Hank Jones Essence

We Free Kings (1961) is a seminal album by the legendary American jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, known for his virtuosic skills and innovative approach to music. This album showcases Kirk's remarkable ability to play multiple instruments simultaneously, his mastery of jazz, and his unique contributions to the avant-garde and hard bop movements of the time. Released on Mercury Records, We Free Kings captures the essence of Kirk’s multifaceted talents and his experimental approach to jazz.

Don Byas Takes His Place Among the Greats A historical document of jazz at a time when the musicians, steeped in the swing tradition, were creating and setting the mold for the modern sounds of bebop. An Underappreciated Master
While Don Byas is lauded for his breathtaking solos – sumptuous and creamy on ballads, thoughtful and potent on uptempo numbers – his absence from the scene in the U.S. and a lack of recorded evidence might be reasons he is unfairly overlooked.
Starting today, Mosaic Records presents that evidence. Don Byas — who claimed to be inspired by Art Tatum more than any horn player — always considered himself more of a swing musician than a bebopper, but that might be because harmonic and rhythmic innovation were such important components of his personal style that he may not even have realized what an innovator and inspiration he was. Tenor saxophonists who followed him couldn’t help but take note of his highly inventive phrasing, with melodies that disregarded bar lines when he was still working on a thought; notes that squeezed in hurriedly to ornament the end of a line; and seductive shifts in register that were always unexpected surprises. If your ears and experience prepared you for something more typical, Byas gave you that and more.

Don Byas Takes His Place Among the Greats A historical document of jazz at a time when the musicians, steeped in the swing tradition, were creating and setting the mold for the modern sounds of bebop. An Underappreciated Master
While Don Byas is lauded for his breathtaking solos – sumptuous and creamy on ballads, thoughtful and potent on uptempo numbers – his absence from the scene in the U.S. and a lack of recorded evidence might be reasons he is unfairly overlooked.
Starting today, Mosaic Records presents that evidence. Don Byas — who claimed to be inspired by Art Tatum more than any horn player — always considered himself more of a swing musician than a bebopper, but that might be because harmonic and rhythmic innovation were such important components of his personal style that he may not even have realized what an innovator and inspiration he was. Tenor saxophonists who followed him couldn’t help but take note of his highly inventive phrasing, with melodies that disregarded bar lines when he was still working on a thought; notes that squeezed in hurriedly to ornament the end of a line; and seductive shifts in register that were always unexpected surprises. If your ears and experience prepared you for something more typical, Byas gave you that and more.