"Study in Brown" by Clifford Brown and Max Roach on Emarcy MG-36037

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"Study in Brown" by Clifford Brown and Max Roach on Emarcy MG-36037

All time classic by one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time.

This is actually my first original pressing which features Clifford Brown which is completely nuts, considering I love his playing. Well, I’ve tried to secure both this title and Brown & Roach Incorporated, also on Emarcy, for a very long time. So it’s not like I haven’t tried, but it’s been difficult to find these titles in top condition and with all the 1st pressing details present, like the blue tinted back slick. I finally found this copy a few months back and it’s in absolutely top condition and sounds lovely. So happy to now have one of the very best Brownie titles secured and filed. The search continues after more titles in his catalogue. Excited to try and find some of them.

The music is so well executed and the original compositions are top notch. Clifford Brown is of course a jazz trumpet legend and to me, one of the very best trumpeters of all time. If I had to make a top 5 list of my favorite jazz trumpeters he would definitely be on that. Max Roach, another jazz legend, is a drummer who plays with such finesse, love him. The whole group is so good. Dig the individual styles of all of them and especially the chemistry they share with one another. They sound so tight and overall it’s a pity there aren’t more titles available except for the handful they recorded together before the tragic deaths of Brownie and Powell.

Favorite picks from this album include “Cherokee”, ”Lands End” and “George’s Dilemma”. All tunes on here are wonderful and highly enjoyable.

Enjoying the new listening space and the new house. It’s so nice to have my own space, never had that before. Will try and post more regularly and also begin to make some more YouTube videos. Hope you are all enjoying your collections, cheers!

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"Summer Dawn" by Sahib Shihab on Argo 742

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"Summer Dawn" by Sahib Shihab on Argo 742

A summer soundtrack to die for.

When the summer approaches and the weather is getting warmer this is a perfect soundtrack, and it makes for a bit of a happier mindset. This music is so beautiful, displaying brilliant musicianship and soul. Sahib Shihab was a lovely multi-instrumentalist (his flute playing was something else) and composer, which is featured heavily on this album. He penned all the tunes and they are all such a joy to listen to. The personell is top notch and it’s great to hear fellow Swede Åke Persson on trombone. This is one of my best sounding records as well, engineered by Wolfgang Hirschmann. Such a soft and pleasant soundstage with plenty of detail, which creates a wonderful listening experience.

Overall I need to dive deeper into Shihab’s catalogue. I’m after one title called “Sahib’s Jazz Party” (which will be a tall order to find for sure), released on the Danish Debut label. Great stuff.

Do you have some favorite Sahib Shihab albums? Please share.

Enjoy your collections folks and also; get outside and catch some sun. Cheers!

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"Go" by Dexter Gordon on Blue Note BLP 4112

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"Go" by Dexter Gordon on Blue Note BLP 4112

A bonafide classic has finally arrived on the shelf.

At last this gem is on the shelf. Took forever and a day to secure this one. I’ve had opportunities to acquire it through the years. Several copies have passed by me but I never pulled the trigger. Crazy to think about that now, as I’m listening to this lovely album. What a great session, and of course, such a classic. This is one of those albums that needs to be in a jazz collection. I have plenty of those kind of titles that I haven’t secured yet for one reason or another. Blue Train is one of them. I’ve always looked for a NY23 copy but that is out of reach now price-wise, and I’m not willing to pay that kind of money just to have NY23 on the labels, so a W63 copy will have to do. Hopefully, at some point when the opportunity presents itself, fingers crossed.

So happy to have been able to acquire this copy of “Go” which is in absolutely pristine shape. So in that respect I’m glad I waited this long to add it to the collection. That I waited for this particular copy, cause it’s perfect. I bought this copy from a new contact who contacted me through this blog. Awesome guy and his grading was on point. He has some more great stuff that I will be looking to purchase from him as well.

Love Dexter Gordon and I’m still exploring his stuff. I have an original of “One Flight Up”, which is an amazing album, but there are so many more great titles by him. I’ll be on the lookout for those.

Favorite Dexter album? This title has to be quite high on most peoples list I could imagine. Have your say in the comments folks.

Hope that you are all doing great and that you are enjoying your collections. I’m looking forward to moving now to the new house and setting up the new listening space. Only a few months left. Cheers!

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"Spirits" by Albert Ayler on Debut DEB 146

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"Spirits" by Albert Ayler on Debut DEB 146

My first original Ayler album contains magical music and is beyond rare.

So this is it. The rarest LP so far in my collection, in my opinion. On the Danish Debut label. Albert Ayler’s “Spirits” is a brilliant excursion in free/avant-garde jazz that for me is so calming, soothing and meditative. The powerful tenor which explores sounds and textures in a sublime way connects with the searching trumpet cascades and the double bass and drums that lays the foundation to the whole proposition. Sonny Murray’s gentle phrasing on the drums together with the lovely ride cymbal sound is a joy to experience, it’s simply genius.

Like Ayler, what a genius. His playing is otherworldly. Noone come close in this kind of setting. He plays with a inspirational passion, sadness, fire and a warm beauty that is just magical. He played with so much soul. Truly one of a kind. His contribution to the art form cannot be understated. The album contains 4 tunes with plenty of driving energy as well as calmer, darker, shimmering and beautiful passages.

I will dive further into the world of Albert Ayler and explore plenty more. I’ve been listening to other titles by him a bit as well in the past, but this album, right now when I’ve played it “live” at home, makes me want to really give his music a lot more time and attention to explore it more in depth. So which Ayler titles am I gunning for next? Maybe “Ghosts” or “Spiritual Unity”.

Another thing that is beautiful about this album is the cover art, designed by Nina Aae. Hands down my favorite cover art in my collection.

Are you a free jazz/avant-garde fan? Favorite Albert Ayler album? Please share.

Don’t forget to watch this lovely Ayler documentary by Kasper Collin for more inspiration: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1As411H7jg/

Cheers!

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"In 'n Out" by Joe Henderson on Blue Note BLP 4166

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"In 'n Out" by Joe Henderson on Blue Note BLP 4166

A classic Henderson title not easy to find.

A clear favorite album for me. All the Henderson albums on Blue Note are great. This one has been a bit of a struggle to secure. Not seen many copies for sale. Mono pressings seems tough to find. I’m of course very happy to finally have been able to land this lovely copy and place it on the shelf. I’m still after a few other titles by Henderson on Blue Note, like Page One and Our Thing. Let’s see if I get lucky.

The music on this album is truly my kind of jazz. It’s post bop played with fire and soul. Can’t compare this to regular hard bop. It’s so much more interesting to me. Even though I still love my doses of hard bop. Great band on this one, with Kenny Dorham on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Richard Davis on double bass and Elvin Jones on drums backing Henderson. Pretty much as good as it gets.

All the tunes provide something unique and pleasurable. One of the great Blue Notes for me. And one of the most appealing cover arts that Reid Miles created.

Could this be Hendersons best session as a leader on Blue Note? Or is it maybe Inner Urge or perhaps another one? Have your say in the comments guys.

Have just received some new arrivals in great condition. Two Blue Notes, stay tuned for those. I have also won an auction were I won a wonderful free jazz album. Quite a rare bird for sure. Looking forward to receiving that one.

Have a great week, cheers!

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Booker Ervin "Groovin' High" on Prestige PRLP 7417

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Booker Ervin "Groovin' High" on Prestige PRLP 7417

Booker Ervin on Prestige = always great stuff.

This is one of those lovely Booker Ervin titles on Prestige. There are plenty of other titles on Prestige by Ervin that I enjoy very much as well. I’ve been on the lookout for them all. So far I’ve been able to secure 4 of them. Very happy about that. I’ve found that this particular album “Groovin’ High” seems quite scarce, at least in mono. An album consisting of tunes from 3 different recording dates from 1963 and 1964 and then released in 1966. Great music as always when it comes to Ervin. He delivers a special brand of jazz, filled with plenty of energy and fire. He surrounds himself with top cats, namely Carmell Jones on trumpet (only on track 2), the great Jaki Byard on piano, Gildo Mahones on piano (only on track 2), the wonderful Richard Davis on double bass and drummer Alan Dawson. I dig it!

If you’re unfamiliar with Ervin and his work, then I suggest you look him up, and for me, these albums for Prestige that he did are a truly great way to get into his stuff.

Update: We have just bought a house and we’re in the process of selling our apartment right now. I will get a dedicated listening room in the house and I’m very excited about that. We’re moving in the beginning of July. Will be fun to share some images from the new space later. :-)

Hope you guys will have a nice weekend and that you’ll find the time to listen to some great albums. Maybe put on some Booker Ervin? Cheers!

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"A Fickle Sonance" by Jackie McLean on Blue Note BLP 4089

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"A Fickle Sonance" by Jackie McLean on Blue Note BLP 4089

McLean never disappoints.

Another lovely Jackie Mac album. Maybe a title not very often mentioned? I think it’s a very enjoyable session. In my view you just can’t go wrong with a Jackie McLean album. At least up to this point I haven’t heard a bad session from him. One of my favorite alto players.

This session offers some great jazz played by a stellar personell. The cats on this album are Jackie on alto, Tommy Turrentine on trumpet (my first original pressing title with him I believe, great player), Sonny Clark on piano, Butch Warren on double bass and Billy Higgins on drums. A nice cohesive group.

Favorite tune at this moment is probably the title track.

Happy to have found this wonderful copy as it seems to be quite scarce. Still plenty of titles left for me to try and acquire from McLeans discography.

Stay tuned for more original vintage gems from the shelves. Cheers!

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"The Freedom Book" by Booker Ervin on Prestige PRLP 7295

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"The Freedom Book" by Booker Ervin on Prestige PRLP 7295

My favourite Booker Ervin to date.

Brilliant album by Booker Ervin, who has grown on me tremendously during the last few years. For me, him and Joe Henderson has really cemented their place high up on my list of favourite tenor players. “The Freedom Book” has to be one of my absolute favourite jazz albums at the moment. It will probably stay that way forever. What a lovely group that flanks Ervin on this session as well, with Jaki Byard on piano, Richard Davis on double bass and Alan Dawson on drums. Has to be one of my favourite groups actually. Byard is a clear favourite since a good while back. Beautiful player, full of surprises. Davis was an amazing double bassist (his solos are very special) and was part of another favourite ensemble of mine, the one with Dolphy at the Five Spot. Dawson on drums reminds me a bit of Ed Blackwell in his playing from time to time, which is a very, very good thing. He is is own man though and adds great energy and tasteful details with his inspiring playing.

The whole album is pure bliss, but if I had to pick a favourite tune is has to be the beautiful Ervin-penned (what a composer he was) “A Day to Mourn”, where I can’t help but draw some comparisons with Coltrane. A slice of Byard’s playing located deep into the tune is like a dream. Absolute beauty. Overall a very diverse tune with plenty of different passages.

I’ve managed to acquire three fresh Ervin titles on Prestige to accompany my previous sole Ervin title as a leader, “The Blues Book”. Very happy about that. Looking for some other ones still though.

Do you have a favourite Booker Ervin title? So far, The Freedom Book is my favourite.

Have a great weekend and enjoy some jazz on vinyl. Cheers!

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Ted Curson plays "Fire Down Below" on Prestige PRLP 7263

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Ted Curson plays "Fire Down Below" on Prestige PRLP 7263

Great album and my first with Ted Curson as a leader.

My first Ted Curson led session. Curson was a wonderful trumpeter and trumpet is my favourite instrument in jazz, which means exploring his catalogue more in depth will be a real treat I’m sure. Like I mentioned, this is the first title of his in hopefully a long row being added to my collection. I’ve been starting to add some more stuff from the later Prestige catalogue. There are many great albums. I recently added some of Booker Ervins stuff for example. Wonderful music.

On this album Ted Curson is being backed by Gildo Mahones on piano, George Tucker on double bass, Roy Haynes on drums and Montego Joe on conga. This group creates some lovely and melodic flavors throughout this pleasant album. Some percussive treats are offered, and as a drummer myself, that rocks my boat. I dig the conga addition for sure. Perfect jazz for a Sunday afternoon, which it was when I wrote this post and listened to the album. Had been busy cleaning the entire apartment and this album was the reward afterwards.

Do you have some favorite Ted Curson albums that you would like to share?

Hope you are enjoying some good jazz folks. Stay tuned for more jazz on vintage vinyl coming up. Cheers!

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"Grantstand" by Grant Green on Blue Note BLP 4086

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"Grantstand" by Grant Green on Blue Note BLP 4086

Jazz guitar goodness.

This is my first Grant Green album. The guitar has never been a favourite instrument for me in jazz. I’ve been enjoying it, but I haven’t focused on guitarists per se when I’ve been exploring jazz. I’ve come to really dig the guitar though more and more, and Grant Green has been a great reason to put on some good jazz guitar. I’ve been exploring some of his output and there are some lovely albums to enjoy. “Grantstand” is one of them.

This album also features the organ which is another instrument that I haven’t listen to much until I started to explore Larry Young a bit and also some of Baby Face Willette and his performance on Green’s debut album. On this album the organist is Jack McDuff who provides some nice sounds. The organ creates a special layer and foundation to the music for sure. I dig it. The rest of the group consists of the great Yusef Lateef on tenor sax and flute and Al Harewood on drums.

Been after some other Grant Green albums for a while, such as “Green Street”, “Feelin’ The Spirit” and “Grant’s First Stand”. Had some opportunities to acquire all of them at different points during last year but didn’t pull the trigger. Let’s see if another one of Grant’s titles make it onto my shelves. I guess it’s just a matter of time.

Do you have a favourite Grant Green album? Please share.

Enjoy your collections folks and stay tuned for more original vintage jazz vinyl. Cheers!

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"Dusk Fire" by the Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet on Columbia SX 6064

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"Dusk Fire" by the Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet on Columbia SX 6064

Superb jazz from Britain.

A belated Happy New Year to all of my readers. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday period and that the new year has started off great.

Beautiful album here from British duo Don Rendell and Ian Carr. I hadn’t heard anything from these two cats before I saw a Instagram post of this album from the record store Vinylspot in the Netherlands and decided to sample it on Spotify. I was immediately hooked and decided to jump on the opportunity to acquire this rare gem. Not cheap by any means, but I had understood after looking it up that it was very rare. Didn’t want to miss out on it and I had the funds available so I didn’t hesitate.

The album contains some beautiful music, some up-tempo stuff as well as some lovely moody and perceptive stuff, which I love. Great musicianship. It’s these more moody tunes that stand out for me. Favorite two tunes at this point are “Prayer” and the title track “Dusk Fire”. Both are penned by pianist Michael Garrick, which makes me want to explore his other stuff for sure. “Prayer” is a beautiful tune. Such wonderful melodies presented in different passages and moods. The title track has that darker, shimmering vibe which I find extremely appealing. A vibe like Pete La Roca’s magnificent album “Basra” offers on a couple of tunes as well.

Don Rendell was a multi-instrumentalist, playing tenor and soprano saxes, flute and clarinet on this album. I must I say he sounds great on all of them. Ian Carr plays both trumpet and the more muffled flugelhorn. Wonderful player. The rest of the group consists of Dave Green on double bass, Michael Garrick on piano and Trevor Tomkin on drums. They all contribute some lovely stuff. The whole album is top notch and I would encourage anyone who haven’t heard it to check it out. Now I just need to check out some more stuff from these cats more in depth. Exciting!

If you have any thoughts on this album, please write away guys.

I hope you are all doing great and that you are enjoying your collections. Stay tuned for more vintage jazz vinyl coming up. Here’s to a great 2023. Cheers!

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"The Thing To Do" by Blue Mitchell on Blue Note BLP 4178

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"The Thing To Do" by Blue Mitchell on Blue Note BLP 4178

Just another peachy Blue Note…

It starts off with lovely Caribbean flavors. The sound is crisp and clean. Blue Mitchell was a wonderful player. I’ve got to get some more of his stuff into the collection. Another earlier one of his that I love and have on the shelf is “Blue’s Moods” released on Riverside in 1960. There are many more to keep my eyes out for. On the featured album he is backed by Junior Cook on tenor (a cat I haven’t explored at all), Chick Corea on piano (got to dive into his catalogue as well), Gene Taylor on double bass and Al Foster on drums. A great group, very cohesive.

I quite enjoy the tenor playing of Junior Cook, he’s got a nice approach. He is yet another example for me, even though I’ve listened to jazz for so many years, that there is still so much more to explore and wonderful artists to discover more in depth. Chick Corea is another one. I must admit, I take things slowly. The benefit then being that the flow of unexplored jazz artists and albums will not dry up anytime soon for me.

The music on this album is very easy to grasp. It offers no big surprises, just good jazz. Perfect for a lazy afternoon. The sound of this original mono pressing, which was an eBay grab for a very fair price, is lovely.

Hope you guys are doing great and that you are enjoying your collections. Christmas is not far away now, looking forward to some time off with the family. Cheers!

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"Basra" by Pete La Roca on Blue Note BLP 4205

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"Basra" by Pete La Roca on Blue Note BLP 4205

A tasty treat with drummer Pete La Roca.

Posted “Inner Urge” the last time and this is another one of those very special Blue Notes. The opening tune “Malagueña” has to be one of my absolute favorite jazz tunes. The dark, swaying oriental sounds that fills the room is a pleasure to soak in. Joe Henderson’s tenor offers so many things to enjoy and explore. I really enjoy the piano playing of Steve Kuhn as well. “Candu” is a bluesy excursion and a nice contrast to the opening tune. I always enjoy a good bluesy jazz tune. Diggin’ the short bass solo on this one. “Tears Come From Heaven” is a faster paced effort with some great chops from Henderson. The rest of the band is ticking along nicely and provides a steady foundation. Lovely, percussive and lyrical piano solo on this one.

The second side begins with a wonderful bass solo leading into “Basra” which also feels oriental, dark and shimmering. Brilliant playing by all members. Henderson steals the show though, with his searching and explorative approach to his improvising. Impressive that La Roca penned this one (he also composed the previous two). Another favorite. Next up is the light, feathery and tastefully executed slower paced “Lazy Afternoon”, which offers some beautiful and relaxing notes. The closing tune is the up-tempo “Eiderdown” penned by bassist Swallow. Great theme. Pulsating groove and top notch soloing from Henderson, Kuhn and Swallow.

An interesting thing about this session is that apparently Swallow and La Roca had taken LSD prior to recording this album at Englewood Cliffs. Could that be a reason why it turned out so great? Who knows…

Would be interesting to hear what you guys think of this masterpiece. Could this be Joe Henderson’s best outing? I haven’t explored his later stuff on Milestone but this must be hard to beat.

This album is up there on the list of favorite jazz albums. Highly recommended. For me it doesn’t get much better. I’m very happy to have been able to secure this original mono pressing, which is in top condition, both vinyl and cover. It seems that it’s quite rare and in high demand for sure. An outstanding last grab of the year.

Take care folks and enjoy your collections. Cheers!

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"Inner Urge" by Joe Henderson on Blue Note BLP 4189

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"Inner Urge" by Joe Henderson on Blue Note BLP 4189

Jazz in it’s finest form.

This is one of the best Blue Notes and one of my favorite jazz albums period. The first three tunes are composed by Henderson. They are absolutely brilliant. The searching title tune sets the mood with it’s wonderful dark theme and outstanding solo by Henderson. The rhythm section is top notch with McCoy Tyner’s virtuoso piano chops, Bob Cranshaw’s smooth double bass work and the quite elegant and superbly withdrawn playing by Elvin Jones, except maybe for the drum solo where he a bit more of his whirlwind self. Next up is the tune “Isotope” which offers some medium tempo goodness and some bluesy aspects to it. Great and inspired tenor playing by Henderson.

Flipping the side and “El Barrio” begins with it’s dark, oriental flavors. This is stuff that I love. It doesn’t get much better than this for me. Duke Pearson’s “You Know I Care” is a nice ballad and a great contrast to what the album has offered up to this point. A welcome, soothing piece. “Night and Day” by Cole Porter is a nice up tempo tune with some nice rhythmical fills by Elvin which closes this masterpiece. But the masterful highlights on this album are the first three tunes by Henderson for sure, with “El Barrio” shining the brightest.

Took a while to secure this original mono pressing. It seems very scarce in it’s original form, at least that’s what I’ve found. Over the moon to file this one.

I can’t recommend this album enough. Jazz at it’s finest. Cheers!

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Red Rodney "The New Sounds" on Prestige PRLP 122

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Red Rodney "The New Sounds" on Prestige PRLP 122

A sweet old Rodney 10”.

Red Rodney was a great trumpeter. He was of course part of Birds band, and for good reason. A flamboyant player with plenty of charisma. This album is an early 10” Prestige with a great cover. The music is lovely with a mix of hard bop, cool and bebop flavors. A bit of an old timey feel to it all but in a good way. I have just one other Rodney LP, the one on Signal, which is superb. Need to explore a bit of his other stuff. He did some stuff with Ira Sullivan which I will check out. It’s about time, I’ve known of his excellent playing for a long time. There are just so many great players to discover and explore so I haven’t had the focus on him for real, but I’ll try and explore him further for sure.

I’ve not been collecting 10” albums for quite a while now. I dig the 12” format a lot more, but there’s something truly genuine about these old 10” albums. Let’s see if any other makes their way onto my shelves. Have you guys a lot of 10” records? Do you have any tips on other great Red Rodney albums? Looking forward to hearing from you.

Have a great weekend, cheers!

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"Tender Feelin's" by Duke Pearson on Blue Note BLP 4035

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"Tender Feelin's" by Duke Pearson on Blue Note BLP 4035

Great trio stuff from Pearson.

I have managed to find three of Pearson’s albums as a leader so far. This one is a trio setting together with Gene Taylor on double bass and Lex Humphries on drums, and he thrives here. Always playing with style and lyricism. For me his very lyrical playing is a huge plus. Sometimes it feels like he mixes in classical elements as well. It’s very elegant. “I’m a Fool to Want You” and “When Sunny Gets Blue” are a couple of examples of that. Maybe one can describe his playing on this album as smooth and pleasant with tons of lyricism, elegant classical touches and a deep understanding of the blues.

Speaking of the blues; the last track “3 A.M.” is quite interesting in the spontaneous way it was recorded. I quote from the liner notes: "The session was over, and everybody was ready to pack up and the lights in the studio had been turned off. Then, Duke started to play the blues, with his hat on, and quickly Gene grabbed his bass and Lex got ready. In the control room, we got set, but fast, and this is the result. It sure is a relaxed and soulful piece of music.” - Alfred Lion

I think this is a very fine session and one you should definitely seek out if you enjoy piano trios that focus plenty on lyrical expressions. A gem in the Blue Note 4000 series.

Back to work now, but I’m enjoying the summer as much as I can when I’m not in the office. It’s been very hot here in Stockholm. Not complaining though. Have some leads on some albums and hopefully that will materialize into some new purchases. One title is on it’s way to me. It’s a great one on Riverside. Stay tuned for that.

I’m continuing making videos for my YouTube channel, where I will go through albums from the collection and talk about what I think of them and add some 1st pressing info as well regarding each title. Check it out, subscribe and leave a comment if you want. Hope to see you there. The link to the channel is: https://www.youtube.com/@fwrarejazzvinylcollector

Enjoy your collections folks, cheers!

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I’m now on YouTube

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I’m now on YouTube

Just uploaded my first video yesterday in which I introduce myself to the VC on YouTube and show a record from the collection. Enjoy and stay tuned!

Link to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fwrarejazzvinylcollector

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"New Horn in Town" by the Richard Williams Quintet on Candid CJM 8003

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"New Horn in Town" by the Richard Williams Quintet on Candid CJM 8003

A treat on Candid.

This is a highly enjoyable session with trumpeter Richard Williams. It would be his only date as the leader. He recorded as a sideman on quite a few albums, perhaps most notably on some legendary Mingus albums. I’ll be honest, I haven’t explored his output much, but from what I’ve heard so far his style is right up my alley. He both has lovely technique as well as plenty of lyricism. And with my love for jazz trumpet in general, I feel this album has plenty to offer.

Lee Morgan is my favorite trumpeter and his rendition of Benny Golsons ”I Remember Clifford” on BLP 1557 is one of my favorite ballads of all time. Richard Williams performs his own take on the beautiful threnody to Brownie here, and he delivers some trumpet candy for sure. 

It’s always a real treat to dive deeper into an artists work, when said artist perhaps has been on the periphery of ones jazz explorations. I’ll eventually take that deep dive into Williams’ output, but for now, this session as well as some other sideman stuff with Mingus on ”Black Saint…” and ”Mingus x 5” and Oliver Nelsons ”Screamin’ the Blues” will do just fine.

Do you have any opinion on this album or Richard Williams’ other work, or as a trumpeter in general? Write away guys.

Take care and enjoy the summer and some jazz on vinyl. Cheers!

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"The Warm Sound" by the Johnny Coles Quartet on Epic LA 16015

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"The Warm Sound" by the Johnny Coles Quartet on Epic LA 16015

A lovely album, a rare one.

Johnny Coles has a very distinctly own style in which he improvises and play the trumpet. You hear that it’s him straight away. It’s quite unique. His tone is warm and a bit muted. I enjoy it a lot. A nice complement to other trumpeters I hold in high regard, who are maybe more flamboyant in their approach. He offers something different. He is joined by Kenny Drew on piano, Peck Morrison on double bass and Charlie Persip on drums, which makes up a wonderful group.

This is my first album by him (also my first title on the Epic label) and it’s absolutely superb. Coles does his thing and it just makes things interesting. One of my favorite albums in my whole collection actually. It’s very rare also which makes it a real treat, and honor really, to be able to put it on the turntable. I’ve been after it for quite a while. Had an opportunity to acquire it one time before, but I amazingly didn’t pull the trigger. I regretted that for a long time. But then I got another shot at it and I didn’t hesitate for a second. I can highly recommend this title.

Do you have a favorite album on which Johnny Coles plays?

Posting this from Cambria in California, which is located on the coast. Heading off into the country this morning, to Three Rivers, to look at some Sequoia trees. Enjoy your collections folks. Cheers!

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"Speak No Evil" by Wayne Shorter on Blue Note BLP 4194

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"Speak No Evil" by Wayne Shorter on Blue Note BLP 4194

One of the best titles in the later Blue Note catalogue.

I have been after Wayne Shorter stuff on Blue Note in the 4000 series for a while. It’s been a struggle so far. This is my first title and I’m very happy to have been able so secure it. It’s one of the very best albums and a clear favorite for me in the later Blue Note catalogue. Brilliant modal/post bop with all tunes penned by Shorter. Amazing personnel on this as well, with Shorter on tenor, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on double bass and Elvin Jones on drums.

Elvin provides, as per usual, his unwavering energy and groove. Hubbard plays slick as usual. Hancock tastefully sprinkles his beautiful notes over the proceedings and Ron Carters smooth and steady bass lines are warm and inviting.

All tunes are lovely. All are favorites. One of the real gems in the world of jazz. Not much more to add than that.

Guys, give me your top 5 Shorter albums!

Taking off to California tomorrow. Can’t wait. Enjoy your summer folks, cheers!

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