Jazz /
The Original Quintet (First Recording)
From the original "Theme" to a series of beautifully reimagined standards by Duke Ellington, Benny Golson, and Isham Jones, The Original Quintet (First Recording) captures a seminal moment in jazz history. Released in 1956 on Prestige and engineered by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder, this album perfectly synthesizes Miles Davis’s evolving artistic vision, marking a landmark in the bop revolution.
Featuring an extraordinary ensemble including John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Philly Joe Jones on d…
Collectors' Items
When Ira Gitler, jazz journalist and producer at Prestige, curated this album, the term "collector" was already well-established among music enthusiasts. The pursuit of out-of-print recordings, old 78 rpm discs, and unreleased material had reached an intensity comparable to the fervor seen in the vinyl-collecting market decades later. Gitler aimed to offer jazz fans unreleased Prestige recordings while meeting expectations for the amount of music on an LP. Initially dismissed as a mere compilati…
King Of The Tenors
King Of The Tenors is a landmark album by Ben Webster, recorded in 1953 and initially released as The Consummate Artistry of Ben Webster, then retitled for its classic 1957 Verve Records reissue. Webster is joined by jazz icons including the Oscar Peterson Trio throughout, as well as Benny Carter (alto saxophone) and Harry “Sweets” Edison (trumpet) on select tracks, resulting in ensemble interplay that balances lush ballads and blues with joyous swing. The program includes Webster originals like…
Super-Sonic Jazz
When Sun Ra released his debut Saturn release in 1957, he signaled the Arkestra’s mission for the future. The cover declared the album a "21st Century Limited Edition." The compositions on Supersonic Jazz conveyed optimism and hope, bringing a message auguring the World of Tomorrow. Ra declared this the first dimension of a fresh art form, as he set about evolving a new American music — a composite of the past and future, the known coalescing with the unknown. The album, not very well received u…
Milestones
Milestones is an album that needs no introduction. Often overshadowed by its younger sibling Kind of Blue in the rankings of greatest jazz records, it nonetheless holds a pivotal place in the history of modern jazz. Critics and devoted listeners alike recognize its importance: an early – and outstanding – example of modal jazz, recorded by Miles Davis’ so-called “first great quintet” (actually sextet, this time), featuring legends like John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones,…
Miles '55: The Prestige Recordings
Concord is proud to unveil Miles ’55: The Prestige Recordings, a definitive retrospective shining a spotlight on a transformative year in jazz legend Miles Davis’ career. This collection celebrates the birth of Davis’ First Great Quintet and the creative momentum leading to some of his most groundbreaking work.
1955 marked a new era for Miles Davis. That year, he assembled a soon-to-be-storied group — John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe J…
Happy Moods
2025 stock Happy Moods is a celebrated jazz album by pianist Ahmad Jamal, originally recorded in Chicago in January 1960 and reissued on vinyl by Waxtime. The album features Jamal’s renowned trio, with Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums, and is widely recognized for its sophisticated blend of elegance, subtlety, and rhythmic inventiveness
East Coasting
Recorded in 1957 this is one of Charles Mingus's lesser known sessions. Here the master was at the head of an awesome band including some of his regular sidemen. Jimmy Knepper - trombone, Shafi Hadi - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone and Dannie Richmond - drums, along with nothing but Bill Evans on piano! This is dense, lyrical and very stimulating music deeply rooted in the bop tradition yet with an open ear to other sound territories.
Tomorrow Is the Question!
This was definitely a perfect title for Ornette Coleman's second and last album for Contemporary before switching on Ertegun's Atlantic label. Originally released in 1959 "Tomorrow is the Question" was an early evident step towards the revolution to come. An adventurous yet accessible, bluesy album with Coleman and Don Cherry tasting for the first time the freedom of a pianoless rhythm section featuring Percy Heath or Red Mitchell on bass and the great Shelly Manne on drums.
Jazz Composers Workshop
Charlie Mingus’s 1956 Jazz Composers Workshop showcases his visionary blend of hard bop, classical, gospel, and avant-garde. The album captures Mingus’s restless innovation—by turns explosive, tender, and genre-defying.
Mingus Ah Um
When driving a band with his upright bass, Charles Mingus looked -and was- gigantic, in more ways than one. He had huge creative appetites (as well as being hot tempered), creating his own combination of hard bop, blues, and avant-garde jazz. There was no one more multi-faceted than Mingus between the 1950s and 1970s and of his many albums, Mingus Ah Um (1959) is considered to be a jazz classic.
Traneing In
*2025 stock* John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio is the third studio album by the jazz musician John Coltrane. It was released in early 1958 through Prestige Records. The recording took place at Rudy Van Gelder's studio on August 23, 1957. It was reissued in 1961 as Traneing In with a new catalogue number and cover design.
Thelonious Monk With Sonny Rollins 1953 To 1957 (Revisited)
Though they may not have recorded together until 1953, when Rollins was 23 years old, Sonny was introduced to Monk while a senior in high school, already part of a cadre of young neighborhood jazz neophytes. Monk became a mentor to them, offering home-based instruction on the new possibilities restructuring bop harmonies and rhythms, or as Rollins later put it, “the geometry of musical time and space.” - Art Lange
The Rarest On Debut - Charles Mingus Sideman
** Rare original copies. Original 1987 LP pressing on Mythic Sounds, numbered edition. Unplayed copies from a dead-stock, minor wear due to ageing on covers. Comes with original hype sticker ** A rare window into the collaborative genius of Charles Mingus, The Rarest On Debut – Charles Mingus Sideman assembles some of the most elusive and captivating sessions from the formative years of modern jazz. Issued as a numbered, limited edition of just 1,000 copies, this Italian compilation brings toget…
Mingus Dinasty
Recorded in jazz’s golden year of 1959, Mingus Dynasty is often overshadowed by Mingus Ah Um, but it stands as one of Charles Mingus’ most ambitious works. Expanding his regular band with additional players, he pushed his compositions into more intricate territory. With a lineup featuring Richard Williams, Jimmy Knepper, John Handy, Booker Ervin, Roland Hanna, and Dannie Richmond—plus guests like Benny Golson and Jerome Richardson—Mingus crafted a dynamic set blending gospel-infused grooves (Slo…
Collector's Item
When Ira Gitler, jazz journalist and producer at Prestige, curated this album, the term "collector" was already well-established among music enthusiasts. The pursuit of out-of-print recordings, old 78 rpm discs, and unreleased material had reached an intensity comparable to the fervor seen in the vinyl-collecting market decades later. Gitler aimed to offer jazz fans unreleased Prestige recordings while meeting expectations for the amount of music on an LP. Initially dismissed as a mere compilati…
The Sounds of Yusef
Yusef Lateef walks into Rudy Van Gelder's studio with a vision that won't have a proper name for another two decades. What to call music that swings hard as any bebop session but incorporates sounds from beyond the American jazz tradition? "Ethnic materials," they'd say awkwardly. "World music," they'd say later. Lateef just called it music - his music - and got to work. Sounds of Yusef, recorded for Prestige, captures Lateef at a pivotal moment. This is before the radical experiments of the 196…
At Home With Screamin‘ Jay Hawkins
By far one of the most outrageous performers of the early years of rock, prone to emerging from coffins on stage, with a flaming skull named Henry as his constant companion, Screamin' Jay was an insanely theatrical figure long before it was even remotely acceptable. His 1958 debut, At Home, featuring his legendary "I Put A Spell On You," along with surreal hits like "Hong Kong," "Take Me Back To The Boot And Saddle," or his wild-ass reinventions of old standards like "I Love Paris" and "Deep Pur…
Live and Radio Recordings 1957-1962
Spanning five pivotal years, Live and Radio Recordings 1957-1962 captures Krzysztof Komeda at the edge of Polish jazz’s modernist awakening. These performances surge with lyricism and quiet provocation, showcasing a composer whose restlessly poetic imagination reshaped European jazz sensibilities.
Jazz Harpist
*Back in print by popular demand!* This is Dorothy Ashby's debut album, originally released in 1957 by the Regent label. Recognized as the woman who gave the harp a jazz voice, here Ashby is at the head of a highly distinctive combo featuring Frank Wess on flute, Eddie Jones or Wendell Marshall on bass and master Ed Thigpen on drums. The Jazz Harpist is an unprecedented mix of evocative classic sounds and jazz soul, awarded by Allmusic as her first and best album, period!