Latest News: Jazz, Classic Recordings
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Classic Recordings,
Ellington, Mingus & Roach - Money Jungle 21st April 2021
One of the most exciting trio recordings in jazz, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach's Money Jungle is the sound of three super-sized egos thrashing out their differences in the studio.
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Classic Recordings,
Oscar Peterson - Night Train 29th March 2021
Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson's most well-regarded album sees him showcasing his bebop chops while paying homage to his beginnings as the 'King Inside of Swing'.
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Classic Recordings,
Stan Getz & João Gilberto 2nd March 2021
American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist/vocalist João Gilberto's collaborative record, Getz/Gilberto is a classic cool jazz recording that helped bring the sounds of bossa nova to an international audience.
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Classic Recordings,
Chick Corea - Return to Forever 15th February 2021
Chick Corea's classic fusion-meets-Latin jazz album is still a gem of the 70's jazz scene. Eschewing the darker and more impenetrable sounds of his fusion contemporaries, this record from the late master pianist is a truly evergreen listen.
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Classic Recordings,
Red Garland - Groovy 2nd February 2021
Red Garland was amongst many fine bebop pianists to be overshadowed by titans like Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, so it's time he got a bit of attention, as we revisit his 1957 classic Groovy.
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Classic Recordings,
Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life 25th January 2021
Pat Metheny's debut studio recording featured a blending of ECM-style jazz, fusion and Americana sounds, proving the young guitarist was already a force to be reckoned with.
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Classic Recordings,
Herbie Mann - Push Push 18th January 2021
Herbie Mann's embracing of funk and rock music wasn't met with the kindest words, but the funk-jazz crossover is just as deserving of a classic status as Miles Davis' similar experiments in the 1970's.
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Classic Recordings,
Alice Coltrane - Ptah, the El Daoud 11th January 2021
An early entry in Alice Coltrane's bandleading discography, Ptah, the El Daoud, sees the renowned harpist explore the spiritual sounds from her collaboration with her late husband. However, Alice remains a voice of her own.
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Classic Recordings,
Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin 10th December 2020
Billie Holiday was just a couple months away from her 43rd birthday when she entered Columbia Records’ 30th Street Studio on February 18, 1958 to record her troubled late masterpiece Lady in Satin, as heart-breaking today as it was then.
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Classic Recordings,
Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil 1st December 2020
Wayne Shorter's seminal album was the third in a prolific six years of recordings for Blue Note, and while Speak No Evil still retains the accessibility of early hard bop, it also showcases the saxophonist's unique and unorthodox compositional style.
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Classic Recordings,
Louis Armstrong - Hot Five and Hot Seven Sessions 21st October 2020
Josh digs deep to explore Louis Armstrong's landmark sessions with The Hot Fives and Sevens in the twenties, when 'Satchmo' was at the cutting edge of jazz improvisation.
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Classic Recordings,
Roland Kirk - I Talk With the Spirits 15th October 2020
On one of the eminent saxophonist's many essential releases, I Talk With the Spirits sees him taking up the flute and pushing it to its limits in a way that is unmistakably Roland Kirk.
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Classic Recordings,
Horace Silver Quintet - Song for My Father 7th October 2020
A hard bop classic inspired by the pianist's cultural heritage, Song for My Father is one of the most influential cuts of the era.
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Classic Recordings,
Trio of Doom 24th September 2020
Jaco Pastorius, Tony Williams and John McLaughlin's incredibly short-lived collaboration, Trio of Doom, was almost too good to be true. The sole commercial recording of this trio of amazing musicians makes for both a great listen and an intriguing snapshot of a week in each player's lives.
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Classic Recordings,
Jan Garbarek-Bobo Stenson Quartet - Witchi-Tai-To 11th September 2020
With a varied repertoire and unmatched chemistry, Witchi-Tai-To is one of the landmark releases of both the ECM sound and 'Nordic tone', as well as one of Garbarek's favourites of his catalogue.
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Classic Recordings,
Lester Young and the Kansas City Six 4th September 2020
Nat Hentoff said the Kansas City Six sessions would be the record he'd rescue if his building was on fire... 80 years on they're still worth the risk.
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Classic Recordings,
John Abercrombie - Timeless 11th August 2020
John Abercrombie's debut put the guitarist in the company of Jan Hammer and Jack DeJohnette for a sequence of contrasting mood pieces, from the fiery to the ethereal, and helped cement the ECM sound.
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Classic Recordings,
Paul Motian Trio - It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago 7th August 2020
Paul Motian’s seminal trio record with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano showcased the key components of Motian’s classic quintet with some forward-thinking twilit jazz, proving to be one of the most important releases of all the trio’s careers.
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Classic Recordings,
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book 27th July 2020
Ella Fitzgerald’s take on classic Cole Porter tunes served not only as the beginning of the now-legendary Verve Records, but a springboard for the singer that reinvigorated her mid-career.
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Classic Recordings,
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage 9th July 2020
Herbie Hancock's nautical concept album remains some of the eminent pianist and composer's most enduring work from his early period, a culmination of his time spent with Miles Davis and honing his sound on the prestigious Blue Note label.
