The George Masso Sextet C’est Magnifique

As disco became an important part of the international music business, European producers began working in exotic flavors into the disco beat to create unique and competitive recordings. A good example of this trend is Santa Esmeralda, a Spanish-themed studio group that wove elements of flamenco, salsa, and other Latin musical styles into its Euro-disco sound. Although the group's sound was about as genuinely Spanish as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (Santa Esmeralda was the brainchild of French record producers), the result was a crossover success that spawned several club-favorite albums and a notable pop hit in the band's Latinized cover of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood".

George Russell Sextet - Stratusphunk (1960) {1995 Riverside Remaster}
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© 1995 Riverside / Fantasy / OJC | OJCCD-232-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

George Russell has been an important and innovative contributor to contemporary jazz ever since he wrote for Dizzy Gillespie's first Carnegie Hall concert in the Forties. He remains a most highly regarded composer, bandleader, and theoretician (the "Lydian" concept) both in the United States and in Europe, where he lived and worked for a number of years. In the Sixties, he formed a unique small group that rather amazingly combined "outside" experimentation and firmly-rooted funk (the personnel included, at times, Eric Dolphy and Don Ellis). The aptly-named Stratusphunk was the first of his four albums for Riverside; in addition to some notable Russell compositions, it features an early work by Carla Bley.

George Russell Sextet - Things New, Unissued Concerts 1960 & 1964 (2007) {Rare Live RLR 88630} (ft. Don Ellis)
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© 1960, 1964, 2007 RLR Records / Rare Live Rec. | RLR 88630
Jazz / Post Bop / Experimental Small Band

Tracks from three recently discovered 1960s concerts, by the celebrated arranger, pianist & experimental theorist, George Russell, released here for the very first time - and from the same period as his famous Ezz-Thetics album (1961) with Eric Dolphy. The first, in Lennox Massachusetts, includes Al Kiger, Dave Baker, Chuck Israels & Dave Young; the 2nd, from the 1964 Newport Jazz Festival features Don Ellis, John Gilmore, Steve Swallow, Pete La Roca & Sheila Jordan. The third, a single track, is from a 1964 European date, with Thad Jones, Joe Farrell, Al Heath & Garnett Brown. Included are new versions of the Russell classics: Stratusphunk and The Outer View.

George Russell Sextet - Ezz-thetics (1961) {2007 Riverside} [Keepnews Collection Complete Series] (Item #12of27)
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© 1961, 2007 Concord / Riverside | 0888072301887
Jazz / Post Bop / Third Stream

Remastered in 24-bit from the original master tapes. Part of our Keepnews Collection, which spotlights classic albums originally produced by the legendary and arguably the most respected of all jazz producers, Orrin Keepnews. George Russell is listed in the Encyclopedia of Jazz as "composer, piano, educator" and all of these are accurate descriptions of this dynamic musical revolutionary.

George Russell Sextet - At The Five Spot (1960) {Verve Elite Edition rel 2000}
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© 1960, 2000 Decca / Verve / UMG | 088 112 287-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Modal Music / Third Stream

This limited-edition CD reissue covers six tracks recorded in the studio (since they obviously omit any of the background noise, and the usual out-of-tune piano heard on live dates recorded at the long defunct New York City nightclub is missing). The band includes trumpeter Al Kiger, trombonist David Baker, tenor saxophonist Dave Young, bassist Chuck Israels, and drummer Joe Hunt, along with Russell's sparse piano. Things kick off with a driving take of Miles Davis' "Sippin' at Bells," which features great interaction among the horns.