Blues & Jazz

Masterfully plush guitar textures! This colorful collection spotlights guitar virtuoso Barnes and his octet's tremendous technique, astounding agility, tender touch, and impressive improvisations across a dozen pieces that run the gamut of musical emotions. Gaiety, romance, melancholia, and more are expressively explored in this first-ever reissue of brilliant, gem-like jazz.

Peanuts Greatest Hits is an album of all seasons for fans of the venerable Charlie Brown and the gang. The program includes the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy,” the springtime favorite ,“Baseball Theme” Halloween’s “Great Pumpkin Waltz” and the yuletide favorite “Christmas Time Is Here.” Releasing in conjunction with Peanuts’ 70th anniversary, this limited edition picture disc features a smiling Snoopy on side A and his best friend, “Little Birdie,” Woodstock on side B.

Featuring the vivid musical cues that Guaraldi wrote for the cast of the Peanuts characters, this ‘Peanuts Portraits’ LP adds new dimensions to beloved regulars like Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder and Sally. In addition to nine songs performed by Guaraldi, the album also includes two classic Peanuts tunes recorded by pianist George Winston. Eight of the selections (including Winston renditions of “Linus And Lucy” and “Masked Marvel”), make their vinyl debut on Peanuts Portraits.

For over 30 years Matthew Shipp has built up an unparalleled body of work and a wholly original musical language that becomes more focused and distinctive with the passage of time. His abstract eloquence is on vivid display throughout The Piano Equation, new works for solo piano. Shipp builds his solo music in a cellular fashion, formed out of disparate elements that combine and evolve in novel and fascinating forms. Stride, swing and the avant-garde collide like elemental particles, the aftereffects radiating outward in increasingly complex and intricate formations. The scientific, the personal, the political and the fantastic co-exist throughout his work, melding in the pianists radical vocabulary which speaks with it's own alien yet familiar logic. Fragments of melody coalesce and transform, dissolve or shatter into kaleidoscopic reveries. The Piano Equation celebrates Matthew Shipp's 60th birtday, and while some may have used the arrival of such a landmark occasion as their 60th birthday to look backwards, Shipp continues to move resolutely forward, further evolving a voice that is as intimately personal as it is cosmically adventurous. This release is also the inaugural release from Tao Forms, a new label founded by drummer-improviser-composer - and longtime Shipp collaborator - Whit Dickey.

Smooth Urban Jazz superstar Kim Waters has sold over one million albums in his more than 20 years of touring and recording. Loved by R&B and Jazz fans alike, his crossover appeal, Smooth Jazz #1 radio hits and dynamic performances have placed him among the elite in his field. Highlights include Kim's passionate remake of Ella Mai's smash hit "Boo'd Up" and brilliant Waters original compositions like the romantic "With Open Arms," the exotic "Nina In Tortola," the driving "In The Fast Lane" and much more! Surefire radio hits include the funky original "Shakedown," the joyful "Feels Like Friday Night" and the uplifting "The Moment I See You!"

Ambrose Akinmusire follows his acclaimed, genre-busting 2018 manifesto, Origami Harvest, with another visionary statement on his new album `on the tender spot of every calloused moment'. The trumpeter examines blackness on an uncompromising set of modern jazz laced with a heavy blues feeling. The album presents 11 new compositions by Akinmusire, featuring his quartet - pianist Sam Harris, bassist Harish Raghavan, drummer Justin Brown - with guest vocals from Genevieve Artadi and Jesus Diaz.

Coming off my last album I was productive, and I ended up with a great batch of songs. I ran one by Joe Bonamassa, who said right away he wanted to play on it. And that’s how this album came about. Joe inspired me to invite others. I had songs that were strong and told good stories. I wanted the best musicians alive like Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Van Morrison and more to take them in unexpected directions. Wayne Hood, my producer, brought out the best of them. We have amazing songs and great guitars. - Dion

Kahil El'Zabar's 'Spirit Groove' on Spiritmuse Records is the latest musical inspiration from a spiritual jazz master Kahil El'Zabar, featuring the legendary tenor sax colossus, David Murray. El'Zabar's and Murray's collaborative efforts span over 4 decades of exceptional explorations in the varied realms of spiritual jazz. Joining them on this project are 2 extraordinary young talents, Emma Dayhuff on acoustic bass and Justin Dillard on keyboards/organ. 'Spirit Groove' is an innovative journey into the core soul of jazz and groove, where all are one in Spirit.

Recorded in 1982, not long after she moved to Paris, Fodder On My Wings was one of Nina Simone's favorite albums. In addition to having written the music and lyrics for all but one of the album's 13 songs, the back cover proudly states that she 'arranged, conducted and conceived' all of them. Originally recorded for a small French label and only sporadically available since its initial release, Fodder On My Wings is a lesserknown but important part of Nina's musical history. The album contains deeply personal songs, including 'I Sing Just To Know That I'm Alive' and 'I Was Just A Stupid Dog To Them', as well a searing lyrical improvisation about the death of her father on 'Alone Again, Naturally'. Recorded at a time when Nina was feeling rejuvenated by her surroundings and the African musicians she met in Paris, Fodder On My Wings is an essential Nina Simone album that is making a longoverdue reappearance.

Three, the 21st album from legendary Australian instrumental trio The Necks, is a winding, textural, and visceral musical exploration through three individual, contrasting tracks that each delve into separate tenets of their sound. Three's variety of tones and structures offer a glimpse into the boundless, immersive sonic universe The Necks have been constructing, through recorded and live performance, for over 30 years. From its very first moments, 'Bloom' rattles and propels listeners through a dense, mesmerizing soundscape of unceasing intensity. Directly juxtaposing the consuming rattle of the opener, 'Lovelock,' dedicated to the memory of Damien Lovelock, former frontman of The Celibate Rifles, is a weightless and atmospheric threnody that ruminates in the quiet and overwhelming moments of grief. The final setting of Three is one of warmth and familiarity. 'Further,' is a confident, seductive groove in a quintuple meter, reminiscent of the groups' work on records like Sex (1989) and Aquatic (1994). Contrasting the style of their celebrated improvisational live act, the group's studio work is meticulously sculpted from beginning to end. On Three, Chris Abrahams (piano), Lloyd Swanton (bass), Tony Buck (drums/percussion), and their long-time backend collaborators Tim Whitten (engineer) and Doung Henderson (master) have again scrupulously built music that focuses on the most intricate edges of staggeringly immense, diverse worlds. From strained to still to smoky, each piece of Three marks itself as distinct and its own, but all feel representative of Australia's greatest cult band, The Necks.

Vinyl LP pressing. 2020 release from the singer/songwriter. Supernova, the follow-up to her 2018 debut Starfire, is a "reflection of on the highs and lows that make life so beautiful," according to a press release. It was written after an extensive time on the road and the birth of her second child.

One of the greatest jazz innovators of all time, alto saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker (b. August 29, 1920) is one of the few musicians who can be said to have permanently changed jazz. A leading figure in the development of bebop, Parker (also known as “Bird”) left an enormous musical legacy in his short 34 years of life, and his vast influence extends to other forms of art, such as dance, literature, visual arts and film. As part of Bird’s centennial celebration in 2020, Craft Recordings presents The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection, a deluxe box set including four 10-inch LPs cut from newly restored and remastered audio. The collection highlights Bird’s pioneering bebop recordings for Savoy Records from 1944–1948, featuring jazz legends Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Lewis, Bud Powell, Max Roach and more. The package includes faithfully restored original album artwork, plus a booklet containing vintage photos, rare ephemera and new liner notes by GRAMMY®-winning author Neil Tesser. The complete set will also be released digitally.

Sonny Landreth’s new album "Blacktop Run" mixes genres and styles across a landscape of lyricism and rootsy grooves. His 3rd album for blues connaisseur label Provogue, and his 14th overall, will be released on February 21, 2020. A percussive burst of acoustic resonator guitar pushes the narrator on a journey “between the life I left and the edge of next” in the title cut of guitarist, songwriter and bandleader Sonny Landreth’s 14th album. As the singer feels the wind at his back, a rising bass line intersects Landreth's vocalizing to stretch the fingerpicked tune into Far Eastern melodicism. The south Louisiana artist's groundbreaking work has long mixed familiarity with experimentation, and his latest ten-song collection stretches from hard-edged electric instrumentals to wistful acoustic ballads. The project's range is the fruit of a renewed collaboration. Producer RS Field – who helmed Landreth's trio of breakout albums – joined the six-stringer and co-producer Tony Daigle to finish the record.

To mark the tenth anniversary of the release of I'm New Here , the thirteenth - and last - studio album from the legendary US musician, poet and author Gil Scott-Heron, XL Recordings will release a unique reinterpretation of the album by acclaimed US jazz musician Makaya McCraven. Titled We're New Again, the album will be released on 7th February 2020; exactly a decade after the release of Scott-Heron's original Richard Russell-produced recording. It's set to follow in the footsteps of Jamie xx's highly acclaimed 2011 remix album We're New Here and will be McCraven's first release of 2020, following the huge global acclaim heaped upon his 2018 album Universal Beings. One of the most vital new voices in modern jazz, McCraven is described by the New York Times as a Chicago-based drummer, producer and beat maker, [who] has quietly become one of the best arguments for jazz's vitality.

Double vinyl LP pressing. 2020 release. Dreamers Do explores the common human struggles around daring to dream, including a range of emotional and psychological consequences. The music all takes place over the course of one, sleepless night. Dreamers Do is a mix of Edmonson's original songs and re-imagined American Songbook standards (many of them, Disney songs from the mid-20th Century) arranged in the style of Kat's trademark vintage-pop, jazz, and chamber-pop. Musical influences were drawn from Africa, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Europe, and early to mid-century United States. Instruments featured on Dreamers Do include kora (West African harp), tabla, steel pan, erhu and pipa (Chinese string instruments), harp, theremin, celeste, polyphonic synthesized sounds, piano, organ, acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, drums, a multitude of percussion, strings, woodwinds, and voices. Possessing a fleet, light voice and a sly touch, jazz vocalist Kat Edmonson brings both the songs and the sensibility of the Great American Songbook into the 21st century.

Big Bad Blues, as the title suggests, focuses on Gibbons' lifelong love of the blues and rock & roll, showcasing the blues-influenced vocals and guitar licks that have together served as the foundation for his numerous hits over the past five decades. The album features 11 tracks balancing some classic covers like 'Rollin' and Tumblin,'' and 'Standing Around Crying' along with some of Billy's signature new blues originals.

Double vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2018 release, the first album in three years from the blues legend. The fruitful partnership of blues legend Buddy Guy and Grammy-winning producer Tom Hambridge continues on this album-and they had a little help from their friends, too. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck and James Bay join them here-though, as always, it's Buddy's guitar heroics, vocal power and commanding charisma that magnetize most. Includes "A Few Good Years," "Guilty As Charged," "Cognac," "Bad Day," "You Did the Crime" and more. This album is the first from Guy, 81, since 2015's Born to Play Guitar.

Redemption is Joe Bonamassa's 13th solo studio album and third in a row of all original material and sees him at his most ambitious and diverse yet as he continues to redefine and push the barriers of blues-rock. It features a collection of 12 exhilarating songs that reflect the re-birth that he is currently going through. You see the real shades of light and dark, for every trip into the tender depths of emotion there are some glorious hip shaking moments of joy and all the while accompanied by supreme musicianship and Bonamassa’s masterful and rich guitar playing. With 20 #1 Blues Albums on the Billboard Chart, Joe is an unrivaled guitar prowess and a once in a lifetime artist that has an insatiable desire to push himself to his best potential on every level. 2LP is 180g black vinyl and includes a download card.

Tony Bennett and Diana Krall celebrate their shared love of the music of George and Ira Gershwin on their new collaborative album, LOVE IS HERE TO STAY, set for a September 14th release.

LOVE IS HERE TO STAY is a subtle, sophisticated and beautifully rendered love letter to The Gershwins’ music and their status as one of the premiere songwriters of the American popular standard. It is a masterclass in vocal delivery and phrasing and the command that Bennett and Krall display of the material in both their duets and solo tracks makes it appear effortless, belying the honed skill of the vocalists. The duet tracks include “S’Wonderful,” “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” and “Fascinating Rhythm,” among them. “Fascinating Rhythm” was Tony Bennett’s first physical recording in 1949, made under his then stage name, Joe Bari, which he revisits as a duet with Krall for this project.

Unknown until 2004 and unheard until now, these recordings by the John Coltrane Quartet are, as Sonny Rollins says in the liner notes, “like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid.” With the discovery of the ¼”reference tapes that Coltrane took home with him after the recording  session a session that  was completely  unknown  and  for which master tapes don’t exist an important chapter in the evolution of Coltrane’s music can now be heard for the first time. Featuring the Classic Quartet John  Coltrane,  McCoy  Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones and recorded at the end of a two week run at Birdland, the music on this album represents one of the most influential groups in music history both performing in a musical style it had perfected and reaching in new, exploratory directions that were to affect the trajectory of jazz from that point forward.