Record Store Day 2024 is approaching on April 20th, and the Jazz releases are plentiful. Rather than providing detailed reviews of these never-before-released and/or reissued jazz recordings, Glide will summarize each alphabetically by artist, focusing on 18 and listing 11 others we’ve found available.
Entries lead this group from the likes of Cannonball Adderley, Mal Waldron/Steve Lacy, Art Tatum, Sun Ra, Yusef Lateef, Nat King Cole, Brother Jack McDuff, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, many of them appearing for the first time. Most of these sets have terrific liner notes, historic photos, and remembrances from those who played with or admired the musicians. Expect special 180-gram and colorful vinyl on these releases, most of which are archival, with special vinyl for a few reissues and recently issued recordings. This is not pitched as comprehensive. We may have missed a couple, but these are the most vital releases. For more insights, you may revisit our interview with Zev Feldman, which appeared last week. Happy hunting!!
NEW DISCOVERIES
Artist – Cannonball Adderley
Album – Burnin’ in Bordeaux: Live in France (1969)
Label – Elemental (Zev Feldman)
Overview – This concert features one of Cannonball’s classic quintets in command of varied material. The larger-than-life Adderley shows great rapport with the audience as he explains the inspiration behind the tunes. He and his band are adventurous and eminently soulful throughout. Some of his biggest songs are here including “The Scavenger,” “Work Song,” and “Mercy Mercy Mercy” in an adventurous repertoire from Leonard Bernstein to Pop Staples. Nat Adderly alone threatens to blow the roof off the theater. Cannonball has a superb tone and is highly lyrical throughout. Many feel that Cannonball’s bands with Zawinul in the piano chair were the best. This certainly bolsters that argument.
Location and Date Recorded – Alhambra Theater at the Bordeaux Jazz Festival on March 14, 1969
Personnel – Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone), Nat Adderley (cornet), Joe Zawinul (piano), Victor Gaskin (bass), Roy McCurdy (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Zev Feldman, Bob Blumenthal, Roy McCurdy, Hal Galper, Chris Potter, Michael Wolff
Must Hear Tracks – Disc One/LP One – “Manha de Carnaval,” (from Black Orpheus) with tremendous arco bass from Gaskin, “Work Song” Disc Two/LP Two – “Blue ‘N” Boogie,” “Come Sunday” (Zawinul and Gaskin), “Mercy Mercy Mercy”
Available Formats and Dates – 2 LPs on 4-20, 2 CDs and digital on 4/26
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Artist – Cannonball Adderley
Album – Poppin’ in Paris: Live at L’Olympia (1972)
Label – Elemental (Zev Feldman)
Overview – These sessions depict the core of Adderley’s band three years later, with Geroge Duke and Walter Booker in place of Joe Zawinul and Victor Gaskin, respectively, as Cannonball begins to flirt with electronics and funk, in keeping with the burgeoning jazz-rock and jazz-funk fusion of the period. Interestingly, five of the nine tunes here were from former member Zawinul, who, of course, went on to become a fusion-icon, co-founding Weather Report with Wayne Shorter, already a recorded and touring band at the time of this recording. Yet, this is all original material that’s more accessible than many contemporary artists of the era due to their grounding in the blues. They get a bit experimental here, but it all fits with the inclusion of their mega-hit “Mercy Mercy Mercy” and extended takes on “Doctor Honoris Causa” and “The Black Messiah.”
Location and Date Recorded – Olympia Theater in Paris on October 25, 1972, as part of the Paris Jazz Festival.
Personnel – – Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone), Nat Adderley (cornet), George Duke (piano), Walter Booker (bass), Roy McCurdy (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Zev Feldman, Bob Blumenthal, Tia Fuller, Lou Donaldson, Vincent Herring
Must Hear Tracks – Lengthy tracks were a trend at the time via Miles Davis and others. Thus, “Black Messiah” and “Doctor Honoris Causa” are checking in around 20 minutes. Beyond that LP One features “Autumn Leaves” and LP Two has “Hummin’” and a more funked up version of “Mercy Mercy Mercy.”
Available Formats and Dates – 2 LPs, 1 CD, and digital on 4/26
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Artist – Chet Baker/Jack Sheldon
Album – In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album
Label – Jazz Detective (Zev Feldman)
Overview – This is an essential recording because it comes about a year before Chet Baker’s “official” comeback, recovering from a fistfight in 1966 that left him with broken teeth. Playing with new teeth and a custom mouthpiece, Baker was lured into the studio by Sheldon, a fellow trumpeter who, like Baker, also sang. Sheldon is the animated catalyst, often taking the lead, while Baker is his typically “cool” self. Here, Baker is heard on the right channel, whether playing trumpet or singing with Sheldon on the left. In terms of trumpet playing, Sheldon is more bop-oriented and often uses vibrato while Baker is more balladic, gravitating toward dulcet timbres. At times, they do sound similar, so one needs to orient listening to the right and left channels. The all-analog sound is great. Mostly they work through a series of standards with bossa nova in Jobim’s “One I Loved” and Sheldon singing in Spanish on “Historia de un-Amor” with a superb backing rhythm section.
Location and Date Recorded – Studio in Tustin, CA in 1972
Personnel – Chet Baker (trumpet, vocals), Jack Sheldon (trumpet, vocals), Jack Marshall (guitar), Dave Frishberg (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass), Nick Ceroli (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Zev Feldman, Frank Marshall, Tia Fuller, Richard Ginell, Matthew Lutthans
Most Impressive Accompanist(s) – Pianist Frishberg shines on his many solos
Must Hear Tracks – Baker is best on “When I Fall in Love” while Sheldon gets wild on “You Fascinate Me” and “I Cried for You.” The two are practically inseparable on “Too Blue” and put a lively cap on the session with the closing “Evil Blues.”
Available Formats and Dates – LP -4/20, CD -4/26
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Artist – Nat King Cole
Album – Live at the Blue Note Chicago (1953)
Label – Iconic Artists Group
Overview – This is a 2-LP set of previously unreleased performances by the legendary pianist/vocalist in a classic nightclub setting, the Blue Note Chicago, the city’s first integrated venue. You’ll immediately notice three or four things: Cole’s connection with his audience, his sense of humor, his elegance and class expressed rather casually, and the raw immediacy of his popular repertoire unsweetened by strings and overproduction that marked his commercial output. These were recorded by club owner Frank Holzfeind, who taped every show at his club. Audio engineer and producer James Saez meticulously restored the original recordings, inserting introductions from Cole and Holzfeind. Importantly, these highlight Cole’s velvety vocals and versatile piano playing, ideal for his ballads but bluesy and fierce when needed.
Location and Date Recorded – Blue Note Jazz Club, Chicago during the week of August 28, 1953
Personnel – Nat King Cole (piano and vocals), Charlie Harris (bass), John Collins (guitar), Lee Young (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Will Friedwald
Must Hear Tracks – This is superb material throughout, with every cut being a worthwhile listen. Almost all of Cole’s most recognized tunes appear in this collection, too. Here are the standouts: LP One – “Love Is Here to Stay,” “Unforgettable,” “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” “Exactly Like You,” “Sweet Lorraine,” “Calypso Blues” LP Two – “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” “If Love Is Good To Me,” “This Can’t Be Love,” “Route 66”
Available Formats and Dates– 2-LP, other formats available on 5/31
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Artist – Vince Guaraldi
Album –It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (complete original soundtrack plus bonus tracks)
Label -Lee Mendelson Film Productions
Overview –The soundtrack is available for the first time. These are cues for the film. There are 32 in all, including the bonus tracks, with the shortest at 11 seconds and the longest at 1:19. Nonetheless, this is a swinging ensemble with several of the same players that grace the Shelly Manne issue. Guaraldi’s piano, ever swinging, is set prominently in the mix. The sound is pristine and, like the Peanuts movies, fun, witty, and made for end-to-end listening.
Highlights of Booklet (Essays) – Derrick Bang, author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano, Jason Mendelson, producer and son of Lee Mendelson, Sean Mendelson, album producer, musician, and son of Lee Mendelson
Location and Date Recorded – First aired on September 27, 1969 on CBS (55th Anniversary}
Personnel – Vince Guaraldi (piano), Monty Budwig (double bass), Jack Sperling (drums), Conti and Pete Candoli (trumpets), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Victor Feldman (percussion), Herb Ellis (guitar), William Hood and Peter Christlieb (woodwinds), and John Scott Trotter (orchestra leader0.
Must Hear Tracks – These are all so short it is difficult to center on any one track, but these are the most colorful – “Come and Get It Medley,” “He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown,” Masked Marvel,” “Linus and Lucy” as there are alternate versions of the latter two in Bonus tracks.
Available Formats and Dates – LP (played at 45 rpm), CD.
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Artist – Yusef Lateef
Album –Atlantis Lullaby: The Concert in Avignon
Label -Elemental (Zev Feldman)
Overview –Lateef was one of the first jazz artists to incorporate strains of Eastern and African music into his sound, leading some to call him a pioneer of World Music. The Detroit-born Lateef’s music is firmly grounded in the blues. He hated the term “jazz,” instead calling his music Autophysiopyschic. While that term seems esoteric, his music is accessible, mostly ” in” but occasionally bordering on the “out.” Lateef’s mastery of each instrument is outstanding.
Location and Date Recorded – Cloitre des Celestin in Avignon France on July 19, 1972
Personnel – Yusef Lateef (soprano sax, tenor sax, flute), Kenny Barron (piano), Bob Cunningham (bass), Albert “Tootie” Heath (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Zev Feldman, Shannon Effinger, Kenny Barron, Albert “Tootie” Heath, Adam Rudolph, Reggie Workman, Joe Lovano, Tia Fuller, Bennie Maupin, James Carter, and Sonny Rollins
Most Impressive Accompanist(s) – Hearing NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron in his early twenties is quite a revelation. To boot, he composed three of these seven tracks.
Must Hear Tracks – Opener “Inside Atlantis,” composed by Barron shows the tremendous interplay of the rhythm section, “Yusef’s Mood,” shows the leader’s prowess on tenor and his deep roots in the blues, and “A Flower,” a duet between Lateef on flute on Barron on piano is sublimely gorgeous. The lengthy “Untitled” reveals Lateef’s Eastern influences yet has some of the performance’s most explosive moments.
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP, 2-CD
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Artist – Shelly Manne and His Men
Album– Jazz from the Pacific Northwest
Label – Reel to Real (Cory Weeds and Zev Feldman)
Overview – Shelly Manne is the premier drummer for the West Coast sound, having backed such giants as Chet Baker, Stand Getz, Stan Kenton, and Barney Kessel, among others. Here, as leader, he fronts two different quintets in two settings, as detailed below. Manne never really wanted to be pigeonholed in the so-called ‘cool jazz’ West Coast sound, however and made a point of embracing Dixieland, swing, bebop, avant-garde, and even fusion throughout his four decades. Introducing band members at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival, he said, “This is what we call a West Coast jazz band,” emphasizing sarcastically that none hail from the West Coast. He and his band swing hard on the Monterey set and revel in dynamic group interplay. At the Penthouse, eight years later, they burst out in bebop and hard bop with a hard-driving quintet of killer soloists. The drums are forward in the mix on both sets.
Location and Date Recorded – Three performances: 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival, 2 evenings at Seattle’s Penthouse in 1966
Personnel – Monterey: Shelly Manne (drums), Monty Budwig (bass), Russ Freeman (piano), Herb Geller (alto sax, flute) and Stu Williamson (trumpet), Penthouse: Shelly Manne (drums), Monty Budwig (bass), Hampton Hawes (piano), Frank Strozier (alto sax, flute), Conte Candoli (trumpet) and guest vocalist Ruth Price
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Richard Ginell, Ruth Price, Bill Holman, Joe LaBarbera, Peter Erskine, and Jim Keltner
Must Hear Tracks – Monterey – “The Vamp’s Blues” (cool jazz with impressive turns from Geller and Williamson), “Quartet (Suite in Four Movements” (evidence of group’s versatility) Penthouse – The two with vocalist Ruth Price “Surrey with the Fringe on Top” and “Dearly Beloved” as well as instrumentals “Softly As in a Morning Sunrise” and “Summertime” (great flute from Strozier)
Available Formats and Dates– 2-LP, 2-CD and digital on 5/10
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Artist – Brother Jack McDuff
Album – Ain’t No Sunshine (Live in Seattle)
Label – Reel to Real (Cory Weeds)
Overview – This is the peak period for the organ giant leading a quintet in this live session. This group of players followed McDuff’s mid-sixties quartet that featured George Benson and Red Holloway and proved to be a short-lived and seldom recorded lineup of hand-picked players. The deep grooves bring the funk to another level,” yet the band plays loosely, at times discordant, and at times so ferociously, mistakes and all, proving exhilarating. From nursery rhymes to standards, pop hits, and Latin jazz, they cover a wide spectrum in this concert. Listen closely to McDuff’s basslines, which he is well renowned for. The truncated “Broadway” is slightly disappointing, especially considering the explosive finales that mark so many of these tracks.
Location and Date Recorded – Gallery in Seattle on September 13, 1972
Personnel – Jack McDuff (organ), Leo Johnson (tenor sax, flute, clarinet), Dave Young (tenor and soprano sax), Vinnie Corrao (guitar), and Ron Davis (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Cory Weeds, Andrew Scott, Brian Charette, George Benson, Larry Goldings, and Delvon Lamar
Must Hear Tracks – Disc One – “Theme from The Electric Surfboard” (where McDuff makes the organ sound like an electric piano) “Three Blind Mice,” (yes, the nursery rhyme) the title track featuring Lee Johnson, both tenors shine on “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” Disc Two – “Unknown” with unidentified trumpeter and McDuff going experimental with wah wah and other devices, and “The Jolly Black Giant”(nice feature for McDuff).
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Artist – Sonny Rollins
Album – Freedom Weaver: 1959 European Tour
Label – Resonance (Zev Feldman)
Overview – As a lifelong saxophone enthusiast, one of this writer’s enduring albums is Sonny Rollins’ 1957 trio A Night at the Vanguard, a triple LP with just 16 tracks. Fortunately, this collection of trio recordings repeats only one of those, doubling the length of “Woody ‘N’ You,” which appears in the latter half with two other extensive tracks, all from France. In the first half, there are shorter cuts, 33 in all. Rollins claims to be super animated in the notes, which comes across in the first notes of his leadoff track, the iconic “St. Thomas” and extends throughout the whole collection. Yet, in the Stockholm interview on Disc One, he expresses humility and unworthiness, claiming to be just and experimenting. While most of these are standards, we hear his “Oleo,” (twice). The European audiences are immensely enthusiastic, pushing Rollins to be ever-adventurous and explorative. This is an essential document that attests to the notion that Rollins was jazz’s first and lasting great improviser and, when placed next to the Live at the Vanguard and the 2020 Resonance Rollins in Holland from 1967, offers an insightful view of the icon’s evolution, some of which here presages free jazz and early stages of avant-garde.
Location and Date Recorded – Various concerts, radio and TV appearances in Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, and France in March 1959
Personnel – Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone), Henry Grimes (bass), Pete LaRoca (19 tracks), Joe Harris (3 on Disc One), and Kenny Clarke (3 on Disc Three) (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Bob Blumenthal (Rollins scholar who also wrote the liners for Blue Note’s More From the Vanguard and the Tone Poet reissue of the original), Sonny Rollins, Branford Marsalis, Joe Lovano, James Carter, James Brandon Lewis, and the late Peter Brotzmann.
Must Hear Tracks – There are two versions of “Oleo,” “I Want To Be Happy,” “Paul’s Pal,” and four of another favorite, “I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star,” so those are worth checking along with Disc One – “St. Thomas,” the only documented “Stay Sweet As You Are” and ‘There Will Never Be Another You,” the lyrical “Paul’s Pal” (longer version), unaccompanied passages in “Love Letters” Disc Two – the only documented versions of “Weaver of Dreams” and “Cocktails for Two,” unaccompanied sequences in “It Could Happen to You,” and great trio soloing on “I Want to Be Happy” Disc Three – this long version of Tadd Dameron’s “Lady Bird” is the only one documented and a terrific closer to the collection.
Available Formats and Dates – 4-LP, 3-CD, digital on 4/26
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Artist – Sun Ra
Album – At the Showcase: Live in Chicago (1976-1977)
Label – Jazz Detective (Zev Feldman)
Overview – Although Sun Ra (Herman Blount) was born in Alabama (if not Saturn), Chicago was where his jazz roots first took shape in the early ‘50s before famously moving to Philadelphia in 1968. He had one of those love-hate relationships with the Second City, but Jazz Showcase owner Joe Segal was happy to present him to sold-out houses for these two weekly residencies in separate years from which these shows are drawn. The Arkestra, (dubbed Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra) for these shows were at their height. This writer saw them perform in Ann Arbor in 1978 and can attest to such. You’ll hear Fletcher Henderson rather conventional extensive band passages mixed with exhilarating avant-garde and musical surprises galore.
Location and Date Recorded – Various dates at Chicago’s Jazz Showcase in 1976 and 1977
Personnel – Sun Ra (piano and electric keyboards), John Gilmore (tenor), Marshall Allen (alto, flute, kors), Danny Davis (alto, flute), Elo Omoe (alto, bass clarinet), Danny Ray Thompson (baritone, flute), Michael Ray (trumpet), Ahmed Abdullah (trumpet), Emmett McDonald (trumpet), Vincent Chancey (French horn), Dale Williams (guitar), Richard Williams (bass), Luqman Ali (drums), Eddie Thomas (percussion, vocal), James Jackson (Drum, oboe), Atakatune (congas), June Tyson (vocals), Cheryl Banks-Smith (vocals), and Wisteria (Judith Holton) (vocals)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – John Corbett, Marshall Allen, Reggie Workman, Jack DeJohnette, David Murray, Matthew Shipp, Dave Burrel, Michael Weiss, Amina Claudine Myers, and Thurston Moore
Most Impressive Accompanist(s)- The great tenorist John Gilmore in his prime, the still active 99-year Marshall Allen on alto, and trumpeter Akh Tal Ebah
Must Hear Tracks – “The Shadow World” reveals the tightness of the ensemble and remarkable solos from Allen, Elo Omoe on bass clarinet, and trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah. “Space is the Place” (of course), and “Greetings from the 21st Century” featuring Akjh Tal Ebah, “Visitor’s Approach” with Gilmore’s tenor solo, and “Taking a Chance on Chances” with French horn player Vincent Chancey.
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP, 2-CD on 4/26
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Artist – Art Tatum
Album –Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings
Label -Resonance (Zev Feldman)
Overview – Although this one comes courtesy of Zev Feldman and George Klabin, it (like Nat King Cole’s) is sourced from the Holzfeind family archives and the same year. This presents almost three total hours of the legendary pianist Art Tatum in his prime, but playing in a trio format rather than solo, for which he is more widely known. He, too, appears with guitar and bass and no drummer in the same configuration as Cole. The similarities end there as Tatum had a whirlwind, mighty technique with speed-defying runs up and down the keyboard, an immense “two-handed” piano approach still arguably unmatched today. Everett Barksdale’s guitar is sometimes a bit hard to get used to. Still, there are some significant passages of counterpoint to Tatum, whose speed on the keys and ability to produce magical chords seem to overwhelm the guitarist at times. It’s no wonder that, at one point, the audience requests solo piano. Yet, the trio ultimately shines and transforms “St. Louis Blues” and so many others.
These 39 songs represent the largest sampling of Tatum’s second trio. The best quote of all in the comprehensive booklet is that of critic Whitney Balliett quoted in American Musicians: “He occupied his own country.” Tatum was not a composer of note with just one of original in these three albums but consider this repertoire: Cole Porter, Benny Goodman, the Gershwins, Dvorak, W.C Handy, Hoagy Carmichael, Rodgers and Hart, and many others.
Location and Date Recorded – Blue Note Jazz Club Chicago in March of 1953
Personnel – Art Tatum (piano), Everett Barksdale (guitar), and Slam Stewart (bass)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Brent Hayes Edwards, Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Rollins, Monty Alexander, ELEW, Spike Wilner, Johnny O’Neal, Michael Weiss and Terry Gibbs
Must Hear Tracks –LP One – “On the Sunny Side of the street,” “Flying Home,” “The Man I Love” LP Two – “Body and Soul,” St. Louis Blues,” “Someone to Watch Over Me” and four solo pieces – “Humoresque,” “Begin the Beguine,” “After You’ve Gone,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me” LP Three – “Sweet Lorraine,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” “Stardust”
Available Formats and Dates – 3-LP, 3-CD
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Artist – Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Album – Live in France – 1966 Concert in Limoge (Deep Digs)
Label -Deep Digs (Zev Feldman)
Overview – Zev Feldman set up his Deep Digs label for non-jazz offerings and this amazing 21-song concert from The Godmother of Rock n Roll is the first entry. Sister Rosetta Tharpe accompanies herself on her Gibson Les Paul Custom without the benefit of a backing band. (There is a pianist on “Up Above My Head” only). Hailed mostly for her guitar work and rightly so, this recording also illuminates a very potent voice, her phrasing, her storytelling, and her infectious rapport with the audience who rhythmically clap on about a third of these tunes. This quote from Shemekia Copeland says it best, “If Rosetta had been a Mister instead of a Sister, she could have been as famous as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, or even Elvis.” Sister is in great, dynamic form here.
Location and Date Recorded – Grand Theater in Limoges, France on November 11, 1966 France
Personnel – Sister Rosetta Tharpe solo
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Tharpe biographer Gayle Wald, French author Jean Buzelin, Donna Rhea Hamilton (grandmother of Tedeschi Trucks Band drummer Isaac Eady), and comments from Susan Tedeschi, Billy F Gibbons, Shemekia Coplean, Henry Rollins Brian Ray and Bonnie Raitt
Must Hear Tracks – Pick your favorites as they are all here, including “This Train,” “Didn’t It Rain,” “Give Me That Old Time Religion,” “Down By the Riverside,” “Bring Back Those Happy Days,” “Traveling Shoes”
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP, CD and Digital on 4/26
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Artist – Mal Waldron/Steve Lacy
Album –The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp
Label -Elemental (Zev Feldman)
Overview –This is taken from a live performance celebrating Waldron’s 70th birthday with an elite working quartet. The interplay between Lacy and Waldron is impeccable, especially on the two Monk tunes. Waldron built his reputation as a great composer on many of the great Prestige recordings in the late ‘50s, but at this point in his career, he was playing more “out” than “in.” Lacy is one of the greatest (the premier in jazz, according to Dave Liebman) soprano players of all time, and his tone and singular attack are on fine display throughout. Little need be said about Workman and Cyrille, both still active and legendary on their instruments. Although Waldron and Lacy get the dual billing here, this is a most formidable quartet, with each player given ample solo opportunities.
Location and Date Recorded – DeSingel Arts Center, Antwerp, Belgium on September 30, 1995
Personnel – Steve Lacy (soprano sax), Mal Waldron (piano), Reggie Workman (bass), Andrew Cyrille (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Zev Feldman, Adam Shatz, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Jane Bunnett, David Virelles, David Liebman, Vijay Iyer, Evan Parker, Hiromi Waldron
Must Hear Tracks – As mentioned, “Epistrophy” and “Monk’s Dream,” both on Disc One. To best appreciate the muscularity of Waldron’s pianism, and the connection to Cecil Taylor (with whom Cyrille played) listen to “Medley: Snake Out/Variations on a Theme by Cecil Taylor” on Disc 2, where Lacy also goes especially explorative, reaching impossible stratospheric notes on the soprano.
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP, 2-CD
RECENT ISSUES WITH VINYL
Artist – Kenny Garrett/Svoy
Album –Who Killed AI?
Label -Mack Avenue
Overview – Inspired by his tenure with Miles Davis, the altoist links with electronic maestro Svoy and, though unstated, recent work by Andre 3000 and the groundbreaking Pharoah Sanders collaboration with Floating Points, Promises, Garrett goes electronic for the first time. He is still in post-bop mode, delivering funky, danceable, and exciting, accessible music. On “Ascendance,” he even accurately mimics Miles’ raspy speaking voice.
Must Hear Tracks – Besides the aforementioned, “Miles Running Down AI” and “Convergence” really capture the merging of electronica, hip-hop and Garrett’s alternately staccato and soaring alto. “Transcendence” offers the calmer side.
Format – LP, others issued earlier in April.
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Artist – Christian McBride & Edgar Meyer
Album –But Who’s Gonna Play the Melody?
Label -Mack Avenue
Overview – McBride is one the most adventurous musicians in jazz, as shown by his work with QuestLove on “The Philadelphia Experiment,” recent collaborations with Rhiannon Giddens and Francisco Turrisi, and many others. It has long been his dream to collaborate with bluegrass great bassist Edgar Meyer and together the two explore a genre-blurring path here –from the American Songbook to jazz, blues, country, bluegrass to free improvisationThe tongue-in-cheek title conjures fun and indeed their approach is playful though at times serious, all rooted in the blues. Meyer does more arco work, while McBride is typically in pizzicato mode. Each one plays piano on two tracks, so there are four piano/bass duets.
Must Hear Tracks – Suggesting four bass duets – “Barnyard Disturbance,” “Philly Slop,” (two originals) and “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Tennessee Blues,” the latter showing how two bassists can indeed share the melody on familiar tunes.
Format: LP, other formats issued earlier in March
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Artist – Omar Sosa
Album –Omar Sosa’s 88 Well-Tuned Drums (Music from the Motion Picture)
Label -Ota
Overview – The Cuban-born pianist is a world music hero with over 30 recorded albums. The soundtrack features music from eight Sosa albums, including three Grammy nominees – Sentir (2002), Across the Divide (2009), and Eggun (2013) with music from Africa and Cuba and descendant communities of the Diaspora. Jazz, Afro-Cuban, and an array of folkloric in Western classical music. He performs acoustic and Rhodes on this LP. Selections range from solo piano (“Sunrise,”” Augustia With Tumbao”) to duet (“Portrait’), trio (“Para Ella”), quartet (“Toridanzon”), quintet (“Cha Cha du Nord”), septet (“Promised Land,” “So All Freddie”)
Must Hear Tracks – The distinctly Cuban “Toridanzon” from Sentir has stirring vocals and the renowned Cuban clave percussive piano stylings. The solo and duo piano pieces are quite different, far more contemplative and searching. “So All Freddie” features Lionel Loueke and is a Puerto Rican/Dominican mashup of “So What,” “All Blues,” and “Freddie Freeloader” from Miles’ Kind of Blue. This track, as much as any, is a testament to Sosa’s creativity.
Format – LP
Artist – Ghost-Note
Album –Mustard n’ Onions
Label -Mack Avenue
Overview – The funk-fusion outfit delivers their first recording in six years, newly signed to Mack Avenue. This is a supergroup boasting members of Snarky Puppy, Prince, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, Marcus Miller, and more. They are led by Snarky Puppy’s drummer-keyboardist Robert ‘Sput’ Seawright and percussionist Nate Werth. The album also features guests Karl Denson, the late Casey Benjamin, the late Bernard Wright, Mackenzie, Keith Anderson, Eric Gales, Travis Toy, Mark Letteri, Marcus Miller, Jay Jennings and more. With all these folks involved, it’s important to note that each band member has a writing credit among these 15 funk-filled tracks.
Personnel – In addition to Seawright and Werth, Mike Jelani Brooks (tenor & flute), Sylvester Onyejiaka (bari, tenor, flute), Dywane MonoNeon Thomas Jr. (bass & guitar), Dominique Xavier Taplin (keys),), A.J. Brown (bass), Jonathan Mones (alto & flute, Peter Knudsen (guitar), Danny Wytanis (trombone) with a String Section conducted by Onyejiaka – Carlos Roberta Gandara Garcia (violin 1), Israel Torres Araiza (violin 2), Anna Arnal Ferrer (viola), and Salomon Guerrero Alarcon (cello)
Must Hear Tracks – “Move With a Purpose” (w/Karl Denson and Bernard Wright), “Where’s Danny?” (featuring Wytanis), “Origins” (featuring Anderson), “Grandma’s Curtains” (featuring Eric Gales), “Bad Knees” (written by MonoNeon), and “PoundCake” which may be one of the late Casey Benjamin’s (alto sax) last recordings.
Format – 2-LP, CD and digital on 4-19.
REISSUES/COLLECTIONS
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Artist – Bill Evans
Album – Everybody Digs Bill Evans
Label – Craft/originally Riverside.
James shines most brightly in the second half, which is more focused and doesn’t suffer from overproduction that saddles much of the first half. When Recorded – 1959
Overview – This is Evans’ second album as a leader, recorded just one month after leaving Miles Davis’s sextet. He’s joined by bassist Sam Jones and drummer Philly Joe Jones standards, a cover of Sonny Rollins’ “Oleo,” two originals, and his debut of “Peace Piece.” He does solo on a couple and on the two “Epilogues” close each side. It’s meditative primarily with a couple of swingers, a major expose of Evans’ melodicism wherein he puts his stamp on familiar, oft-covered material as well as contributing his own enduring composition. This is a landmark album, one of the earliest in the conventional piano-bass-drum trio formats. Craft has resurrected the unique album art with testimonials to Evans from former bandmates Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderly and pianists George Shearing and Ahmad Jamal, Thus the title. The original liner notes from Orrin Keepnews appear on the back. This is a special mono edition with lacquers cut from the original mono tapes by Matthe Lutthans of Cohearent Audio, who also does so much work for the Zev Feldman-related issues.
Must Hear Tracks – Trio “Night and Day,” “Tenderly,” Solo “Peace Piece,” “Lucky to Be Me”
Available Formats and Dates – LP
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Artist – Various Artists
Album – Jazz Dispensary- The Freedom Sound! The People Arise
Label – Craft
Overview – The LP comes in dazzling cover art and handsome blue swirl vinyl. Side A has “Afro-Centric,” a cut from saxophonist Joe Henderson’s socially conscious classic, Power to the People (Milestone, 1969) featuring Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Mike Lawrence, and Jack DeJohnette. The expressive “Freedom One Day” from the Gary Bartz Quintet’s long-out-of-print 1967 debut, Libra, with Richard Davis on bass and Billy Higgins on drums follows, while the joyous “Theme For a New Day” comes from Azar Lawrence’s 1976 jazz-funk masterpiece, People Moving, which features Patrice Rushen, Ernie Watts, and Harvey Mason, among others.
Side B opens with the joyful rhythms of “Afrika,” a selection from A.K. Salim’s Afro-Soul/Drum Orgy (1964) featuring Yusef Lateef, Johnny Coles, Pat Patrick, and expert percussionist Julio Collazo. “Night Drums, “is courtesy of Chicago family act The Dungills, from their 1963 rarity, Africa Calling. Closing out the album is a powerful suite of compositions by pianist Ran Blake. The evocative “Three Seeds,” off Blake’s 1969 LP, The Blue Potato & Other Outrages, pays tribute to three revolutionary thought leaders of the 20th century: Regis Debray, Che Guevara, and Malcolm X.
Location and Date Recorded – Various Dates from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Must Hear Tracks – As in the Overview.
Available Formats and Dates – LP
OTHER JAZZ and JAZZ ADJACENT TITLES
| Artist | Title | Label | Format |
| Monty Alexander | The Monty Alexander Trio Live at Montreux | MPS | LP |
| Manu Dibango | Manu 76 | Soul Makossa | LP |
| Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet | Spirit To All (Special Edition) | Quality | LP |
| Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet | Live Spirit | Quality | |
| Charles Mingus | Reincarnations | Candid | LP |
| Charlie Parker | Norman Granz’ Jazz At The Philharmonic | Verve | LP |
| Dave Pike | The Doors of Perception | Nature Sounds | LP |
| Pharoah Sanders | Radio Edit) / Love Will Find a Way- Harvest Time | Luaka Bop | 7-inch |
| Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers | Yaina | Ubiquity | LP |
| Sun Ra | Pink Elephants on Parade | Modern Harmonics | LP |
