"I've been so impressed with these albums since I got them … for me as a lover of jazz piano, the reproduction of the piano is really really important. … Really and truly these are two exceptionally well-recorded albums and Analogue Productions have done in my opinion an excellent job of repressing and remastering these albums on really super quiet vinyl. They're absolutely wonderful." — Mike's Vinyl Experience, YouTube video

An outstanding Pablo pressing (A++ sound) featuring jazz piano legend Duke Ellington at the helm of a small group session with Joe Pass on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Louie Bellson on drums, recorded in January 1973 and released in 1974. Considered a timeless classic, Duke's Big 4 is described by AllMusic as "One of Duke Ellington's finest small group sessions from his final decade … Ellington's percussive style always sounded modern and here he comes up with consistently strong solos. … Highly recommended."

Mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tape, and pressed at Quality Record Pressings for optimal sound quality, this Analogue Productions 180-gram reissue is everything jazz fans expect from an audiophile reissue. Housed in a single pocket Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket.

"…the sound here? Demo disc quality IMO for timbral accuracy, sound staging, dynamics, you name it but especially for how the trumpets were recorded and how each horn players' distinct tonal and textural personality is so well captured." — Music = 9/11; Sound = 10/11 – Michael Fremer, TrackingAngle.com. Read the entire review here.

For The Alternate Blues, producer Norman Granz set aside his rule against issuing what are variously called in the recording business outtakes, breakdowns, or alternate takes.

The reason was that despite missed cues and procedural problems in the rhythm section, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, and Clark Terry played the blues at a level of passion and expressiveness the equal of the versions originally released on The Trumpet Summit Meets the Oscar Peterson Big 4. In addition, there are four standards not heard in the original album. With Joe Pass, Bobby Durham and Ray Brown.

Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings for superior sound quality, and housed in a handsome Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket.

Ella Fitzgerald, often referred to as the "First Lady of Song," and Joe Pass, a legendary jazz guitarist, collaborated on four duet albums together. This album, their second, has endured as a classic in the jazz canon, remaining highly regarded by jazz enthusiasts and musicians alike. Fitzgerald's performance on this album, released in 1976, won her the 1977 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Fitzgerald's celebrated musicianship remained exceptional after four decades in the limelight, and her ability to get inside the meaning of a lyric and convey it to an audience had been woefully underestimated. Pass, who gets to display the subtler aspects of his own virtuosity and his overlooked strengths as an accompanist, was the perfect partner for an effort where the relaxed "after hours" feeling intensified the level of communication. Duke Ellington's songbook is generously represented by four titles, "'Tis Autumn" and "Tennessee Waltz" are transformed, and there are spellbinding wordless performances of "Rain" and "One Note Samba."

Mastered by Stan Ricker from the original analog master tape, and pressed at Quality Record Pressings for optimal sound quality, this Analogue Productions 180-gram reissue is a must-have for jazz fans. Housed in a single pocket Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket.

he Beatles 1967-1970 (The Blue Album)

180-gram triple LP

Limited edition 2023 half-speed mastered blue vinyl edition!

Remixed and expanded: "Blue" has nine additional tracks added chronologically, including "Blackbird," "Glass Onion" and the last new Beatles song, "Now And Then."

The 3LP collection now contains 37 tracks, the set's nine newly added tracks are collected on its 3rd LP. With an insert containing new sleeve notes by journalist and author John Harris, the new 1967 – 1970 collection is a joyous celebration of The Beatles' timeless musical legacy.

Half-speed master. 180-gram pressing. Limited edition blue vinyl.

The Beatles 1962-1966 (The Red Album)

180-gram triple LP

Limited edition 2023 half-speed mastered red vinyl edition!

Remixed and expanded: "Red" has 12 additional tracks, including for the first time some of George Harrison's earliest songs and some classic Beatles versions of R&B and rock ‘n' roll hits that were so influential on the band.

The 3LP collection now contains 38 tracks, the set's 12 newly added tracks are collected on its 3rd LP. With an insert containing new sleeve notes by journalist and author John Harris, the new 1962 – 1966 collection is a joyous celebration of The Beatles' timeless musical legacy.

Half-speed master. 180-gram pressing. Limited edition red vinyl.

Part of the ultimate audiophile Prestige stereo reissues from Analogue Productions — 25 of the most collectible, rarest, most audiophile-sounding Rudy Van Gelder recordings ever made. All cut at 33 1/3 and also released on Hybrid SACD All mastered from the original analog master tapes by mastering maestro Kevin Gray. 180-gram LPs pressed at Acoustic Sounds' state-of-the-art pressing plant, Quality Record Pressings, plated by Gary Salstrom First 250 LP copies of each title will be numbered editions and will only be available to series subscribers

"I've never heard an original pressing, but this reissue by Chad Kassem's Analogue Productions — a 180-gram QRP pressing, mastered at 33 1/3 RPM by Kevin Gray — is every bit the equal of Van Gelder's Blue Note LPs from the same era: the trumpet's brash brass and bushels of air, the pluck and wood of the bass, the sizzling hi-hat and smashing snare of the trap set. … Listen to 'Blue Friday,' and you'll be reminded of the trumpet-led passages on 'Stolen Moments,' the high point of Oliver Nelson's The Blues and the Abstract Truth. There's a similar sound, and it's no accident." — Fred Kaplan, Stereophile, Feb. 8, 2017. Read the whole review here.

Quiet Kenny is yet another reminder of what a trumpet giant Kenny Dorham was. Whether limning ballads such as "My Ideal," "Alone Together," "I Had the Craziest Dream," and "Old Folks," or investigating the timelessness and intricacies of the blues (his originals in this set with "Blue" in their titles), the former Charlie Parker cohort and ex-Jazz Messenger exhibits his subtle swing, personal sound, and finely-honed harmonic sense. Along the way these reflections and connections with Bird, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Harry James, and Louis Armstrong make for a rich legacy. With Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers and Arthur Taylor

Part of the ultimate audiophile Prestige stereo reissues from Analogue Productions — 25 of the most collectible, rarest, most audiophile-sounding Rudy Van Gelder recordings ever made. All cut at 33 1/3 and also released on Hybrid SACD
All mastered from the original analog master tapes by mastering maestro Kevin Gray. 180-gram LPs pressed at Acoustic Sounds' state-of-the-art pressing plant, Quality Record Pressings, plated by Gary Salstrom
Tip-on jackets on thick cardboard stock
First 250 LP copies of each title will be numbered editions and will only be available to series subscribers

“One of the best efforts from Ammons' extensive catalog. A fat, warm, rich sax tone — you know, the one you immediately identify as Jug — is on display in all its glory on this great Moodsville release. Feeling tired and stressed out? Give Uncle Gene a spin. Besides perfect pitch, Ammons' other special gift was a melodic sense that allowed him to effectively convey feelings at slow tempos. Here is a great jazz ballad player given full scope to spin his charms." — Stereophile, February 1995

180-gram vinyl 4LP!

Featuring previously unreleased and unheard tracks!

Eva Cassidy's performance at the Blues Alley jazz club has become musical history. Now, experience every song recorded on the night of January 3, 1996.

Of the 31 songs recorded that night: 12 were included on the original Live At Blues Alley album; seven other Blues Alley recordings had been used on other Eva Cassidy albums; leaving 12 previously unreleased Blues Alley recordings, which included eight new songs.

Bill Straw, president of Blix Street Records, says: "The seven Blues Alley tracks used on other Eva albums are as good or better than those that made it on to the original album, but some of the previously unreleased tracks had never even been ‘mixed-down' from the original multi-track recordings. The next step was to mix the un-mixed recordings, assemble all 31 tracks and listen to the lot."

Fortunately, more turned out to be much more. "The first listening to all 31 tracks in one sitting was an inspiring experience. Beginning at Capitol Records in the late 60's, I had heard out-takes from the best of the best…but had never before heard anything that approached the sheer consistent vocal excellence of these 31 one-take, all on one night, performances."

Nightbird, a super-album containing all 31 songs, affords everyone the opportunity to experience Eva Cassidy's one night, one take tour de force. The couple of inevitable dropped lines actually enhance the overall effect…that what you are hearing really did happen…on the night of January 3, 1996.

AAA Audiophile 200-gram 33 1/3 RPM double LP!

Mastered by René Laflamme at 2xHD on Nagra equipment with vacuum tube tape head electronic

Cut all analog at Bernie Grundman Mastering!

Jazz At The Pawnshop, recorded at Stampen Jazz Club in Stockholm on December 14-15, 1976, has been regarded as “The Best Jazz Recording of the Century!“ The recording’s musical artistry and sonic excellence have few peers.

In the liner notes, album producer Jacob Boethius says "When recording engineer Gert Palmcrantz was loading his car with equipment outside Europa Film Studios in Stockholm, Sweden on December 6th, 1976, it was only to make one of many recordings. No one really knew then that this was to become a cult recording among audiophiles and one of the most famous and respected jazz recordings ever made. The mere fact that a single jazz recording has been released in so many formats over a very long period of time (30 years) tells us that this recording must really be unique.

"The two recording nights at the Pawnshop jazz club were exceptional indeed. The crowd lifted the musicians to the peak of their abilities, and I sat together with two Nagra recorders and engineer Gert Palmcrantz in the small bar kitchen and listened to the result of a microphone set up of a lifetime, surrounded by five musicians playing in some kind of trance. Total sales of the recording now exceed 500,000 copies, a tremendously good sales figure for classic jazz. And the records still sell at the rate of 3,000 — 4,000 copies per year today, some 40+ years after release."

analog 180-gram vinyl LP 100%

Mastered by Bernie Grundman and Bob Donnelly from original analog master tpaes!

Friday Night In San Francisco is a 1981 live album by Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia. It was described by jazz author and critic Walter Kolosky as "a musical event that could be compared to the Benny Goodman Band's performance at Carnegie Hall in 1938…(it) may be considered the most influential of all live acoustic guitar albums. All the tracks except "Guardian Angel" were recorded live at The Warfield Theatre on December 5, 1980 in San Francisco.

This debut recording on Columbia Records became a landmark recording that surpassed the 2 million mark in sales. The three virtuosos in the Trio toured together from 1980 through 1983.

Ah the Mediterranean… Filled with fine foods, wines, beautiful people, and the inspirational style of music that descended upon the able fingers of these guitar giants. This is by far one of the hottest guitar albums ever to bless sweet vinyl. Al Dimeola, John McLaughlin, & Paco Delucia play classical guitars (the kind with the nylon strings) in a flamenco / jazz style that will blow your socks off!

Paco de Lucia was a Spanish flamenco guitarist, composer and producer. A leading proponent of the New Flamenco style, he helped legitimize flamenco among the establishment in Spain, and was one of the first flamenco guitarists to have successfully crossed over into other genres of music such as classical and jazz. De Lucia was noted for his fast and fluent finger style runs. His collaborations with guitarists John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola saw him gain wider popularity outside his native Spain.

Al Di Meola is an acclaimed jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist, composer, and record producer. With a musical career that has spanned more than three decades, he has become respected as one of the most influential guitarists in jazz to date. Albums such as Friday Night In San Francisco have earned him both artistic and commercial success with a solid fan base throughout the world. A prolific composer and prodigious six-string talent, Di Meola has amassed over 20 albums as a leader while collaborating on a dozen or so others.

John McLaughlin is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer. His music includes many genres of jazz and rock, which he coupled with an interest in Indian classical music to become one of the pioneering figures in fusion. In 2010, guitarist Jeff Beck called him "the best guitarist alive." In 2003, McLaughlin was ranked 49th in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." After contributing to several key British groups of the early sixties and making his first solo record, he moved to the US where he played with Tony Williams' group Lifetime and then with Miles Davis on his landmark electric-jazz fusion albums: In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew, A Tribute To Jack Johnson and On The Corner.

"Loose and spontaneous, this (mainly) live album is a meeting of three of the greatest guitarists in the world for an acoustic summit the likes of which the guitar-playing community rarely sees. Broken up into three duo and two trio performances, Friday Night in San Francisco catches all three players at the peaks of their quite formidable powers." — AllMusic

Features:
• Mastered by Bernie Grundman and Bob Donnelly from the original analog master tapes!
• Numbered limited edition 100% analog 180-gram vinyl LP!
• Limited to only 3,000 numbered copies!
• Plated and pressed at RTI, supervised by Rick Hashimoto

Musicians:
Al Di Meola, guitar
John McLaughlin, guitar
Paco de Lucía, guitar

he final Santana album recorded with the leader's famed Woodstock lineup, one of the most capable and explosive bands ever assembled, Santana III (commonly referred to as The Third Album) is a beacon of Latin-tinged rock, melodic creativity, and cohesive interplay. The record also marks the debut of young guitar virtuoso Neal Schon, who functions as the ideal foil to Santana, whose playing on this 1971 set rivals that of the finest in his career. If not for arriving after the monumental Abraxas, it is likely Santana III would be mentioned in the same breath as groundbreaking psychedelic classics such as Bitches Brew. It's that good.

Embracing the concept that all of the members should share their musical ideas, Santana added two crucial components to his band: Schon, discovered at the age of 15 playing in a Palo Alto club, and Thomas "Coke" Escovedo, who during the sessions temporarily replaced ill percussionist Chepito Areas, and whose percussive assistance helped define the album's feel. With Schon in the fold, Santana strives for the unknown, and yet, manages to stave off the numbing excesses that define much of the period's output.

From the opening "Batuka," peppered with Schon's stirring guitar lines, to the sensitive "Everything Is Coming Our Way," infused with a mesmerizing Hammond organ underpinning that supports Santana's vocal pathos, the record teams with inventiveness. Involving albeit accessible concoctions of funk, jazz, rock, blues, and soul run throughout the set. Spanish-styled flavors infuse a majority of the material, ranging from the salsa piano on "Guarjira" to the distinctive "No One to Depend On," a lively take on the cha-cha-cha.

A globe-spanning armada of percussive instruments — timbales, congas, drums, vibes, tambourines, and more-as well as the existence of a three-person percussion team that fits in harmoniously with Santana, Schon, and company makes Santana III a masterful accomplishment in musical chemistry and the exploration of true world craft.

Part of the ultimate audiophile Prestige stereo reissues from Analogue Productions — 25 of the most collectible, rarest, most audiophile-sounding Rudy Van Gelder recordings ever made. All cut at 33 1/3 

All mastered from the original analog master tapes by mastering maestro Kevin Gray. 180-gram LPs pressed at Acoustic Sounds' state-of-the-art pressing plant, Quality Record Pressings, plated by Gary Salstrom

Deep groove label pressings, tip-on jackets on thick cardboard stock

First 250 LP copies of each title will be numbered editions and will only be available to series subscribers

This session is a model of the emotionally intense ballad programs featured on Prestige's Moodsville subsidiary. The great Kenny Burrell receives a major assist from saxophone patriarch Coleman Hawkins (who is in exemplary early-Sixties form), Hawkins's rhythm section of the time (made up exclusively of natives of Burrell's hometown Detroit) and conga drummer Ray Barretto. The choice of material and variety of settings are inspired, with Burrell heard solo on "No More," over just bass and drums on "Guilty," in two different quintet settings and on three titles by the full sextet. Each soloist is fully engaged throughout, with things shifting into even higher gear when Burrell and Hawkins converse on "Montono Blues" and "I Thought About You." With Coleman Hawkins, Tommy Flanagan, Major Holley, Eddie Locke and Ray Barretto.

Pure analog recording and lacquer cutting

One-stage lacquer plating; 180-gram vinyl

Edition limited to 496 copies

The jazz world has looked at other times to authors of the Renaissance and early Baroque, but not Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583/1643), the great Ferrarese composer who was one of the greatest organists of the history of Western music and a composer rare clarity even in the most intricate polyphonic elaboration.

Just from the music of Frescobaldi came the suggestions for harmonics calculations that allow the soloists to "enter" in the music and carve out spaces of improvisation, both melodic ideas underlying the original compositions. Coscia, who devoted three titles to date to the birth and death of the great 17th century artist and one year of publication of his famous collection titled Fiori Musicali.

The concert is therefore a big event at the close of the thirteenth season of the Atelier, which was by far the most followed.

Limited edition 180-gram vinyl LP

Dago Red is a unique album from guitarist Fausto Mesolella and Italian singer Raiz. They are joined on the album by Rita Marcotulli (piano), Ferdinando Ghidelli (pedal steel guitar), Mimi Ciaramella (drums), Adolfo La Volpe (harmonium) and Wena (choirs).

Mesolella and Raiz describe Dago Red as a mix of traditional Neapolitan music from Italy with rock and reggae music classics. Resulting in a fascinating album that includes performances of "I'm Your Man" by Leonard Cohen, "See Me Feel Me" by Pete Townshend of The Who, "Give Me Love" by George Harrison of the Beatles, "Rastaman Chant" by Bob Marley and "Arrivederci Rome" made famous by Dean Martin. Each of these classics is paired with the music of Italy. Resulting in a unique musical experience

Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve Label Group and Universal Music Enterprises' new audiophile Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. The releases are supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world's largest source for audiophile recordings.

Included in the December title releases for the the series is the iconic Peggy Lee's first 12-inch album, Black Coffee (1956). Black Coffee was Peggy Lee's album smash for Decca (she left Capitol in 1952 over creative, artistic differences) and it offered her an intimate stage with a small jazz combo, exchanging her usual jazz-pop style with a big band or orchestra. This smaller combination worked to perfection.

"Encouraged by longtime Decca A&R Milt Gabler, she hired a small group including trumpeter Pete Candoli and pianist Jimmy Rowles (two of her favorite sidemen) to record an after-hours jazz project similar in intent and execution to Lee Wiley's "Manhattan project" of 1950, Night in Manhattan. While the title-track opener of Black Coffee soon separated itself from the LP — to be taught forever after during the first period of any Torch Song 101 class — the album doesn't keep to its concept very long; Lee is soon enough in a bouncy mood for 'I've Got You Under My Skin' and very affectionate on 'Easy Living.' (If there's a concept at work here, it's the vagaries of love.) Listeners should look instead to 'It Ain't Necessarily So' or 'Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You?' for more examples of Lee's quintessentially slow-burn sultriness. Aside from occasionally straying off-concept, however, Black Coffee is an excellent record, spotlighting Lee's ability to shine with every type of group and in any context." — AllMusic

"Each step in our production process — from title selection to mastering, pressing and packaging — is designed to meet the highest standards, and we want everyone who hears these albums to feel the love and hard work we put into everything we do," says Chad Kassem CEO of Acoustic Sounds.

The sound of both of these records is the best that's been produced from these tapes and both records are well worth owning." — Music = 9/11; Sound = 9/11 — Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet.com. Read the whole review here.

Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve Label Group and Universal Music Enterprises' new audiophile Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. The releases are supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world's largest source for audiophile recordings.

I Put a Spell on You is the 1965 album by Nina Simone, and features some of her best known songs. "I Put a Spell on You" is a song originally by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. The original version gave the song an ironic theme, but Simone transformed it into a thrilling love song, complete with horns and strings. It had become one of her most well-known songs. She used the title for her autobiography I Put A Spell On You (1992).

"Ryan K. Smith was the remastering engineer for the new all-analog vinyl pressing of Study in Brown, which was produced by Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds. … Ray Noble's 'Cherokee' kicks things off, and while it sounds very good on my CD, I immediately heard a more balanced sound on the new LP that allowed the instruments to breathe, so I further compared the two. … when the ensemble joins together to play the theme, the vinyl gave more space to the instruments and it was easier to pick each of them out. Land's brief statement during the intro had a warmer, more natural tone and I could more easily hear his breath control on the instrument. … The individual notes in Powell's solos throughout the album had more room to ring out and decay naturally, and his chording sounded more solid. Brown's and Land's horns also had a more liquid tone during their solos and more delicacy at points. Smith's mastering allowed notes to glide into each other with less effort. … The Quality Records pressing is utterly quiet and flat, and is housed in a heavy cardboard gatefold cover. The sepia-toned cover photo is nicely reproduced, as are the blue monochrome liner notes and rear photo. The photos on the inside of the gatefold are by eminent photographer Herman Leonard and are unique to this edition." — Music = 4.5/5; Sound = 4/5; Overall Enjoyment = 4.5/5 — Recording of the Month April 2021, Joseph Taylor, soundstagenetwork.com. Read Taylor's entire review here.

Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve Label Group and Universal Music Enterprises' new audiophile Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. The releases are supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world's largest source for audiophile recordings.

One of the most lauded (not to mention brilliant) trumpet players in the history of jazz, Clifford Brown adds to his luster on this varied program of nine engaging tunes. Featuring the 1955 version of the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet, a group also including tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell, and bassist George Morrow. One of the premiere early hard bop units.

"Sarah Vaughan sits among that triumvirate of jazz's greatest singers, along with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Yet Vaughan's gifts are quite distinct from those of the other two. It is hard to imagine even the most casual jazz lover mistaking Ella or Billie for anyone else. Ella's tone and diction are unmistakable, but her sense of swing was unique. Billie's tempo and tone, not to mention her dark, turbulent emotional content were worlds away and yet what joined them was their gift for improvisational genius. Sarah's greatest gift, on the other hand was her amazing instrument. Her deep vibrato, her operatic ability to turn on a dime or slide through a phrase was more like a horn in some ways than the more limited human voice. She could not come close to Billie's ability to emote nor did she share Ella's engagement with swing but neither of them (or virtually anyone else) could touch her three-octave range and exquisite control. She was a virtuoso like no other jazz singer with breath control to spare, and an exceptional ability to intimately collaborate with the musicians playing at her side.

"These gifts were never on better display than in this 1954 album. Like many artists, she objected to being pigeonholed as a 'jazz' singer, and during many phases of her career recorded mostly commercial pop tunes as well as light classical fare with symphony orchestras. But this early recording catches her at a peak and with the best group of her career. It was her only session with trumpet legend Clifford Brown. Paul Quinichette played tenor saxophone, with Roy Haynes on drums, Joe Benjamin on bass, Jimmy Mones on piano and Herbie Mann on flute. The band plays a set of nine standards, among them 'April In Paris', 'Lullaby Of Birdland' and It's Crazy.' Vaughan leaves plenty of room for instrumental solos, and those of Brown and Quinichette are particularly breathtaking. The album is filled with highlights, but if you want to really hear what is magical about Vaughan's voice, nothing matches her rendition of 'Embraceable You', where the winds sit out and it is just Sarah and the rhythm section. Sarah's soaring voice and gentle vibrato never sounded sexier. EmArcy Records was formed as a subsidiary of Mercury Records to compete with Verve (home base for Ella and Billie) and to achieve parity signed up Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley, Max Roach, Clifford Brown and Vaughan. This 1954 mono studio date, (EmArcy's fifth release) was recorded by an anonymous engineer and captures Vaughan's voice beautifully. The band is captured well by 1954 standards, better than most contemporary Billie Holiday sessions, but not quite up to some of the best by Ella. That said, the sound is excellent, missing by little the sound of the greatest mono recordings, where the instruments are perfectly defined in space. Still, the sound of the instruments is captured remarkably well and spread out over a broad mono stage.

"The Verve CD, by comparison, stacks the musicians front to back, boosts the bass artificially and sounds. The (Ryan K. Smith) mastering and the pressing from Quality Record Pressings, however, is perfect. The packaging is better by far than an original, with the deluxe Stoughton foldout cover offering bonus Hermann Leonard photographs. This is everything a vinyl reissue should be." Recording = 9/10; Music = 10/10 — Dennis D. Davis, Hi-Fi +, Issue 194

"Sarah Vaughan was the supreme jazz singer. Smoky lows, silky highs, precise articulation across five octaves, a keen connection with a lyric, boundless harmonic inventiveness, and a sense of swing, which swayed and simmered, front and center, always. Later, Vaughan barely hid her boredom when stuck with material that didn't suit her, but at her peaks, with small ensembles, she was, and remains, matchless. This eponymous album, recorded in December 1954 when Vaughan was just 30, ranks among her classics — and thus among the classics of jazz vocal albums. Midtempo standards ("Lullaby of Birdland," "April in Paris," "Embraceable You") a top-notch sextet (with Clifford Brown, whose death in a car crash a year-and-a-half later, at 25, would cut short the career of a trumpeter rivaled only by Miles Davis); and Vaughan's evocative, mesmerizing, naturally gorgeous voice — what more could you want? Good sound? The sound here, better than you might expect from 66-year-old mono tapes, is more than good enough. Vaughan is particularly present — up close, full-blooded, and detailed — as are the horns when they solo. The other instruments are a bit distant but not hooded. There is a slight electronic haze over the proceedings, as on several Mercury recordings of the era, but it's barely noticeable, except compared with say, Ella Fitzgerald's sonic jaw-droppers for Verve a few years later. The reissue — another collaboration between Universal Music and Acoustic Sounds — sounds markedly better than the original pressing. A must-have." — Performance = 5/5; Sonics = 4.5/5 — Fred Kaplan, Stereophile.com, May 2021

Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve Label Group and Universal Music Enterprises' new audiophile Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. The releases are supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world's largest source for audiophile recordings.

This 1954 studio date, a self-titled album recorded for Emarcy, was later reissued as Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown to denote the involvement of one of the top trumpeters of the day. Vaughan sings nine intimate standards with a band including Brown on trumpet, Herbie Mann on flute, and Paul Quinichette on tenor, each of which have plenty of space for solos (most of the songs are close to the five-minute mark).

AllMusic says Vaughan is arguably in the best voice of her career here, pausing and lingering over notes on the standards "April in Paris," "Jim," and "Lullaby of Birdland." As touching as Vaughan is, however, Brown almost equals her with his solos on "Lullaby of Birdland," "Jim," and "September Song," displaying his incredible bop virtuosity in a restrained setting without sacrificing either the simple feeling of his notes or the extraordinary flair of his choices.

A groundbreaking jazz recording by the longtime Miles Davis collaborator Gil Evans highlights the latter's supreme and influential skills as a jazz orchestrator.

This album is a brilliant example of Evans' ability to make a large orchestra sound like a smaller jazz combo using orchestrations that infuse the larger unit with the immediacy and spontaneity of the smaller. Out Of The Cool features some of Evan's finest compositions, including the famous "La Nevada" as well as a magnificent performance of George Russell's "Sratosphunk." Soloists include Budd Johnson (tenor), Johnny Coles (trumpet), Ray Crawford (guitar), Elvin Jones (drums), Ron Carter (bass) and Jimmy Knepper (trombone). The ensemble is superbly recorded by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder. A must-have for all lovers of jazz.

Ray Charles was best known for his work in the idioms of R&B, rock 'n' roll and even successful forays into country. But he also recorded influential jazz albums, including the groundbreaking Genius + Soul = Jazz originally released in 1961. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, in late 1960, Genius + Soul = Jazz was produced by Creed Taylor and includes arrangements by Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns. Ray Charles played the organ with three vocals ("I've Got News For You," "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town" and "One Mint Julep") and band members included members of the Count Basie Orchestra: Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Billy Mitchell, Frank Wess, Freddie Green and Sonny Payne among others.

The record ascended to the No. 4 spot on Billboard's pop album chart and spawned the very first singles on Impulse. "I've Got News For You" rose to No. 8 R&B and No. 66 on the Hot 100. In addition, Charles' version of "One Mint Julep" charted No. 1 R&B and No. 8 pop and his rendition of the blues standard "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town" reached No. 25 R&B and No. 84 pop.

Although Basie himself does not appear on the album, the Count was a major model as Charles assembled a full-scale, working orchestra. Basie also influenced his use of organ in a jazz context, and Charles was happy to record at the Van Gelder studio, where Jimmy Smith had recorded his classic Blue Note albums. Truly, as Dick Katz wrote in his original January 1961 liner notes, "The combination here of rare talent plus uncommon craftsmanship has produced a record that showcases the timeless quality an innate taste that is uniquely that of Ray Charles."

On January 20, 1963, bassist and composer Charles Mingus recorded in just one session — astonishingly — a very personal and socially conscious work he titled The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady. With liner notes written by Mingus's psychotherapist, the album uses ornate ensemble orchestration to produce a sound somewhere between jazz and folk.

Released on Impulse! Records in 1963, the album consists of a single continuous composition — partially written as a ballet — divided into four tracks and six movements. Of his adventurous and hauntingly eloquent work, among his other creations, Mingus said: "My music is evidence of my soul's will to live."  The evidence of that life-force amounts to some of the most dramatic and powerful jazz composed in the 20th century.

Mingus was born in Arizona on April 22, 1922 and raised in Los Angeles. He was taught double-bass by Red Callendar, and by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's Herman Rheinshagen (classical music played as big a part in his compositional thinking as gospel songs and the blues). Mingus toured with New Orleans players Louis Armstrong and Kid Ory in the 40s, and later worked briefly with Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington.

If he had been an improvising instrumentalist alone, Mingus would have been a jazz legend simply for his bass playing. Yet bass-playing also gave Mingus an insight into the low sonorities and inner hamonies of jazz composition, and his melodic approach was profoundly influenced by the blues and gospel music of his childhood.

It also doesn't hurt, points out thejazzrecord.com, that he appeared on (and had great influence over the direction of) Kind Of Blue and that the two LPs from his trio's landmark stint at the Village Vanguard in 1961 (Waltz For Debby and Sunday At The Village Vanguard) are both stone-cold classics.

Evans is joined here by none other than bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker for this 1965 recording. The album includes the heart-wrenching "Who Can I Turn To?" alongside "If You Could See Me Now" and Johnny Carisi's "Israel."

"Although all eight of the selections heard on this Verve release have been recorded on other occasions by pianist Bill Evans, these renditions hold their own," writes AllMusic.

Musicians:
Bill Evans, piano
Chuck Israels, bass
Larry Bunker, drums