Blues & Jazz
Today! is Skip James’ second album, originally released in 1966. The album features James solo on all but one track, “How Long,” which includes Russ Savakus on bass. This 180-gram LP pressed at QRP includes an obi with notes by Scott Billington, a paper-wrapped jacket and (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. AllMusic asserts, “wonderful vocals, superb guitar and a couple of tunes with tasty piano make this essential.”
Recorded in Oslo in September 1970, Afric Pepperbird was released on New Year’s Day in 1971. Half a century later, it still conveys the freshness and excitement of discoveries being made. The album signaled the arrival of four Norwegian improvisers – Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen – at the fledgling ECM label. It was the start of a lifelong association with each of the musicians, whose influence was soon to reach far beyond the borders of their homeland.
In August 2023, Joe Bonamassa made his historic, first-ever appearance at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in his hometown of Los Angeles, where he was accompanied by a stellar ensemble of 40 orchestra members for a one-night-only event. Checking off another bucket list venue, Joe’s performance at the Bowl was his biggest production to date. Showcasing incredible orchestra arrangements from David Campbell, Trevor Rabin and Jeff Bova, fan-favorite songs are given new life on a much bigger scale.
In August 2023, Joe Bonamassa made his historic, first-ever appearance at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in his hometown of Los Angeles, where he was accompanied by a stellar ensemble of 40 orchestra members for a one-night-only event. Checking off another bucket list venue, Joe’s performance at the Bowl was his biggest production to date. Showcasing incredible orchestra arrangements from David Campbell, Trevor Rabin and Jeff Bova, fan-favorite songs are given new life on a much bigger scale.
In August 2023, Joe Bonamassa made his historic, first-ever appearance at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in his hometown of Los Angeles, where he was accompanied by a stellar ensemble of 40 orchestra members for a one-night-only event. Checking off another bucket list venue, Joe’s performance at the Bowl was his biggest production to date. Showcasing incredible orchestra arrangements from David Campbell, Trevor Rabin and Jeff Bova, fan-favorite songs are given new life on a much bigger scale.
After putting down the saxophone, the instrument he has become synonymous with, Shabaka returns with his first full-length album under his own name. Perceive Its beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is a moving suite of primarily instrumental music. Shabaka is found playing the flute on this album, and has enlisted key artists such as Andre 3000, Lianne La Havas, Moses Sumney, Floating Points and more to help build this all-encompassing aural landscape.
After putting down the saxophone, the instrument he has become synonymous with, Shabaka returns with his first full-length album under his own name. Perceive Its beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is a moving suite of primarily instrumental music. Shabaka is found playing the flute on this album, and has enlisted key artists such as Andre 3000, Lianne La Havas, Moses Sumney, Floating Points and more to help build this all-encompassing aural landscape. CD Softpak.
Bill Frisell’s expansive double album Orchestras documents two inspired concert-hall engagements arranged by Michael Gibbs for the guitarist’s trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston. Sweeping orchestration evoking landmark film scores and Gil Evans alike move nimbly within and around the trio’s telepathic rapport, and Frisell’s shimmering trademark tone melds gorgeously with symphonic strings and brass.
Bill Frisell’s expansive double album Orchestras documents two inspired concert-hall engagements arranged by Michael Gibbs for the guitarist’s trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston. Sweeping orchestration evoking landmark film scores and Gil Evans alike move nimbly within and around the trio’s telepathic rapport, and Frisell’s shimmering trademark tone melds gorgeously with symphonic strings and brass.
Inspired by a lifetime of listening to jazz + woodshedding, Andrew Bird on his new album Sunday Morning Put-On presents his take on the Great American Songbook. Andrew Bird Trio features Ted Poor (drums) & Alan Hampton (bass), and transcends nostalgia, pushing his limits as an improviser. Replacing saxophones with violin solos, and showcasing Andrew's signature vocal prowess, the Trio reimagines jazz standards completely live in southern California’s legendary Valentine Studios.
Indie Exclusive - Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) is thrilled to announce the release - from recently rediscovered tapes - the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack to "It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown," the timeless 6th animated Peanuts® special, from writer and creator Charles Schulz, director Bill Melendez and producers Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Originally the special aired on September 27, 1969 on CBS-TV.
The album includes the original recordings that comprise the cues from the Special across twenty-six tracks, plus another 6 alternative tracks that have never been released or heard before.
Guaraldi lovingly created the soundtrack for the summer camp adventure where Charlie Brown and his gang face off against the girl’s camp lead by Peppermint Patty. The large jazz combo album also includes the best rendition of Guaraldi classic, "Love Will Come (Nova Bossa)" as well as the first use of additional percussion in Victor Feldman.
The recording features Guaraldi (piano), Monty Budwig (double bass), Jack Sperling (drums), Conti and Pete Candoli (trumpet), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Victor Feldman (percussion), Herb Ellis (guitar), Willian Hood and Peter Christlieb (woodwind), and John Scott Trotter as the orchestra leader. The soundtrack was produced by Sean and Jason Mendelson and restored and re-mastered by Vinson Hudson.
The album comes with liner notes that give a track-by-track analysis by Derrick Bang (author of "Vince Guaraldi at the Piano") and notes from Sean and Jason Mendelson, sons of Peanuts® producer Lee Mendelson. The album packaging also includes images from the special and images of historical documents from the found tapes.
Indie Exclusive - Pickin’ On Green Day is a collection of some of the biggest and best-loved songs from the legendary East Bay punks reinterpreted through the framework of classic bluegrass instrumentation and vocal stylings. Three groups from the Pickin’ On roster – The Sidekicks, Honeywagon and Cornbread Red – provide different shades of bluegrass to Green Day’s singular songwriting. Each track showcases what one always suspects listening to the great pop-punks – that underneath the distortion and attitude are classic, enduring hooks that transcend style.
Indie Exclusive - The Jazz Rewind label is back with another first edition recording by two American jazz giants, Sonny Stitt and Red Holloway. This saxophone duo regularly performed and recorded together since 1967. Sonny Stitt sadly passed away in 1982. This Cobden’s Place set from Manchester UK, 4 March 1981 is previously unreleased on any format. They perform alongside other jazz musicians including Vinny Parker (Piano), Pete Glennon (Bass) and Ron Parry (Drums). Enjoy this first edition LP on heavyweight orange colored vinyl.
Indie Exclusive - The Jazz Rewind label brings this rare concert recording to vinyl for the first time. Part of the Las Vegas Union series of live recordings from 1963. Personnel here includes Gerry Mulligan (Baritone Saxophone), Bob Brookmeyer (Trombone), Gus Johnson (drums) and Bill Crow (bass). The musical partnership of Gerry Mulligan and Bob Brookmeyer was quite special. In 1963, Mulligan was well on his way to becoming the best known baritone-saxophonist of all time while Brookmeyer was arguably the finest valve trombonist in jazz history. Both had complementary styles, witty ideas, very fluent technique and easily identifiable sounds. Enjoy this first edition LP on heavyweight blue colored vinyl.
Classic Delta And Deep South Blues From / Various
Classic Delta and Deep South Blues from
CD: $12.98 Buy
Mississippi, particularly the Delta, lays claim to being the land where the blues began. Forged in the crucible of poverty and racial oppression, blues flourished there as nowhere else, evolving into what most critics consider the deepest or most intense strain of the blues tradition. During the Great Migration, music changed consistently, adapting to its new surroundings like St. Louis and Chicago, while retaining its connection to its down home Delta roots. This collection celebrates the diversity and dissemination of the blues’ most powerful and influential voices. 67 minutes, 40-page booklet with extensive notes and photos.
The latest entry in the award-winning Miles Davis Bootleg Series focuses on the final chapter in the landmark collaboration between Davis and saxophonist John Coltrane: their last live performances together, in Europe in the spring of 1960.
Miles and Coltrane first collaborated in 1955, when Davis recruited the tenor saxophonist alongside pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones. This "first great quintet" made their Columbia Records debut in 1957. Those early recordings showcased the stunning contrasts between Miles' spacious, melodic lines and Trane's cascading high-energy solos, famously described by the critic Ira Gilter in 1958 as "sheets of sound."
While the quintet disbanded shortly after the release of 'Round About Midnight, Coltrane was back in Miles' ensemble in early 1958. A year later, the Miles Davis Sextet (Davis, Coltrane, Chambers, saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, pianists Bill Evans or Wynton Kelly, and drummer Jimmy Cobb) recorded the historic Kind Of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time. And for this final tour the rhythm section of Kelly, Chambers and Cobb backed Miles and Trane.
These historic performances marked Miles and Tran's last outing together and showcased both musicians' incredible influence on the changing sound of jazz. The beautiful music they made together is presented here officially for the very first time.
A 150 gram vinyl version, The Final Tour: Copenhagen, March 24, 1960 will include that complete set on one LP.
“New Blue Sun is the continuation of discovery for me. My entire career has been fueled by this and it is the only thing that keeps me honest. This album is the most honest and interesting offering I can give today. I never could have imagined in high school, when I started rapping and doing music that I would be here right now playing wind instruments. Ha. This life ride always surprises me. I’m here for it.” — Andre 3000
This deluxe 2-CD release comes in a tri-fold softpack.
And now we have Goin' Platinum!, the newest effort from the soon-to-be legendary soul singer Robert Finley and his crack band of geniuses. From the lovelorn bombast of "If You Forget My Love" to the soul-stirring "Medicine Woman," and the home-on-the-road ripper "Empty Arms" to the yearning "Honey Let Me Stay the Night," all capped by the epic closer "Holy Wine," featuring Finley's ethereal falsetto, Finley's performance left Dan Auerbach speechless-as it will anyone who lays ears to it.
As for the album title, Dan Auerbach gives all credit to Finley and his huge but wholly considerate personality. "He was just beaming from the second he walked in the door," Auerbach says. "Every time he'd listen to playback, he'd say, ‘It's goin' platinum.' That was his catch phrase.
Doctor Ross, also known as "Doctor Ross the Harmonica Boss", made his reputation as a bluesman in Memphis before moving to Michigan. During the early '50s, Ross recorded his first sides, including "Chicago Breakdown”, with Sam Phillips at Sun Records. This compilation, Memphis Breakdown, compiles the best of those early Memphis sessions all in one place, remastered for vinyl.
Julian Lage returns with Speak To Me, his remarkable fourth release for Blue Note, which finds the guitar virtuoso broadening his sonic palette in collaboration with esteemed producer Joe Henry who enhances Lage’s trademark melodic lyricism on this wide-ranging set of compelling new originals. In addition to Lage’s longtime trio with Jorge Roeder on bass and Dave King on drums, the album also features contributions from saxophonist Levon Henry, keyboardist Patrick Warren, and Kris Davis on piano. Indie Exclusive 2 LP set on 180g bone-colored vinyl. Limited Edition.
The Luckiest Man confirms Ronnie Earl’s status as one of the most soulful blues/soul/jazz guitarists working today. A three-time Blues Award winner as Guitarist Of The Year, Earl has worked with his band The Broadcasters for almost 30 years. This is his 25th release. This album is dedicated to the memory of long-time Broadcaster bass player Jim Mouradian. As Jim would say when he first met someone, “I’m the luckiest man you know — and I don’t even know who you know.” Playing with spellbinding intensity and soul, Earl has a legion of fans that await each new release.
2017 release from the blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. Fish recorded Belle of the West in the relaxed, rural creative atmosphere of the legendary Zebra Ranch Studios in the North Hills of Mississippi with producer Luther Dickinson (of North Mississippi Allstars fame), with whom she worked previously on her 2015 album Wild Heart. The studio team included some of the region's most iconoclastic musicians, including Dickinson, solo artist and Jack White associate Lillie Mae, much-traveled juke-joint blues artist Lightnin' Malcolm, Squirrel Nut Zippers founder Jimbo Mathus, upright bassist and beloved solo artist Amy LaVere, Tikyra Jackson, Trina Raimey and Shardé Thomas, granddaughter of the legendary Southern bluesman Otha Turner.
Charles Lloyd’s new studio album features a newly assembled quartet of four distinctive voices with the legendary saxophonist joined by pianist Jason Moran, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Brian Blade. Recorded around Lloyd’s 85th birthday concert, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow is a majestic body of work that presents Lloyd originals new and reimagined. The double-album finds one of the most significant musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries still at the peak of his powers.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the first great recording star of gospel music and among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll audiences, later being referred to as "the original soul sister" and "the godmother of rock and roll". This live recording from 1960 had never been on vinyl, until now, a whole 57 years later. The set has plenty of variety, lots of sincere feeling, and high levels of musicianship from the unique performer. Highlights include "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands," "Didn't It Rain," "The Gospel Train" and "Down By the Riverside." The album was remastered for vinyl from analog tape and pressed at Pallas Group in Germany.
The theme of friendship has carried Mitch Woods along through his career and has led him to this, his current duets and trios project…. Friends Along The Way. Featuring Guests: Van Morrison, Taj Mahal, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Joe Louis Walker, Maria Muldaur, Cyril Neville, Marcia Ball, John Hammond, Kenny Neal, James Cotton, John Lee Hooker and more… Mitch Woods has delivered a career spanning tour de force. What you hear on these songs is a simple duo or trio of musicians each expressing their innermost feelings and emotions through their instrument….the voice, piano, guitar, harmonica, tambourine…anything that can communicate the feelings, the rhythms of life to the audience. Friends Along The Way finds Mitch reaching into his historical sense of music. He reaches backwards to the roots rather than forward for his inspiration. This shines through on the first single “Take This Hammer” featuring a stunning vocal performance from Van Morrison and backed on guitar by Taj Mahal and of course Mitch Woods on piano. With Friends Along The Way, Mitch wanted to get a chance to play with some of his contemporaries in an intimate and mostly unplugged environment. The piano as an instrument lends itself to this format so perfectly. Mitch can play rhythm, lead, bass, and sing while accompanying some of his friends, who happen to be today’s blues and musical greats. It is a great instrument for bringing out the best of these awesome artists who are keeping the blues flame burning for generations to come. Some say music is a gift. It is a gift, not only to the person who performs it but to the world. The musicians you hear in these songs have spent a lifetime doing what they love to do….play music. Enjoy…this album is Mitch Wood’s gift to you
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra recorded multiple albums worth of material for this World Broadcasting Series between 1943 and 1945. The songs on this compilation include the best of two volumes which were originally released by Circle Records in 1985. All of the material was recorded on November 8 and 9 of 1943. The album was remastered and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany.
Earlier this year, avant-garde jazz titan Kamasi Washington premiered Harmony of Difference, an original six-movement suite, as part of this year’s Whitney Biennial. The EP is the first new music from Washington since his universally acclaimed 2015 debut album The Epic. Harmony of Difference explores the philosophical possibilities of the musical technique known as “counterpoint,” which Washington defines as “the art of balancing similarity and difference to create harmony between separate melodies.” Washington’s suite includes visual elements married to the musical works and draws voraciously on jazz for its foundation. Each of the first five movements is its own unique composition. “Truth,” the sixth movement, fuses all five compositions into one simultaneous performance. Beyond the artistic impulse to expand the possibilities within counterpoint, Washington wanted to create something that opened people’s minds to the gift of diversity. In his own words, “my hope is that witnessing the beautiful harmony created by merging different musical melodies will help people realize the beauty in our own differences.” “Against a backdrop of “fake news,” chemical warfare and presidential missteps, Washington’s 13-minute opus thrives with gospel-infused power, resting alongside his previous work while occupying new sonic space…. The huge scale makes his music feel like a sacred offering in bleak times” - Pitchfork Best New Track “a liberation theology for fearsome times” - New York Times “We can count on the man Kamasi Washington to deliver peace in the form of jazz” - The Fader “an expansive, winding new song...’Truth’ unfurls with breezy piano chords, soulful electric guitar counter-melodies, wordless choral chants and washes of the bandleader’s smoldering saxophone.” - Rolling Stone
Ella Fitzgerald’s iconic vocals are given new life by marrying newly recorded string arrangements from the London Symphony Orchestra. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and conducted by James Morgan and Jorge Callandrelli, this new approach to Ella’s timeless music reinvigorates her catalog and is sure to excite and please long time Ella fanatics and classical music connoisseurs at the same time. Guest vocalist Gregory Porter also lends his incredible talent to "People Will Say We're in Love”.
"The Mugician" features collaborations with world-renowned artists including Gary Clark, Jr., Bilal, Big K.R.I.T., Pharoahe Monch, Guy Torry, Robert Glasper, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Darin Atwater, James Poyser. Don Cheadle wrote the liner notes for this album.
Dee Dee Bridgewater has gone back to her beginning...Memphis, TN.
Born in the city known for its pivotal part in American culture, music and civil rights struggle, Bridgewater was part of an American legacy. After moving to Flint, Michigan, Bridgewater s childhood nights were spent tuning into Memphis WDIA, the first radio station in the nation featuring all-black programming. It was also the station where her father spun vinyl as the on-air disc jockey, Matt the Platter Cat.
This album is not only a return to Bridgewater s roots, but it offers ground-breaking re-imagining of American Blues and R&B classics with backing by the Stax Academy Choir, Kirk Whalum and recorded at Willie Mitchell s world-renowned Royal Studios. Co-Produced by Bridgewater and close friend Kirk Whalum (a Memphis native) the Memphis...Yes, I m Ready album features such crowd pleasers as Why? (Am I Treated So Bad) by the Staple Singers, I m Going Down Slow (Bobby Blue Bland) and Don t Be Cruel, among others.
In a career spanning four decades, 2017 NEA Jazz Master, three-time Grammy and Tony award winner, and UN Goodwill Ambassador Dee Dee Bridgewater is a pillar of the upper echelon of jazz artists.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and special guests take you through 100 hundred years of jazz piano on Handful of Keys. Star pianists Joey Alexander, Dick Hyman, Myra Melford, Helen Sung, Isaiah J. Thompson, and the JLCO's own Dan Nimmer grab hold of all 88 keys and reveal the full extent of the piano's evolution over the 20th century.
Recorded on opening night of the 2016-17 Jazz at Lincoln Center season, Handful of Keys showcases a band in full stride, burning through electric arrangements of beloved compositions from James P. Johnson, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, and more. With guests ranging in age from 13-year-old prodigy Alexander (recently featured on '60 Minutes') to 89-year-old American treasure Hyman, Wynton Marsalis and the JLCO survey jazz piano's past and give the stage to several prodigies who are taking the instrument in bold new directions.
Cannonball Adderley with Bill Evans
Know What I Mean? (Original Jazz Classics Series) [LP]
Vinyl: $38.98 Buy
What Do We Do Now is the fifth solo studio LP recorded by J Mascis since 1996. This is obviously not a very aggressive release schedule, but when you figure in the live albums, guest spots, and records done with his various other bands (Dinosaur Jr., The Fog, Heavy Blanket, Witch, Sweet Apple, and so on), well, to paraphrase Lou Reed, “J's week beats your year.”
What Do We Do Now began to come together during the waning days of the Pandemic. Utilizing his own Bisquiteen Studio, J started working on writing a series of tunes on acoustic with a different dynamic than the stuff he creates for Dino. “When I'm writing for the band,” he says, “I'm always trying to think of doing things Lou and Murph would fit into. For myself, I'm thinking more about what I can do with just an acoustic guitar, even for the leads. Of course, this time, I added full drums and electric leads, although the rhythm parts are still all acoustic. Usually, I try to do the solo stuff more simply so I can play it by myself, but I really wanted to add the drums. Once that started, everything else just fell into place. So it ended up sounding a lot more like a band record. I dunno why I did that exactly, but it's just what happened.”
Two guest musicians are playing this time out; Western Mass local Ken Mauri (of the B52s) plays piano on several tracks. Since J himself has some experience with keys, when asked why he needed a hired gun, he says, “Ken is great, and he plays all the keys. I tried playing some keyboards on the first Fog album, but I'm really only comfortable playing the white notes, so it's kind of limiting. [laughs] Nowadays, I could just turn the pitch on a mini Mellotron to play different sounds, but black keys just seem hard. For whatever reason, I just like banging on the white ones. Seems like it's harder to figure out how to stretch your fingers around the other ones.”
Mauri has no such qualms and plays all the keys very damn well. He sounds especially great on “I Can't Find You,” where he is Jack Nitzsche to J's Neil Young, creating one of the album's loveliest tunes. The other guest musician, Matthew “Doc” Dunn, is also prominent on this track. Dunn's steel guitar manages to both widen and soften the musical edges of the music, giving it a full classicist profile. Dunn is an Ontario-based polymath who J met through Matt Valentine. After J played on Doc's great 2022 Sub Pop single, “Your Feel,” he figured it was time for payback. Both Dunn and Mauri add beautifully to the songs here, helping to transform them from acoustic sketches into full-blown post-core power ballads.
What Do We Do Now is the finest set of solo tunes J has yet penned, and the way they're presented is just about perfect. Asked if he would be touring to support the album, J says he'll be doing some weekend dates, but he probably won't be putting a band together. And I'm sure these songs will sound great solo and acoustic, but the arrangements on this album are truly great and put a cool, different spin on Mascis' instantly recognizable approach to making music.
So, what do we do now? Not sure. But apparently, what J does is to make one of his most killer records ever. Hats off to him.
–Byron Coley
Acclaimed vibraphonist Joel Ross returns with the release of his remarkable album nublues, a collection of ballads and blues as seen through the lens of one of the most creative modern jazz groups featuring Immanuel Wilkins, Jeremy Corren, Kanoa Mendenhall, and Jeremy Dutton, as well as special guest Gabrielle Garo. The band moves seamlessly across the blues-imbued musical terrain of this 10-track set which includes 7 new Ross originals and pieces by John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.
Bassist and composer Marcel Bonfim’s debut album, Farewell / Despedida, features a set of original compositions and two unique cover arrangements, introducing listeners to his world of influences and experiences from growing up in Brazil then coming to the United States. Ranging from jazz to Brazilian popular music, the emotion pours from this debut offering.
The funk fans have been waiting for this one. Finally available on vinyl, Grant Green's near perfect slice of jazz funk and soul, Live at Club Mozambique, remastered and rendered back in the Motor City. Grant Green's band had been playing a series of live dates at Detroit's Club Mozambique, (before it became a fabled Male dance club) when this session was recorded live on two cold January nights in 1971. Powerhouse drummer Idris Muhammad and soulful tenor star Houston Person were brought in to supplement Green's current band featuring Ronnie Foster on organ and Clarence Thomas on Soprano and Tenor Sax and Blue Note producer Francis Wolff recorded. This treasure was never released, though, and (conjectures aside) remained in the Blue Notes vaults for 35 years before a 2006 CD release. Sounding incredibly fresh and live, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more real stamping of Grant Green at the top of his game. The lp blends extremely hypnotic and wild funk such as their opening cover of a local funk hit ''Jan Jan'' by the Fabulous Counts next to laidback renditions of early 70's soul favorites ''Walk on By'', ''Patches'' and ''One More Chance'' by the Jackson 5. It perfectly captures the magic of hearing a legendary band effortlessly doing their thing in a small club while the audience unwinds after a long work day. Green pulls it all together with his melodic genius and perfect delivery. Great artists make it seem so easy. No pretensions here, just a great band burning up the stage with unmistakable chemistry on what might be the ultimate jazz funk time capsule. Maybe you can't go back in time, but if you close your eyes and light a cigarette, you might be convinced you're sitting in a wood-paneled club on Detroit's Westside enjoying Grant Green and his band tear it up.
313 Series
Detroit has long held a shared respect with New York; a similar outlook on authenticity. Tough to describe, but you know it when you see it. Third Man Records and Blue Note Records share this respect and also a commitment to integrity regarding the musical legacies they support that extends to the collaboration happening on the 313 Series partnership. The five unique albums from the Blue Note catalog chosen for limited edition re-release by Blue Note Records President and Detroiter Don Was represent the best of the Motor City; innovative sounds, incredible playing and that inexplicable something you know is real.
For an undertaking like this you have to walk the extra mile. The original tapes were sent to Third Man's Detroit mastering and pressing facility where their extensive all analog re-mastering process ensured that the albums delivered live up to the tradition they are part of. The Third Man Records team's commitment to audio purity means no corners can be cut; sound and mastering engineer Warren Defever's goal being to provide the closest possible approximation of the magic found on the original master's tape brought to your living room. From the lacquers cut in the studio on the Neumann VMS-70 Cutting Lathe to the 180 gram vinyl pressed across the hall, every step of the process is tested in the facilities against exacting standards. That's the Detroit way and the reason why the musical legacy from the 313 area code remains beloved around the world.
Grant Green - Guitar
Ronnie Foster - Organ
Idris Muhammad - Drums
Clarence Thomas - Soprano Sax, Tenor Sax
Houston Person - Tenor Sax
Recorded live at Club Mozambique - Detroit, MI 1971 by Francis Wolff