20 tunes shortened on one LP ! Still, really good sound on this. A sort of retrospective of his albums on Columbia through the years. Thought some of you would enjoy this oddity. Tracklist here.
A dozen of good little jazz albums for the pleasure of your eyes (and my ears).
The unusual stuff of note :
Not the best condition sleeve, but for 9 € I can't really complain. A very funky album by the good Brother Julian and his band.
Hummin' is a tight groover, huge tune !
Walter Bishop Trio - Speak Low (JP, 1984)
I just love that album. My previous Japanese copy looked clean but played with an inordinate amount of background noise despite repeated cleaning sessions.
Very happy to have found a nice little upgrade for not much money.
Found this and while it's only a lowly Scorpio reissue, it's a damn good album, very early in the jazz-funk genre (1969 !).
Blue Mitchell is on top form, and all musicians are delivering the groove (Wilton Felder from the Crusaders on bass here).
Just had a look at a few of those old Windham Hill 'new age' albums. The aesthetics of the covers look too similar to ECM albums be a coincidence. Same environmental and landscape-based artwork that adorn many of their releases.
The music is a tad different of course, but it wouldn't be a stretch to call a lot of ECM stuff new age, reflexive music.
What d'you think of it ? Am I imagining things ?
Honestly, I didn't need any of those albums. But sometimes, you can't turn down a good deal, right ?
Funny thing is, the most expensive one was the only 2nd hand LP, a Soultrane OJC for 15 €. :D
A few classics, many less so.
One highlight in particular since it's under the radar :
Herb Geller Featuring Mark Murphy & Earl Jordan – Rhyme And Reason : This is an absolutely enjoyable album IF you like both jazz-funk and aren't allergic to vocals. I tend to like Mark Murphy's poetry/singing quite a bit, so this is really up my street. Shouldn't be an expensive record. Rare groove hunters on a budget should keep an eye for this one. (original German pressing has a 2nd LP with instrumental versions, and is usually a tad more expensive)
Jimmy Smith - Black Smith (1974 original) : Interesting little album, it's jazz-funk but veering towards the orchestrated soul / r'n'b at times. Quite commercial, but not cheesy; Jimmy's organ play is more part of an ensemble than a leader here. Unusually produced by Michael Viner (who did the million-times sampled 'Apache break' on Bongo Rock). Paid 16 € which is rather good, I see it selling for silly money sometimes and while it's a good album, not worth these prices imho.
Don Cherry - Art Deco (1989 original) : Late album from him, recently reissued. This is not an avant-garde free jazz album, but rather a nice contemporary jazz offering. Tight band with Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins. Nice tenor sax from James Clay, whom I didn't really know before. Very accessible album especially considering Don Cherry's usual style. 19 €, not the deal of the century but still quite good as both the record and covers are near mint.
A great saxophonist using the Echoplex, which would become his trademark sound. He released several albums on Cadet, Impulse, ABC, Elektra ...
I'm still amazed at how often I come back to the album pictured, Waterfalls (1972). A live session of very spiritual, modal and soul jazz. There is a touch of Coltrane in it, yet it's something of its own.
I would recommend all of his early work up until the mid-70s, Touch and subsequent albums veer towards a very smooth jazz approach which doesn't really do justice to his talent imho.
Many of his albums, including the early ones, are fairly inexpensive and probably not too hard to find. Give it a go if you stumble upon them.
Some time ago I started this post asking about an amp upgrade to go with my turntable and speakers : https://www.reddit.com/r/BudgetAudiophile/comments/1t5jsvc/sony_strdh190_or_rotel_a8_or_another_amp/
Thank you too all who pitched in; in the end I went with the Yamaha A-S301 that many of you recommended, instead of my initial consideration, the Sony STR-DH190. The Rotel A8 went out of stock sadly, and it was hard to decide between it and the Yamaha.
I'm so happy with it, the upgrade is significant : better imaging, better instrument identification, stereo separation. The Pure Direct mode is also incredibly nice. I'm literally rediscovering some of my records !
So again, a huge thanks to you people of r/BudgetAudiophile
Talented cartoonist and a cool and loving dad !
Jimmy McGriff on Rhodes... not the expected program but this grooves very hard. Enjoying it very much. 👍
Where would the best record shops and/or carboot sales be for record shopping/thrifting on the cheap ?
Not the sort of stuff I find there usually.