$45.00
Though it's hard to pick a winner among the estimable Black Jazz catalog, this 1972 release from bassist Henry 'The Skipper' Franklin would have to be near the top of the list. Franklin got his start woodshedding with Latin maverick Willie Bobo in the mid-'60s and went on to play with The Three Sounds, but probably his most notable gig prior to this debut album was his stint in Hugh Masekela's band (that's Franklin playing bass with Masekela at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival). For The Skipper, Franklin assembled a crack outfit that included a horn section of trumpeter/flugelhornist Oscar Brashear (Bobby Hutcherson, Ry Cooder, Donny Hathaway) and tenor & soprano sax man Charles Owens (Buddy Rich, Horace Tapscott, John Mayall) along with a Masekela bandmate in electric pianist Bill Henderson and ace drummer Michael Carvin (Pharoah Sanders, Lonnie Liston Smith, Freddie Hubbard). This is such a unique, organic recording that it's hard to make comparisons; definitely a little fusion, a little '60s Blue Note feel, and the usual Black Jazz journey to the more lyrical, pop-inspired ('Little Miss Laurie') and funk-infused ('Plastic Creek Stomp') sides of jazz, but perhaps the best comparison is late-'60s Miles before he went electric. In any case, The Skipper is just a joy to listen to from start to finish, beautifully recorded by Black Jazz producer Gene Russell and blessed with some really fine writing, most of it by Franklin himself. Remastered for CD and vinyl by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision and featuring liner notes by Pat Thomas, this Real Gone release is a first-time LP reissue and a must-have! – Real Gone Music
Label: Real Gone Music – RGM-1189, Black Jazz Records – RGM-1189 |
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
Country: US |
Released: 20 Jan 2021 |
Genre: Jazz |
Style: Soul-Jazz, Jazz-Funk |
$39.00
Columbus, Ohio's Rudolph Johnson drew comparisons to John Coltrane during his career; like the jazz legend in his later years, Johnson eschewed drugs or alcohol and spent his time every day either meditating and rehearsing on his horn. You can definitely hear a little bit of Coltrane in Johnson's playing on this, his 1971 debut release for the Black Jazz label, the first of two he recorded for the imprint and the first he recorded as a leader after some sideman work (most notably for organist Jimmy McGriff); his ability to explore the upper registers and overtones of his tenor sax while retaining control is quite striking. Of course, this being a Black Jazz release, along with the bebop sounds of 'Sylvia Ann' and the mid-'60s Blue Note stylings of 'Sylvia Ann,' there's the soul jazz of 'Diswa' and the groove funk of 'Devon Jean,' all played by, as is typical on Black Jazz releases, by top-notch sidemen including drummer Raymond Pounds, who's played with everybody from Stevie Wonder to Pharoah Sanders to Bob Dylan, and pianist John Barnes, whose work is very familiar to Motown fans (Supremes, Temptations, Marvin Gaye). Bassist Reggie Jackson, who appeared on the Walter Bishop, Jr. Coral Keys record we previously released, rounds out the quartet. First vinyl reissue of another stellar Black Jazz release, remastered for CD and vinyl by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision and featuring liner notes by Pat Thomas, author of Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975! – Real Gone Music
Label: Black Jazz Records – RGM-1170, Real Gone Music – RGM-1170 |
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue |
Country: US |
Released: Feb 2021 |
Genre: Jazz |
Style: Soul-Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Modal |
$39.00
Calvin Keys's 1971 debut album for the Black Jazz Records label announced the arrival of a new star in the jazz guitar firmament. Keys had spent the '60s backing up the crème de la crème of jazz organists'Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff, Richard 'Groove' Holmes'but for his first record as a leader, he was eager to play with a piano player instead. So he recruited one of the best'Larry Nash, who, besides being a member of the L.A. Express, played with everybody from Eddie Harris to Bill Withers to Etta James. Bassist Lawrence Evans, drummer Bob Braye, and flautist-songwriter Owen Marshall rounded out the group on Shawn-Neeq, which might remind some of Pat Metheny's early work (Metheny acknowledges Keys as an influence), or Grant Green. But what gives Shawn-Neeq extra depth is that it comes from the heart; as Keys says in Pat Thomas' liner notes, which feature an interview with the artist: 'My thing was, I write about some of the experiences that I've had in my life.' Keys has since become a fixture in the Bay Area jazz scene; this is the album that started his journey. Another gem from the celebrated Black Jazz catalog, freshly remastered for CD and vinyl by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision and ready to be savored! – Real Gone Music
Label: Black Jazz Records – BJ/5, Real Gone Music – RGM-1167 |
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo |
Country: US |
Released: 2021 |
Genre: Jazz |
Style: Jazz-Funk |
$45.00
"It was a dark day for jazz in early 1998 when a fatal heart attack cut down 70-year-old pianist Walter Bishop, Jr. He had been one of the premier pianists in jazz for several decades, as his many colleagues knew so well. But Bishop was often overlooked by the jazz public and press in his lifetime, and, in the years since his demise, his music continues to be neglected."
"One hopes the reappearance of Coral Keys will generate wide interest. The songs on Coral Keys are decisive and radiant, thankfully free of the indulgences marring many jazz records issued in the early 1970s. The title-track finds flutist Vick catching a melodic light tropical breeze before and after a moderately ebullient solo by sure-fingered Bishop. On 'Waltz for Zweetie,' a close cousin of John Coltrane's 'My Favorite Things,' Vick's soprano conjures a lyric poetry that brings to mind Coltrane; here Bishop plays his heart out rather quietly. Highlighting 'Track Down' is Bishop's deployment of his formidable technique in the service of his active imagination." --Frank-John Hadley, Downbeat. Personnel: Walter Bishop, Jr. (piano), Idris Muhammed (drums), Reggie Johnson (bass), Harold Vick (flute & soprano), Alan Schwartz Benger (drums), Woody Shaw (trumpet). – Forced Exposure
Label: Black Jazz Records – BJ/2, Real Gone Music – RGM-1078 |
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
Country: US |
Released: 2020 |
Genre: Jazz |
Style: Post Bop, Modal, Hard Bop |