With Buck Clayton on trumpet, Vic Dickenson on trombone, Bud Freeman on tenor, Pee Wee Russell on clarinet, Dick Cary on piano and alto, Jack Lesberg on bass, Cliff Leeman on drums, and Jimmy Rushing on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album
(Still sealed, with a small corner cut.)
4
Dave Grusin & The GRP All-Stars —
Live In Japan ... LP GRP/Arista, 1981. Near Mint- ...
$4.99
Sweet electric fusion from Dave Grusin – a set that has the keyboardist working with great help from Japanese saxophone legend Sadao Watanabe – plus help from Don Grusin on keyboards, Tom Browne on trumpet, Dave Valentin on flute, Bobby broom on guitar, and Marcus Miller on bass! LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has light wear.)
Sharp sounds from guitarist Jim Hall – a record that's filled with all the cool, complicated lines the musician could muster on his instrument – yet a record that also manages to swing a bit too! The sound here is a great evolution from the sound of Hall's music in the 50s – even more modern at most moments, with unique phrasing that shows just how much Jim continued to grow over the decades – delivered at a level that's very fresh, and without a debt to any other guitarist on the planet! Part of the album's unique feel comes from the large amount of original Hall compositions – interpreted by Jim with a trio that also features Don Thompson on piano and bass and Terry Clarke on drums – on titles that include "Kyoto Bells", "Echo", "Without Words", "Light", "Something For Now", and "Two Special People". LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s issue. Includes the insert. Cover has light surface wear, a stain at the top left corner, and is lightly stained at the bottom 3 inches, with a fairly large peeled spot at the bottom left.)
A very cool Japanese-only collection of early Columbia Records material from Dave Brubeck – with titles that include "Blue Rondo A La Turk", "Unsquare Dance", "Bossa Nova USA", "Elven Four", "It's A Raggy Waltz", and "Take Five". LP, Vinyl record album
(Stere pressing in a heavy gatefold cover – SONP 50003.)
The pianist's hip take on the music of Chopin – played by his groovy trio with Peter Witte on bass and Charly Antolini on drums! LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the insert. Cover has some wear at the spine, lightly bent corners, small tear in the top edge, light scrapes in front, and a bit of chewing at the top left corner.)
A rare live set from Otis Clay – much more obscure than his later Japanese album that circulated in the 80s – and captured at a time when Otis was coming off his famous stretch at Hi Records! The set features great small combo backing by an American group – and titles include "Precious Precious", "All Because Of Your Love", "Is It Over", "Turn Back The Hands Of Time", "Trying To Live My Life Without You", "I'm Qualified", "Let Me In", and "I've Got To Find A Way". LP, Vinyl record album
(Nice Japanese pressing, with insert! Cover has some light wear, and a bit of splitting on the top seam.)
20
Otis Clay —
Live Again ... LP Yupiteru (Japan), 1984. Near Mint- 2LP Gatefold ...
$28.99
Otis Clay recorded live in Japan – working before a very appreciative audience, and hitting grooves that are right up there with his best 70s work on Hi Records! The sound is a bit looser than Hi – which is a nice change – and Clay's really in command on the set, leading the group with a strong sense of personality, and serving up great vocals with a strong deep soul feel. The grooves are filled with classic Memphis soul moments – and titles titles include "Hard Working Woman", "Ellie", "Trying To Live My Life Without You", "His Precious Love", "Love & Happiness", "Here I Am Baby", and "Love Don't Love Nobody". LP, Vinyl record album
21
Michel Clement/Maurice Leclerl —
Romantic Screen Theme ... LP Philips (Japan), 1970s. Near Mint- Gatefold ...
$9.9919.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(In the booklet cover, with obi. Cover has light wear.)
22
Clover —
Clover ... LP (Japan), Late 70s. Near Mint- ...
$11.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(80s Japanese pressing – 25PP-196. Includes obi and insert. Cover has light wear.)
One of numerous posthumous live sides, capturing a great early 60s performance by Trane in a quintet setting. Eric Dolphy joins the classic quartet of Tyner, Jones, Workman and Trane for a lenghty reading of "My Favorite Things" and the contemplative numbers "Blue Train", "Naima" and "Impressions". LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes obi! Cover has some very light aging, but is nice overall.)
(In a textured navy cover, with gold title sticker at the spine. Includes the obi and booklet. Obi is torn at the bottom and crinkled in back. Cover has bumped corners and a small split in the bottom seam.)
Allen Eager and Phil Urso on tenor saxophone, Fats Ford and Howard McGhee on trumpet, Mundell Lowe on guitar, Harry Biss and Spaulding Givens on piano, Don Elliott on mellophone, Gene Ramey on bass, and Sid Bulkin and Walter Bolden on drums. LP, Vinyl record album
Wonderful work from this obscure funky group – a combo who hailed from Indy, only issued two albums back in the 70s, but also left behind this wicked batch of unissued cuts that were recorded up in Chicago! The group have a vibe that's every bit as great as their warmly collaborative look on the cover – clearly an ego-less funky combo who are able to shift singers and moods from track to tracks – trading leads between singers Anthony Joseph Roberts and Pamela Tanner, and also bringing lots of jazzy instrumentation into the mix too! These guys had been together for a number of years before recording the set, and are clearly at the top of their game – woodshedding hard away from the limelight, but knocking it out of the park with cuts that include "69 Cents", "I'm In A Hurry", "Shell Of A Man", "Where You Lead", "That Is Why", "Love So Strange", and vocal and instrumental versions of "See The Light". LP, Vinyl record album
31
Ensemble Petit/Shunichi Tokura/Master Sounds/Philharmonia Wind Ensemble —
SF Battle & Spectacle ... LP Sony (Japan), 1980. Near Mint- 2LP ...
$23.99
A very cool Japanese set – with new readings of music from films that include Enter The Dragon, 2001, The Godfather, Morning After, Jaws, Superman, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Black Hole, and Star Wars! LP, Vinyl record album
Gil Evans plays an electric grand piano and is joined by a rather large set of musicians who include Masabumi Kikuchi on a variety of synthesizers, Billy Cobham on drums, Lou Soloff on trumpet, George Lewis on trombone and many others. Tracks include two Evans originals – "Copenhagen Sight" and "Zee Zee" plus others like "Sirhan's Blues", a Jimi Hendrix song "Stone Free", and Mingus' "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress". LP, Vinyl record album
(US pressing on Blackhawk. Cover has light wear and a promo sticker.)
33
Arthur Fiedler & Boston Pops —
Hit – Love is Blue ... LP RCA (Japan), Late 60s. Very Good+ Gatefold ...
$11.99
The debut album from Friends Of Distinction – a very groovy LA harmony vocal group who really transcended the worlds of pop and soul! The quartet were originally part of the earlier Rex Middletone's Hi Fi group – which split into both Friends Of Distinction, and 5th Dimension – and like that other, slightly more famous group, FoD have a soaring approach that really reflects their years in music, tuned towards a groovier late 60s style! The record sports their hit vocal version of Hugh Masekela's "Grazing In The Grass", with the great "I can dig it" line, plus an excellent reading of a lost cut by funky drummer Roy Porter, entitled "Lonesome Mood" – next to other great titles that include "Sweet Young Thing Like You", "Peaceful", "Baby I Could Be So Good At Loving You", "Eli's Coming", and "Going In Circles". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese quadraphonic pressing in the foil embossed cover, with insert. Cover has some spotty aging inside the gatefold.)
With Patrice Rushen and Dave Grusin on piano and Rhodes proto-type, Lee Ritenour on guitar, Ernie Watts on saxophone and flute, Anthony Jackson on bass, Harvey Mason on drums, and Steve Forman on percussion. LP, Vinyl record album
(Original Direct-To-Disc pressing. NOTE – Cover has some light stains down the right side, with some peeling and a bit of stuck paper, mostly inside the gatefold, and a Nautilus distro sticker in front.)
A very cool set, with work by players who include Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, Ack Van Rooyen and Manfred Schoof on trumpets, Gunter Lenz on bass, Wolfgang Dauner on piano, and Rolf Kuhn, Heinz Saur, Gerd Dudek, and Emil Mangelsdorff on saxes! LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, with insert. Cover has a light bump in one corner – but is nice overall.)
A brilliant mid 70s session by tenor legend Johnny Griffin – one that hearkens back to his earlier, freer days, and which features the long, driving solo style he forged during his time in Europe at the end of the 60s. The session's recorded live in Tokyo with a quartet that includes Horace Parlan piano, Mads Vinding bass, and Art Taylor drums – and each side of the album features one long track, done in a stretched-out, very driving style, thanks to stellar drum work by Taylor. Titles include "Soft & Furry" and "The Man I Love". LP, Vinyl record album
One of Dave's funkier albums of the time – with cuts that include "Captain Caribe", "Rondo", "City Lights", "Rag Bag", and "Mountain Dance". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, with obi! Cover has some aging, vinyl is great!)
40
Don Grusin —
Don Grusin ... LP JVC (Japan), 1981. Near Mint- ...
$4.9914.99
Don Grusin on piano, keyboards and vocoder, Gary Herbig on saxophone, Oscar Castro-Neves, Lee Ritenour and Michael Sembello on guitar, Michael Boddicker on synth, Abraham Laboriel and Nathan East on bass, Alex Acuna on drums, and Efrain Toro and Steve Forman on percussion with Kate Markowitz on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album
(Original Japanese pressing, with obi and insert. Cover has lightly bent corners and small pieces of tape at the corners on the right.)
41
Albert Hammond —
Greatest Hits ... LP CBS/Sony (Japan), 1970s. Near Mint- ...
$11.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s issue, with obi and insert.)
42
Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats —
Smashing ... LP Toshiba (Japan), 1978. Near Mint- ...
$7.99
Features some arrangements by Oliver Nelson! Titles include "Spring Is Here", "Strike Up The Band", "The Man I Love", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album
A very early album from this legendary Japanese jazz ensemble! Titles include "Caravan", "Soft Drink", "Sharps & Flats Swing", and "Drummers Dream". LP, Vinyl record album
(Blue and gold label pressing, in a flipback cover.)
Later work from Xavier Cugat, and done with a groovy 60s vibe – more in the Mercury hi fi mode of the time than his earlier tracks! Japanese pressing – plays at 45rpm for added fidelity! LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, with obi! Cover has light wear on one edge – vinyl is nice.)
Beautiful early work from Cannonball Adderley – and a record that's quite different than most of his better known sets from the time! The album's more spare and stripped-down than usual – with Cannon's alto in a quartet alongside Bill Evans on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. The style is almost more that of Evans than it is Cannonball – lightly lyrical, with a good sense of space – in a way that has Adderley playing out front very strongly, cutting some beautiful lines with his solos, in a really unfettered way! Titles include versions of two of Evans' tracks – "Waltz For Debby" and "Know What I Mean?" – plus nice moody takes on other material, like John Lewis' "Venice", Clifford Jordan's "Toy", and Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album
(70s Japanese pressing – SMJ 6051 – with insert. Cover is lightly bumped at the top right corner.)
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass —
Going Places ... LP A&M, 1965. Near Mint- ...
$6.9911.99
Herb Alpert's definitely Going Places by the time of this set – and his trademark Tijuana Brass sound proves itself to be a great fit for just about any sort of number! The album kicks off with the wonderful "Tijuana Taxi", a sublimely jaunty tune that almost takes Herb into Bacharach territory – and which is followed up by the even-greater "Spanish Flea" – an ear-popping anthem that's one of the greatest bits of 60s instrumental pop ever recorded! And over and above those two tunes, the album's still got plenty more to offer too – a wonderful array of tracks all given the Tijuana touch, with titles that include "More & More Amor", "Mae", "Walk Don't Run", "Felicia", and "Cinco De Mayo". LP, Vinyl record album
(80s Japanese pressing, including obi & insert – AMP 7073.)
53
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass —
SRO ... LP A&M, 1966. Very Good- Gatefold ...
$3.99
A standing room ovation in the A&M Studios – certainly the kind of reception we'd imagine Herb would get during these glory years of his career! The set's one of the most no-nonsense Tijuana Brass sessions of the 60s – a tightly crafted album that has a bit more jazz than usual sneaking in on some of the tunes, but still enough of that snapping, punchy rhythmic approach that makes Herb and the group so great! As usual, the fluidity here is the strongest point – as the A&M touch takes a sound that should be hokey, and flips it into something really really groovy through warm use of compression in the studio. Titles include "Blue Sunday", "Bean Bag", "Work Song", "Our Day Will Come", "Mexican Road Race", and "Freight Train Joe". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese London pressing in a gatefold cover, with minimal wear & aging.)
(Japanese white label promo pressing in the poster cover, with obi and insert. Poster sheet has some edge wear, faint blemish, and price sticker remnants. Obi has a small Sample sticker.)
Re-recorded hits from the 30s through 50s, with accompaniment by The Pete Moore Orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, with obi and insert.)
56
Brian Auger & Julie Tippetts —
Encore ... LP Warner, 1978. Near Mint- ...
$24.99
An overdue reunion for Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll (now billed as Tippetts) – and a late 70s session that sounds quite a bit different than their mod soul of the 60s! The format here is still somewhat in a soul-based vein – but the sound is much more 70s, and much more "adult" as well – sometimes smooth, sometimes mellow, with Julie singing in a way that's still heartfelt, but not with the clear nod to American soul of her earlier work. Brian's still playing plenty of keyboards, although not getting in as many licks as on his own albums of the decade – yet still with enough space to help transform some of the best tunes. Titles include "Git Up", "Freedom Highway", "Spirit", "Future Pilot", "Rope Ladder To The Moon", "No Time To Live", and "Nothing Will Be As It Was" – a great English remake of a song by Milton Nascimento! LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese promo pressing. Cover has a few spots of sticker residue and a split seam held by clear tape.)
Fantastic late work from Albert Ayler! The record is one of the last he ever recorded – and it's a no-nonsense live set, without any of the silly influences of some of his late Impulse sides. Most of the material features Ayler blowing long free solos, with a tightness and directness missing from mid 60s sessions. Cal Cobbs is on piano, Steve Tintweiss is on bass, Allen Blairman is on drums, and Mary Maria plays a bit of soprano sax. Tracks include "Truth Is Marching On", "Spiritual Reunion", and "Universal Message". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese gatefold pressing.)
58
Albert Ayler —
Bells ... LP ESP, 1965. Near Mint- ...
$29.99
A seminal live set by a young Albert Ayler – an unusual one-sided record that featured only 20 minutes of music, performed with an intensity that hardly leaves room for complaints about the shortness of the album! The single track "Bells" was performed at Town Hall by Ayler with a group that includes Donald Ayler on trumpet, Charles Tyler on alto sax, Lewis Worrell on bass, and Sunny Murray on percussion – all coming together in a raw, real sense of freedom – beautifully explored here without ever getting too overindulgent. The tune may well be one of the greatest illustrations of the ESP format at its best – as Ayler and company never stray too far, but carve out some incredibly imaginative space through their starkly-blown horn solos! LP, Vinyl record album
(Very nice one-sided 70s Japanese pressing – BT 5004.)
An important record in the 70s – one that really kept alive the spirit of the pre-Sgt Pepper's Beatles – with a range of fantastic tracks from their first four years! LP, Vinyl record album
(70s Japanese pressing including the booklet & printed inner sleeves – EAS 77003. Cover has light edge wear, and faint ring wear.)
A great Tony Bennett LP – very different than others from the time (or any time!) in that the format pairs the master vocalist with the "who's who" of drummers and percussionists of the late 50s – including Art Blakey, Jo Jones, Candido, and Sabu. The sound is as majestic and crashing as you'd imagine, and cuts include "Let's Begin", "Love For Sale", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Let's Face the Music and Dance". A great LP, and one of his best. If you've ever doubted Tony's committment to jazz, check this one out, and be pleasantly surprised! LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s mono Japanese pressing – 20AP 1843 – with insert. Cover has ring wear.)
61
Stephen Bishop —
Bish ... LP ABC, 1978. Near Mint- Gatefold ...
$4.999.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(Original Japanese pressing, with obi and insert. Obi is lightly bent at the side. Cover has bumped corners.)
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, recording in the very familiar territory of the Birdland nightclub – in a format that was handled previously by the Blue Note label, but maybe never with a lineup this great! The performance features the sublime frontline trio of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano – all players that are their youthful best, and completely on fire with creative imagination under Blakey's leadership – the start of a great run for all of them as solo stars too. The tracks are long, and even if the tunes are sometimes familiar, the performances are spectacular – that special Jazz Messengers energy that makes records like this so great. This second volume includes the tracks "Night Watch", "The Summit", "High Modes", and "The Things I Love". LP, Vinyl record album
Boston —
Third Stage ... LP MCA, 1986. Near Mint- Gatefold ...
$14.9919.99
The group's third album, delivered after a long delay – with titles that include "Amanda", "A New World", "To Be A Man", "Still In Love", "The Launch", "Cool The Engines", "My Destination", and "We're Ready". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese promo pressing, with obi and insert. Cover has a promo sticker in back.)
64
Toni Brown & Terry Garthwaite —
Joy ... LP Fantasy, 1977. Near Mint- ...
$9.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese white label promo, with obi and insert. Cover has light ringwear, some edge wear, and bumped and worn corners. Obi is crinkled and torn in back, and is held with clear tape.)
Think what you want about Captain & Tennille – the set's a monumental bit of 70s pop, and one that found a way to push the 60s hipness of A&M Records to the next level! The set's got a mainstream polish, but it's the summation of all sorts of cool elements that had been bubbling under on the LA scene – not the least of which is the career of The Captain, aka Daryl Dragon – a guy with great experience in the studio, and a strong ear for a keyboard line too! The group tip their hat strongly to the Beach Boys – with a great reading of "Disney Girls", and a take of "God Only Knows" that's pretty darn nice too – next to the global hit "Love Will Keep Us Together", and other tunes that include "I Write The Songs", "Gentle Stranger", "Honey Come Love Me", and "The Good Songs". LP, Vinyl record album
(Original Japanese pressing – GP-244 – with obi, printed inner sleeve, and insert. Cover has light wear, some aging, and a smudge and some remnants from price sticker removal.)
Beautiful work from the legendary Hoagy Carmichael – and one of the few albums to feature him singing his own work! Hoagy's name is one that you're more likely to see in the songwriting credits than in the artist slot for a record – but he's actually got a wonderful voice, one that's filled with honest, personal charms – and which has a sometimes broken-down quality that's perfect for the gentle words of his tunes. This wonderful set features Carmichael working with sublime small combo backing – players who include Harry Edison, Jimmy Rowles, and Art Pepper – working with arrangements penned by Johnny Mandel. Titles include "Rocking Chair", "Georgia On My Mind", "Skylark", "Two Sleepy People", and "Baltimore Oriole". LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s mono Japanese pressing – GXH 3505 M – with insert.)
One of the greatest jazz-meets-classical albums from pianist Eugen Cicero – thanks to a good amount of Rokoko in the grooves! The more flowery, flourishing style of the Rokoko era proves to be a perfect foil for Cicero's incredible approach to the keys – one that lets him bring even more complicated touches to the piano, while still working with tightly jazzy rhythms from the team of Peter Witte on bass and Charlie Antolini on drums! Witte and Antolini are great throughout – keeping things tight and focused, and making the record way more than a virtuostic exploration of classical themes. As much a jazz record as the best Swingle Singers sides from the 60s – with titles that include a great original called "Bach's Softly Sunrise", plus Bach's "Solfeggio C Moll", Couperin's "L'Adoslecente", and Scarlatti's "Sonate C-Dur". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese Teichiku pressing – ULX-34-P – with obi. Cover has bumped corners.)
Classic trio material from pianist Sonny Clark – a talent who left our planet all too soon, but who managed to record quite a number of really great albums for Blue Note in the second half of the 50s! Clark's talents were always great in a group with horns, but he's equally wonderful on a trio date like this – and gets a chance to show off both his strong sense of rhythm, and some more lyrical modes that really make the album sparkle – playing here in a perfect lineup with Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The set's easily one of the best straight trio sessions ever cut for Blue Note – tracks are longish, with a very hardbop groove – and titles include "Be Bop", "Two Bass Hit", "Tadd's Delight", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album
(200 Gram Japanese mono pressing, from the original master tapes – with obi! DBLP 028)
Later work from Otis Clay, but also one of his greatest albums ever! The record features him with some fuller arrangements than usual – in less of a bluesy mode than during the Hi years, with a smooth sound that really brings out a whole new side of his style. The set was recorded in Chicago for the Japanese market – and the arrangements are by Benjamin Wright, Bill McFarland, and Clay himself. Includes the massive groover "The Only Way Is Up", an anthemic modern dancefloor number that later yielded a bit hit for Yazz – plus the tracks "Cheatin In The Next Room", "All I Need Is You", "Special Kind Of Love", "Messin With My Mind", "Turn Back The Hands Of Time", and "Check It Out". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, on Victor, with insert! Cover has a small bit of tape on top seam, but rest is nice.)
70
Al Cohn & Zoot Sims —
You N Me ... LP Mercury, 1960. Near Mint- ...
$14.99
One of the best albums that Al Cohn and Zoot Sims ever cut together – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of their collaborations during the 50s and 60s! The set's got a nice small group feeling, and is a bit more open and relaxed than some of their RCA material – still in the sharp, thoughtful mode that marked both Cohn and Sims' sessions – but also a bit more earthy, too – possibly because they've got Mose Allison in the combo on piano. The album includes the incredible spare sax-only track "Improvisation For Unaccompanied Saxophones", which is an extremely haunting track that sounds unlike anything the pair had ever done together – and other titles have the full quintet playing, tunes that include "The Opener", "The Note" and "You N Me". LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s Japanese pressing – EXPR-1001. Cover has light wear and a cutout notch.)
Sublime instrumentals from Nat – his tinkling piano lines over lush arrangements – all in a sweet 50s Capitol mode! LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s mono Japanese pressing – ECJ-50099 – with obi and insert. Cover has some aging.)
72
John Coltrane —
Africa/Brass ... LP Impulse, 1961. Near Mint- Gatefold ...
$29.99
Quite a different album than usual for John Coltrane, but a classic one too – and a set that has the great one exploring his ideas in a set of longer tracks recorded with an expanded jazz orchestra! The format's hardly the mainstream big band of the time – as Coltrane's filled the group with very hip players – including Booker Little, Freddie Hubbard, Julian Priester, and Eric Dolphy – in addition to usual compatriots who include McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman, and Elvin Jones. The tunes have a soaring, modal sort of pulse – one that's filled with color and light from the addition of the other horn players, but which still has plenty of space for extended, exploratory solos. Coltrane plays both tenor and soprano sax – and titles include the legendary 16 minute track "Africa", a classic reading of "Greensleeves", redone here as a modal searching spiritual track, and "Blues Minor". LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s Japanese MCA pressing – VIM 4609 – with insert. Cover and insert have spotty yellowing from age.)
73
Sonny Criss —
Jazz USA ... LP Imperial, 1956. Near Mint- ...
$58.99
One of Sonny Criss' classic albums for Imperial – a brilliant batch of LA bop from the 50s, with an impeccable sound throughout! Criss had a tone like nobody else on the alto – and here, he's at the height of his early powers – neither blowing too hard, nor going for boppish tricks – and instead settling into an amazing groove with a sense of power, confidence, and extreme "rightness" as to his choice of notes! The album's right on the money throughout – exactly the kind of set that lives up to our lifetime devotion to Sonny's music – and the whole thing's great, with tracks that include "West Coast Blues", "Criss Cross", "Ham's Blues", and "Blue Friday". LP, Vinyl record album
A great set – cut when Curson was at the height of his youthful powers, and inspired by modernist ideas he'd picked up from Mingus and other contemporary jazz outsiders – including tenorist Bill Barron, who also plays on the LP! The recording is a perfect document of a time when the hard bop was folding into the new thing – in modes that were experimentally, yet never too far out – and always remembering to swing when needed, as in the case of some of Jackie McLean's best Blue Note work of the early 60s! The album's quite an obscure one – given to its original issue on the mostly-pop Old Town label – but it's a real gem in Curson's catalog, and includes the tracks "Antibes", "Nosruc", "Ahma (See Ya)", and "Flatted Fifth", a composition that went on to become one of Curson's classics! LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, with obi – YQ 7501. Cover has some very light wear, and light aging on the back – but this is a great copy overall.)
Vic Damone's really starting to get it together at this point – opening up with a bit more jazz inflection in arrangements from Robert Smale, and moving into some of the more mature modes of his best years. LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s Japanese promo pressing, with obi and insert.)
A nice little later album from Miles Davis – one that still has some sharp edges and interesting moments that refine the earlier electric sound of the 70s! Teo Macero's still producing here, and he gives the record a focus that really brings the best sound out of the tunes – and although there's not as much noise, funk, or raw energy as before, there's still a shimmeringly modern style that's quite different from most other electric jazz of the time – proof that Davis was still an innovator even in these years! Other instrumentation includes electric piano, guitar, and soprano sax – and titles include "Fat Time", "Aida", "The Man With The Horn", "Ursula", and "Back Seat Betty". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, with obi and insert – 25AP 2095. Cover has a touch of aging.)
One of those key cases where Miles Davis took a familiar song and made it his own! The set's a live one, and features a famous 15 minute version of "My Funny Valentine" – played by Davis in a spacious, open sort of way – and one that has key hints of the modernism to come in his music, yet still rings out with some of his more easygoing late 50s appeal. The group here features George Coleman on tenor alongside the rhythm section of Herbie Hancock piano, Ron Carter bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all three of whom help Davis edge into darker territory, even when things are ostensibly sweet! Apart from the version of "My Funny Valentine", other titles include "All Blues", "All Of You", "I Thought About You", and "Stella By Starlight" LP, Vinyl record album
(80s stereo Japanese CBS/Sony pressing, with obi & insert – 23AP 2562. Still in the original shrink!)
Sweet funky fusion from one of the hippest drummers of the 70s – the mighty Les DeMerle, a player who's given the world plenty of samples over the years! The grooves on the set are some of Les' best – tightly snapping in a warm mix of electric and acoustic playing – with tight bass work that matches Les' drums perfectly, and lots of snaking horn solos from the great Don Menza. Josh Hanna sings on a few cuts, giving the record a more soulful feel than any of Les' other albums – and the whole thing's smoking at a level that really almost surpasses the best of DeMerle's studio work. Titles include "San Quenti Quail", "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Sambandrea Swing", "Quetzal", "Ambidextrous", and "Island Winds". LP, Vinyl record album
(Recent Japanese reissue, with obi – still sealed!)
Gregg Diamond takes his Bionic Boogie sound to a different level – soaring to the skies with a leaner disco groove than before – almost hinting at the coming 80s groove in the process! The rhythms are nice and tight, and often augmented by keyboards that sweeten things up – never overwhelming the overall groove, but packing things in with a mighty nice punch – one that lets the vocals on the record really explode! Most numbers have a chorus singing the spare lyrics – but Diva Gray and Gordon Grody each sing lead on a track each, then give the rest of the record to a backup group that also includes Jocelyn Brown. Our favorite track may well be "Holding Back", which snaps along in a great funky dancefloor groove with some old Bionic Boogie elements – and other cuts include "Arista Vista", "Bring Back Your Love", "Fancy Dancer", and "This Side Of Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese promo pressing, with obi and insert. Vinyl has some worn grooves on "Holding Back", NM- otherwise. Cover is bumped at the top right corner. Obi is lightly crinkled at the side.)
One of Eric Dolphy's lasting classics – and possibly the ultimate album of "new thing" jazz from the mid 60s! The record's got an even sharper edge than previous Dolphy recordings for Prestige – a really unique combination of instrumentation that includes Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – plus Dolphy on alto sax, flute, and bass clarinet. Although Dolphy's reed playing is as amazing as you'd expect, the real surprise here is Hutcherson, whose vibes ring out with this cold harsh tone that give a perfect edge to the set – bold and metallic, quite different than any work on vibes from previous players. Despite a large number of later recordings, Hutcherson almost never hit this sound again – except perhaps on a few Jackie McLean recordings – and it's his playing that gives the set such a unique sound. Titles include "Straight Up & Down", "Gazzelloni", "Hat & Bread", "Out To Lunch" and "Something Sweet Something Tender". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese 200 gram mono pressing from the original tapes – with obi and extra sleeve. DBLP 046)
The "new" thing here is that Kenny's playing with horns – always a refreshing change from his trio sides, and a setting that really brings out an edgier side to his playing. About half the record features a quintet with Donald Byrd and Hank Mobley, plus Wilbur Ware on bass and GT Hogan on drums – and the other half of the set features the same group without Mobley. Titles include "Carol", "Little T", "Paul's Pal", and "This Is New". LP, Vinyl record album
(70s mono Japanese pressing – SMJ-6066M. Includes insert.)
83
Bob Dylan —
At Budokan ... LP Columbia, 1978. Near Mint- 2LP Gatefold ...
$29.99
A double-length live show – recorded in Japan! LP, Vinyl record album
(White label promo. Includes the printed inner sleeves. Cover has timing strip stickers, promo stamp, and some light wear.)
Lots of groovers from this combo who were big on the Parisian scene of the 70s – titles that include "Jumbolo", "One Favor", "Music Is Revolution", "Gardez Derier", "Which One Is Me Home", and "Don't Bite The Hand". LP, Vinyl record album
One of the few albums as a leader from trumpeter Don Fagerquist – a player who's best known for his work in larger groups, but who steps out here leading a tight octet of his own! The set's certainly got traces of Don's work within larger west coast groups of the time – but also shares some of the more open and spontaneous styles of his labelmates' work on the Mode label at the time – kind of an opening of the west coast approach of the 50s, still with a focus on arrangements and the overall feel of the work – but also in a way that swings easily and openly! Members of the group include Herb Geller, Bob Enevoldson, Marty Paich, and Mel Lewis – and tracks include "The Song Is You", "Easy Living", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "All The Things You Are". Great cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album
Although Motown wasn't necessarily the best place for an artist like Jose to be recording at the time, they actually did a pretty decent job of keeping the same sort of vibe that you'd hear on some of Jose's best work for RCA during the mid 70s. Titles include "Free My Freedom", "Ain't That Peculiar", "I Second That Emotion", "The Drought Is Over", and a great version of "I Wanna Be Where You Are". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese promo pressing, with obi and insert. Cover has light wear, promo sticker at the top seam, and is bent a bit at the spine.)
Titles include "Soulin", "Thunder Island", "Night Shift", "Babylon", "Love Is Cold", "Happy Too", "Cozumel", and "Magic Moment". LP, Vinyl record album
(White label Japanese promo. Includes insert. Cover has a small mark from sticker removal and a strip of clear tape on the top seam.)
An amazing debut from pianist Clare Fischer – an artist who went onto have a subtle, but immediate influence upon both the American and Brazilian jazz scenes of the time! Fischer's got a lyrical approach to rhythm that's simply amazing – modern, but never cold and academic – and instead always freely dancing around, in a way that gives equal melodic roles to the bass and drums in his trio. There's a clear bossa nova inspiration here, but keep in mind that Fischer's sensibility was also a big influence on the bossa players of the time. The whole session sparkles with a fresh genius that still beats the work of most players still recording today – and Fischer's piano is accompanied by equally free-thinking work on bass by Gary Peacock and drums by Gene Stone. Most titles are originals, and tunes include "Toddler", "Stranger", "Nigerian Walk", "Afterfact", "Free Too Long", "Piece For Scotty", and "Blues For Home". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, with insert – PJ 0052 – a nice copy!)
An album we come back to more and more over the years – a bit more subtle than some of the other Gabriel-era Genesis records, but in a really great way! You'll not get any overly-heavy concepts here, yet the album still retains all the instrumental complexity the group was getting so great at – nicely subtle at times, a bit more expanded at others – and with a balance of bigger songs and more personal moments that hints at the direction the group would take after Peter Gabriel. Instrumentation is superb, especially the keyboards – and titles include "Aisle Of Plenty", "Firth Of Fifth", "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight", "I Know What I Like", "Battle Of Epping Forest", "The Cinema Show", and "More Fool Me" – the last of which was a key early vocal moment for Phil Collins. LP, Vinyl record album
(Late 70s Japanese pressing – RJ-7304 – with wide purple obi and insert. Obi is lightly bent and crinkled. Cover has spotty aging on front and back.)
97
Danyel Gerard —
Danyel Gerard ... LP Verve/MGM, 1972. Very Good Gatefold ...
$5.99
A weird bit of folk funk rock – and a totally cool record on early 70s Verve! The album was recorded during the Mike Curb years at MGM – and has a similar pop crossover, adult hip kind of sound to some of Curb's other big success stories. The sound's an unusual blend of folk and growing 70s pop modes – and the track "Let's Love" is a nice spacey groover with a flanged-out pop sound. Songs include "Butterfly", "From Japan To America", "Low Lay Low", "Teddy Bear", "Harlequin", "Caroline", "Face Of A Clown", "The Gun", "Rain", "Elie Lama Sabacthani", and "Let's Love". LP, Vinyl record album
A great little session – and a meeting that was one of the best things to happen to the Oscar Peterson trio during the 50s! Stan's tone fits perfectly with the group here – and his playing next to the guitar of Herb Ellis recalls many of the fine strengths of the early 50s Getz sides with Jimmy Raney – although somehow coming across with even more depth and imagination here – probably a result of the more sophisticated approach to productions handled by Verve! Peterson's no slouch, either – but Stan's the man who really makes the session sparkle – as you'll hear on tunes that include "Tour's End", "Bronx Blues", "I Was Doing All Right", and "I'm Glad There's You". LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s Japanese Polydor pressing – UMV 2665. Cover has light wear and bumped corners.)
Not the famous Verve Records pairing of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker – but instead a more obscure live date from 1947, but one that really lets you hear the genius that happens when both players take the stage! The tunes have this approach that really hits at the most creative side of bop at the time – maybe even more open, expressive, and filled with larger ideas than some of the early singles that were coming out in 1947 – in a way that makes the whole thing a really important document of the complexity that was in the music, right from the start. The pair really stretch out on a fantastic two part reading of "Night In Tunisia (parts 1 & 2)", then soar through "Groovin High (parts 1 & 2)", "Confirmation", and "Dizzy Atmosphere". The second half of the set features some more live material, but just with Dizzy Gillespie in the lead, from 1953 – with Bill Graham on alto and baritone, plus a bit of vocals from Joe Carroll. Titles include "School Days", "Swing Low Sweet Cadillac", and "Tin Tin Deo". LP, Vinyl record album
(Sealed early 80s mono Japanese pressing – YS7087-RO. Shrink has some light wear.)
100
Johnny Griffin —
Man I Love ... LP Polydor (UK), Late 60s. Near Mint- Gatefold ...
$19.9939.99
An astounding live set from Johnny Griffin – recorded at the famous Club Montmartre in Copenhagen, where Griff had practically taken up residence in the late 60s! The record crackles with the kind of free energy of the best Montmartre sessions – long tracks and compelling solos, stretched-out versions of tunes you may recognize, but which are transformed nicely by Griff's great solo work – and by a rhythm section that features Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Heath on drums! Titles include "The Man I Love", "Blues For Harvey", "Sophisticated Lady", "Hush A Bye", and "Wee". LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing of the UK version – gatefold cover, heavy vinyl, and insert! Cover has some very light aging inside the gatefold, and light fading on spine – but this is a great copy overall.)