Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Baker's Holiday is a 1965 album that sees trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker paying homage to the legendary Billie Holiday. Released now on Verve, the album features Baker's signature mellow trumpet solos complemented by his occasional vocals. He is supported by a full saxophone section and a four-piece rhythm group, including renowned pianist Hank Jones, while colorful arrangements by Jimmy Mundy enrich the listening experience. The album consists of ten songs associated with Lady Day, many of which Baker had not recorded before. This classic album is now part of Verve's Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series, which aims to deliver audiophile-grade versions of historic jazz records. Each title in the series is mastered from original analogue tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and packaged in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. Baker's Holiday exemplifies Baker's talent and serves as a beautiful tribute to one of jazz's most influential figures.

Review: Soulville is quintessential Ben Webster: intimate, tender, endlessly expressive. Webster was internationally recognized as one of Jazz's elder statesman when he recorded this album in 1957. Leading a stellar combo through a program consisting mostly of vintage pop tunes, the great tenor saxophonist is heard here at his peak (though it's most notable for some of its supplementary recordings hearing Webster himself playing the piano, not the sax). Verve's Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Review: Usually we note how many albums along a new release is, but by 'Trio '65', Bill Evans was so deep into his live LP-releasing career that we find it difficult to count out exactly which release number this one is. Now reissued on Verve's Acoustic Sounds series - dedicated to new vinyl remasters from analog tapes - the jazz pianist's masterful hand technique is given its most thorough audiophile's listen-in yet. Joined by bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker for this 1965 recording, this one is a typically noir and cigarette-smoked tour through both Evans originals and known standards, from 'Israel' and 'Elsa to 'Come Rain Or Come Shine'.

Review: From the opening notes of the iconic 'Alamode,' this album bursts with beauty. It features the first sextet lineup of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and showcases a young Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass. The band relentlessly drives the pace with each track, making a powerful impact throughout and for that rowans it became one of many Art Blakey classics. This Verve By Request release is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Third Man in Detroit, which as you will know means it sounds second to none.

Review: The godfather of soul found himself dipping into jazz on this classic but lesser-known album, Soul On Top (Verse By Request Series). Now getting a proper reissue treatment it is sure to convert many new fans to his abilities across the six sizzling tracks from this 1969 album, which includes the classic 'It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World' and a new version of 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag'. Brown provides the vocals to a 18-piece big band set up that was led by drummer Louis Bellson and arranged by Impulse! star Oliver Nelson. Brown always said he was a jazzman at heart and this goes some way to proving that, with saxophonist Maceo Parker adding plenty of vital swing.

Review: Kenny Burrell's Guitar Forms stands as a cornerstone of the jazz guitar genre, offering a masterful display of various styles, from the engaging Latin combo performance of 'Moon and Sand' with the Gil Evans Orchestra to the bluesy tones of 'Downstairs' and 'Terrace Theme'. Other highlights include the luxurious treatment of Harold Arlen's 'Last Night When We Were Young.' Burrell's thoughtful and concise solos, along with his switch to acoustic classical guitar on tracks like 'Prelude #2' and 'Loie,' further demonstrating his musical talent. Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analogue tapes and pressed onto 180-gram LPs at Quality Record Pressings, this audiophile reissue offers a definitive listening experience. Supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the album is packaged in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets by Stoughton Printing Co. With its rich repertoire and impeccable production, Guitar Forms is a easy purchase for any jazz enthusiast's collection, representing the timeless artistry of Kenny Burrell and his abilities in the jazz guitar genre.

Review: The plainspoken title Previously Unheard Recordings was given to Stan Getz and Bill Evans' six-track set of rarities back in 1974. The result of a recording session completed over ten years earlier in 1963, all the pieces heard here shine bright lights on the pianist and saxophonist's synergistic powers, and come backed by auxiliary instrumental incantations from two bassists, Ron Carter and Richard Davis, as well as drumming by Elvin Jones. Emblematic of the cool jazz style, the overgirding mood is one of time-lapsed delight and lightness of being, but yet which is not fearful of life's downer moments; this loyalty to jazz's complexity of mood can be heard all the way from 'Night And Day' or the closing 'Grandfather's Waltz'.