Jazz & Improvisation / Modal

Tip! * 2022 stock * This 1979 date by tenor saxophonist Billy Harper is one of his most transcendent. Rife with his deep study of Coltrane's modalism, and his own deep knowledge of the blues and Eastern music, Harper and his quintet take on three extended pieces: "Soran Bushi-B.H." comes in at over 12 minutes, while "Cry Of Hunger," is over 20; both work out of extended harmonic architectures to place improvisation as a new element (remember, this was 1979), as an extension of the jazz "song." T…

Double CD Edition. Previously unreleased. Recorded live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on the 20th October 1975. This is (almost) the complete Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows suite as originally imagined by Neil Ardley, over twice as long as the 'concise' version which appeared on his Gull studio album a year later.  Unfortunately, due to tape issues on the night, only the first two minutes of the closing number of set one were captured. Otherwise, this album is presented exactly as the audience …

Charles Tolliver began his professional career and simultaneously his recording debut with the saxophone giant Jackie McLean on Blue Note Records in 1964. Since then he has become one of the all-time preeminent trumpeters in Jazz as well as one of its most gifted composer / arranger bandleaders. He is also a Grammy nominated recipient for his Blue Note Records recording With Love.With a career that has spanned five decades he has recorded and/or performed with such renowned artists as Roy Haynes…

LP version. We Release Jazz present a reissue from Geneva's Boillat Thérace Quintet, the My Greatest Love album, featuring bebop and hard-bop legend Benny Bailey and available for the first time since 1975. Galvanized by the creation of the Montreux Jazz Festival in the late '60s and lively local scenes, jazz music was healthy and booming in Switzerland in the 1970s. One band that beautifully captured this energy was Jean-François Boillat and RaymondThérace's Boillat Thérace Quintet whose self-t…

"Individually numbered to 250 copies. A3 artwork glued on reused sleeves, with dl code in sealed bag with hype sticker.“ First album from this Finnish jazz sextet collective, no limits is their slogan but categorize it as energetic free that branch out in modal/spiritual territory.Featuring two members from Oiro Pena. All music by Uusijazziklubi collective: Drums: Aleksi Tannhuala, vibes: Ilkka Uksila, bass: Markus Kankkonen, keys: Joona Hulmi, alto Sax/flutes: Johannes Sarjasto, soprano Sax/flu…

* Few copies available. Limited edition high-quality pressing of 500 copies. Gatefold sleeve printed on reverse board with exclusive photos and extensive sleeve notes * The debut performance of esteemed pianist/composer Mike Westbrook's cult 70s jazz masterpiece 'Citadel/Room 315', recorded live in 1974. Featured soloists throughout the album are the iconic ECM recording artist John Surman plus a crack team of top Scandi jazzers. Remastered by Caspar @ Gearbox Records from the original master ta…

LP version. We Release Jazz present its sixth release, a reissue of Boillat Thérace Quintet's self-titled album, available for the first time since its original limited private pressing in 1974. Full of prolific and inspired local clusters and boosted by the recently launched Montreux Jazz Festival, the Swiss jazz scene was vibrant and inventive in the 1970s, notably in the region surrounding Lake Geneva. This is precisely where jazz activist and brilliant pianist Jean-François Boillat and wind …

few copies back in stock, totally sold-out at source - Replica reissue of one of the rarest free jazz LP ever made: Masayuki Takayanagi's Flower Girl. Supposedly released in a limited run of 100 copies in 1968, this incredibly rare record - released as a promotional album, and never marketed - gets its first vinyl reissue via Craftman Records. Japan's leading jazz guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi is one of the first to pursue free jazz music in Japan, and its activity has not been confined to the f…

CD version. The album Premonition is a masterpiece of spiritual jazz, and reflects the spiritual awakening of a natural musical genius, Umlah Sadau Holt. In the 1970s, Holt was involved in all kinds of jazz, reggae, and world music projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over time he absorbed the global rhythms that can only come from extensive involvement with a variety of international musicians, and he integrated them into his own developing ideas of jazz. When his friend Emmanuel Nado return…

CD version. There are few Australian originals in jazz, but vibraphonist Alan Lee surely ranks among the best. Australian jazz is and always will be an interpretation of the American art form, but throughout his long career Lee has ploughed his furrow undaunted; as he puts it, "What I want is the fire! Whether it's John Coltrane's 'Blues Minor' from Africa/Brass or 'Backwater Blues' by Leadbelly, I want the emotion, the gut wrenching pain, the cry from within!" A musician and bandleader who cut …

**2021 stock. In process of stocking** Ltd vinyl pressing. “3D” shaped cubic sleeve / Heavyweight Vinyl, 300 Gram White-White Double Coated Paper. Originally released in tiny numbers in Chile in 1974. The album’s opening track, ‘Alba’, bathes the listener in a warm glow of vibes and electric piano with a groove evoking the laid back soul jazz of classic Ramsey Lewis Trio. Horns build up as the track lopes along, adding a punchy rawness to the languid head nodding slo-mo funk. A change of gear as…

**2021 stock. In process of stocking** Heavyweight Vinyl, 300 Gram White-White Double Coated Paper, Handily Gluing, PVC Outersleeve. Originally released in tiny numbers in 1975 on the Promusica label, ‘Pelo de Rata’ was the debut outing for a considerable talent in South American jazz, Matias Pizarro. A pianist and composer of some skill and flair, his output sadly falls far short for someone who exhibits such a natural ability to conjure up such an idiosyncratic style of jazz, replete with thou…

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London  Trumpeter/ flügelhornist Charles Tolliver often straddled the line between the lyricism of hard bop and the adventurous nature of the avant-garde. Released in 1975, Impact contained a stimulating progressive edge within an energetic large band (14 horns, eight strings, and rhythm section) format.  Tolliver's arrangements are consistently bright and build momentum, while the soloists are given sufficient room to manoeuvre throug…

The Don Rendell Ian Carr Quintet live in session in 1964 playing much of their debut album ‘Shades Of Blue’ including the title track composed by Neil Ardley. Beautifully packaged 180g vinyl. Flip-back sleeve. Strictly limited pressing run of 500 copies worldwide. Liner notes by Simon Spillett. Not nearly celebrated enough, Rendell & Carr were Britain's answer to Miles & Coltrane. With beautiful, introspective modal numbers & a fine backing group consisting of Colin Purbrook (piano), Dave Green …

** Mabumi Yamaguchi Quartet's outstanding modal jazz outing 'Leeward' from 1978 ** Leeward, released in 1978 on Union Record, is the second album by tenor and soprano saxophonist Mabumi Yamaguchi. Already in quartet formation for his previous album, After The Rain, released two years earlier, Mabumi Yamaguchi changes musicians here to surround himself with Ikuo Sakurai on bass, Hideo Sekine on drums and Ichiro Doi on piano and electric piano. Leeward opens with "Dawn", a long and slow piece led …

A legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditiona…

** Vinyl audio remastered & cut from the original master tapes by Gearbox Records. 180grm Optimal Pressing. Flip-back LP sleeves on 380g heavy card, front laminated sleeves with 12 x12 insert with new liner note insert + audio download voucher ** Heavyweight Vinyl / U.S.A. Original Glued Prints on Thick Cardboard / handily gluing / Original Black and White Private Press artwork. Originally issued in 1972, Space Walk was the final album recorded for the famed Lansdowne Studios by iconic British s…

Due to overwhelming demand for our 5LP boxset which sold out on the day of release, here are the first ever official individual re-issues of all five of the iconic Lansdowne recording sessions by the legendary UK jazz combo, the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet.The five albums; Shades Of Blues (1965), Dusk Fire (1966), Phase III (1968), Change Is (1969) and Live (1969), have reached almost mythical status in the collector's world. Regarded as holy grail artefacts for even the seasoned aficionado, th…

** 180 gram audiophile quality double LP. Gatefold cover artwork features previously unpublished original Blue Note session photos. All Analogue mastering: taken from Rudy Van Gelder tapes; transferred by Grammy-Award winning mastering engineer Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios ** Wallen Bink presents I Don’t Care Who Knows It - The Complete 68’ to ‘70 sessions by Duke Pearson. This collection of performances, previously unissued in their entirety, drawn from five recording sessions from 24 June …

** 2021 Stock ** BGO presents Phase III and Live by The Don Rendell Ian Carr Quintet. CD 1: Phase III: Recorded in London, February 23, 1967. CD 2: Live: Recorded in London, March 18, 1968. The Don Rendell - Ian Carr quintet, created in 1963, was,a small Brit jazz group that took the country by storm and was well received in Europe and in limited circles in the United States. The band developed a unique sound that came out of hard bop and moved through many different phases, developing a unique …

CD Edition. Jazzman presents the definitive anthology of pioneering ethno-musicologist, mystical adventurer and real life jazz guru Dr Lloyd Miller. This album tells the fascinating life story of one man and his journey through Europe and the Middle East, living off nothing but his wits, talent and an open-minded attitude towards music and jazz.Master of dozens of languages and hundreds of instruments, Miller has spent fifty years immersed in the music of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.Featuri…

In a time before jazz music went free and ‘avant-garde’ there were a couple of inspired souls who put an emphasize on extended jams and improvised yet melodic parts based on a rather repetitive rhythm background. The result in turning away from the rather artistic and complicated bebop was the modal jazz that came up in the second half of the 1950s and lasted as the leading style until the mid to late 60s when bands either became free avant garde or discovered rock music to boost up their sound.…

BBE Music is proud to present another instalment in the J Jazz Masterclass Series: East Plants by Takeo Moriyama, one of Japan’s finest jazz drummers. A genuine ‘under the radar’ album known only to a handful of Japanese jazz collectors, East Plants is now available again, reissued for the first time as a double 180g LP, with exact reproductions of the original artwork, obi strip and insert. It also comes with the original notes fully translated. This reissue is fully endorsed by Takeo Moriyama …

**In process of stocking** Following on from the welcome revival of Lyman Woodard’s classic ‘Saturday Night Special‘ and drummer, Bert Myrick’s ‘Live ’n Well’ – which features the epic ‘Scorpio’s Child’ – BBE Records continue to dig deeper into the vaults of Detroit’s Strata label with The Contemporary Jazz Quintet album ‘Location’. Working in conjunction with 180 Proof’s Amir Abdullah BBE are poised to unearth a steady flow of hard to find or previously unheard gems from the short-lived but con…

** Including 7inch Single "Gisela (Lion Rock)" b/w "Summertime" (previously unreleased). Limited to 500 numbered copies. Heavy old school tip-on cover ** Perfect Toy Records presents Fitz Gore & the Talismen. Licensed by Gisela Gore. Tenor Saxophone – Fitz Gore, Bass – Gérard Ebbo - Obama Ngomo, Congas – Lamont Hampton, Drums – Emmanuel Dipanda, Guitar – Gil Nguema, Piano – Lukoki Mampasi.

* Gatefold with session photos. Hype sticker. HQ Virgin Vinyl 180 gram. 2020 Stock * "Very few albums can match this Miles Davis's 1959 classic, often considered the greatest album in the history of jazz. Backed by an exquisite combo, this is an essential recording even for those who don't listen to jazz. With Davis himself on trumpet, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on alto saxophone, John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on d…

** 2021 Stock. In process of stocking ** Craftman Records presents Live At The Misty by Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio. Recorded live on December 25, 1974. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto: Grand Piano, Akira Daiyoshi: Ac-Bass, Toshio Osumi: Drums, Koji Moriyama: Congas.

* Limited edition 180 gram solid purple coloured vinyl. 2020 Stock * Lush Life (1958) is among John Coltrane's best endeavors on the Prestige label. One reason can easily be attributed to the interesting personnel and the subsequent lack of a keyboard player for the August 16, 1957 session that yielded the majority of the material. Coltrane (tenor sax) had to essentially lead the compact trio of himself, Earl May (bass), and Art Taylor (drums). The intimate setting is perfect for ballads such as…

The Many Faces of Harry Beckett is the first publication dedicated to the life and work of the legendary Barbados-born British progressive jazz trumpeter. It fulfils author John Thurlow’s lifelong ambition of creating a book which would pay a fitting tribute to his hero. Harry’s career spanned more than fifty years, encompassing thousands of gigs across the globe, and over 220 currently known recordings. His exquisite playing led to him perform with many of the world’s most famous acts in a myri…

**2021 stock. In process of stocking** Heavyweight Vinyl, Original Glued Prints on Thick Cardboard 700 gram / 2 Separated parts handily gluing, PVC Outersleeve. Originally released in tiny numbers in Israel in 1977. The fascinating thing about jazz is not so much where it came from, but where it went, how it changed and how it seemed to effortlessly mix with local styles and traditions. In some ways, it’s no surprise that jazz found a fertile home in Israel. Much has been written about the conne…

**2020 stock** Considered to be one of Australia’s most iconic modern recordings, Eastern Horizons is the result of several jazz workshop sessions recorded in the mid 1960s Sydney. A pioneering exploration of eastern influenced modern jazz that represents one of earliest prototypes of the genre, arguably predating other more widely acknowledged international eastern influenced and indo jazz recordings of the late 60s and early 70s. Following in the footsteps of early 60s Coltrane and the exotic …

Along with Chris McGregor, Gideon Nxumalo helped pioneer the pre-exile South African Jazz sound. His 1962 album ‘Jazz Fantasia’ is widely regarded as a seminal South African jazz record. The record featured legendary jazz altoists Kippie Moeketsi and a very young Dudu Pukwana, who plays sax in similar Albert Ayler's vein! Moeketsi was a colossal South African jazz figure during this time, and ‘Jazz Fantasia’ signaled Moeketsi’s last commercial success before his struggles with alcohol and depres…

Perhaps Larry Nozero's single most-recognizable contribution to popular music is the soprano sax solo on Marvin Gaye's seminal, What's Going On, the title track and tone-setter for one of soul music's most successful, not to mention conceptual, recordings. Like so many talented reedmen before him, Nozero received instruction from Detroit's Teal School of Music, creating common ground with Yusef Lateef, Joe Henderson, and Benny Maupin.Although Nozero flirted with the Strata groundlings briefly in…

Finally reissued, this mega rare spiritual jazz by reed player Milton Marsh – one of the harder-to-find albums on Strata East – and one of just a couple incredible records to Marsh's name! Obscurity aside, this is prime Strata East. In 1975, Milton Marsh released his first album Monism for the Strata-East label. Marsh, a composer, arranger, saxophonist and flautist, recorded the album in New York City from 1973-1974. The musicians on Monism represent some of the finest living in NYC at t…

**Beautifully packaged 180g vinyl. Flip-back sleeve. Strictly limited pressing run of 300 copies worldwide ** Those already familiar with the output of Jazz In Britain to date will by now have a fair idea of our modus operandi, but for the uninitiated there is no better place to start than with this collection. Whilst none of these recordings could be considered ‘reference’ standard audio, our aim is always to present them in the best possible light, and offer the optimum listening experience to…

We Release Jazz presents its fifth release, the first ever live performance and recording by Marc Moulin's sought-after jazz-funk band Placebo, captured at Casino Kursaal during the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1971 and never released before. June 17th, 1971, the Montreux Riviera, its delightful microclimate and postcard scenery, its fabled music history and the luscious wines of the region. A dream setting for Marc Moulin to lead his ensemble on a 26-minutes+ jazz adventure -- Nick Kletchkovsky on…

* Edition of 500 * An amazing loft tape find of a Norwegian Jazz concert suite taped at Molde Jazz Festival 1973, Christian Reim’s sextet Mona Lisa features Norway's top jazzmen at the time and it’s a rollercoaster post-bop showcase with influences from modal and spiritual jazz with folk undertones and pop psychedelia, one of a kind, never previously released and in great sound quality!

On October 14th 1989, Horace Tapscott, founder of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, performed alongside his close friend and musical partner Michael Session at the Théâtre du Chêne Noir in Avignon, France. This was during a tour in which they traveled across Europe. The duo presented compositions by Leimert Park musicians Jesse Sharps, Nate Morgan and Tapscott himself. The stark instrumentation of this concert led to minimal arrangements of compositions typically performed by much larger ensembl…

Legitimately available again on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 1983, Outernational Sounds proudly presents a major statement from a crucial figure on the Los Angeles jazz underground – pianist Nate Morgan’s spiritualised deep jazz classic, Journey Into Nigritia. How many 16 year olds would have the confidence to walk up to a revered bandleader at a gig, and inform him that one day they’d be playing together? As improbable as it sounds, this is how pianist Nate Morgan intr…

Tip-on sleeve. For every celebrated name in jazz, soul and related music, there are probably another 1000 musicians who had all the talent and potential but for whom widespread recognition remained elusive. Roscoe Weathers is one such figure, a jazzman who earned his chops the hard way, a sideman in smoky clubs from Memphis to Seattle, before finally settling in LA. He recorded a significant amount of music through the 1960s, but never found the slightest modicum of commercial acclaim nor the su…