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Don Rendell And Ian Carr Quintet

The Complete Lansdowne Recordings, 1965-1969

After an epic licensing odyssey that's taken us almost 20 years, we're finally able to announce the 5LP boxset release of the first ever official re-issue of all five of the iconic Lansdowne recording sessions by the legendary UK jazz combo, the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet.
The five albums; Shades Of Blues (1965), Dusk Fire (1966), Phase III (1968), Change Is (1969) and Live (1969), have reached almost mythical status in the collector's world. Regarded as holy grail artefacts for even the seasoned aficionado, the collective second hand market value comes to an astonishing £6000.
Many have tried - and failed - to reissue these albums by legitimate means. However, two decades since our initial approach, Universal Music has gone to great lengths to research their vast archives, and we have finally managed to succeed.
The complete Don Rendell & Ian Carr Lansdowne recording sessions have now undergone a full and unprecedented boxset reissue. We located and acquired the original analogue master tapes from the Universal vaults and created masters at Abbey Road Studios to produce audiophile quality 180g pressings replete with replica artwork - shape, design, and even paper stock. No stone has been left unturned to deliver this absolute labour of love to the highest possible standard! The enclosed booklet contains never before seen photographs, interviews with the remaining living band members and liner notes from BBC Radio 3 presenter and award-winning jazz writer Alyn Shipton.
The band played together for seven years and during this fruitful time they made a plethora of deeply melodic, post-bop British jazz compositions that later on took influences from Indo and more spiritually guided jazz. Produced by the influential Denis Preston and recorded at his Lansdowne Studios in London, the band was primarily made up of saxophonist Don Rendell, trumpeter/composer Ian Carr, and pianist/composer Michael Garrick. This is UK jazz at its absolute finest, and the quality of our box set pays testament to that.

TRACK LISTING

1 Blue Mosque
2 Latin Blue
3 Just Blue
4 Sailin'
5 Garrison '64
6 Blue Doom
7 Shades Of Blue
8 Big City Strut
9 Ruth
10 Tan Samfu
11 Jubal
12 Spooks
13 Prayer
14 Hot Rod
15 Dusk Fire
16 Crazy Jane
17 On! [clip]
18 Les Neiges D'Antan (Snows Of Yesteryear)
19 Bath Sheba
20 Black Marigolds
21 Elastic Dream
22 One Green Eye
23 Boy, Dog And Carrot
24 Cold Mountain
25 Black Hair
26 Mirage
27 On Track
28 Vignette
29 Pavanne
30 Nimjam
31 Voices
32 You've Said It 

Many artists achieve greatness but very few produce work that is so moving it's considered sacred. Whether you choose to call them hymns, psalms or spirituals, their songs are a healing force for troubled times. We feel close to these prophets, in recognition of their uncommon labours. It is as if they have given all of themselves, body and soul, through music.

We can safely say that our Spiritual Jazz series would not exist without the inspiration and leadership of the spiritual messiah that is John Coltrane. It can only be right and proper that we dedicate a whole album to his legacy and lasting influence. Spiritual Jazz 15 – A Tribute to 'Trane shines a spotlight on the reverence in which the saxophonist is held in so many ways.

On one hand our selection displays cover versions of his songs performed by the musicians he inspired; disciples to Coltrane the messiah, who chose to give praise to the one who laid a foundation for them. The listener will also encounter original music written in honour of Coltrane that underlines the endless presence he has had among artists from different backgrounds and eras.

The preacher may have ascended to a higher plane, but his congregation is still right down here on the ground. Ten songs to lift the spirits of everyone, everywhere.

TRACK LISTING

1. Norman Connors - Welcome
2. Clifford Jordon - John Coltrane
3. Sonny Fortune - Ole
4. The Darwin Strickland Trio - Niami
5. Gilles Torrent Jazztet - Terre Engloutie
6. Carsten Meinert - To Trane
7. Malachi Thompson & Africa Brass - Transition
8. Hampton Hawes Trio - Evening Trane
9. Carmelo Garcia - Trane
10. Brother Jack McDuff - Naima

While the string of legendary independent labels, from Blue Note and Prestige to Steeplechase and Impulse! loom large in our ­Spiritual Jazz catalogue, our latest installment concerns the brave and innovative souls who acted 'privately', recording and releasing their music without the aid or involvement of a bona fide record company. Making a custom, private press record on your own, without the backing, status and business acumen of an established record company to help out is no mean feat, but it never really was difficult - it's just a matter of spending money - but the tricky bit, which remains to this day, is what to do exactly with a pallet load of vinyl that's just been delivered to your door?

Sales and distribution never was easy, and getting it right requires imagination, enthusiasm, dedication, hard work and a more than a little luck. Even for the professionals it's proved immensely difficult at times; perhaps that's why so many private press records remain so obscure and elusive to this day.

Herein we examine a variety of tracks from a selection of privately pressed jazz records, released in the US between 1964 and 1987. One of the most interesting things we've found while researching this album is the variety of reasons behind coming up with a self-released record. No two stories are the same; some were done purely out of altruism to further the musical direction of students, others were simply trying to make it big, albeit on their own terms. But one solid truth remains that binds together each and every selection here – the artists didn't just make their music for the fun of it, they believed in their art so much that they took whatever steps they had available to them at the time, to get their music heard.

In keeping with the DIY ethos of private pressings, each LP and CD has their covers stamped by hand, meaning no two copies are exactly alike. And as always with our Spiritual Jazz series of albums, each comes with liner notes and pics, in this case direct from the artists themselves. Jazzman - We Dig Deeper!

TRACK LISTING

1. Erni Clark - By The Grace Of God, I Am
2. Elysian Spring - Lotus
3. Radam Schwartz - Middle Eastern Fantasy
4. Mary Lou Williams - Communion Song: The World
5. Carmelo Garcia - Ethiopia
6. Black Is ---- - Themes & Variations
7. Cullen Knight - A'Keem (Brother)
8. Don Menza - Spanishoots
9. Belair - Morning Rainwalk
10. Andrew McPherson - Delilah
11. Almanac - Symbiosis
12. Owen Marshall - Evolove
13. Bobby Jackson - Desiree Song
14. Compass - Pharoah's Thing

Prof. James Benson

The Gow-Dow Experience

Following my recent phone call with Prof. Benson, I left him to continue his 92nd birthday celebrations with his family. We'd talked about his life, his music, his achievements. Throughout our conversation it struck me what a kind, humble and pleasant man he was. I felt that I was in the presence of greatness – not the egotistical greatness that emanates so often from high achievers, but that of someone who had simply won at life.

"I was a music teacher. I wasn't trying to make a record to compete, I was trying to make a record so the students would have something to remember the experience that we had... I was doing it for the kids."

It was 1973 that Prof. James Benson had self-funded his private press LP for the benefit of the teenage musicians he tutored at Cal Poly, California. The album was a momentous achievement for him and his young protegees, something they were all proud of, and rightly so. Taking inspiration from their recent trip to Africa and blended with the radical jazz associated with the young minds of early '70s black America, the Gow-Dow Experience is a unique foray into the enthusiastic mindset of up-and-coming jazz musicians, as encouraged by their mentor Prof. Benson.

We present the album as it was released in 1973 with a heavyweight tip-on jacket and 180g vinyl or on CD. We also include an insert with liner notes and photos provided courtesy of Prof Benson. The LP and CD come with 4 additional tracks taken from the recording session. Until now these tracks have never been heard since the day they were recorded - believe me, they're worth the wait!

Made with love from Jazzman - because we love to dig deeper!

TRACK LISTING

1. Nigeria, West Africa
2. Song For My Black Mother
3. Barry Rae
4. Compared To What
5. Malcolm IX
6. Spring 2000
7. Brother Don
8. Psychedelic Sally
9. Compared To What (Alternate Take)
10. You Are Arrogant
11. Brother Don (Alternate Mix)

Amanda Whiting

Lost In Abstraction

Following her successful debut album After Dark, new ideas have led Whiting to create Lost in Abstraction. More than the expected ethereal washes of sound, the album playfully embraces her many influences into a soundscape of modernity. With rhythmical energies and the indulgent richness of an instrument so often associated with Ashby and Coltrane, the album resonates, leaving the listener lost in abstraction.

"This album explores so many elements of life. From my influences in music, to my own personal struggles. After 2 years of a pandemic, many of us feel lost and confused with our lines blurred. Life is now different. By removing our own applied restrictions of preconceptions and habits, which often choke us, we feel lost. But it is only at this point that we find ourselves."

TRACK LISTING

1. Abstraction
2. Lost
3. Venus Fly Trap
4. Temptation
5. Too Much
6. Where Would We Be
7. Up There
8. Discarded
9. Suspended
10. Got It?

We at Jazzman have already given legitimate release to albums that fell foul of the notorious '70s 'tax scam' practice, namely those by Sounds of the City Experience and Ricardo Marrero. It now gives us great satisfaction to present Reality's 'Disco Party' album, for the very first time in agreement with the surviving members of the band. Possibly the most obscure of all the obscurities in the TSG catalogue, 'Disco Party' isn't actually 'disco' at all, moreover it's a fully rounded excursion into mid-70s dancefloor funk and proto-disco-jazz, performed by a group of expert musicians at the height of their powers. Recorded in one long session in NYC, until now, bandleader Dr. Otto Gomez and the rest of his crew had never even heard the recordings they'd made almost 50 years ago. Indeed, none of the band even knew that their album had been released!

At Jazzman, we consider it our mission to shine new light on music that went under-appreciated at the time of its original release. There are many varied circumstances which can cause an otherwise great record to not do so well - for instance, poor budget, marketing, promo and sometimes just plain old bad luck. Perhaps the most unjust circumstance involves the tax loss releases of the mid-70s - records made purely to cheat a few dollars out of the tax man.
Here, along with restoring the music, we have dug deep into the backstory of the group, interviewing Gomez and others to find out exactly who this unheralded NYC funk orchestra were and what happened to them before and after the monumental session laid out on this record. Our liner notes tell the story of the TSG label and the 'tax loss' phenomenon, and we delve into the history of the band from their humble beginnings as the Smokin' Shades of Black(!) to the present day. We also find out exactly what it means to record some brilliant music - only to have it taken away - and discarded.

TRACK LISTING

1. Reality
2. Road
3. Disco Party (Let's Have A)
4. Welcome
5. Movin' & Groovin'
6. Let's Party People
7. You Keep Me Holdin' On
8. Clap & Hustle

Forty Seven Times Its Own Weight

Cumulo Nimbus

Fable is a small independent record label started in Austin, Texas in the early 1970s by a young trombone player named Michael Mordecai. In autumn 1975 he debuted a trio of albums on Fable by Austin bands 47 Times its Own Weight, Steam Heat and Starcrost. With only 1000 of each pressed, and each carrying a different emphasis on soul, funk or jazz, all 3 have gone on to become highly sought after by collectors and DJs around the world.

We meet with Michael at our UK offices and over several hours he tells us the highs and lows of running Fable Records, leaving no stone unturned and with success and tragedy in equal measure. We also speak with members of all 3 bands, and they share with us interesting stories and cool anecdotes of the wild times in the mid '70s when their records were made. We acquire informative press cuttings and some awesome posters & flyers, and all of this we publish in a booklet included with each LP which are housed in a US-style tip-on sleeve. Jazzman Records - We Dig Deeper.



TRACK LISTING

1. Weedhopper
2. March Of The Goober Woobers
3. 47 Tears
4. Jig
5. Halyards
6. Cumulo Nimbus 

Fable is a small independent record label started in Austin, Texas in the early 1970s by a young trombone player named Michael Mordecai. In autumn 1975 he debuted a trio of albums on Fable by Austin bands 47 Times its Own Weight, Steam Heat and Starcrost. With only 1000 of each pressed, and each carrying a different emphasis on soul, funk or jazz, all 3 have gone on to become highly sought after by collectors and DJs around the world.

We meet with Michael at our UK offices and over several hours he tells us the highs and lows of running Fable Records, leaving no stone unturned and with success and tragedy in equal measure. We also speak with members of all 3 bands, and they share with us interesting stories and cool anecdotes of the wild times in the mid '70s when their records were made. We acquire informative press cuttings and some awesome posters & flyers, and all of this we publish in a booklet included with each LP which are housed in a US-style tip-on sleeve. Jazzman Records - We Dig Deeper.

STAFF COMMENTS

David says: Yet more heat from Jazzman. On fire after their unmissable Don Rendell reissues, this time they delve deep into the Texan funk and soul scene of the early seventies and find Starcrost, an og of which will cost you £400.

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracklist

1. False Paradise
2. Catharsis
3. Quicksand
4. Grandfather Clock
5. Flow
6. Run
7. Getting Going
8. Funky Little Home
9. Da Ba O
10. I've Got A Plan

LP Tracklist

1. False Paradise
2. Catharsis
3. Quicksand
4. Grandfather Clock
5. Flow
6. Getting Going
7. Funky Little Home
8. Da Ba O 


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