reading of "A Visit from St. Nicholas", with fellow New Orleans icon Sullivan Fortner providing a gorgeous musical underbed.

• 1 Cool Yule
• 2 Winter Wonderland
• 3 I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
• 4 'Zat You Santa Claus? [Single Version]
• 5 Christmas in New Orleans
• 6 White Christmas
• 7 Christmas Night in Harlem
• 8 Baby It's Cold Outside
• 9 Moments to Remember
• 10 What a Wonderful World
• 11 A Visit from St Nicholas ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)