Steely Dan UHQR Series

February 4th, 2023

Do Not Judge This Blossom By Its Cover

Vinyl Me Please's reissue of Blossom Dearie's debut has crappy enlarged compact disc cover, but sounds great

By: Joshua Smith

Vinyl Me Please could have had a home run with this beautiful-sounding and essential reissue, but fails miserably with an ugly cover sourced from a late '80s-era compact disc.

Read More

Comments: 10

February 4th, 2023

World Pacific Reissues An Essential Lenny Bruce Recording

From the archives: On this recording, Lenny Bruce riffs off of set pieces, going wherever his mind leads

By: Michael Fremer

(This review originally appeared in Issue 7, Spring 1996.)This 2CD set documenting comedian Lenny Bruce’s legendary February 4th, 1961 midnight concert at Carnegie Hall is a slightly expanded version of what was originally issued in 1972 as an attractively packaged 3LP set by United Artists (UAS 8900). The concert took place the night after a gigantic blizzard had literally closed down New York City. Bruce almost didn’t make it into town, and when he did, he hardly... Read More

Comments: 3

February 3rd, 2023

Marley Family/Tuff Gong Pressed in Jamaica Limited Edition LP Series Announced

in celebration of Bob Marley's 78th birthday

By: Tracking Angle

(Los Angeles – February 3, 2023)— The Marley Family Tuff Gong, and UMe commemorate Bob Marley’s 78th birthday....with a series of events, including a dozen limited-edition Bob Marley vinyl LPs each numbered and press exclusively at the legendary Tuff Gong International headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica featuring nine original studio an two original live albums plus Legend the world's best-selling reggae album.Interesting fact #1: The limited-edition albums were... Read More

Comments: 1

January 31st, 2023

THE McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969-73

book review and interview with Allan Kozinn

By: JoE Silva

Veteran journalist Allan Kozinn and documentarian Adrian Sinclair set out to climb "Mount McCartney" over three massive volumes that place the ex-Beatles solo career under a new microscope.

Read More

Comments: 3

January 30th, 2023

2023 Verve/Impulse! Acoustic Sounds Series Announced Today

12 essential jazz albums

By: Michael Fremer

This year's 12 Verve/Impulse! titles were announced today, all cut by Ryan Smith using the original master tapes. First to be released will be The Oscar Peterson Trio's Night Train.

Read More

Comments: 8

January 30th, 2023

"Hackensack West"'s First Published Recording Fulfills Kevin Gray's Sonic Quest

25 Prospect Avenue re-imagined for the 21st century

By: Michael Fremer

Cohearent Recording, Kevin Gray's new living room studio, which he jokingly calls "Hackensack West" was the venue for this, the first record released on Cohearent Records. The all-analog all-vacuum tube recording chain used to produce sound every RVG fan will swoon from was outlined in a video Gray recently posted on YouTube we've embedded here. So-Cal based jazz saxophonist/educator Kirsten Edkins, who's played in Bill Holman's Big Band,... Read More

Comments: 5