Rare reissue of historic recordings by Scott LaFaro. New DSD remastering. Scott LaFaro left us a very small number of recordings due to his untimely death in 1961. He was a genius who developed a revolutionary way of playing the bass. Whether recorded live or in studio, these recordings are all worth listening to. This album consists of three ABC Stars of Jazz TV probrams as well as a very rare rehearsal session at Bob Andrews' Recordville, the record store belonging to Andrews, the famous devotee of the West Coast jazz scene. All are 1958 performances while LaFaro was with the Victor Feldman group. Recommended for fans of Scott LaFaro!
Released in 1974, Get Up With It is a follow-up to Big Fun, which appeared in the same year, offering an overview of the recent period and revealing new directions. The funk genre started with “Honky Tonk” from the Jack Johnson sessions, ran through On The Corner with “Rated X” and “Billy Preston,” and ended up in the groovy structures of “Mtume” where, with the help of the wah-wah pedal, the electrified trumpet abandoned phrasing to work exclusively on timbre and rhythm.
Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. A pretty sweet 70s set from Art Farmer – ostensibly a tribute to Duke Ellington, but really more of a gently soulful session in the mode of Art's best work of the decade! The group is the Cedar Walton trio with Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all matching Art's lyrical work beautifully, in a soulfully swinging way that transforms familiar Ellington numbers into new vehicles for creative expression. Farmer's at the height of his powers, and tracks include "Love You Madly", "Lush Life", "In A Sentimental Mood", and "The Star Crossed Lovers".
Thought by many to be among the most revolutionary albums in jazz history, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew solidified the genre known as jazz-rock fusion. The original double LP included only six cuts and featured up to 12 musicians at any given time, some of whom were already established while others would become high-profile players later, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Airto, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Don Alias, Bennie Maupin, Larry Young, and Lenny White among them. Originally thought to be a series of long jams locked into grooves around keyboard, bass, or guitar vamps, Bitches Brew is actually a recording that producer Teo Macero assembled from various jams and takes by razor blade, splice to splice, section to section.
Of all Gil Evans' orchestral scores for soulmate Miles Davis, PORGY AND BESS is his richest and most ambitious–a watershed of modern jazz harmony which served to secure Davis' pop star stature and define his brooding mystique. Inevitably, even non-jazz listeners own a copy of PORGY AND BESS or SKETCHES OF SPAIN.
What is immedately noticeable upon listening to Miles Davis' classic first – and only – album with his original sextet is how deep the blues presence is on it. Though it's true that the album's title cut is rightfully credited with introducing modalism into jazz, and defining Davis' music for years to come, it is the sole selection of its kind on the record. The rest is all blues in any flavor you wish you call your own. For starters, there's the steaming bebop blues of "Dr. Jackle," recorded in 1955 for a Prestige session with Jackie McLean.
Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. A really wonderful album that's sometimes overlooked because of it's relatively oblique cover and name – which both hide the wonderful talents within! In truth, the set might be billed as a Cedar Walton session – or maybe almost an Eastern Rebellion one – as the vibe here is very similar to that later group, with a strong tenorist working alongside Walton's trio, plus a bit of extra Latin percussion. Clifford Jordan delivers wonderful tenor throughout – and the core sound of Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums is as great as on any of that group's other wonderful albums of the time. Add in Ray Mantilla – who throws in some congas to complicate the grooves a all the best moments – and you've got some mighty nice icing on the cake! Titles include "He Is A Hero", "Una Mas", "Manteca", and "DB Blues".
What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space.
In 2010, The Super Premium Band was born from the mind of Yasohachi "88" Itoh, the Japanese producer who created numerous albums with the late Hank Jones and his Great Jazz Trio. Featuring Kenny Barron on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Lenny White on drums, the band released its first album, Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise to great critical acclaim and popularity. For the super-group's second album, the legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette replaces Lenny White, bringing a different set of rhythmic textures and sensibilities.