Forgotten Treasure: Joe Harriott & Amancio D’Silva Quartet ”Hum Dono” (1969)
The combination of a Jamaican sax player and an Indian jazz guitarist getting together with a UK jazz elite in its hay day could be the stoned out fantasy of many pot smoking vinyl collectors. It’s also a music and cultural melting pot making up a real lost treasure in …
Forgotten Treasure: The Prestige Jazz Quartet LP (1957, Prestige)
Recorded and released in 1957 on the independent Prestige Records label, The Prestige Jazz Quartet is a typical oddity. The four compositions work as a pendulum between the tail end of bebop era, the coming hard-bop medium, and the beginning of the avant-garde period of 1950s-1960s Black Classical music. Probably …
Forgotten Treasure: Baaska & Scavelli “Get Off The Ground – The Bottom End Version” (1976)
Widely regarded as the holy grail of the rare jazz dance scene, Baaska & Scavelli‘s “Get Off The Ground” is a track that is the very definition of a forgotten treasure! One of the most in demand and hard to get tracks in the world, until the good people at …
The Story behind Tom Browne’s “Funkin For Jamaica (N.Y.)” (1980)
One of Queen’s finest, jazz trumpeter, Tom Browne, recorded what would become a Billboard #1 R&B chart topper back in 1980 – a funky, soulful laden track titled “Funkin’ for Jamaica (N.Y.)” This is a nice little feature giving us some insight into the studio when Browne and his band …
Forgotten Treasure : Kenny Barron “Sunset to Dawn” (1973, Muse Records)
Kenny Barron is a jazz pianist whose inspired and elegant playing is only surpassed by his output. Still active today, he has released close to 50 albums and has recorded with Sonny Fortune, Ron Carter, John Stubblefield, Bobby Hutcherson, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Hanes, Yusef Lateef and …
Forgotten Treasure: Herbie Hancock “Nobu” (1974)
As you put the needle on this record, you realize after a few seconds that it really wouldn’t take very much to transform this gem into a Techno track perhaps hidden deep in the Underground Resistance back catalogue. Add a heavier kick drum and bassline and voilà! All the techno legends …
1974 – Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters Live in Germany
Here an absolute treasure for you. One of the finest moments in Jazz/Funk/Fusion history with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters group in 1974 in Bremen, Germany for the “Musikladen” TV Special. Hancock’s HeadHunters albums ushered in a new era of jazz that appealed to a far wider audience – making jazz listeners …
Forgotten Treasure: Oliver Nelson “The Blues and the Abstract Truth” (1961)
Oliver Nelson is a legendary jazz arranger with a strong playing pedigree (he played tenox sax with Quincy Jones in the early 60s) that really came into his own on his timeless and most revered record ”The Blues and the Abstract Truth”. This is a very special record personally as …
Forgotten Treasure: Charles Mingus “Scenes in the City” (1957)
As I walked 5 hours alone today in New York City with nothing than other than music in my headphones to accompany me, I thought of sharing with you a song that is quintessentially NYC. “Scenes in the City” released in 1957 by double bassist, composer and jazz legend Charlie Mingus is …
Dave Pike (R.I.P) – The Essential Recordings
Dave Pike was a self-taught jazz vibraphonist who truly excelled at all styles. His passing reminds us that the number of musicians expanding musical horizons by innovating in many genres is fading and that such bold mastery should be cherished. Here are my favorite recordings from the man. Pike’s Peak …
“NINA”, a Beautiful Illustrated Children’s Book
Nina is a children’s book by Bruno Liance and Alice Brière-Haquet. And much like music icon Nina Simone’s oeuvre, it goes much deeper than most would. The story goes that, one night, Nina’s daughter Lisa cannot go to sleep, her mom chooses to tell her the story of her first …
Watch Teaser for Miles Davis movie starring Don Cheadle
Jazz heads around the world have been waiting patiently for the much-hyped release of the Miles Davis biopic and they are probably very anxious to see how it will turn out. Well, here is a brand new teaser to keep you waiting just a little bit longer! “Miles Ahead” which …