The Bebop Shop : New Releases
At the time the 'Grits, Beans and Greens' sessions were recorded, Hayes was also working on a more commercial project, 'The Orchestra', which found him aiming for the pop and easy-listening markets by covering The Beatles, Burt Bacharach and Nancy Sinatra. Ironically, sales of 'The Orchestra' were poor by the standards of his previous albums and as Hayes' health began to falter in the early 1970s, no further recordings took place, leaving the 'Grits, Beans and Greens' reels forgotten and unreleased. After his tragic death following open-heart surgery, aged just 38, in 1973, the tapes were simply filed away, eventually becoming mislaid as the label's archives went through a series of corporate buy-outs.
The tapes were discovered when the late jazz writer and Polygram Catalogue Manager Richard Cook came across Hayes' diary and noticed entries detailing a number of recording sessions. He subsequently trawled through the Polygram archives and made what was to be one of the most significant discoveries in jazz history when he came across the never-before-heard 1969 tapes. Cook left the company before the tapes were released and it wasn't until last year that knowledge of their existence resurfaced.
The audio have also gone through MQA [Master Quality Authenticated] technology, MQA-CD plays back on all CD players. When a conventional CD player is connected to an MQA-enabled device, the CD will reveal the original master quality. (Universal Music) Price: £13.99
Encompassing a century’s worth of tunes, tracks include ‘Broken Wings’ by Mr. Mister and ‘I’m Not in Love’ by 10cc, as well as favourites by Joe Locke, Joni Mitchell, Ivan Lins and Pat Metheny. Claire remembers legendary singer Lena Horne with her own arrangement of ‘Come Runnin’’ and pays tribute to Norway’s Karin Krog with ‘Cherry Tree Song’. (Linn Records) Price: £14.99
This Blue Note 80 Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. (Blue Note Records) Price: £23.99
At 16 years old Ketil Bjornstad debuted as a pianist with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in the University ceremonial hall, the Aula. The acclaimed writer and musician celebrates 50 years as a musician and artist in 2019. Bjornstad's 50th anniversary as an artist kicks off with a reissue of "Rainbow Sessions", earlier released as a limited edition in 2006. This is Ketil Bjornstad's homage to the world known Rainbow Studios and the Steinway grand piano. When studio owner and sound guru Jan Erik Kongshaug in 2004 was moving the studio to a new location, the idea to make the last to record in the old studio and the first to play in the new, was born. Two solo piano albums were planned, at the time it turned into three, and for this release evolves into four. This celebratory edition consists of five different Rainbow sessions recorded in the period 2013-2017, which Bjornstad has put together into a fourth bonus CD. Everything is presented in a new, wonderful design, accompanied by newly written liner notes by Bjornstad. (Proper Music) Price: £32.99
Throughout these performances - recorded for all intents and purposes "live" in his private recording studio, unrestricted by the confines of time - there is a remarkable polish and sense of order while maintaining the unmistakable sound of the classic piano trios, live and off-the-cuff. With his long-time associates Harvie S and Billy Mintz on hand it is little surprise that their almost telepathic communication gives the entire session an extremely wide emotional range encompassing, graceful delicacy, earthiness, soulfulness and just a little hint of the blues. (Proper Music) Price: £13.99
Like their acclaimed ECM release Small Town of 2017 – which The Guardian called “wistful and mesmerizing… tonally ingenious and haunting” – Epistrophy by guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Thomas Morgan was recorded at New York City’s Village Vanguard. The new album once again captures the rare empathy these two players achieve together in this intimate environment. There are further poetic takes on pieces from the duo’s Americana songbook (“All in Fun,” “Red River Valley,” “Save the Last Dance for Me”), as well as another intense version of a composition by Paul Motian (“Mumbo Jumbo”), an artist whom both the guitarist and bassist knew well. Frisell and Morgan communicate the essence of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” and the Frank Sinatra hit “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” so much so that the famous words seem to hang in the air even without a singer. At the center of the album is a pair of pieces by Thelonious Monk: the funky, angular “Epistrophy” and the ruminative ballad “Pannonica.” And as with “Goldfinger” on Small Town, Frisell and Morgan offer a glowing duo interpretation of a melody-rich John Barry title tune from a James Bond film – “You Only Live Twice.” (ECM Records) Price: £14.99
Price: £14.99
The greatness of The Art Ensemble of Chicago has always been the shared commitment of it's original members - Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors, and Famoudou Don Moye - to the total realm of African diasporic music: what they have long-termed Great Black Music - Ancient to the Future. Also important are the group's disparate musical and artistic personalities, comprised of jazz, advanced compositional techniques, theatrical performance, poetry, Pan-African percussion, all tied together with improvisational flair and the exploration of pure sound. (Proper Music) Price: £19.99
The deluxe 2CD set includes an extensive booklet with rare photos, essays by jazz scholar Lewis Porter and producer Zev Feldman, interviews with guitar icons George Benson and John Scofield, plus guitarist and Carroll DeCamp's nephew Royce Campbell and saxophonist/educator/publisher Jamey Aebersold. This is the sixth official Resonance release of previously-unissued Wes Montgomery recordings and fills in an important early piece of the jazz great's story. (Proper Music) Price: £23.99
In 1999, a year after recording the splendid reunion album Not Two, Not One, Paul Bley’s highly innovative trio with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian took to the road with concerts on both sides of the Atlantic. When Will The Blues Leave documents a terrific performance at the Aula Magna, Trevano in Switzerland. (Proper Music) Price: £14.99
This great-value collection comprises recordings from their first four LP releases for Prestige and Atlantic. From their first studio session as the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1952 through to 1955, this 2CD set is a comprehensive overview of their music and captures the group during their formative years. (Discovery Music) Price: £12.99
The 3-CD package is beautifully designed and includes an exhaustive booklet replete with rare and never-before-published photos by Chuck Stewart, Jean-Pierre Leloir, Val Wilmer, Hans Harzheim, Lennart Steen, Roger Marshutz and many others, plus reproductions of the original album covers for Conversations and Iron Man.
Includes five essays that cover different aspects of Eric Dolphy and this music by jazz author/scholar Robin D.G. Kelley, Douglas label manager Michael Lemesre, Japanese Dolphy scholar Masakazu Sato, and co-producers Zev Feldman and James Newton, plus words by John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Ornette Coleman and Charles Mingus. (Proper Music) Price: £27.99
This set features Cannonball Adderley on alto saxophone, Nat Adderley on coronet, Joe Zawinul on piano, Victor Gaskin on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums.
The extensive booklet includes rare photos by Tom Copi, Ray Avery, Lee Tanner and others; essays by music journalist Bill Kopp and original recording engineer/Seattle radio DJ Jim Wilke; interviews with drummer Roy McCurdy, Cannonball's widow Olga Adderley Chandler and saxophonist Vincent Herring; plus much more! Meticulous high-res transferred sound restoration from the original tapes.(Wienerworld) Price: £12.99
With Locke calling this recording "the total expression of who I am as a musician and human being," subjects of love, loss, history and social awareness are laid out in six new works from Joe's pen and two blues-imbued covers by Bob Dylan and Blind Willie Johnson. (Proper Music) Price: £14.99
Miroslav Vitous /Jan Garbarek: Atmos (CD: ECM Touchstones)
Christy appeared as guest vocalist on a number of Kenton's albums including Artistry in Rhythm (1946), Encores (1947), Innovations in Modern Music (1950) and Stan Kenton Presents (1950). Known for her silky-smooth vocals, this 49-track 2CD set comprises a significant proportion of the studio and 'live' recordings she made with Kenton's orchestra through until 1950, by which time she had embarked on a successful solo career, and also includes some of the duet recordings she did with Kenton accompanying her on piano in 1955. It includes their 1945 No.2 hit with Tampico along with the Top 10 hits It's Been A Long Long Time and Shoo Fly Pie And Apple Pan Dowdy and five other Billboard chart entries. It's a substantial overview of her work with Stan Kenton, and a great showcase for her distinctive talent. (Acrobat Music) Price: £12.99
'In Concert - Carnegie Hall' is a 1976 CTI album featuring Hubert Laws and shows George Benson at his best as a jazz guitarist, only a year or two away from a complete change in his musical direction. Digitally remastered and slipcased with extensive new notes. (Proper Music) Price: £14.99
High quality 180g pressing. Price: £21.99
