John Coltrane
My Favorite Things

This session was recorded at Studio Pathé-Magellan in Paris, between Tuesday October, 25th, 1955 and February, 10th, 1956. This record is the third and last record for the Barclay label.In answer to an offer from Nicole Barclay, Chet Baker arrived in Paris early in September 1955. On the 22nd – or maybe the 23rd – he signed a contract to make seven records… (The figure was later erased and replaced by «three», which turned out to be correct). Released after the trumpeter’s return to the USA, this last volume was construed as rather a poor relation opposite the others in the trilogy, all the more so because, hurriedly drafted, the sleeve-notes did little to render unto Caesar the things which were Caesar’s. Unlike the earlier opuses, this one was in no way a concept-album: it contented itself with a simple overview of Chet’s Parisian associations, depending on where his fancies took him in the course of his stay. When Chet entered the Studio Pathé-Magellan on October 25th, only one member of his original accompanying trio was still present: pianist Dick Twardzik had died of an overdose, and drummer Peter Littman had returned home after selling his kit for whatever it would fetch. Jimmy Bond and his contrabass, however, were both still there, and in the ensuing octet session Chet’s melodic gifts were magnified by (remarkable) scores penned by Pierre Michelot – ‘Chet’, ‘Dinah’ – and Christian Chevalier ‘Vline’. The three pièces were mini-concertos, and the trumpeter loved them so much that he decided to do them again back in America… but not so successfully. On November 28th Chet went back into the same studio, this time with Raymond Fol on piano, Benoît Quersin on bass and Jean-Louis Viale on drums. They recorded two improvisations: the first was based on a 1932 standard from Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, ‘Alone Together’, while the second began with ‘Exitu’s, a composition written by one of Baker’s friends, Phil Urso. The performances are among the most beautiful that Chet produced during this period, along with ‘Chekeetah’ – or ‘Chik-Etah’ – and ‘How about You?’ which put the seal on a partnership that had first come to light at the Club Saint-Germain, temporarily rechristened for the occasion: «Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 16h30 to 19h30 at the Barclay’s Club – 13 rue Saint-Benoît, Paris – Bobby Jaspar Quintet with American trumpeter Chet Baker,» read the sign. The format was stylistically ideal, leading Chet to abandon the quartet format he’d preferred up until then. To respect his next bookings, Chet had to get a stable band together, and as his pianist he chose Raph Schecroun – later known as Errol Parker – who was himself replaced by Francy Boland. Alongside him were bassist Eddie de Haas, who’d previously been with Martial Solal and Henri Renaud (the latter, in the adventure, also lost his regular drummer, Charles Saudrais, who was just seventeen. According to Jean-Louis Chautemps, “When Bobby Jaspar couldn’t do it or just wanted too much, they looked for someone cheaper; and that was me. There wasn’t really an audition: we were in the Tabou, I played with Chet, he said OK and, two days later, we found ourselves in Reykjavik, Iceland.” The tune ‘Tasty Puddin’g written by Al Cohn and ‘Anticipated Blues’, one of the rare pieces Chet claimed to have written, were in the repertoire played by this last Baker-led formation on the Old Continent.Both pieces, once again, moved Pierre Michelot to pass judgement: «With ordinary means, Chet managed to play phrases of extraordinary beauty with simplicity and clarity ».Text – Alain Tercinet

“The album’s integrity of the musical prowess in terms of composition, performance, and lyrical quality, was kept just as important as the sonic quality in each part of the recording phase. No shortcuts were taken when making this record in any way.” - Marcus Rezak

Recordstoreday 2020 release.Underdog Records reissues Martial Solal's album 'Locomotion' as an 180 gram coloured vinyl edition. This groovy French jazz-funk and avantgarde album was originally released in 1974 on the PSI label.Date des enregistrements : 4 et 5 février 1974Studio : Comédie des Champs-Elysées, Paris

Classic Cool/Bop session from 76, and regarded as one of the finest Norwegian jazz live recordings of the seventies featuring an impeccable performance by alto sax player Carl Neumann, playing mostly original songs by pianist Christian Reim, Bjørn Kjellemyr on Bass and Ole Jacob Hansen on drums. First time on vinyl format and with great sound quality, new pictures, new notes. Limited 500 copies.

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to last year's incredibly well-received debut album 'After Dark, Welsh harpist Amanda Whiting is back with another glorious offering.The trio is joined again by the mesmerising lines of flautist Chip Wickham, resuming their conversation reminiscent of Dorothy Ashby and Frank Wess.‘Lost in Abstraction’ was written during a period of the unknown when Whiting, like most, explored her own sense of self. The world paused, with no timeframe, and the fragility of life was laid bare. A time when humanity was left searching for purpose. Freedom and the dependable structures of familiarity were dissolved in most aspects of life. But music stayed constant. Creativity kept weaving its thread, connecting music and its makers in an indissoluble bond.The album explores the questions and realisations whilst confined. The spiritual findings, the playful curiousness and the reflective moments of loss. Whiting’s writing indulges the listener with the spiritual ethereal washes of sound demanded of the harp, whilst also embracing her influences across many genres. Classically trained, her roots are evident. But with an emotionally charged energy and spiritual questioning, a new soundscape of modernity has emerged.So often associated with Ashby and Coltrane, the harp finds itself in the hands of a new voice which tells the story of a period of time where the world was unified in reflection.So what is that feeling when you resonate?When your breath steadies and you let goLines no longer restrict or chokeEnergies envelop, yet set you freeAre you lost or found ?

SOUGHT-AFTER LP BY THE GEORGE OTSUKA QUINTET, RECORDED LIVE AT THE NEMU JAZZ INN AND ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON THE CULT JAPANESE LABEL BELLWOOD RECORDS IN 1975. REISSUED ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME AND REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL TAPES.