Hank Mobley, famously called the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", had a round sound and an incredible rhythmic lightness. This remarkable 1957 session features a stunning cast of bop giants, including Art Farmer, Pepper Adams, Sonny Clark and more. "East of Brooklyn", a highlight on the album, is a masterpiece of lyrical construction. Part of the Blue Note Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series, this 180g vinyl features all-analog, remastered audio in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Besides being one of the best tenor saxophonists of his time, Henry (Hank) Mobley (1930-1986) is widely recognized as one of the great composers of the hard-bop era. Soul Station, which features him as the only horn in a quartet format with an all-star rhythm section consisting of Wynton Kelly at the piano, Paul Chambers at the bass, and Art Blakey at the drums.

Few recordings maintain their power to utterly intoxicate for decades as Kind of Blue does. This 1959 all-time classic is one of the monuments of jazz: So What; Freddie Freeloader; Blue in Green; All Blues , and Flamenco Sketches . This vinyl release is the way to experience one of the greatest albums ever made.

A Cornerstone of recoded music.  The Greatest Jazz album of all time now on 1 LP, 180g, individually #'d and in MONO.  Features the stellar lineup of John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers and Wynton Kelly.

This LP will be exclusive to indie stores through 1/6/14

Sun Ra, the extraordinary, outlandish, and sometimes controversial pianist, is often described as an "acquired taste", with a massive and diverse catalog. This release is a good place to start for uninitiated or dismissive listeners. The album showcases Ra's grounding in the jazz tradition, with unique takes on standards like "Time After Time," "Easy to Love," and "But Not for Me". Not unordinary for Sun Ra, the recording process was informal; "Can This Be Love?" was recorded in his Chicago apartment in 1955; he is accompanied only by the great Wilbur Ware on bass. The other five tracks, which feature, among others, Ra's longtime associate John Gilmore on tenor saxophone, were recorded at the Choreographer's Workshop rehearsal space in 1962 and 1963.

Janus is a compilation of rare material from Sun Ra and his Arkestra, drawing from tapes recorded between 1963 and 1970, taken from both live and studio performances. The space-age jazz shaman conjures up a variety of styles and moods along the way. The album has been remastered, and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas in Germany.

Recorded live in July of 1967 at the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, this selection finds tenor-saxophonist Dexter Gordon and his quartet (pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels Pederson and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath) in top form. Two of the standards on this hard-swinging set ("But Not for Me" & "Take the 'A' Train") are over ten minutes long, allowing Gordon to stretch out creatively. The historic recording finally gets its vinyl debut with this 180gram audiophile-grade Pallas pressing.

One of the biggest-selling jazz albums of all time, not to mention bossa nova's finest moment, Getz/Gilberto trumped Jazz Samba by bringing two of bossa nova's greatest innovators - guitarist/singer João Gilberto and composer/pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim - to New York to record with Stan Getz. The results were magic. On 180 gram vinyl.

Simply put, Samara Joy is next. At just 22 years old, her Verve debut `Linger Awhile' shows that with a voice, tone, and phrasing that harkens back to the most legendary jazz vocalists, Samara belongs in the company of iconic labelmates from Ella Fitzgerald to Sarah Vaughan to Billie Holiday. Samara is remarkably savvy on TikTok and Instagram, fostering a community of devoted followers through fully organic means. She is poised to be a household name, synonymous with timeless jazz music.

Limited 180gm transparent purple virgin vinyl LP pressing. At Newport 1960 is a live album by Muddy Waters recorded at Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, with his backing band, consisting of Otis Spann (piano, vocals), Pat Hare (guitar), James Cotton (harmonica), Andrew Stevens (bass) and Francis Clay (drums), on July 3. The album was released in the US on November 15 that year, featuring eight songs, including "I Got My Brand on You" to "Goodbye Newport Blues".

180 gram. High Definition Premium Virgin Vinyl Pressing For Super Fidelity. Direct Metal Mastering. The transition from country to urban blues that began in the 1920s was driven by the successive waves of economic crisis and booms and the associated move of African Americans from rural to urban areas. This has come to be known as the Great Migration. In the aftermath of World War II, the long boom period induced the Second Migration, which marked a massive migration of the African American population. Many performers such as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Jimmy Reed, among many others, migrated to Chicago from the Mississippi region. This situation reinforced trends within urban blues music such as the progressive electrification of the instruments, their amplification and the generalization of the blues beat. Chicago became a center for electric blues from 1948 on, when Muddy Waters recorded his first success: "I Can't Be Satisfied." But Waters, born McKinley Morganfield (Issaquena County, Mississippi, April 4, 1913 - Westmon, Illinois, April 30, 1983), was more than a pioneer in the Chicago electric blues scene. He was a great singer of American vernacular music - a vocal artist of astonishing power, range, depth, and subtlety. His presence was that of a king, and his blues sounded simple, but it was so deeply rooted in the traditions of the Mississippi Delta that other singers and guitarists found it almost impossible to imitate it convincingly. "My blues looks so simple, so easy to do, but it's not. They say my blues is the hardest blues in the world to play, " stated Muddy Waters in a 1978 interview. Among musicians and singers, his remarkable sense of timing, his command of inflection and pitch shading, and his vocabulary of vocal sounds and effects, from the purest falsetto to grainy moaning rasps, were all frequent topics of conversation. He was also able to duplicate many of his singing techniques on electric guitar, using a metal slider to make the instrument "speak" in a quivering, voice-like manner.

Limited vinyl LP repressing of this classic 1958 album by the jazz icon. Lady in Satin is the penultimate album completed by the singer and last released in her lifetime. The original album was produced by Irving Townsend, and engineered by Fred Plaut. The song material for Lady in Satin derived from the usual sources for Holiday in her three decade career, that of the Great American Songbook of classic pop. Unlike the bulk of Holiday's recordings, rather than in the setting of a jazz combo Holiday returns to the backdrop of full orchestral arrangements as done during her Decca years, this time in the contemporary vein of Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald on her Songbooks series. The album consists of songs Holiday had never recorded before. The arrangements were by bandleader Ray Ellis, Holiday familiar with his Ellis in Wonderland album. Soloists on the album included Mel Davis, Urbie Green, and bebop trombone pioneer J.J. Johnson.

Limited direct metal mastered 180gm vinyl LP pressing of this album from the Blues great including four bonus tracks.. Wax Time.

180 Gram Vinyl Audiophile edition of a true classic in both soul and blues. Some of the best tunes ever written are featured on this 1967 release with Nina's soulful voice and piano, and an amazing backing band, taking you to the very essence of the blues.

Vinyl LP pressing. I Put a Spell on You is the 1965 album by Nina Simone, and features some of her best known songs. "I Put a Spell on You" is a song originally by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. The original version gave the song an ironic theme, but Simone transformed it into a thrilling love song, complete with horns and strings. It had become one of her most well-known songs. Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist who worked in a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop. Simone's musical style fused gospel and pop with classical music, in particular Johann Sebastian Bach, and accompanied expressive, jazz-like singing in her contralto voice.

Track Listing: Buddy Brown's BluesWine Drinkin' Spodee O DeeSail on Little Girl Sail onDC7Death BellsGoin' to Dallas to See My Pony RunJailhouse BluesBlues in the BottleBeans Beans BeansCatfish BluesMy Grandpa Is Old Too

Drummer, composer, and producer Tom Skinner who is the drummer for The Smile and Sons of Kemet releases his new album, Voices of Bishara, on November 4, 2022, via Brownswood / International Anthem / Nonesuch. The first recording under Skinner’s own name is a reference to an album he listened to repeatedly during the COVID-19 lockdown: cellist Abdul Wadud’s 1978 solo album By Myself, which was privately pressed on Wadud’s label, Bishara. The common Arabic name has the intention or meaning of “good news” or “the bringer of good news.”  Voices of Bishara began life when Tom Skinner asked some musician friends to join him for a Played Twice session at London’s Brilliant Corners. These regular sessions had a simple format: play a classic album in full through the venue’s audiophile system and then have a live ensemble improvise a response. The night in question focused on drummer Tony Williams’ 1964 Blue Note album, Life Time, and the music conjured that night inspired Skinner to write an album’s worth of new music.  Skinner recorded an album of that music with a cellist, bass, and two saxophonists subsequently putting it aside, occasionally bringing it out for some attention in between his many other creative projects. Gradually, the record began to take shape as he embraced the studio recordings and accentuated their idiosyncrasies.

Jalacy J. Hawkins, better known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins, was born on July 18, 1929 in Cleveland, Ohio. As a young man, he played piano, boxed in local championships and learned opera at the Ohio Conservatory of Music. Although initially pursuing opera after returning from serving in World War II, Hawkins eventually sharpened his focus on the darker side of R&B and jazz, using macabre stage props, absolute wildman persona and expert voice imitating the blare and squeal of saxophones. His most notable chart-topper was the boozy, raucous 1956 hit 'I Put A Spell On You, ' which was banned by many radio stations for it's suggestive groans and grunts. All things considered, Screamin' Jay Hawkins is considered one of the earliest pioneers of what would become shock rock.Recorded in 1969, years following his big hits, Screamin' Jay Hawkins' third album What That Is! Showcases Hawkins in one of his most rowdy and compelling stages of his artistic career. With a killer backing band featuring the great Earl Palmer on drums for most of the cuts and Herb Ellis guesting on a few. We find Jay singing about life, love and loss as well as feasting Mau Maus and pain, REAL PAIN. From the album notes- 'Producer's Note: This album was recorded live at the Club Amigo in North Hollywood on June 23rd and 24th, Nineteen Hundred and Yesteryear, and is dedicated to President Nixon, whose efforts to recapture the era of the early 50's do not pass unnoticed.' We debated swapping out Presidents' names. Jay would have liked that.Packaging: Direct-to-board LP jacket, 180g vinyl

Jalacy J. Hawkins, better known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins, was born on July 18, 1929 in Cleveland, Ohio. As a young man, he played piano, boxed in local championships and learned opera at the Ohio Conservatory of Music. Although initially pursuing opera after returning from serving in World War II, Hawkins eventually sharpened his focus on the darker side of R&B and jazz, using macabre stage props, absolute wildman persona and expert voice imitating the blare and squeal of saxophones. His most notable chart-topper was the boozy, raucous 1956 hit 'I Put A Spell On You, ' which was banned by many radio stations for it's suggestive groans and grunts. All things considered, Screamin' Jay Hawkins is considered one of the earliest pioneers of what would become shock rock. Recorded in 1970, Hawkins' fourth album finds the artist at a point of transition. Although Jay had found commercial success and his sales surpassed one million units, he had grown somewhat weary of his shock/voodoo/bogeyman persona and wanted to be taken more seriously as a singer. Luckily for us, Jay only tones down the yelling and the crooning and the grunting and the groaning marginally. The tracks here are every bit as wild as you would hope and a bit more mature (note: a very little bit). Because Is In Your Mind, also known as Armpitrubber, is packaged in a wonderfully psychedelic painting by Karl Wirsom of the hugely influential Chicago art collective The Hairy Who. Packaging: Direct-to-board LP jacket, 180g vinyl

Limited 180gm gold colored vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Includes insert. On Anutha Zone, Dr. John digs deep into a murky musical well once again, with stunning results. "John Gris," "Party Hellfire," and "Soulful Warrior" brilliantly fuse slow-burn grooves, sly musicianship, and Dr. John's elegantly gruff vocals, conjuring images of dark revelry down French Quarter back alleyways. This was the comeback of 1998, hands down.

Limited red and black colored vinyl LP. Includes printed inner sleeve with liner notes. Demon Records presents the first vinyl reissue of Dr. John's mid-'60s Crazy Cajun recordings. Dr. John - who, for over sixties years until his death at the age of 77 on June 6th, 2019 pursued a career in music that was, at it's core, all about bringing the music of New Orleans to the world at large. This collection (first released in 1977) brings together a number of recordings from the mid-'60s which find Dr. John honing the New Orleans style that he would perfect in the '70s on classics including 'Such A Night' and 'Right Place, Wrong Time'.

Guitarist Julian Lage discovers new possibilities with orchestration on the follow-up to his acclaimed 2021 Blue Note debut, Squintby, expanding his trio with bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King with the addition of fellow guitarist (and Blue Note labelmate) Bill Frisell. A View With A Room presents 10 compelling new original compositions by Lage that explore a wide range of guitar sounds and textures with these two distinctive masters seamlessly blending their unique 6-string styles.

“Orange And Blue” was first released in 1994 and is a remarkable testament of Al Di Meola’s unique sense of swing. The legendary guitarist recorded the album on the “Al Di Meola Jazz Guitar”, a custom hollow-body guitar designed in collaboration with Gibson, which allowed him a warmer tone to add to his established signature sound. The album itself is a tasteful collection of explorative compositions, with standout songs such as ‘Chilean Pipe Song’ further cementing Al Di Meola’s growth as a versatile writer and gifted guitarist.

Searching In Grenoble: The 1978 Solo Piano Concert is a previously unissued recording of jazz icon Mal Waldron's mesmerizing performance at the "Five Days of Jazz" series in Grenoble, France on March 23, 1978. Waldron was Billie Holiday's final accompanist, played with John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Jackie McLean, and recorded dozens of solo albums before his passing in 2002. The beautifully designed, deluxe 2-CD set includes photos, an extensive 24-page booklet, essays and interviews.

The members of the legendary original 1990s Joshua Redman Quartet—Redman (saxophone), Brad Mehldau (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Brian Blade (drums)—reunited after twenty-six years for 2020’s RoundAgain; they return now with LongGone, featuring six original songs by Redman, due September 9, 2022 on Nonesuch Records.

RoundAgain, the group’s first recording since 1994’s MoodSwing, debuted at No. 1 on the Current Traditional Jazz Albums chart in the US and at No. 1 on the Jazz & Blues chart in the UK. The album received two Grammy nominations. NPR called it “a flawless effort,” stating that the four musicians have “only gotten better in that time” and are each “at the very top of his game now.”

Recorded in 1959 at the legendary Van Gelder Studios in Hackensack, New Jersey, this is considered one of Donald Byrd's finest LPs. Byrd had a fruitful run in the late '50s with the great baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams and here they are joined by tenor-man Charlie Rouse, and a great rhythm section like on "Devil Whip", an energetic tune with a nice call-andresponse theme between the horns and the rhythm section. Here Byrd impresses with a few incredibly long phrases in his solo, however he still manages to play with very clear and logical phrasing. Other highlights are Frank Sinatra's "Witchcraft", the self-penned blues "Here I Am" and the Walter Davis written grooves "Bronze Dance" and "Clarion Calls".

This special 60th Anniversary reissue of groundbreaking jazz artist Sun Ra’s iconic 1962 album The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra features all-analog re-mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. The package includes Tom Wilson’s original liner notes, plus insightful new essays by jazz historian Ben Young, as well as by Irwin Chusid, who is also a journalist, radio personality, and author.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Over two days in August 1971, Donald Byrd brought a powerful band into A&M Studios in Los Angeles to record the jazz-funk exploration Ethiopian Knights, continuing his evolution from top-flight hard bop trumpeter to pioneer of R&B/funk fusion. Consisting of just three tracks-the extended funk workouts "The Emperor" and "The Little Rasti" with the cleanser "Jamie" in between-the album preceded his Mizell Bros produced fusion masterpiece Black Byrd, and featured stand-out contributions from tenor saxophonist Harold Land and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, along with keyboardists Joe Sample and Bill Henderson III, guitarists Don Peake, Greg Poree, and David T. Walker, bassist Wilton Felder, drummer Ed Greene, and percussionist Bobbye Porter Hall.

Four-time GRAMMY nominee, multi-platinum selling saxophonist Boney James’ new album Detour marks his 18th release as a leader. Following the success of his 2020 album Solid (#1 Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and #10 Billboard Top Albums), Boney’s new record showcases ten original tracks including “Coastin’” featuring iconic vocalist Lalah Hathaway. Also featured is trumpeter Dontae Winslow, known for his work with the West Coast Get Down.

Head Hunters was a pivotal point in Herbie Hancock's career, bringing him into the vanguard of jazz fusion. Hancock had pushed avant-garde boundaries on his own albums and with Miles Davis, but he had never devoted himself to the groove as he did on Head Hunters. Drawing heavily from Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and James Brown, Hancock developed deeply funky, even gritty, rhythms over which he soloed on electric synthesizers, bringing the instrument to the forefront in jazz. It had all of the sensibilities of jazz, particularly in the way it wound off into long improvisations, but it's rhythms were firmly planted in funk, soul, and R&B, giving it a mass appeal that made it the biggest-selling jazz album of all time (a record which was later broken). Jazz purists, of course, decried the experiments at the time, but Head Hunters still sounds fresh and vital decades after it's initial release, and it's genre-bending proved vastly influential on not only jazz, but funk, soul, and hip-hop. Track listing: Chameleon, Watermelon Man, Sly, Vein Melter.