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| Association P.C. - Rock Around the Cock
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(MPS/BASF 21.21763-9 Ger-73 VG+ 375:-)
This ‘free fusion’ quintet consisted of some of the top names in European jazz, including pianist Joachim Kühn. All but one of the pieces are freely improvised - Kühn said the album was “the result of our searching” – and what the listener will find is one exciting adventure.
The gatefold sleeve has a cut-out notch in the upper left corner.
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| Babs, Alice - Alice in Wonderland
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(Decca LK-4326 Swe-59 VG+ 500:-)
A popular singer when she was still a young teenager, Alice Babs has had a long and varied career. She made her recording debut in 1939 at the age of 15 and, although her yodelling made her initially popular and the novelty "Swing It, Mr. Teacher" was her first hit, Babs even at the start had a highly appealing voice and a lightly swinging style. She mostly recorded in jazz and swing-oriented settings throughout the years of World War II. Babs remained active throughout the 1950s and '60s in Europe, singing everything from jazz (recording with Duke Ellington in 1963 and performing the classic "Heaven" at his second spiritual concert) and pop to a bit of classical music. By the late '70s, Alice Babs had become less active but into the mid-'90s, she occasionally performed on special occasions.
Very uncommon first issue in great condition. This is the original from 1959 ( later released on Telestar ) on the lightblue Decca label. The music is charming vocal jazz not unlike Monica Zetterlund's "Swedish sensation" album. Listen to "I can't give you anything but love" with music from Benny Bailey, Arne Domnerus & Bengt Hallberg among others. Very clean copy, just a few pressing marks on vinyl not affecting play.
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| Baker, Chet - She was Too Good to Me
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(CTI Records 6050-S1 US-74 VG+ 350:-)
A great return to form for Chet Baker – his first record in a number of years away from the studio, and proof that his genius could adapt to just about any setting!
The album's got a tight focus that's probably one of the keys to its success – a set of arrangements by Don Sebesky that mix lusher moments with some more tightly snapping rhythms – a blend that allows Chet to display the full range of his talents without veering too far in one direction. Paul Desmond plays some great alto on the record, really bringing in a strong sense of crispness to a few numbers – and instrumentation also includes great electric piano from Bob James, vibes from Dave Friedman, and flute from Hubert Laws. Baker sings on a few numbers!
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| Beckett, Harry - Got it Made
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(Ogun OG-020 UK-77 EX 375:-)
Harold Winston Beckett's reputation extends throughout Europe and the USA. He played with Charles Mingus in the film ‘All Night Long’, and has worked with John Surman, Graham Collier, Django Bates, Ronnie Scott, Kathy Stobart, Charlie Watts, Stan Tracey, Annie Whitehead, Jah Wobble, David Murray, Pierre Dorge, Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath, Ian Carr's Nucleus, to name but a few.
For his Joy Unlimited project, Beckett recruited a solid bunch of fellows; Ray Russell, Roy Babbington, Alan Jackson and others with one foot in jazz and beyond and the other in rock and musicals. The result is accessible, but never facile, slick or clichéed.
Original UK pressing; both sleeve and vinyl are graded EX.
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| Bley, Carla - Escalator over the Hill
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(JCOA Records JT-4001 UK-74 VG+ 375:-)
"Escalator over the Hill" is one of the most ambitious works in 20th century music.
Beginning with a collection of Paul Haines's distinctive poems, Carla Bley set out to arrange them as a continuous musical-theater piece, giving specific characters to them as well as melodies. In the process, she drew on available musical genres from Kurt Weill's theater music to free jazz and rock to create her own style. Bley then drew on an extraordinary collection of singers and musicians to realize the score, casting Jack Bruce and Linda Ronstadt as the lead voices - the soloists include Don Cherry, Gato Barbieri, Roswell Rudd, and Charlie Haden, while the fusion-oriented "Jack's traveling band" features Bruce and John McLaughlin.
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| Carter, Benny - Swingin' the 20's
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(Contemporary S-7561 US-58 EX 400:-)
Combining altoist Benny Carter with pianist Earl Hines in a quartet is an idea with plenty of potential, but the results of this 1958 session are relaxed rather than explosive. Carter and Hines explore a dozen tunes (standards as well as forgotten songs like "All Alone" and "Mary Lou") with respect and light swing, but one wishes that there were a bit more competitiveness to replace some of the mutual respect.
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| Coltrane, John - A Love Supreme
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(MCA AS-77 US-80 VG+ 300:-)
Maybe one of the greatest jazz albums of all time – a real breakthrough moment for the legendary John Coltrane, and the blueprint for generations of jazz records to come!
Trane was already breaking down plenty of boundaries before "A Love Supreme" – but he knocked it out of the park for the album – which is a full-length suite of spiritual expression, one that gives even greater focus and message to Coltrane's long-spiralling style of soloing on the tenor sax! The group here is the classic quartet – McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – taking Trane up to the heavens on waves of modal energy, but also holding his spirit closer to the planet than on some of later, more outside performances.
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| Coltrane, John - Blue Train
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(Blue Note BST-81577 US-85 VG+ 300:-)
John Coltrane's classic – and only – recording as a leader for Blue Note!
The album's no throwaway date, though – as it stands strongly with both Coltrane's other label work of the time, and with the best of the late 50s Blue Note scene – a time when the label was really cooking at full strength! The groove here is a bit harder, heavier, and hardbop-inflected than some of Trane's late 50s sides with Red Garland – thanks to a lineup that features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's a crisp modern edge to the record that really holds up beautifully – even after years of play!
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| Davis, Eddie - Count Basie presents
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(Roulette R-52007 US-58 EX 400:-)
Great small combo work from Eddie Lockjaw Davis – very much in the mode of his early Cookbook albums for Prestige, but with the added bonus of Count Basie on piano and Joe Newman on trumpet! Davis' raw tenor sound gets plenty of time in the spotlight, but Newman gets in a few strong solos too – and although Shirley Scott is backing up the group with the strongest sound on Hammond, Basie also tickles the ivories a bit in the background – and ensures that there's a bit of a Basie swing to the whole record! Titles include "Farouk", "Lock Up", "Telegraph", "Marie", "Swingin Till The Girls Come Home", "Street Of Dreams", and "A Misty One".
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| Davis, Miles - At Fillmore
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(CBS S-66257 UK-71 VG+ 375:-)
Throughout a professional career lasting 50 years, Miles Davis' approach to jazz was dazzlingly protean - he was in the thick of almost every important innovation and stylistic development in Jazz music, and he often led the way in those changes, both with his own performances and recordings and by choosing sidemen and collaborators who forged new directions.
AT FILLMORE is the second release to document Miles' live presentation of BITCHES BREW's breakthroughs. Broken up into four parts, it shows the unprecedented growth of the same band that recorded BLACK BEAUTY just three months earlier. The addition of Keith Jarrett's organ expands the music even further over the borders that defined "jazz," creating a singular hybrid of rock, blues and jazz.
Original UK pressing in a gatefold pocket picture sleeve. The sleeve shows minimal wear - the vinyl is graded EX - a nice copy!
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| Ellington, Duke - Cosmic Scene
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(Columbia CL-1198 US-58 EX 300:-)
A lost Ellington gem from the late 50s – a session that has a decidedly different look than some of his other records of the time! We don't know if the Duke was into Sun Ra – but it almost seems like he was copping his thunder with this title and band name – a fair bit more flashy than the usual presentation for the Ellington group! The record's not nearly as trippy as you'd expect – but it's still a prime set of Ellingtonia from those key late 50s years – material played by a smaller group of "Spacemen" than Duke's fuller orchestra – with a bit more room for small group interaction, almost in a Verve mode.
Original US MONO pressing; both sleeve and vinyl are graded EX.
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| Fitzgerald, Ella - Ellington Songbook, vol 1
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(Verve MGV-4008-2 US-58 VG+ 400:-)
Dubbed 'The First Lady Of Song', Ella Jane Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the US for more than half a century.
On this 2LP set, Ella performes songs written by or associated with Duke Ellington – what could be better? She is backed by two different Ellington groups – one a big band, the other a small group, whose members included Stuff Smith, Barney Kessel, and Ben Webster. Sublime!
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| Herbolzenheimer, Peter - Wide Open
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(MPS 21.21948-8 Ger-73 EX 300:-)
Peter Herbolzheimer’s band offers up a full bag of brassy tricks on their second MPS recording of 1973. WIDE OPEN contains the full course with all the trimmings – luscious arrangements, a vibrant rhythmic foundation, and heady solos. RC&B at its brassy best.
Original German pressing; both sleeve and vinyl are graded EX.
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| Holiday, Billie - The Lady Sings, vol 1, 2 & 3
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(Ace Of Hearts AH-51/57/64 UK-63 VG+ 375:-)
Long since gone, Lady Day still casts a spell. Like her musical alter ego, Frank Sinatra, interest in her personal life threatens to overshadow her importance to jazz and pop. Forget the tragedy, listen to the music. Holiday's attention to phrasing has influenced generations of singers and players.
All three albums in this Ace of Hearts series; contains recordings from 1944 to 1950.
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| Johansson, Jan - In Pleno
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(Megafon MFLP-5 Swe-64 VG+ 375:-)
Jan Johansson was a Swedish jazz pianist.
He is little known outside Scandinavia, and his records are not widely available, though "Jazz på Svenska" has sold more than a quarter of a million copies, and is the best selling jazz release ever in Sweden.
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| Kessel, Barney - Kessel plays Standards
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(Contemporary C-3512 US-56 EX 700:-)
Guitarist Barney Kessel teams up with Bob Cooper (mostly on oboe but also doubling a bit on tenor), either Claude Williamson or Hampton Hawes on piano, Monty Budwig or Red Mitchell on bass, and Shelly Manne or Chuck Thompson on drums. Other than his own "64 Bars on Wilshire" and "Barney's Blues," the repertoire is comprised of jazz standards. Inventive frameworks and the utilization of Cooper's jazz oboe (a real rarity in jazz of the time) give the otherwise boppish session its own personality.
Original US pressing; both sleeve and vinyl are graded EX.
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| Koivistoinen, Eero - The Front is Breaking
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(Love LRLP-188 Fin-76 VG 700:-)
Eero Koivistoinen, one of the all-time greats in Finnish jazz and saxophone, arrived in the Finnish jazz scene in the mid-60s. Ever since, he has been one of the most distinguished and trusted jazz musicians in Finland.
"The Front is Breaking" features great musicians such as Olli Ahvenlahti, Pekka Pohjola, Jukka Tolonen, Georg Wadenius and others.
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| Lawson-Haggart Band - Boppin' at the Hop
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(Brunswick STA-3010 UK-60 EX 800:-)
These great instrumentals are arranged and played especially for dancing... Nobody sits when the Lawson-Haggart group starts rockin'!
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| Louiss - Surman - Humair – Our Kind Of Sabi
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(MPS Records MPS-15049 Fra-70 EX 350:-)
The brilliant French Hammond organist and pianist Eddy Louiss worked with the likes of Kenny Clarke, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Stan Getz; reed player John Surman and drummer Daniel Humair have long been major forces on the European scene.
"Our kind of Sabi" is a classy trio album with Louiss’ superb Hammond organ play front and center and a glimmering of the Caribbean dancing in the shadows.
Original French pressing; both sleeve and vinyl are graded EX.
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| Malfatti-Wittwer - Thrumblin
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(FMP Records FMP-0350 Ger-76 VG+ 500:-)
This series of startling duets features two extremely underrated musicians - trombonist Radu Malfatti and guitarist Stephan Wittwer, who warp their instrument's trademark sounds into unusual textures and timbres. Better yet is their near telepathic interplay and ability to create continual surprises.
Original German pressing. The sleeve shows some minor wear - the vinyl is graded EX.
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| Mellé, Gil - Tome VI
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(Verve V6-8744 US-68 EX 300:-)
An amazing little album – a set that's billed as the first album of "electronic jazz", and which features Gil working with his Jazz Electronauts combo!
Although Melle's perhaps best known for his baritone sax modern sides of the 50s for Blue Note and Prestige, his influence on this album is possibly a far greater one on modern music – because Gil creates a sublime blend of jazz roots and more sophisticated instrumentation – cast out in ways that are complicated, yet never too harsh or overly-academic! The electronic aspects of the record are sometimes sparing – mixed into the styles of the combo, often through Gil's use of soprano sax – almost as a magic wand to shape the sound of the rest of the music.
Original US pressing; both sleeve and vinyl are graded EX.
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| Mitchell, Red - Communication
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(Grammofonverket EFG-402.5.090 Swe-74 VG+ 400:-)
Bassist Red Mitchell got his start on the west coast scene in America – but once he moved to Sweden, his creative powers really opened up – to the point where he was not only a hell of a musician on his initial instrument, but also a colorful pianist and a hell of a leader too!
This album's a wonderful demonstration of the genius that Red hit with the Swedes – as it features material that soars with color and life throughout – work that's expressive, but never in a cliched way – and which maybe brings forward an older style of arranging with freshly new spirit for the 70s – but all without every trying to sound too contemporary in ways that would sink its timelesness.
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| MJQ / Oscar Peterson - At the Opera House
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(Verve MGV-8269 US-57 EX 275:-)
The MJQ make a rare appearance on Verve Records in the 50s – splitting half the album here with the classic Oscar Peterson Trio!
The live performance was recorded in Chicago, and definitely has the MJQ working in a looser vibe than on some of their late 50s recordings for Atlantic – a bit more open and swinging, in a Verve mode – with some of the bop inspiration that first showed up on their early Prestige recordings.
The second half of the record features live material from Oscar Peterson's hip group with Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass – that great drum-less lineup that really lets Oscar take off on piano!
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| Moody, James - Moody's Mood for Love
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(Metronome MLP-15219 Swe-66 EX 275:-)
James Moody was an institution in jazz from the late '40s into the 21st century, whether on tenor, flute, occasional alto, or yodeling his way through his "Moody's Mood for Love". After serving in the Air Force (1943-1946), he joined Dizzy Gillespie's bebop orchestra and began a lifelong friendship with the trumpeter. Moody toured Europe with Gillespie and then stayed overseas for several years, working with Miles Davis, Max Roach, and top European players. His 1949 recording of "I'm in the Mood for Love" became a hit in 1952 under the title of "Moody's Mood for Love".
The tunes on this album was recorded in Stockholm between in October 1965 and features Swedish jazz giants Arne Domnérus, Gösta Theselius, Rolf Berg a.o.
Original Swedish pressing. Both sleeve and vinyl are graded EX.
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| Nichols, Herbie - The Third World
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(Blue Note BN-LA485-H2 US-75 VG+ 300:-)
One of jazz's most tragically overlooked geniuses, Herbie Nichols was a highly original piano stylist and a composer of tremendous imagination and eclecticism. He wasn't known widely enough to exert much influence in either department, but his music eventually attracted a rabid cult following, though not quite the wide exposure it deserved.
This 2LP set contains the complete Blue Note recordings by Nichols.
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| Solar Plexus - Solar Plexus
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(Odeon 4E-154-34573/4 Swe-72 VG/VG+ 375:-)
Initially called Bäska Droppar, this band was formed in 1971 when former Made In Sweden members Jojje Wadenius and Slim Borgudd joined forces with jazz organist Monica Dominique and her classically trained pianist husband Carl-Axel.
Their eponymous double album debut was released in April 1972 and is generally considered their crowning achievement.
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| Staton, Dakota - The Late, Late Show
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(Capitol T-876 UK-57 VG+ 275:-)
A classic from Dakota Staton – and the record that made her a real leading lady at the label in the years before Nancy Wilson's rise!
The set's got a wonderfully laidback feel that's in keeping with the title, yet it also swings nicely too – kind of a new level of soul in jazz vocals that really points the way towards 60s recordings by Gloria Lynne, Etta Jones, and others. Backings are by Van Alexander, and include solos from Hank Jones on piano and Jonah Jones on trumpet – plus some great un-credited vibes and guitar.
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| Surman, John - Upon Reflection
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(ECM Records ECM-1148 Ger-79 VG+ 300:-)
John Surman's debut as a leader for ECM is an atmospheric solo set that utilizes overdubbing (although leaving space for unaccompanied solo sections).
Surman performs eight of his moody and often-introspective originals, playing soprano, baritone, bass clarinet and synthesizers.
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| Thomas, Joe – Is The Ebony Godfather
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(Today TLP-1004 US-71 EX 400:-)
The greatest album ever recorded by Joe Thomas – and a hip batch of funky flute tracks that ranks with the best work of Jeremy Steig or SOUL! Joe's blowing here with arrangements by Chico O'Farrill – strangely off-beat backings that add in more than a touch of Latin to the funk, making for a strong little groove on the best cuts. There's a couple of short funky 45 cuts on here, like "Chitlins & Chuchyfritos" and "Ebony Godfather", but the real winner is a long version of Gary Byrd's "Every Brother Ain't a Brother", which features Joe soloing next to some great funky keyboards!
Original US pressing.
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| van Hove, Fred - Requiem for Che Guevara
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(MPS Records 15009 Fra-69 VG+ 300:-)
This album was dedicated to some of the great figures who rose to prominence during the chaotic times of the late 1960s.
Side A features Wolfgang Dauner, Manfred Schoof, Gerd Dudek, Eberhard Weber, Jurgen Karf, Fred Braceful, who are representing avant-jazz in Germany, and a chorus group.
The B-side is funereal jazz with Fred van Hove, Willem Breuker, Cel Overberghe, Kris Wanders, Ed Kroger, Peter Kowald, and Han Bennink. Both are a requiem for the turbulent times, expressed through a flood of chaotic sounds.
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| Vesala, Edward - Mau Mau
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(Johanna JHN-2071 Fin-82 VG+ 375:-)
Martti Vesala began playing jazz and rock in the 1960s, in such bands as Blues Section and Apollo. In the 1970s, he led his own jazz groups, recording several albums of his own compositions that combined jazz, classical music, tango, and folk music.
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| Vesala, Edward - Neitsytmatka
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(Polarvox LJLP-1014 Fin-82 VG+ 500:-)
Martti Vesala began playing jazz and rock in the 1960s, in such bands as Blues Section and Apollo. In the 1970s, he led his own jazz groups, recording several albums of his own compositions that combined jazz, classical music, tango, and folk music.
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