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A Savoy Revival: New OJCs from Hank Mobley & Yusef Lateef
by C. Andrew Hovan
Although the Concord Music Group acquired the legendary Savoy Records archives in 2017, the catalog has seen little reissue activity since. Founded in 1942 by Herman Lubinsky, Savoy earned distinction for documenting rhythm and blues, gospel, and jazz over several decades. The label captured many of bebop's pioneering voices--Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Clarke, and Dizzy ...
Kenny Drew: Kenny Drew Trio
by C. Andrew Hovan
One of many American jazz musicians who made Europe home beginning in the early 1960s, pianist Kenny Drew is best remembered as the pianist on John Coltrane's seminal Blue Train--when he is remembered at all. Over the course of his career, Drew forged notable associations with Dexter Gordon and Jackie McLean, and recorded nearly 50 albums ...
Prestige Rara Avis: Kenny Burrell and Frank Wess
by C. Andrew Hovan
Over the past decade, music lovers and jazz collectors have enjoyed a wealth of opportunities thanks to the ongoing vinyl renaissance. Back in the 1980s and '90s, Fantasy Records became a favorite among enthusiasts with its Original Jazz Classics series, reissuing nearly a thousand titles from its vast catalog, which included Prestige, Riverside, and Contemporary. After ...
Miles Davis: Miles '55: The Prestige Recordings
by Richard J Salvucci
It is hard to imagine any casual jazz fan failing a blindfold test on the vinyls on offer here. It is a game people play: how quickly can you identify the performer. A lot of horn players make it into the competition, because horns are boisterous and mimic the human voice and persona. Clark Terry, some ...
Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown: Jazz Impressions and Good Sport
by Mark Sullivan
Everyone knows the Vince Guaraldi soundtrack A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy Records, 1965). However, Guaraldi composed and performed music for many other Peanuts-related projects, two of which have been recently released. They represent the beginning and end of the journey: Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown was recorded in 1964, one year before the ...
Opa and The Blackbyrds: Coveted 1970s Jazz-Funk
by Mark Sullivan
Opa released only two albums before disbanding in the early 1980s. While neither of their albums found commercial success during their initial releases (despite the high-profile personalities involved), both titles gained underground followings over the following decades. The Blackbyrds' City Life celebrates its golden anniversary. “Happy Music," the dancefloor-ready title track and the group's heavily sampled ...
Lee Morgan: Here's Lee Morgan
by C. Andrew Hovan
While Craft Recordings' new OJC reissue series has largely drawn from its treasure trove of Prestige and Riverside titles, the label recently expanded its scope to include two standout jazz albums from Chicago's historic Vee-Jay Records. Founded in 1953 by husband-and-wife team James Bracken and Vivian Carter, Vee-Jay was not only one of the ...
OJC Piano Greatness: Thelonious Monk & Bill Evans
by C. Andrew Hovan
Having been a source of quality reissues back when vinyl was still king, it is fitting that the Original Jazz Classics series has returned now that the vinyl renaissance continues to carry on full-force among the music-buying public. Now in its second full year of releases, Craft Recordings continues to mine its impressive back catalog for ...
Ten Terrific Sax Plus Organ Combinations
by Artur Moral
OK, maybe the electric guitar was its first and most celebrated love affair, but the organ's alliances with the saxophone's family members are undoubtedly among the richest musical combinations, both in terms of sound and the intense interrelationships that typically develop in such encounters. Whether it be a tenor with a Hammond, a soprano with an ...
Max Roach: Deeds, Not Words
by Richard J Salvucci
Sometimes, someone listens to a recording mostly for one track. This is such a recording. Quite naturally, it involves drummer Max Roach. If he had to stake his reputation on one extended solo, some might say Roach on “Conversation" is the one. Not all drummers, suffice it to say, are melodic. But a first-time listener can ...
