Bill Evans Trio Inner Sprit

Record Store Day RSD 2022 Limited Numbered Edition

Resonance Records 2x 180g LP

new, factory sealed

Inner Spirit represents one of the first trio recordings by Evans’ last great band, with bassist Johnson and drummer LaBarbera, both veterans of Woody Herman’s band. Their work behind the pianist featured in a series of remarkable, intense live recordings captured before the master pianist’s death in September 1980. It also proved to be his final appearance in the country.

 

Joe LaBarbera, Marc Johnson and Bill Evans, Buenos Aires, 1979. Photo by Tito Villalba.

Once again, Evans and his band stepped into a society suffused with uncertainty, as a 1976 military coup had toppled the regime of Isabel Perón, who had taken power after her husband’s death in 1974. Myers writes, “By 1979, Argentina also was three years into its notorious ‘Dirty War,’ when right-wing death squads murdered thousands of political dissidents and suspected Peronists. Buenos Aires had become a city of shadows, fear and unease.”

LaBarbera told writer Myers, “It was a bad time down there, politically. There was tension with the military presence in Buenos Aires, but people on the streets and the musicians we met were still joyous and excited to hear Bill.”

The musicians responded with an ecstatic and engaged performance typical of their brief time together. Again, Evans brought a Latin touch to his concert repertoire, with the addition of “Minha,” a composition by Brazilian composer Francis Hime he had recorded four years earlier. He also played such recent additions to his set as “Letter to Evan,” a new piece played solo and dedicated to his son, and “Theme From M*A*S*H.” The rarified climax of the concert came in Miles Davis’ “Nardis”; the great showpiece of the pianist’s last gigs, it stretched to a length of 17 minutes in Buenos Aires, sporting a nearly eight-minute solo introduction and inspired solos by all the group’s members.

LaBarbera says of his collaboration with the band’s bassist, who was then 25, “Marc Johnson and I hooked up immediately. His time was right where I loved it; it was from the first beat. For me, it was seamless. And every time we played, it was instantaneous. It’s like we never left each other. It’s that good. It’s that immediate.”

Johnson says of the concert, “The trio had arrived at a pretty good place. We were definitely on a rise performance-wise. The plateau we hit was pretty high; pretty dependable and reliable. The music was getting to a really fun place. By then, in 1979, I was definitely playing with a little more authority and conviction. Joe sounds amazing on it, as usual, just phenomenal really. He helped keep that trio going and swinging, and kept it all together. I’m really gratified by the level of the performances and even the recorded sound and the selection of material.”

In How My Heart Sings, Evans’ biographer Peter Pettinger writes, “At the end of this concert Bill yelled to his colleagues, ‘Beautiful!’ as well he might.” And as the listener might, as well.

Muddy Waters Folk Singer

audiophile Ultradisc 1-Step 2x 180g LP 45 RPM Box

Mobile Fidelity UD1S 2-023

new, factory sealed

Mastered from the Original Master Tapes and Limited to 10,000 Numbered Copies

Eric Alexander Gentle Ballads

audiophile Venus Records Hyper Magnum Sound 180g LP VHJD-190

made in Japan

new, sealed

• Eric Alexander - tenor sax
• Mike LeDonne - piano
• John Webber - bass
• Joe Farnsworth - drums

Recorded at Avatar Studio in New York on March 1 and 2, 2004

Tracks:

1. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set (Q. Jones, H. Salvador)
2. Left Alone (M. Waldron)
3. Gently (E. Alexander)
4. Here's To Life (Butler, Molinary)
5. Midnight Sun (L. Hampton, S. Burke)
6. Harlem Nocturne (E. Hagen)
7. Soul Eyes (M. Waldron)
8. Under A Blanket Of Blue (Neiburg, Livingston, Symes)
9. Stormy Weather (D. Ellington)
10. Chelsea Bridge (B. Strayhorn)
11. Harlem Nocturne Ⅱ (E. Hagen)

Miles Davis Kind of Blue

audiophile Analogue Productions UHQR 180g Vinyl LP Box

made in USA

The New Peter Lehel Quartet Sea of Love

Limited Edition Vinyl LP

Finetone Music FTM 8059 LP

new, factory sealed

New quartet, new sound - the versatile saxophonist Peter Lehel adds another nuance to his multifaceted style. The seven pieces on "Sea of ​​Love" owe the funky touch above all to the crisp, round electric bass by Dirk Blümlein, the distinctive groove of the drummer Christian Huber and the subtle and effective use of the Fender Rhodes by Ull Möck next to the grand piano, among others in "Song for no Reason". The mood changes sensitively between the sound of the 70s, cool-inspired jazz, the homage to John Coltrane in "Trane's Hussar Mood" and the reference to Peter Lehel's Hungarian roots in "One for Kodaly", which the Tárogató is one immediately gives authentic timbre. Carried by cheerful serenity on the one hand, and serene melancholy on the other, the ideal of a sonically sensitive, melodic, harmonic and rhythmic balance in emotional balance and a thoughtful calm of the heart, which the future smiles at the future, unfolds.

Lee Morgan Live at the Lighthouse

Blue Note 12 LP Limited Edition Box Set

mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio

legendary live recording from July 1970

pressed at RTI on audiophile 180g vinyl

new, factory sealed

l For 3 days in July 1970, Lee Morgan heated his audience at the Hermosa Beach, California lighthouse with his quintet - Bennie Maupin, Harold Mabern, Jymie Merritt, Mickes Roker, and Jack DeJohnette. 50 years later, these unforgettable moments in jazz history with a fantastic Lee Morgan at the height of his trumpet playing are not only on CD, but also as a luxuriously equipped 12 LP box, pressed by RTI on audiophile 180g vinyl, released on the legendary Blue Note Label, available. We were able to get hold of a few copies. Get it before it's too late!

Ron Carter Golden Striker

Audiophile In+Out Records 2x 180g LP Limited Numbered Signed Edition

limited to 2000 copies, hand-numbered and personally hand-signed by Ron Carter

Accompanied by Donald Vega, piano, and Russell Malone, guitar, Ron Carter leads us through a program of wonderful standards such as My funny Valentine or Samba de Orfeo, and honors mastermind Rudy van Gelder, whose recordings for labels such as Blue Note, Prestige or New Jazz are legendary, with the title RVG, the master's initials.

A great moment of jazz with outstanding press and sound quality made in Germany.

Archie Shepp & Jason Moran Let My People Go

Recorded live in Paris & Mannheim 2017 & 2018

Archieball Double LP

new, factory sealed

amazing live recording from two concert in Paris 2017 and Mannheim 2018

intimate, breathtaking, joyful, emotional, melancholy jazz at the highest imaginable level.

A masterpiece!

The New Peter Lehel Quartet Sea of Love

hand-signed Limited Edition Vinyl LP

Finetone Music FTM 8059 LP

new

New quartet, new sound - the versatile saxophonist Peter Lehel adds another nuance to his multifaceted style. The seven pieces on "Sea of ​​Love" owe the funky touch above all to the crisp, round electric bass by Dirk Blümlein, the distinctive groove of the drummer Christian Huber and the subtle and effective use of the Fender Rhodes by Ull Möck next to the grand piano, among others in "Song for no Reason". The mood changes sensitively between the sound of the 70s, cool-inspired jazz, the homage to John Coltrane in "Trane's Hussar Mood" and the reference to Peter Lehel's Hungarian roots in "One for Kodaly", which the Tárogató is one immediately gives authentic timbre. Carried by cheerful serenity on the one hand, and serene melancholy on the other, the ideal of a sonically sensitive, melodic, harmonic and rhythmic balance in emotional balance and a thoughtful calm of the heart, which the future smiles at the future, unfolds.

Mighty Sam McClain Give it up to love

audiophile Analogue Productions 2x 180g Vinyl LP APB 1015-45

A Stereophile - "Records To Die For" February 2021 selection!

180-gram vinyl by Quality Record Pressings! Now a 2LP at 45 RPM!

Mighty Sam McClain's powerful soul classic

Mastered from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray

Tip-on, thick cardboard gatefold jacket

"Give It Up to Love has been one of my all-time faves since its release in 1993. Producer Joe Harley correctly identified red-clay R&B vocalist Sam McClain as someone whose musical career was due for a new act. The album continues to be an audiophile go-to; this latest issue by Analogue Productions generously spaces out 11 tracks over two 45 RPM LPs. The sound was already standard-setting, whatever the format, thanks to engineer Michael C. Ross's superb 'get.' I can pretty much tell within moments how my system is sounding by hearing a few beats of Mighty Sam's vocals and listening to guitarist Kevin Barry sliding down over the frets at the top of 'What You Want Me to Do.'" — Sasha Matson, for Stereophile — "Records To Die For" — February 2021.

"Give It Up To Love is the R&B comeback of the year." — Rolling Stone

"Mighty Sam McClain's Give It Up To Love is one of the great soul records." — Stereophile

Mighty Sam is a rhythm and blues legend who shook up the blues world with this 1993 release. The great torch bearer of deep soul is caught in top form on this classic album. And now, this gatefold 2LP 45 RPM edition presented by Analogue Productions makes the album even greater!

The four sides of wider-spaced grooves make for reduced distortion and better high frequency reproduction. It's a 180-gram masterpiece from our own Quality Record Pressings, our state-of-the-art LP pressing plant. And the gatefold jacket is hard-core, old-school style — thick cardboard, tip-on, with additional photos and liner notes inside. Sweet.

"McClain sings soul with incredible power — he knows when to pull the punches and when to cool it down. 'Give It Up to Love,' the title track, acknowledges his gospel roots; he performs it as a vocal prayer to God asking for wisdom, love, and strength. Bruce Katz's contributions on B-3 Hammond organ expands McClain's sound, particularly on the 'Green Onions'-influenced 'What You Want Me to Do.' The sparsely effective arrangement on 'Here I Go Falling in Love Again' brings McClain up front as he cries of being a soul stripped to the bare bones. Kevin Barry's funky bass blows while McClain declares himself as a child of God in 'Child of the Mighty Mighty.'" — AllMusic