Wayne Shorter’s 1967 album Schizophrenia found the legendary saxophonist at the pinnacle of post-bop with a sextet of like-minded musical explorers including James Spaulding, Curtis Fuller, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter & Joe Chambers performing Shorter originals like ‘Tom Thumb’, ‘Go’, and ‘Miyako’.

This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

TRACK LISTING

1. Tom Thumb (Side A)
2. Go (Side A)
3. Schizophrenia (Side A)
4. Kryptonite (Side B)
5. Miyako (Side B)
6. Playground (Side B)

Kansas City born Hammond B3 organ dynamo Big John Patton made a stellar run of soul jazz albums for Blue Note thru the 1960s but Let ‘Em Roll stands among the finest with Patton adding vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson to a standard organ trio line-up with guitarist Grant Green and drummer Otis Finch.

This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

TRACK LISTING

1. Let 'Em Roll (Side A)
2. Latona (Side A)
3. The Shadow Of Your Smile (Side A)
4. The Turnaround (Side B)
5. Jakey (Side B)
6. One Step Ahead (Side B)

It’s a testament to Jimmy Smith’s volcanic creativity that the Hammond B3 organ firebrand recorded not one but two soul jazz classics—Midnight Special and Back at the Chicken Shack—in a single day when he entered Van Gelder Studio on April 25, 1960 with Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone, Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Donald Bailey on drums.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Midnight Special
2. A Subtle One
Side B
3. Jumpin' The Blues
4. Why Was I Born
5. One O'Clock Jump

The Horace Silver Quintet of 1959 was a hard bop juggernaut featuring the pianist with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor & drummer Louis Hayes. Timeless originals like ‘Sister Sadie’, ‘Peace’, and the blustery title track make Blowin’ The Blues Away one of the finest entries in Silver’s formidable discography.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Blowin' The Blues Away
2. The St. Vitus Dance
3. Break City
4. Peace
Side B
5. Sister Sadie
6. The Baghdad Blues
7. Melancholy Mood (New Version)

Robert Glasper’s 2005 Blue Note debut Canvas signaled the arrival of a singular new voice in jazz and his 2007 follow-up In My Element solidified his status as a rising star who was taking the music someplace new. Featuring bassist Vicente Archer & drummer Damion Reid, the album expanded the possibilities of where a modern jazz piano trio might go by delving further into his hip-hop & gospel roots.

This 2-LP Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

The sound of Blue Note had been embedded in hip-hop thru sampling & remixes since its early days but Madlib raised the bar when the DJ, producer, rapper & multi-instrumentalist invaded the Blue Note vaults for his 2003 masterpiece Shades of Blue, a visionary album featuring remixes & reimaginations of classics by Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey, Ronnie Foster, Bobby Hutcherson, Wayne Shorter & more.

This 2-LP Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal

Joy’All, the fifth solo album from Jenny Lewis and follow up to 2019’s critically acclaimed On The Line (Warner Records) finds the singer-songwriter embarking on a new era in a new town—and on a new label, as she joins the iconic roster of Blue Note/Capitol Records.

“I started writing some of these songs on the road, pre-pandemic... and then put them aside as the world shut down, and then from my home in Nashville in early 2021, I joined a week-long virtual songwriting workshop with a handful of amazing artists, hosted by Beck. The challenge was to write one song every day for seven days, with guidelines from Beck. The guidelines would be prompts like ‘write a song with 1-4-5 chord progression,’ ‘write a song with only cliches,’ or ‘write in free form style.’ The first song I submitted to the group was ‘Puppy and a Truck.’” As the days progressed, the assignments kept coming in and Jenny ended up writing a good portion of Joy’All.

While Joy’All pulls from a bounty of sonic inspiration–from soul to 90’s R&B, as well as country and classic singer-songwriter records the album’s rich and intimate, live sound is the hallmark of eight-time Grammy winning producer Dave Cobb (John Prine, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell), whom Jenny met by chance while visiting Lucius at the Historic RCA Studio A in Nashville. A natural kinship developed between the two, and with her arsenal of songs that she had demoed on her iPhone ready to roll, Jenny texted Dave and asked him to produce her new album.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Swooning country guitars, rolling basslines and Lewis' unmistakeable vocals are ever present on her latest LP, Joy'All'. The real lift here comes from the bright joy of proceedings, dealing with some sadness but with a levity and wit that's refreshing, providing a buffer to Lewis' famously deep vocal musings.

Released on the Cadet label in 1970, this album’s wondrous mix of spiritual and funky jazz and unique instrumentation defy categorization. Harpist Ashby adds the koto, a 13-stringed Japanese instrument to her arsenal, and her long-time arranger Richard Evans blends flutes, vibraphone, oboe, kalimba and Ashby’s own vocals into a singular and soul-affirming set.

This Verve By Request title is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Third Man in Detroit. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Myself When Young (Side A)
2. For Some We Loved (Side A)
3. Wax And Wane (Side A)
4. Drink (Side A)
5. Wine (Side A)
6. Dust (Side B)
7. Joyful Grass And Grape (Side B)
8. Shadow Shapes (Side B)
9. Heaven And Hell (Side B)
10. The Moving Finger (Side B)

Ten years ago in 2012, Robert Glasper changed the game. After several acclaimed Blue Note albums that solidified his Jazz cred while hinting at his Hip-Hop leanings, the visionary pianist went all in with Black Radio, an album that laid out a new paradigm for creative music, reaching beyond entrenched genre boundaries to create a singular vision that drew from all reaches of contemporary black music and beyond.

Featuring his Experiment band with Casey Benjamin on sax/vocoder, Derrick Hodge on bass and Chris Dave on drums, the album boasted a rollcall of special guests including Erykah Badu, Yasiin Bey, Lupe Fiasco, Bilal, Lalah Hathaway, Ledisi, Chrisette Michele, Musiq Soulchild, Meshell Ndegeocello & others.

Black Radio would go on to debut on four different Billboard charts peaking at #1 Jazz, #4 R&B/Hip-Hop, and even reaching #15 on the Top 200. The cherry on top came in February 2013 at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards when Black Radio was awarded Best R&B Album.

Now, a special 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition presents the full Black Radio experience by expanding it to 3-LPs featuring the original album plus three bonus tracks previously unreleased on vinyl, and the remix EP Black Radio Recovered which featured additional contributions from Questlove, Solange, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, and more.

TRACK LISTING

VINYL TRACKLISTING:
LP 1 | Black Radio | Original Album
Side A
Lift Off / Mic Check Feat. Shafiq Husayn
Afro Blue Feat. Erykah Badu
Cherish The Day Feat. Lalah Hathaway
Always Shine Feat. Lupe Fiasco And Bilal
Side B
Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.) Feat. Ledisi
Move Love Feat. King
Ah Yeah Feat. Musiq Soulchild & Chrisette Michele
The Consequences Of Jealousy Feat. Meshell Ndegeocello
LP 2
Side A | Black Radio | Original Album
Why Do We Try Feat. Stokley
Black Radio Feat. Yasiin Bey
Letter To Hermione Feat. Bilal
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Side B | Black Radio | Bonus Tracks*
Twice
A Love Supreme
Fever Feat. Hindi Zahra
*Previously Unreleased On Vinyl
LP 3 | Black Radio Recovered | The Remix EP
Side A
Afro Blue Feat. Erykah Badu (9th Wonder's Blue Light Basement Remix)
Black Radio Feat. Yasiin Bey (Pete Rock Remix)
Twice (Questlove's Twice Baked Remix Feat. Solange Knowles & The Roots)
Side B
The Consequences Of Jealousy (Georgia Anne Muldrow's Sassy Geemix)
Letter To Hermione Feat. Bilal (Robert Glasper And Jewels Remix Feat. Black Milk)
Dillalude #2

CD TRACKLISTING:
1. Lift Off / Mic Check Feat. Shafiq Husayn
2. Afro Blue Feat. Erykah Badu
3. Cherish The Day Feat. Lalah Hathaway
4. Always Shine Feat. Lupe Fiasco And Bilal
5. Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.) Feat. Ledisi
6. Move Love Feat. King
7. Ah Yeah Feat. Musiq Soulchild & Chrisette Michele
8. The Consequences Of Jealousy Feat. Meshell Ndegeocello
9. Why Do We Try Feat. Stokley
10. Black Radio Feat. Yasiin Bey
11. Letter To Hermione Feat. Bilal
12. Smells Like Teen Spirit
13. Twice
14. A Love Supreme
15. Fever Feat. Hindi Zahra
16. Afro Blue Feat. Erykah Badu (9th Wonder's Blue Light Basement Remix)
17. Black Radio Feat. Yasiin Bey (Pete Rock Remix)
18. Twice (?uestlove's Twice Baked Remix Feat. Solange Knowles & The Roots)
19. The Consequences Of Jealousy (Georgia Anne Muldrow's Sassy Geemix)
20. Letter To Hermione Feat. Bilal (Robert Glasper And Jewels Remix Feat. Black Milk)
21. Dillalude #2

4-time GRAMMY-winning producer Larry Klein, who produced Herbie Hancock’s GRAMMY Album of the Year winning release River: The Joni Letters, has assembled another extraordinary star-studded project with Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen. This heartfelt tribute to Klein’s dear friend, the legendary singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, presents stunning renditions of his profound songs by an impressive and eclectic line-up of guest vocalists including James Taylor, Iggy Pop, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, Gregory Porter, Peter Gabriel, Nathaniel Rateliff, David Gray, Sarah McLachlan, and Luciana Souza. The backing band is no less impressive featuring a remarkable quintet of modern jazz talent including guitarist Bill Frisell, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Nate Smith.

TRACK LISTING

1. Steer Your Way - Norah Jones
2. Here It Is - Peter Gabriel
3. Suzanne - Gregory Porter
4. Hallelujah - Sarah McLachlan
5. Avalanche - Immanuel Wilkins
6. Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye - Luciana Souza
7. Coming Back To You - James Taylor
8. You Want It Darker - Iggy Pop
9. If It Be Your Will - Mavis Staples
10. Seems So Long Ago, Nancy - David Gray
11. Famous Blue Raincoat - Nathaniel Rateliff
12. Bird On The Wire - Bill Frisell

Legendary labels Decca Records and Blue Note have joined forces for Blue Note Re:imagined; a brand-new collection of classic Blue Note tracks, reworked and newly recorded by a selection of the UK scene’s most exciting young talents.

Blue Note Re:imagined returns this year with a new 16-track compilation featuring fresh takes on music from the illustrious Blue Note vaults recorded by a heavyweight line-up of the UK jazz, soul and R&B scene’s most hotly-tipped rising stars. Arriving off the back of the widespread international success of the first volume, which topped jazz charts around the globe, Blue Note Re:imagined II once again infuses the spirit of the new UK jazz generation into the legendary label’s iconic catalogue, balancing the genre’s tradition with its future and reflecting the melting pot of talent and diversity within the current scene.

“For more than eight decades the artists of Blue Note Records have continually pushed the envelope of contemporary music, and Blue Note Re:imagined II once again honours that legacy by letting the UK’s most creative young artists reinvent the treasures of the Blue Note catalogue through their own lens.” – Blue Note President, Don Was.

TRACK LISTING

1. Yazz Ahmed - It (Chick Correa)
2. Conor Albert - You Make Me Feel So Good (Bobbi Humphrey)
3. Parthenope - Don’t Know Why (Norah Jones)
4. Swindle - Miss Kane (Donald Byrd)
5. Nubiyan Twist - Through The Noise (Chant No.2) (Donald Byrd)
6. Ego Ella May - Morning Side Of Love (Chico Hamilton)
7. Oscar Jerome - Green With Envy (Grant Green)
8. Daniel Casimir Ft. Rita Moran - Lost (Wayne Shorter)
9. Theon Cross - Epistrophy (Thelonious Monk)
10. Maya Delilah - Harvest Moon (Cassandra Wilson)
11. Kay Young - Feel Like Making Love (Marlena Shaw)
12. Venna & Marco - Where Are We Going (Donald Byrd)
13. Reuben James - Infant Eyes (Wayne Shorter)
14. Binker Golding - Fort Worth (Joe Lovano)
15. Cherise - Sunrise (Norah Jones)
16. Franc Moody - Cristo Redentor (Donald Byrd)

To mark the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, Blue Train will be released in two special editions on September 16 as part of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series.

A 1-LP mono pressing of the original album will be presented in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket, while the 2-LP stereo collection Blue Train: The Complete Masters will include a second disc featuring seven alternate and incomplete takes, none of which have been released previously on vinyl, and four of which have never been released before on any format. The Complete Masters comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen session photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Coltrane expert Ashley Kahn. Both Tone Poet Vinyl Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI.

Blue Train: The Complete Masters will also be released as a 2-CD set and digital collection.

“Few studio experiences I’ve had can compare with the thrill of listening to the original master tapes—mono, stereo and alternate takes—of Blue Train,” says Harley. “I consider these two new versions the definitive editions of this masterpiece performance by John Coltrane.”

TRACK LISTING

2CD
Blue Train
Moment’s Notice
Locomotion
I’m Old Fashioned
Lazy Bird
Blue Train (false Start)
Blue Train (take 7)
Moment’s Notice (alternate Take 4)
Lazy Bird (take 1)
Blue Train (alternate Take)
Moment’s Notice (incomplete Alternate Take 5A)
Lazy Bird (alternate Take)

1LP
LP 1 | Blue Train | Original Album | Studio
Side A
Blue Train
Moment’s Notice
Side B
Locomotion
I’m Old Fashioned
Lazy Bird

2LP
LP 1 | Blue Train | Original Album | Studio
Side A
Blue Train
Moment’s Notice
Side B
Locomotion
I’m Old Fashioned
Lazy Bird
LP 2 | Blue Train | Alternate And Incomplete Takes
Side A
Blue Train (false Start)
Blue Train (take 7)
Moment’s Notice (alternate Take 4)
Lazy Bird (take 1)
Side B
Blue Train (alternate Take)
Moment’s Notice (incomplete Alternate Take 5A)
Lazy Bird (alternate Take)

Nubiyan Twist and Swindle reimagine two Blue Note classics for Blue Note Re:imagined II; a new 16-track compilation featuring fresh takes on music from the illustrious Blue Note vaults recorded by a heavyweight line-up of the UK jazz, soul and R&B scene’s most hotly-tipped rising stars. Arriving off the back of the widespread international success of the first volume, which topped jazz charts around the globe, Blue Note Re:imagined II once again infuses the spirit of the new UK jazz generation into the legendary label’s iconic catalogue, balancing the genre’s tradition with its future and reflecting the melting pot of talent and diversity within the current scene. 

Blue Note Re:imagined returns this year with a new 16-track compilation featuring fresh takes on music from the illustrious Blue Note vaults recorded by a heavyweight line-up of the UK jazz, soul and R&B scene’s most hotly-tipped rising stars. This 7” single features two covers from the upcoming album, from Ego Ella May and Theon Cross. Arriving off the back of the widespread international success of the first volume, which topped jazz charts around the globe, Blue Note Re:imagined II once again infuses the spirit of the new UK jazz generation into the legendary label’s iconic catalogue, balancing the genre’s tradition with its future and reflecting the melting pot of talent and diversity within the current scene.

When did Tony Allen’s There Is No End become my album of the year? July 24th, Night & Day cafe, DJing. I had just put needle to groove on “Rich Black”, naively unprepared for the bass to meet the bar’s booming soundsystem - and then it HIT! The dancefloor was probably fearing for its life, but I was in love.

A collaborative hip hop masterpiece, There Is No End has a real exploratory feel to it, which (as Allen’s spoken word introduction points out) is the whole purpose of the album - to push, to innovate, and to move, through music. With various up-and-coming singers, rappers, and poets lending their talents to each song, the tracklist reads like a supergroup of Next Big Things: there’s Lava La Rue’s no-nonsense flow and controlled beauty, The Koreatown Oddity’s comic images and hard-hitting home truths, Ben Okri’s inspired mess of creationist myths, fairytale tropes, and apocalyptic visions, and Sampa the Great’s unnerving, vocoded whisper loops - and that's just a fraction of the mavericks on mic duty here.

All this is to say nothing of the drumming. “Brilliant” would be a gross understatement of just how diverse and original Allen’s beats are - by turns claustrophobic, metronomic, wild, and stuttering, the drums make each song as distinct and… well, brilliant, as the vocals do. Throw swampy bass synths, thickly affected backing vox, and a smorgasbord of tuned percussion into the mix, and what you get is There Is No End: a dizzying swan-song by one of music’s great innovators, and a glimpse into hip-hop’s bright, bright future.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There are very few drummers (no shade on drummers here) that would be well known of their own accord like Tony Allen is. Having been consistently inventive and undeniably brilliant throughout his life all the way up to his 2020 masterpiece with Hugh Massakela, 'Rejoice', it's really no surprise that this Posthumous release is chock-full of wonderful rhythmic surprises, and has a lineup of perfectly chosen guests. A fittingly wonderful album from one of the greatest (and original) Afrobeat drummers of all time.

TRACK LISTING

CD (14 Tracks)
Tony’s Praeludium
Tony Allen

Stumbling Down
Tony Allen Featuring Sampa The Great

Crushed Grapes
Tony Allen Featuring Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon

Très Magnifique
Tony Allen Featuring Tsunami

Mau Mau
Tony Allen Featuring Nah Eeto

Coonta Kinte
Tony Allen Featuring Zelooperz

Rich Black
Tony Allen Featuring Koreatown Oddity

One Inna Million
Tony Allen Featuring Lava La Rue

Gang On Holiday (Em I Go We?)
Tony Allen Featuring Jeremiah Jae

Deer In Headlights
Tony Allen Featuring Danny Brown

Hurt Your Soul
Tony Allen Featuring Nate Bone

My Own
Tony Allen Featuring Marlowe

Cosmosis
Tony Allen Featuring Ben Okri + Skepta

There’s No End
Tony Allen

2LP (12 Tracks)
There Is No End
Tony Allen

Rich Black
Tony Allen Featuring Koreatown Oddity

Coonta Kinte
Tony Allen Featuring Zelooperz

One Inna Million
Tony Allen Featuring Lava La Rue

Stumbling Down
Tony Allen Featuring Sampa The Great

Crushed Grapes
Tony Allen Featuring Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon

Gang On Holiday (Em I Go We?)
Tony Allen Featuring Jeremiah Jae

Mau Mau
Tony Allen Featuring Nah Eeto

Très Magnifique
Tony Allen Featuring Tsunami

Hurt Your Soul
Tony Allen Featuring Nate Bone

Cosmosis
Tony Allen Featuring Ben Okri + Skepta

My Own
Tony Allen Featuring Marlowe

Cooked up in the Blue Note Lab, RMX presents last year’s band-defining masterpiece, GoGo Penguin, re-imagined through the filter of some of the world’s finest producers and remixers. For RMX the idea was both simple and inspired; commission a remix of every track from last year’s album and present a total re-imagination of the record, a remix, or as the band title it, a RMX. In the end they went one better; with a remix of every track (and two of one) plus a remix of the track Petit_a, which was originally released only in Japan before surfacing on their Live from Studio 2 digital EP. The idea behind RMX was also the catalyst for a remarkably inspired collaboration. The Manchester trio's music has always drawn heavily on electronica (alongside jazz, indie and classical influences) and so commissioning ten of their favourite artists to rework their music made perfect sense - and the results are spectacular. One of the very best remix projects you will hear anywhere. Amongst the many highlights are Squarepusher’s thumping remix of F Maj Pixie, alongside Japanese producers Cornelius and Yosi creating sublime new landscapes with the band’s music on Kora and Embers. James Holden assembles an epic synth odyssey around Totem and Portico Quartet produce a sympathetic reworking of Don’t Go. Band faves Clark and Nathan Fake produce inimitable reworkings as does noted French producer Rone, while American producer Machine Drum turns Atomised into dance floor friendly ‘belter’ which is also the first single. Finally, the band have not forgotten their hometown - Manchester is well represented, with remixes from elder statesman and dance music legend Graham Massey (808 state) and new discovery Shunya, whose enigmatic reworking of To The Nth almost steals the record.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: You only need look at the lineup for this to get some idea of how far GGP have come. From their early days as mellow jazz underdogs to their staggering newest LP for the legendary Blue Note records, they've proven their undeniable talent at every turn. This project sees a number of stratospherically big names remixing their work with incredible results. Stunning.

TRACK LISTING

1. Kora (Cornelius Remix)
2. Atomised (Machinedrum Remix)
3. Embers (Yosi Horikawa Remix)
4. F Major Pixie (Rone Remix)
5. F Major Pixie (Squarepusher Remix)
6. Open (Nathan Fake Remix)
7. Signal In The Noise (808 State Remix)
8. Totem (James Holden Remix)
9. To The Nth (Shunya Remix)
10. Petit_a (Clark Remix)
11. Don’t Go (Portico Quartet Remix)

More than any other album in the canon of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, 1958’s Moanin’ — featuring the great drummer with trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt —was the perfect crystallization of the band’s bluesy, soulful sound, and it still stands today as perhaps the most quintessential hard bop recording of all-time.

Originally self-titled, the album was later renamed Moanin’ due to the popularity of Timmons’ unforgettable opening track. The album also introduced several indelible Golson compositions that would become standards of the jazz songbook including “Along Came Betty” and “Blues March.”

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

TRACK LISTING

1. Moanin’
2. Are You Real
3. Along Came Betty
4. The Drum Thunder Suite
5. Blues March
6. Come Rain Or Come Shine

Herbie’s classic debut album was originally recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on 28th May 1962.
Featuring a truly impressive quintet of Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Dexter Gordon (tenor), Butch Warren (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums), "Takin' Off" is rooted firmly in hard bop but also showcasing the exquisite ballad ‘Alone And I’.
Features the all-time classic Herbie standard ‘Watermelon Man’, a top 100 pop hit for Herbie and #10 hit for Mongo Santamaria. The famous cover art was designed and photographed by Reid Miles.

TRACK LISTING

Watermelon Man
Three Bags Full
Empty Pockets
The Maze
Drftin'
Alone & I

Shop favourites (2016 end-of-year chart high-rollers) Gogo Penguin return for their latest outing on legendary jazz label, Blue Note. The thing about Gogo penguin is, they're a jazz band, but without all the things you'd associate with a jazz band. The beards are as few as their years, and the chin-stroking is not only minimal, but actively discouraged. Their last outing (the stunning 'Man Made Object') mixed the subtle downtempo percussion and slowly unfurling progressions of traditional jazz with tender, minimalistic electronics and ambient textures reminiscent of modern-classical contemporaries liberally littered around the Erased Tapes roster.

Whilst their compositions are completely instrumental, there seems to be a wealth of outside influence making itself known through the phrasing and keys used. While 2015 / 2016 were in no way dream years for society in general, it was clear that there was a playfulness in their delivery of songs like 'Quiet Mind' (incidentally, this particular piece reminded me of the other 'Penguin' band, no bad thing).

As soon as we finish the frenetic buzzing and claustrophobic atmospheres of 'Prayer', it becomes clear that the rather torrid world climate has indeed osmosed into their compositions, swapping out the languid bobbing atmospheres of yesteryear for a highly charged, powerfully visceral sound experience. While the melodic counterpoints are as ever, impeccably realised (and perfectly accentuated by Turner's mindblowing skin-smacking), the euphoric peak is often hidden behind a flurry of call-response dialogue, the peak only being reached through an intentionally laboured conversational swell.

While throughout the album, the simmering malaise invariably breaks through into a grand and sweeping relief, it is in pieces like 'A Hundred Moons' that we get the full-force of their compositional genius, breaking through the residual gloom with airy, tropical percussion and a cleansing palate of major-key lifts and twinkling plucks. Without waxing lyrical about every song in turn, there really isn't much more that can be said, you'll just have to listen to it yourself. Truth of the matter is, Gogo Penguin are one of a kind, and continue to pioneer their own spellbinding brand of electronic jazz. 

It’s been an astonishing couple of years for GoGo Penguin, the UK trio of drummer Rob Turner, double bassist Nick Blacka and pianist Chris Illingworth. Their trademark mash-up of minimalist piano themes, deeply propulsive bass lines and electronica-inspired drums has seen their 2014 album 'v2.0' shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Drawing on a heady brew of influences from Brian Eno, John Cage, Massive Attack and Aphex Twin, GoGo Penguin has created a brave new sound that is wholly their own.

Now signed to iconic jazz label Blue Note Records the trio release their new album. 'Man Made Object is the sound of a band confidently pursuing their own path. “The title is partly inspired by my fascination with ideas of robotics, transhumanism and human augmentation,” says pianist Illingworth, a statement that begs for elaboration. “We’re recreating electronic music on acoustic instruments. It’s like a man-made object that has become humanized and it seemed like a good album title, one that also means something different to each of us, and hopefully to each listener.”

Indeed, although they're predominately an acoustic piano trio, GoGo Penguin’s music draws from many areas of contemporary electronic music, one where you can hear arcade game bleeps, glitchy breakbeats, hypnotic Aphex-style melodies, grinding bass lines and a rumbling low-end. It has been described as “acoustic electronica”, a term which perfectly sums up their modus operandi. “Many of the songs on this album started out as electronic compositions that I made on sequencing software like Logic or Ableton,” says drummer Turner. “I’ll then play it to the band and we’ll find ways of replicating it acoustically.”

TRACK LISTING

1 All Res 5:16
2 Unspeakable World 4:44
3 Branches Break 4:23
4 Weird Cat 5:39
5 Quiet Mind 4:24
6 Smarra 6:31
7 Initiate 4:47
8 GBFISYSIH 3:22
9 Surrender To Mountain 3:59
10 Protest 4:45

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2014 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

2 track 12" on Blue Note

Limited to 200 copies.

"Blue Train" is John Coltrane's only collection of sides as a principal artist for Blue Note. The album is packed with sonic evidence of Coltrane's innate leadership abilities. He not only addresses the tunes at hand, but also simultaneously reinvents himself as a multifaceted interpreter of both hard bop as well as sensitive balladry - touching upon all forms in between. The personnel on "Blue Train" is arguably as impressive as what they're playing. Joining Coltrane (tenor sax) are Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Kenny Drew (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). The triple horn arrangements incorporate an additional sonic density that remains a trademark unique to both this band and album. Of particular note is Fuller's even-toned trombone, which bops throughout the title track as well as the frenetic "Moments Notice". Other solos include Paul Chambers' subtly understated riffs on "Blue Train" as well as the high energy and impact from contributions by Lee Morgan and Kenny Drew during "Locomotion". The track likewise features some brief but vital contributions from Philly Joe Jones - whose efforts throughout the record stand among his personal best. Of the five pieces that comprise the original "Blue Train", the Jerome Kern / Johnny Mercer ballad "I'm Old Fashioned" is the only standard; in terms of unadulterated sentiment, this version is arguably untouchable. Fuller's rich tones and Drew's tastefully executed solos cleanly wrap around Jones' steadily languid rhythms. Without reservation, "Blue Train" can easily be considered in and among the most important and influential entries not only of John Coltrane's career, but of the entire genre of jazz music as well.

Blue Note President Don Was says, “Two years ago, we began remastering the jewels of the Blue Note catalogue in hi-def resolutions of 96k and 192k. In order to develop a guiding artistic philosophy for this delicate endeavor, we donned our lab coats, ran dozens of sonic experiments and carefully referenced every generation of our reissues. Ultimately, we decided that our goal would be to protect the original intentions of the artists, producers and engineers who made these records and that, in the case of pre-digital-era albums, these intentions were best represented by the sound and feel of their first-edition vinyl releases. Working with a team of dedicated and groovy engineers, we found a sound that both captured the feel of the original records while maintaining the depth and transparency of the master tapes... the new remasters are really cool!

While these new versions will become available in digital hi-def, CD and Mastered for iTunes formats, the allure of vinyl records is WAY too potent to ignore. This year, Blue Note - along with our friends at Universal Music Enterprises - is launching a major 75th Anniversary vinyl Initiative that is dedicated to the proposition that our catalogue should be readily available, featuring high quality pressings and authentic reproductions of Blue Note's iconic packaging. Although this program begins in celebration of Blue Note's 75th Anniversary, our catalog runs so deep that we will faithfully be reissuing five albums a month for many years to come!”

TRACK LISTING

Blue Train 10:40
Moment's Notice 9:08
Locomotion 7:12
I'm Old Fashioned 7:55
Lazy Bird 7:04