All That Jazz ...

[acemachine26]

Blue note is fantastic. We dont talk enough about Contemporary, Candid or Concord or Pablo Records and so many others.

Speaking of lesser-known labels, here's a book I highly recommend:
Freedom, Rhythm & Sound by Soul Jazz Records is an incredible coffee table book about private press jazz releases between 1965-83 and their stellar cover art compiled by label founder Stuart Baker along with Gilles Peterson.
By sheer coincidence, I happened to acquire both the book and the record that its cover is based on within the same week.
The record is Visions of the Third Eye by the New Life Trio, which is just one among many such gems within the free/avant-garde/spiritual jazz scene of that period that would've been lost to time had they not been preserved by the efforts of these folks and reissue labels.
Flipping through the pages, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of these titles I already owned on vinyl (all reissues though).
While this music might not be everyone's cup of tea, the book is a must-have if you're into unique album art. The dimensions are about the same size as a record sleeve so you get to immerse yourself into this radical music scene in all its glory.

 

[acemachine26]

Also, the living legend Marshall Allen, saxophonist and longtime member of the Sun Ra Arkestra turns 100 today! For those unaware, the Arkestra continue making great records under Allen, long after Sun Ra's passing. They were as out there as ever when I saw them in 2018 and their newer records are really good imo.

 

[sameer kumar]

 

[Nikhil]

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[himadri]

Masterpiece!
View attachment 84578

I have been a fan of Branford Marsalis since I heard this album long back

 

[Nikhil]

Back to some Japanese Jazz ...

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[Nikhil]

 

[Sushant Sharma]

@Nikhil Was just listening to both these albums just yesterday. Great music all around.
Another beautiful mellow tune.

 

[coaltrain]

Back to some Japanese Jazz ...

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In case you’re using Apple Music, there’s a great playlist of Japanese jazz that’s nearly ten hours long.

 

[jaiwant_alex]

Then I highly recommend the manga series Blue Giant (named after Trane's Blue Train and Giant Steps) which is about a high-schooler wanting to be a jazz musician. It was made into an anime in 2023 with music by none other than Hiromi Uehara.

Also recommend Chasin' The Bird: A Charlie Parker Graphic Novel.

This is out on theatres now ! (in Chennai)

 

[Nikhil]

Saturday afternoon listening thanks to another stellar recommendation from @sameer kumar!
The is a 5 volume series so all set for the weekend with this collection.

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[himadri]

Groovy and smooth.

 

[Nikhil]

Scheduled for listening later this evening.

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[Nikhil]

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[Sushant Sharma]

Archie Shepp and Horace Parlan Trouble in Mind.

 

[Nikhil]

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[rwnano]

Cafe de Paris is a good playlist.... please do listen.

 

[Nikhil]

Some Piano Jazz to begin the day




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[Nikhil]

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[acemachine26]

Now these are what you call value for money! Don Rendell & Ian Carr's legendary Lansdowne recordings reissued in flipback sleeves, mastered from the original tapes at Abbey Road and housed in polylined inner sleeves. All for just £15.83 per record and £8 shipping to India from the Jazzman Records website. As a huge fan of Ian Carr's Nucleus albums, I'm glad to finally own some of his earlier recordings, these are a revelation! Essentials in any British Jazz collection.