u/Extreme-Platypus-509

Duke Jordan is one of my favorite jazz pianists, and flight to jordan is his iirc his first (and only?) Blue Note release as band leader. I particularly like his touch on the softer tracks Starbrite and I should care, the latter of which is regrettably only on the CD/digital release.

I’m generally partial to RVG’s masterings over any of the Japanese releases, though these DBLP ‘From the Original Master Tapes’ disk union exclusives are really quite good. They command quite a high price these days but in some cases an original or even a Liberty is more or less impossible to obtain so it’s the best I can get.

Caught something over the weekend so I’ll be on the couch today but this just means more time to listen even if my ears are a little plugged up🤩

Here is a great album featuring the Roy Haynes trio - anything I’ve heard by them is excellent, groovy jams from the earlier hard bop years. Their more famous album, Out of The Afternoon, I only have one CD but this is no slouch either. Happy to have this 1959 original mono copy with a decently sharp jacket and disc that plays mostly cleanly with only a couple ticks. With a stereo cart it doesn’t fair as well but mono on mono is really the way to go with these old records, both sonically and because some of the marks are less audible that way. Have a nice week everyone.

Admittedly a lot of his later work is a bit too much for me, but I am a big fan of his earlier hard bop work and sound, being drawn particularly to his playing on ballads.

Here’s one of my favorite prestige releases of his featuring a couple of said ballads, along with some typical hard bop tunes good for a weekend. Copy is a clean 1958 RVG in mono, though the sleeve has seen better days.

It’s a bit difficult to pick given his large release discography but I think byrd in flight is my favorite Donald Byrd, with fancy free being somewhere in the top three as well. Duke Pearson can really write a catchy tune, and a lot of this album features his work, plus a nice ballad in the mix as well.

My copy is a 1966 stereo release - not great sounding as it’s when they started experimenting with the “electronically re channeled stereo” thing but much more affordable than an original mono.

A nice grey wfh morning today, so I’m spinning up some relaxed, chill albums. This is one of my favorite Moodsville releases that isn’t particularly popular or well known, an album of ballad-adjacent tunes from trumpet player Clark Terry. I wouldn’t call anything on it innovative but every musician would tell you one of the most difficult things is to play simply without being derivative.

My copy is a 1961 US mono original, RVG etched and all the good stuff that entails. Jacket has some minor wear but the disc itself plays pristine.