Afternoon Listening: Some Cuban vibes with Kenny Dorham

View fullsize

Cuban vibes on an Autumn's day...

View fullsize

View fullsize

Today I took the day off of work. All alone in the apartment. That means I got some time for myself to listen to some jazz. I decided to put on Jackie McLeans 4, 5 & 6 first. Listened to the whole album. And what an album that is. McLean is one of my favorite jazz artists. And speaking of him, I have an album by him which is the next on the purchase list. The deal is confirmed and I'm aiming to get it secured at the end of the month.

Next I put on Side A of "Afro-Cuban" by Kenny Dorham on Blue Note 5065. This is an album I haven't listen to for a while... it's a beautiful album for sure. Those Cuban vibes... filling my room here in good ol' Stockholm where the Autumn breezes are blowing outside. Speaking of 10 inch albums, I just won an auction on eBay the other day. I never buy anything from eBay or very, very seldom anyway. It was a 10 inch album. I'm super excited about this album, because it's one that I've been after for a long time. This particular album is extremely rare. It's very difficult to find in any condition. I had a copy of this title borrowed home from a dealer in Stockholm a few years back, to see if it was up to scratch condition-wise. It didn't make the grade unfortunately. But now at last I've found another copy which should be tip-top. We'll see when it arrives. I'm very hopeful. So, look out for that one here on the site...

Looking to post more beautiful albums from my collection very soon, stay tuned everyone. Have a great Wednesday! Cheers...

Afternoon Listening: "A Blowing Session" & "Undercurrent"

View fullsize

An afternoon listening session with "A Blowing Session"...

View fullsize

View fullsize

October 1st... Autumn's here for sure. I've had some quality time this weekend to get some listening done. Yesterday I listened to a newly acquired album, which is the one I've been mentioning, a real rare piece and one of the most coveted of jazz collectibles. It feels amazing to put that one on the turntable. I thought it would take quite a while to get that one, but I managed to secure it a couple of weeks ago. I will of course post that one soon. I also listened to Side A of the wonderful LP above, Johnny Griffin's "A Blowing Session" on Blue Note 1559. Now this is a true masterpiece. The copy I have is in superb shape and it just sounds wonderful. Today I'm listening to Side B. I'm amazed how good it sounds and there is zero noise. How can an album of this vintage sound like new? These things still amaze me.

Now, I'm putting on Side B of Kenny Drew's "Undercurrent" on Blue Note 4059. Another masterpiece. Just dropped the needle... the sound on this one is beautiful as well. The brillance and clarity of the sound is simply breathtaking. It really is hard to believe that these albums are so old and so rare and still sounds so awesome. It's like putting a brand new album on the turntable. Still, these old Blue Notes in this kind of condition probably sounds much better than any brand new recent pressings. It's an absolute joy to experience this and that's why I'm collecting these old, vintage, original 1st pressing jazz LP's.

Ok, time to relax with a glass of Jim Beam on the rocks and just enjoy the moment... oh, "Groovin' The Blues" just started... got to go... cheers guys and enjoy the rest of your weekend! Stay tuned...

Afternoon listening: Some Informal Jazz on a sunny Friday

View fullsize

Informal Jazz sounds great on this Friday afternoon...

View fullsize

View fullsize

I have taken the day off of work. Sitting here enjoying "Informal Jazz" by The Elmo Hope Sextet on Prestige 7043. It's a nice album. My boy is taking a nap, which he doesn't do much anymore, but I'm seizing the moment and getting some listening done. I'm grabbing every opportunity I can, cause these days it's hard to find the time.

I have some thoughts on what albums I will purchase next. Like I've mentioned, I'm getting hooked on the Bill Evans Trio albums on Riverside. So I'm hoping to add a few more to the collection before long. I only have "Portrait In Jazz", which is fantastic. Fingers crossed..

I'm wondering a bit how much you guys are listening to jazz on vinyl, in let's say a week? How many times, hours? I probably get a couple of hours per week worth of listening to my albums at the moment. Almost exclusively on the weekends. That's bound to change at some point, when the children grow up. Then I'll probably listen almost every day.

Looking forward to posting the next album here before long, stay tuned for that... have a great weekend folks. Cheers!

Afternoon listening: on the brink to the month of May with Sonny's Crib

View fullsize

The soundtrack to the last day of April.

Just checking in. Spring is in the air here in Stockholm and today I got around to listening to one side of Sonny's Crib. Beautiful album. The copy I have is a nice 1st pressing and it's spinning as I write this. This is one of those truly great Blue Notes. I'm lucky to have a copy, especially the version with both sides NY23. Coltrane is present on this which makes it a tad more interesting than your average Blue Note. A great soundtrack for this day which is the last day of April as we're sliding into May with not too long to go until the summer begins and vacation time is here. We have booked a trip to California which I'm looking forward to tremendously. I have some awesome stuff lined up for purchase after the summer and through the autumn and winter. Stay tuned for that, but in the mean time I will post records from my collection for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy your day/night and be sure to listen to some jazz. Cheers!

Afternoon listening: The Sound of Sonny

View fullsize

The soundtrack to a lazy afternoon.

My son took an afternoon nap today, so I decided to seize the moment and listen to some jazz vinyl. I flipped through the collection, and in the end picked Sonny Rollins - The Sound of Sonny on Riverside. I haven't listened to this in a while, and boy is it good. My original 1st pressing sounds absolutely superb. It's quite a relaxing album. I only listened to Side 1, and I enjoyed it very much. A great choice for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I love Sonny Rollins, and he is one of the main reasons I started listening to jazz for real. I have some very nice albums with him, but there's an ocean of stuff I'm missing still. I need to try and secure some more great Rollins LP's soon. It's just that those albums need to become available at the right time, when the funds are there. Also, there are so many albums that I want, I don't always go for a particular artist next, it's more like; I check what's available and go with something I can't resist at that moment. Anyway, a new Rollins album will surely be high on the wishlist after being reminded once more, that he's one of the very best.

Have a great Sunday!