"Beyond the Rain" by Chico Freeman on Contemporary S7640

January 17, 2025

This a terrific album by Chico Freeman from his early career, featuring Elvin Jones. Recorded in 1977 and released 1978. The album kicks off with ”Two Over One”, which is my favorite out of the five quite varied tunes. Freeman impresses with his wonderful tone, technique and lyricism. He’s slowly growing into a favorite for me. I am continuing to explore his work and hoping to add more LP’s of his to the collection.

Bought this title today along with four others in a local store. Been diggin’ around a bit in stores the last year or so, which has been quite rare historically for me, but is so much fun. And the supply of great stuff is really good in Stockholm.

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"Intensity" by Art Pepper on Contemporary M3607

October 5, 2024

It’s been forever since I bought an Art Pepper album so this one is a welcome addition. It’s a lovely recording. Typical stuff from Pepper with plenty of lyrical solos and lots of emotion put into every note.

There are still some Pepper titles I’d like to find, both early stuff and later stuff. But I’m quite happy with what I have managed to acquire up to this point. I’m probably leaning more towards finding some later titles, to get the fuller spectrum of his work.

Overall I’m now focusing my efforts in exploring later jazz with titles that were released in stereo primarly. From labels such as Muse, Strata East, Black Jazz, BYG, Steeplechase, Futura, ECM, Enja, Black Saint, Philly Jazz, ESP and so on. I’ve focused a lot on the avant-garde and I’m really enjoying it. There’s so much great stuff in stereo released from the mid 60’s and into the 80’s. I have secured several great albums lately, both from local stores and online, that I will be posting. Stay tuned.

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"Awakening!!" by Jimmy Woods on Contemporary M3605

August 24, 2024

Brilliant album by altoist Jimmy Woods consisting of material from two sessions with two different line-ups. I hadn’t listened to Woods until quite recently and got hooked on this album. He was a wonderful player with a great technique and quite a unique style which was fiery but very lyrical. He had some great ideas but he doesn’t seem to have recorded a lot, which is surprising to me considering his apparent talent. He did two albums as a leader, both on Contemporary. I’ll definitely keep my eye out for the other one, which has a killer line-up.

Very happy to see Gary Peacock in one of the line-ups. He is probably in my top 5 when it comes to double bassists in jazz. He had such a great tone on the instrument, very natural and powerful. His technique was up there with LaFaro for me. A master.

The sound on this original mono pressing is what you’d expect from a Roy DuNann recording; top notch.

Favorite pick is probably “Not Yet”, penned by the leader. Peacock has a wonderful solo on that one. “Roma”, another Woods original, is also a favorite.

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"Harold in the Land of Jazz" by Harold Land on Contemporary C3550

June 18, 2024

This is a fine example of how great original Contemporary titles often sound. The sound is so pleasing with great detail and bass which you would expect when Roy DuNann is involved.

Harold Land was of course a member of the legendary Brown/Roach group. I have not explored his dates as a leader in depth but I really dig this one and The Fox. He was a great tenor player with a beautiful tone and this session showcases this fact in a great way. I will try and find The Fox as well and any other great stuff on which he is present. Very happy to have acquired this title and I’m sure it will see plenty of time on the platter.

Trumpeter Rolf Ericson, a fellow Swede, is on this one as well which makes it extra special for me. I truly enjoy his style and I have plenty of Metronome EP’s with him. Great to hear him here with Land. I think they complement each other nicely. The other cats are Carl Perkins on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on double bass and Contemporary stalwart Frank Butler on drums.

The music, which was arranged by Elmo Hope and Land, is relaxed and cohesive and is highly enjoyable. The whole feel of the album is down to earth and deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, just like the playing of Land himself.

The cover art features Land playing in front of the Watts Towers in Los Angeles.

Favorite picks are ”Nieta” which was penned by Elmo Hope, the lovely ballad ”Lydias Lament” penned by Land, named for his wife, and the slow paced ”Grooveyard”, a blues dripping piece penned by Carl Perkins (his last composition), who died just a few months after the recording of this album.

Highly recommended.

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"The Cry!" by the Prince Lasha Quintet featuring Sonny Simmons on Contemporary M3610

June 7, 2024

Beautiful, suggestive and rhythmic jazz created with some lovely compositional skills by Prince Lasha (flute) and Sonny Simmons (alto). Both cats are making their debut here. The influence of Ornette shines through and Lasha was a boyhood companion of his. They learned music together and played together for a period of eight to nine years. Simmons was first influenced by Bird and then along came Ornette and changed his perspective on how to express music - free, flowing naturally through you.

Gary Peacock is on this as well which is a huge plus cause he was one of the absolute best bassists in jazz. He had a big, fat and natural sound and lovely technique. I have far too little stuff on which he his present in the collection. But he is not the only bassist here. Introducing Mark Proctor, who is the second bassist and a cat I haven’t heard of before. There are plenty of great bass lines on this record to enjoy for sure. Gene Stone rounds out the line-up on drums and I really like him. He seems to have a great sense of what the tunes need. Playing very rhythmically and natural. Not sure if I’ve listened to him before either. Great drummer, playing for the tune but standing out at the same time with tasteful rhythmic patterns.

I can highly recommend this 1962 recording, which stands out for me as one of the absolute highlights of the entire Contemporary catalogue.

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"This is Hampton Hawes Vol. 2 The Trio" by Hampton Hawes on Contemporary C3515

May 21, 2024

Acquired my first Hawes title late last year and got a great taste of his playing. This is a new addition and it’s a lovely album. It’s a trio with Hawes joined by Red Mitchell on double bass and Chuck Thompson on drums. Now I’m looking for Vol. 1.

Hawes was a wonderful pianist with a great sense of lyricism and he was definitely a top technical player as well. But it’s the melodic part of his playing that shines the brightest. I’m aiming to acquire more of his stuff.

Favorite pick for me is the wonderful ”Yesterdays”, and that one the leader himself had as a favorite tune on this album.

I love the cover art on this one with the black and white photo of Hawes by William Claxton, looking ever so cool.

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Shelly Manne & His Men at the Black Hawk Vol. 1-4 on Contemporary M3577-80

February 9, 2024

For me, these four volumes by Shelly Manne, recorded live at The Black Hawk nightclub in San Francisco between the 22nd and the 24th of September 1959, are among the absolute best jazz albums ever released. It’s so beautifully recorded and the performances of all five musicians individually and collectively are stunning. Jazz is an art form best experienced live in my opinion, and here we get a glimpse of what it was like to sit there at a table and soak all this magic in. Good lord, I wish I could have been there and experience these five cats performing at the top of their game.

It’s Manne on drums, Richie Kamuca on tenor sax, Joe Gordon on trumpet, Victor Feldman on piano and Monty Budwig on double bass. Wonderful group, one of the very best of the era. I feel it cannot be overstated how great these players were. And the music is to die for. All the tunes are exceptional and played with such posture and feeling. It’s amazing how tight this band was.

I was lucky beyond belief in finding all four volumes for sale as a complete set a few weeks back. And you really need all four to be completely satisfied, at least that’s what I think.

If you haven’t heard this music, or you have but haven’t got the albums, search high and low for these. Make it a top priority. You won’t be sorry, I promise. They can be had for a very reasonable price as well, which is key.

These albums will have a very special place in my collection. I will cherish them forever.

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"For Real!" by Hampton Hawes on Contemporary M3589

December 7, 2023

This title contains smooth hard bop spiced up with Scott La Faro’s virtuosic double bass playing. He is one of my absolute favorite double bassists in jazz. Perhaps THE favorite. Even though his life was cut short and he recorded a limited amount of albums he still made a huge mark, and from those few recordings he became one of the greatest double bassists in jazz of all time. So this album is special, just for the mere fact that he plays on it.

The music is lovely and accessible. But it’s that La Faro magic that makes it stand out for me. Harold Land is on this as well and he was a wonderful tenor player, who of course played with Brownie & Roach early in his career. I have much material by him to try and acquire. The other cats are Frank Butler on drums who displays a great style and plays quite smooth and sophisticated. And of course the leader Hawes, a great pianist who influenced many other pianists around him. He plays very lyrical and tasteful on this recording. He recorded plenty for Contemporary and I’ll try and add some more of that stuff to the collection.

This album is highly recommended and a must have if you love La Faro and enjoy smooth and tasteful hard bop.

Cheers!

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"Tomorrow is the Question!” by Ornette Coleman on Contemporary M 3569

September 13, 2023

Ornette delivers his unique brand of jazz.

This is a quite accessible Ornette record. It still is amazingly unique and full of quirky melodies and statements which makes this brand of jazz so special. I love the later line-up with Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell but this constellation is brilliant as well, with Shelly Manne for example, bringing his elegant and lovely sound to the proceedings. Really love his playing and I think he thrives in this environment.

Despite my love for Ornette’s work I only have a couple of other titles in the collection to date, and they are “This is Our Music” and “Ornette on Tenor” both on Atlantic, so this is album is a welcome addition the collection. I purchased it some months back from a great friend in the vinyl community. The copy is like new, both vinyl and cover. Like it came from a 1950’s record store straight onto my shelf. It even came with a mint Contemporary Records business reply card,. Very cool.

As my approach to my collecting has changed a little I’m getting a bit more records into the collection than before, more regularly, which is great. As opposed to before, when I saved up for months to get my hands on an original 1500 series Blue Note for example. I have focused on trying to secure great titles in a much more healthy price range. And there are some outstanding albums which can be had for a fraction of what an original Blue Note costs, and this Ornette title is a great example.

If you are unfamiliar or new to Ornette’s music I think this is a good album to start with. Great stuff.

Cheers!

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"Looking Ahead!" by the Cecil Taylor Quartet on Contemporary M3562

August 14, 2023

I’m only at the very beginning of my explorations into the body of work of pianist Cecil Taylor. This early album on Contemporary is a good way to start the journey I guess. It’s very much an easily accessible session to me. It has a good dose of adventurous and unique qualities, but never hard to grasp or abrasive in any way. On the contrary, it’s very mellow in it’s own way, with delicately composed tunes highlighted by Taylors imaginative and highly sofisticated playing, and the lyrical vibraphone of Earl Griffith. Never heard of the guy but he plays superbly. There’s a nice contrast and at the same time symbiosis between Taylors piano and the vibraphone..

I really enjoy the drums and double bass work of Dennis Charles and Buell Neidlinger as well. Extremely capable guys who doesn’t shy away from really applying their own distinct flavors to this session. The drumming is very tasteful and interesting, it’s a beautiful sounding kit (the ride cymbal is heavenly) while the double bass work is top tier, with a lovely round and warm tone to the instrument and impressive runs throughout. Got to look up more work by those two cats as well as Earl Griffith. There you have jazz in a nutshell, you always have more to discover and explore.

The sound of this original mono pressing is nothing short of magical. Such clarity and organic splendour. You usually find that Contemporary albums have that. The vinyl and jacket are in archival condition.

Taylor was a genius, there is no doubt about that. I’m excited to dive deeper into his world and it will be interesting to see if I find any other session as enjoyable as I found this one to be.

Do you have a favorite album by Cecil Taylor? Please share. Cheers!

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An evening with Art

May 27, 2016

Friday evening, at last. Sitting here and listening to side 2 of Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section on Contemporary. What an album. One of my absolute favorites and in my top 5 jazz albums of all time. A nice album to relax with after a long working week. Aiming to post another collectible this weekend, stay tuned. Enjoy your evening folks.

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Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section on Contemporary C3532

May 10, 2015

One of my favorite albums, a masterpiece.

Art Pepper is special to me. I adore his playing and the early albums he made. This one is one of the best, if not THE best. Perhaps the best jazz album of all time, for me. Recorded in 1957. All tunes are equally superb. The sound is wonderful, perhaps the best sounding record I have. The mix is stunning. The details are great, with the drums especially sweet. The cover art is pure bliss. The picture is supposedly taken between Ewing Street and Fargo Street in Los Angeles where Art lived at the time. William Claxton took the photo of Art in a small grove of trees that bordered Fargo Street. The photos he took would be selected for use for the front cover of this album and the cover art of The Return Of Art Pepper on Jazz:West 10 as well.

The group assembled for this album is of course superb, with Art joined by Miles Davis rhythm section consisting of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on the drums. Couldn't ask for more, right? All four musicians are on top of their game on this album, although Pepper, I guess was not feeling 100%. Great performance and a milestone in Art Pepper's career.

The copy I have has a superb vinyl and the cover, while a tiny bit worn is still in great shape. The cover is the 1st art cover with the blue heading and the pink line around the tunes on the back slick. It also has the frame on the bottom of the front. I'm really happy with my copy and it should be on the shelf of every jazz vinyl collector.

We'll see if I could get my hands on a new piece before the summer vacation. If so, I'll put it up here on the site first thing. It's a piece I've been wanting a nice copy of for quite a while. Exciting.

Stay tuned for more jazz vinyl candy...

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Gunslinger jazz, "Way out West" by Sonny Rollins

January 24, 2015

Very cool cover, according to this collector.

Sonny Rollins, the reason I really got into jazz. After seeing his trio with Henry Grimes (bass) and Joe Harris (drums) playing live in 1959, at Södra Teatern in Stockholm, Sweden, on television. I have some of his work, but there's a lot left still to discover. A lot. This album is quite special. With some outstanding tunes. Some of them have that Old West touch, like the opening tunes on each side "I'm An Old Cowhand" and "Wagon Wheels". I like this trio setting. Sonny, together with Ray Brown on double bass and the brilliant Shelly Manne on drums. I dig Shelly. Great drummer. He has recorded lots of stuff that I need to look into more.

The tenor sax really thrives in this stripped down setting. In fact, the double bass and drums both get a lot of focus as well. It's just beautifully recorded. A favorite album of mine. This copy is in very nice condition. An original 1st pressing, with the 2 color back. I love the old yellow Contemporary labels with the deep grooves. I've only got a couple of LP's on the Contemporary label, but I intend to explore the label further and see what I can find.

Please enjoy the images and I'll be back soon with more nice, rare records from the collection.

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