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Christmas Gift Ideas for Jazz Lovers
Gifts for Listening...
With such iconic tracks as 'Christmas Time is Here' and 'Linus and Lucy', the Vince Guaraldi Trio's A Charlie Brown Christmas is the second-best-selling jazz title in history. Certified 5x Platinum and a perennial best-seller, the soundtrack reached #6 on the Billboard Charts in 2021 which speaks to the enduring legacy of the album. For this one-time only printing, the jacket has been wrapped in gold foil while the Peanuts characters and tree have been embossed for a striking look.
Available Format: Vinyl Record
The most iconic festive record in the Verve repertoire and one of the most successful jazz holiday albums of all time is receiving new life for the 2023 season with a fresh colour variant vinyl in ruby red, plus a new Ella-focused collectable cover.
Available Format: Vinyl Record
Gifts for Watching...
Through an exploration of his life and work, and close encounters with the man himself, this documentary offers an exceptional opportunity to examine the contrasting worlds of jazz and classical music. At the same time it is a fascinating and analytical portrait of a remarkable musician whose interests and influences range from jazz, ethnic and folk music, to Bach, Mozart, Stravinsky and Samuel Barber. The film explores, through a collage of interviews and performance, the complete range of Keith Jarrett's life and work. Great archive material is interweaved with original and richly detailed filmed interviews, not only with Keith himself, but with all the musicians he has played with over the years, as well as with members of his family, tour managers and other close musical and recording associates.
Available Format: Blu-ray
Over a period of five years, Swiss filmmakers Norbert Wiedmer and Peter Guyer followed producer Manfred Eicher and the artists of ECM around the world. In footage from Estonia, Tunisia, Germany, France, Denmark, Greece, Argentina and elsewhere, their documentary movie Sounds and Silence has captured aspects of the music-making process at ECM, and provided glimpses of unique players and composers at work. Amongst the artists included are Arvo Pärt, Eleni Karaindrou, Dino Saluzzi and Anja Lechner, Anouar Brahem, Gianluigi Trovesi and Gianni Coscia, Marilyn Mazur, Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin, Kim Kashkashian, Jan Garbarek and others.
Available Format: Blu-ray
Tropicália, or Tropicalism, is one of Brazil's most significant cultural movements. Born in the late 1960s by a collective of like-minded souls, it used music and visual arts as a voice to confront the cultural and political establishment. And now the scene and its key players are explored in Marcelo Machado s fascinating new film Tropicália. This vibrant feature documentary explores this iconic and era-changing time in Brazil's history with material lovingly gleaned from the archives, stunning images, and the testimony of the group s protagonists including Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, Arnaldo and Sérgio Dias, from the band Os Mutantes, whose controversial thoughts, music and behaviour resulted in prison and exile for its leaders. Then of course there is the music, the Tropicalistas created pop songs, mixing traditional Brazilian folk and the north hemisphere s rock which created a sound never heard before and which has since inspired and influenced many high profile musicians including David Byrne, Damon Albarn and Beck.
Available Format: Blu-ray
A celestial journey is just what Sun Ra and his Arkestra have created with Space is the Place. Sun Ra’s opus is at its simplest, a trip through outer bound melodies! Planetary bodies, eras in time, crystals, space caravans… Allow yourself to envision or feel a world away!
Featuring an album's worth of previously unissued recordings from the same soundtrack sessions! These newly discovered tracks are heavy on the prose of Sun Ra, as he and June Tyson bestow countless bits of information and inspiration onto the listener. This cosmic carton combination contains two CDs, one containing about 40 minutes of unissued studio recordings, a BluRay & DVD of the entire film, and a booklet with notes from multiple Afrofuturism scholars!
Available Format: 2 CDs + DVD Video + Blu-ray
Gifts For Reading...
Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer: The Guitarist Who Changed the Sound of American Music
Philip Watson
Over a period of forty-five years, Bill Frisell has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential musicians at work today. A quietly revolutionary guitar hero for our genre-blurring times, he connects to a diverse range of artists and admirers, including Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, Gus Van Sant and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, all of whom feature in this book.
Available Format: Book
In this memoir, Harlem-born trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah recounts decades of national and international touring with the Sun Ra Arkestra and charts the rise of the New York loft jazz scene, offering a fascinating portrait of advanced music in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan from the 1970s through the 1990s. Along the way, Abdullah covers his spiritual development as a Buddhist, battles with addiction, tribulations as a father, lessons from Sun Ra and working life as an educator and cab driver.
Available Format: Book
In How to Listen to Jazz, award-winning music scholar Ted Gioia presents a lively introduction to one of America's premier art forms. He tells us what to listen for in a performance and includes a guide to today's leading jazz musicians. From Louis Armstrong's innovative sounds to the jazz-rock fusion of Miles Davis, Gioia covers the music's history and reveals the building blocks of improvisation.
Available Format: Book
Blue Note is not only known as the purveyor of extraordinary jazz but is also famous as an arbiter of cool. The superb photography of co-founder Francis Wolff and the cover designs of Reid Miles were integral to the label’s success and this highly illustrated publication – featuring the very best photographs, covers and ephemera from the archives, including never-before-published material – commemorates Blue Note’s momentous contribution to jazz, to art and design, and to the music business.
Available Format: Book
Gifts for Playing...
Keep your whole ensemble in sync. No matter what key your group is performing in, the Tombo chromatic pitchpipe lets you play your key note to get off to a strong start. With clear labelling on the smooth plastic casing, it's simple to identify the note you need to hear. Let all members feel sure of each and every note.
Available Format: Pitch Pipe
The easiest way to play a great gig? Being able to hear what you’re playing! The Jazzlab Deflector Pro ensures optimum conditions with an easily mounted deflector shield that streamlines your sound straight back to you, tuning you in directly to your playing. When utilized during practice sessions, the Deflector Pro makes for quick technique improvement and enhanced articulation. Use it with trumpets and trombones, as well as baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones (straight and curved).
Available Format: Tech
The EVANS RealFeel 12" practice pads feature a gum rubber playing surface. EVANS practice pads are the most popular option available, providing the best practice substitute to an acoustic drum.
Available Format: Practice Pad
D'Addario Pacato hearing protection is a reusable, universal sized audio filter designed specifically for musicians and music enthusiasts. While traditional earplugs can sound muffled and unnatural, the Pacato filters provide full frequency, enjoyable audio at safe listening levels. The exclusive design offers an open air passage to the ear, minimizing occlusion effect (low frequency emphasis), while keeping the ear ventilated for unmatched comfort.
Available Format: Earplugs
The Bam Softpack trombone cases are fun, colorful, and protective cases. The top shell is actually made of metallic-colored hard ABS, whereas the bottom part is made of a sturdy, durable and anti-slip rubber material. The interior also features Bam's signature high-density foam core, which protects your instrument against temperature damages while serving as a suspension system. A very popular option amongst students and professional musicians.
Available Format: Trombone Case
This Real Book edition pays tribute to the Fab Four with over 100 arrangements of their masterful songs. Each song remains true to the spirit of its original performance and is presented in the classic fashion you've come to know from The Real Book with easy-to-read musical notation and chord symbols. The book is professionally copied and meticulously checked for accuracy in melody and rhythms while also presenting the harmonies within a jazz-oriented context.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Gifts for... I don't know what!
Present or store your headphones with this attractive headphone table stand. The black structured surface and the exclusive design provide for perfect stability and high functionality. The stand is ideal for home use and professional studio use as well.
Available Format: Headphone Stand
Charlie Lee Georgescu's chart is a stunning visual guide to the electric guitar and all its features. Detailed diagrams and analyses provide a window into the underlying physics of the instrument and its parts. This "blueprint" provides more than a working knowledge of the electric guitar and reveals the hidden beauty of this popular instrument.
Available Format: Chart
A full-colour poster featuring legendary jazz musician John Coltrane.
Available Format: Poster
This must surely be the most appropriate piece of music for an umbrella! Produced in mini telescopic size, it also comes with a matching sleeve.
Available Format: Umbrella
This set of 5 stainless steel guitar-shaped measuring spoons are the perfect gift for the chef-musician in your life and can be used for measuring dry or liquid ingredients. It attaches with an 'O' Ring and easily nestles for storage.
Available Format: Spoons
If you need a mask, we’ve got you covered with Ernie Ball-branded dual liner face masks. Featuring dual-layer construction, the inner ply is made from a soft cotton/polyester blend for maximum breathability and protection, whilst the outer layers feature a polyester/spandex blend enabling a comfortable secure fit. The masks are soft and breathable and have stretchable ear loops that should fit most applications.
Available Format: Face Mask
Construct amazingly detailed and realistic three-dimensional creations with these micro-sized building blocks. The miniature blocks connect securely to create extremely precise objects of varying size and complexity thesmaller it is, the more realistic the work becomes! Designed in Japan, Nanoblock is a stimulating and entertaining hobby material for everyone, especially for grown-ups (recommended for ages 12 and up). Nanoblock is the world’s smallest micro-sized building block, measuring from just 4x4x5mm for a single piece, packs contain varying numbers of pieces: a superb addition to any desk and the ideal gift for the creative Keyboard player who enjoys a fun challenge.
Available Format: Nanoblock
Tune into your inner wisdom with this unique tarot deck inspired by cult music icons. Inside you'll find musicians who perfectly encapsulate the tarot card meanings: Lorde is the Fool, Prince is the Emperor and David Byrne is the Hermit. The 78 cards work as a fully functional tarot deck, and the kit also includes a booklet with more information about the musicians, as well as information on how to interpret the cards and conduct your own readings.
Available Format: Cards
Barney Whittaker
