Elemental Music News

The second solo album by Frank Zappa, Hot Rats (October 1969) is one of the most influential Jazz fusion albums ever. It marked Zappa's first recording project after the dissolution of the original version of The Mothers of Invention. Multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood is the only member of the Mothers to appear on the album and was the primary musical collaborator.

Other featured musicians include bassists Max Bennett and Shuggie Otis; drummers John Guerin, Paul Humphrey and Ron Selico; and electric violinists Don "Sugarcane" Harris and Jean-Luc Ponty. The first Frank Zappa album recorded on 16-track equipment, Hot Rats was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and was given a rating of 4½ stars in Al/Music, with Steve Huey stating that "few albums originating on the rock side of jazz-rock fusion flowed so freely between both sides of the equation, or achieved such unwavering excitement and energy". The model on the cover is Miss Christine, from the group GTO's.

One of his best albums from the mid-Sixties, Yusef Lateef's 1984 is a truly experimental work. With bassist Reggie Workman, pianist Mike Nock, and drummer James Black, it goes from the eight-minute title track that opens the album to the two-minute, angular modal ballad "Try Love." Reviewer Thom Jurek gave it four out of five stars in AllMusic, stating that "1984 certainly seems to be shaping up into one weird record.

The title is an experimental, noodling improv with Lateef moaning as if in mourning. But then with 'Soul Sister,' featuring Lateef's deep, bluesy, tenor blowing around a gorgeous lyric figure, and Mike Nock's stunningly beautiful soloing on 'Love Waltz,' the entire album moves in another direction, even if it isn't terribly focused. In all, a complex yet emotionally and musically rewarding effort by a master.”

Released in 1973, Lord of Lords was Alice Coltrane's final album for the Impulse! label, as well as the last instalment of a trilogy that began with Universal Consciousness and World Galaxy. Like its two predecessors, Lord of Lords features a 16-piece string orchestra that the leader arranged and conducted, fronted by a trio in which she plays piano, Wurlitzer organ, harp, and timpani accompanied by bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ben Riley.

The original producer, Ed Michel, later stated that Coltrane worked with the top-rank classically-trained studio musicians of the string section and "opened them up so they could do absolutely astonishing things. Afterwards, the string players couldn't believe that they had done what they had done." According to AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek, "The interplay between the three principals is lively and engaging, based on droning blues chords, and her soloing - even amid flurries of notes - comes right back to the root. Haden's bass is a beautiful anchor here, and the strings offer a lovely response to her organ and harp. Riley's cymbals are shimmering shards of light throughout, ending Lord of Lords on a very high note. She succeeds here, in ending her Impulse! period with elegance, grace, and soul."

"Following the superb initial two volumes, Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse Vol.3, captures spectacular 1966-68 performances by the master pianist’s trio at the Penthouse in Seattle. Also available as a 2-CD set and download.
Package includes reflections by Ahmad Jamal himself, interviews with fellow pianists Les McCann, Emmet Cohen, Monty Alexander, and Joe Alterman, and essays by producer Zev Feldman and journalist Eugene Holley, Jr., among others. The extensive booklet features rare photos by Don Bronstein, Chuck Stewart, and more.
Producer and music sleuth Zev Feldman’s label, Jazz Detective, a division of the newly created Deep Digs Music Group, releases the third and final volume of the Ahmad Jamal sets: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse (1966-68), featuring previously unreleased performances by master pianist Ahmad Jamal.
The 2-LP set will be issued on 180-gram vinyl transferred from the original tapes and mastered by the legendary Bernie Grundman. The music will also be available as a 2-CD set and download. The package has been produced by Feldman and supervised by Ahmad Jamal himself shortly before his passing away in April of 2023."

"Recorded and released in The
Netherlands by Gerry Teekens for
his Criss Cross label in 1985, Chet’s
Choice marked one of the best studio
albums from Chet Baker’s final years. It
presents Baker, beautifully captured in
Stereo, singing and playing the trumpet
in an intimate trio format with guitarist
Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis
Rassinfosse. This expanded edition
presents the full seven tunes from the
original album plus three songs that
only previously appeared on the CD
edition of Chet’s Choice, as well as five
amazing never before heard alternate
takes.
180-GRAM VIRGIN VINYL – THE
COMPLETE ALBUM + 8 BONUS
TRACKS, AMONG THEM 5 PREVIOUSLY
UNISSUED ALTERNATE TAKES –
2-LP SPECIAL GATEFOLD EDITION"

"PRODUCER ZEV FELDMAN’S NEW IMPRINT, JAZZ DETECTIVE, LAUNCHES NEVER BEFORE RELEASED CAL TJADER LIVE SETS RECORDED IN THE 1960s AT THE PENTHOUSE JAZZ CLUB IN SEATTLE.
THIS IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL RELEASE OF PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED LIVE CAL TJADER MUSIC IN NEARLY 20 YEARS!
Transferred from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman, Cal Tjader: Catch The Groove – Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967 is presented as a 180-gram vinyl limited edition 3-LP SET and will also be available as a Deluxe 2-CD set and as a digital download.
Package includes reflections by producer Zev Feldman and jazz writer Greg Casseus, as well as interviews with Poncho Sánchez, Eddie Palmieri, Joe Locke, Gary Burton, Carl Burnett, and Brent Fischer, and a statement by Tjader’s son and daughter Rob and Liz Tjader. The extensive booklet contains previously unpublished photos by Ray Avery and Fred Seligo.
All of the performances heard on this set are previously unreleased. Legendary vibraphone player Tjader is heard with a variety of quintets, backed by pianists Clare Fischer, Lonnie Hewitt and Al Zulaica, bassists Fred Schreiber, Terry Hilliard, Monk Montgomery and Stan Gilbert, drummers Johnny Rae and Carl Burnett, and percussionists Bill Fitch and Armando Peraza.
Taking its name from Feldman’s handle “the Jazz Detective” and reflecting his determined work unearthing hitherto unheard, award-winning treasures, the Jazz Detective label is an imprint of Deep Digs Music Group, a partnership with Spain’s Elemental Music, with which Feldman has enjoyed a long professional relationship."

Includes an alternate take of 'Looking Good tonight ' appearing for the first time ever on vinyl.

"Blues for a Reason stands out from much of the work of the period." - The Penguin Guide to Jazz

"It's strange to think that two of the greatest stars of "cool jazz," Chet Baker and Warne Mash, would never record together, given that they were nearly the same age, and that they both rose to fame in Los Angeles around the same period.

However, that would have been the case if Gerry Teekens, founder of the Criss Cross label, had never had the bright idea of bringing them together in 1984.

Surprisingly, they would end up cutting their only collaborative album, Blues for a Reason, in Monster, The Netherlands!" - **** AllMusic

A true masterpiece, full of dashing solos and containing some of Freddie King's finest vocals since his heyday in the late '50s and early '60s. Released by Shelter Records in 1972, Texas Cannonball is similar to his first Shelter outing (Getting Ready), but with
more of a rock feel. It covers tunes by Jimmy Rogers, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James, tackles compositions by Leon Russell and, more unexpectedly, Bill Withers, Isaac Hayes-David Porter, and John Fogerty (whose "Lodi" is reworked into "Lowdown in Lodi"). King's own pen remained virtually in retirement, as he wrote only one of the album's tracks. In 2007, the Houston Chronicle listed
Texas Cannonball among the 75 essential Texas blues albums.

One of Yusef Lateef’s best albums from one of the
finest periods of his esteemed career, the 1964 LP
Live at Pep’s showcases the reedman backed by
trumpeter Richard Williams, pianist Mike Nock,
bassist Ernie Farrow, and drummer James Black.
Taped at a live performance at Pep’s Lounge in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the album was so
successful that a full second LP was culled from
the same sets. The program alternates between
hard bop originals and covers of jazz classics such
as Leonard Feather’s “Twelve Tone Blues” and
an unorthodox version of Ma Rainey’s “See See
Rider”. On “Sister Mamie”, “Number 7”, and “The
Magnolia Triangle”, Lateef moves away from strict
jazz, although he retains his improvisational flair. Live
at Pep’s received the maximum five-star rating on
AllMusic, with critic Ron Wynn stating that: “This was
a pivotal date in Lateef’s career, and those unaware
of it will get a treat with this disc”. 180-gram VIRGIN
VINYL LIMITED GATEFOLD EDITION.

The Supremes A’ Go-Go marked the
group’s first number one pop album. It is
presented here in its rarely heard Mono
mix, which according to many reviews has
more punch and immediacy than the Stereo
version. Various compilations had skimmed
the most familiar songs off of other Supremes’
albums, but the concept behind Supremes A’
Go-Go was to get the group to cover some of
the top hits of other (mostly Motown) acts. As
a result, every song on the album was familiar
in name, and only “You Can’t Hurry Love” was
culled for any hits packages. A number one
album on the pop and R&B charts, Supremes
A’ Go-Go also benefited from the fact that the
album didn’t include any pop standards or
slow ballads, just solid R&B dance numbers. It
was the first LP by an all-female group to reach
number-one on the Billboard 200 album charts
in the United States. The LP contains two of the
Supremes’ top ten Billboard Hot 100 singles:
the #9 hit “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart”
and the #1 hit “You Can’t Hurry Love”. 180-
gram VIRGIN VINYL LIMITED EDITION.

Released in 1965, Temptin’ Temptations marked
the band’s third album for Motown’s Gordy
subsidiary. It boasted seven chart-hitting
singles, including “Since I Lost My Baby,” “My
Baby,” “Don’t Look Back,” and “Girl (Why You
Wanna Make Me Blue).” Smokey Robinson
produced six of the tracks, while the album
also introduced Ivory Joe Hunter and Mickey
Stevenson’s production work on “Just Another
Lonely Night” and “Born to Love You” and future
producer Norman Whitfield on “The Girl’s Alright
With Me,” “I Gotta Know Now,” and “Everybody
Needs Love.” The LP climbed to #1 in the U.S.
Top R&B Albums chart, while “Since I Lost My
Baby” and “My Baby” both rose to #4 in the
U.S. Billboard R&B Singles chart. The album
features The Temptations’ top formation, with
David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams,
Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams. 180-gram
VIRGIN VINYL LIMITED EDITION

Boppin’ In Baltimore: Live at the Left Bank is a previously unissued recording of saxophone master Sonny Stitt captured live at the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore, MD on November 11, 1973, for the Left Bank Jazz Society. Recorded by Left Bank founder Vernon Welsh, Boppin’ In Baltimore is an official release in cooperation with the Sonny Stitt Estate and features an all-star rhythm section of pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes. The deluxe limited-edition 180-gram 2-LP set includes an extensive booklet with rare photos by Christian Rose, Raymond Ross, Tom Copi, Burt Goldblatt and others; liner notes by acclaimed jazz critic Bob Blumenthal; and interviews with Barron, Hayes and saxophone icon Charles McPherson, Muse Records founder and producer Don Schlitten, and an archival interview with Sonny Stitt himself from the early 1970s conducted by Marc Vasey in Canada. The vinyl edition is mastered for vinyl by legendary mastering engineer Bernie Grundman.

Blue Room: The 1979 VARA Studio Sessions in Holland features two recordings of trumpet/vocal icon Chet Baker captured in glorious stereo at the legendary VARA studio 2 in Hilversum, the Netherlands for the KRO radio program Nine O’Clock Jazz. The April 10, 1979 session features pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, and drummer Charles Rice; and the November 9th session features pianist Frans Elsen, bassist Victor Kaihatu, and drummer Eric Ineke. Both sessions were originally produced by Edwin Rutten, and are produced for release officially for the first time by “jazz detective” Zev Feldman and Frank Jochemsen. The limited-edition 2-LP set (and deluxe 2-CD edition) includes an elaborate booklet with photos by Veryl Oakland, Jean-Pierre Leloir, Christian Rose and others; liner notes by Dutch journalist Jeroen de Valk, plus essays by Feldman, Jochemsen, and Rutten; and interviews with Baker bandmates Phil Markowtiz, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse and Eric Ineke, as well as trumpeters Randy Brecker and Enrico Rava, and pianist Enrico Pieranunzi. Transferred from the original KRO radio tape reels and mastered for vinyl by legendary mastering engineer Bernie Grundman

The first of for the tone for his work for the company: Leon Russell Freddie King ’s Shelter label set ’s three albums
superb electric blues with a prominent rock/ soul influence. The massive Texan and the longhaired Oklahoman got it right the first time
around with the aptly titled Getting Ready LP. Recorded at the legendary Chess studios in Chicago, it might well rank as Freddie King’s most creatively satisfying work.

An array of styles is assembled here, ranging from deep Texas Blues to touches of country church Gospel and hard sockin’ funk. Also, Freddie delved deep into blues history to give his spin on some classic pieces of the genre. Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom” is done acoustically, with just Freddie and his Spanish guitar. The production on Jimmy Rogers’ “Walking by Myself” is equally low-fi, adding Russell’s honky-tonk piano ramblings and a tambourine.

Willie Dixon’s “Worried Life Blues”, however, features King at his most powerfully expressive on this electric blues. The fast-paced stomper includes lightnin’-fast solos from King and he can be heard duelling with the studio guitarist Don Preston, as well.

T was released on the New York-based he second live album by the funk band Kool and the Gang, Live at P.J.’s,
De-Lite label in 1971. As the title indicates,
the LP was recorded at P.J.’s, which was a
popular nightclub and music venue in West
Hollywood, California. Kool & the Gang would
score a bunch of hits in the ‘80s, but that period
was nowhere near as funky and full of groove
and jazz flourishes as their earlier recordings.
That soul-jazz hybrid that they excelled in
playing can be found on this amazing club
performance. The band is predictably on fire
throughout the set, tearing through some hot
instrumentals, along with some nice vocals
on the medley of “Ike’s Mood” and “You’ve
Got That Lovin’ Feelin’.” The song “N.T.”
(No Title) contains a widely sampled drum
break which has been used in songs by
such artists as Nas, Q-Tip, N.W.A., Public
Enemy and Blue Boy

A studio album recorded by Gilberto with arrangements by for Verve in 1967, Astrud Eumir Deodato and Don Sebesky, Beach
Samba successfully showcases the singer’s soft, soothing, playful, ethereal voice. The program consists of laid-back beach bossa nova tunes. The opening track, “Stay”, is a true highlight, while
“Beach Samba” is a wordless delight and “Canoeiro” rolls the Portuguese lyrics into a snaking rhythm. A real standout is “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice,” a duet with her then-six-yearold son. Gilberto’s vocals are backed by a sumptuous Brazil pop-cum-U.S.
orchestration feel (Ron Carter and Toots Thielemans are among the sidemen, as well as Brazilian stars Marcos Valle and Claudio Slon). Some of the more pop choices are also remarkable, particularly
Tim Hardin’s gorgeous “Misty Roses.” Beach Samba was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.