Vinyl fans! Record Store Day Black Friday returns to local independent stores worldwide on November 26. This year’s cheat sheet features an extensive list of exclusive releases and reissues, as well as special and limited edition vinyl. Here are five of the most noteworthy.
The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong All-Stars, Original Grooves: A Gift for Pops (Verve)
Verve’s Original Grooves vinyl series continues, showcasing its “parallel grooves” technique where grooves are cut side-by-side and allow for a different aural experience depending on where the needle is dropped. This RSD Black Friday release puts original Louis Armstrong recordings of “What a Wonderful World” and “Swing That Music” alongside their modern interpretation by the all-star band led by Nicholas Payton and Wycliffe Gordon from the recently-released LP, A Gift for Pops.
Chet Baker, Albert’s House (Liberation Hall)
Independent label Liberation Hall reissues an infamous recording of Chet Baker in one of his first sessions following the well-documented horrific accident that wrecked his embouchure. Albert’s House, recorded in 1969, finds the trumpeter performing eleven instrumentals by Steve Allen, who organized this quintet session and is a harrowing portrait of an artist’s struggle in the early stages of a downright artistic rebirth.
Chick Corea & Lionel Hampton, In Concert: Live at MIDEM 1978 (Who’s Who in Jazz/Good Time)
This live document of the encounter between Chick Corea and Lionel Hampton at the 1978 MIDEM Jazz Gala in Cannes, France, was originally released on the vibraphonist’s Who’s Who in Jazz label and gets its first vinyl pressing in four decades with remastered audio. The LP also features overdubbed horn parts by Ron Moss and Al Vizzuti, and guest vocalist Gayle Moran on a version of the jazz standard “Come Rain or Come Shine.”
Miles Davis, Live-Evil (Legacy)
This RSD Black Friday release celebrates the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis’ star-studded 100-minute jazz-funk workout Live-Evil, edited by Teo Macero from a Washington D.C. concert performed with Gary Bartz, John McLaughlin, Keith Jarrett, Michael Henderson, Jack DeJohnette and Airto Moreira. This pressing’s striking cover by illustrator Mati Klarwein is complemented by two slabs of limited edition opaque teal-colored vinyl.
Thundercat, The Golden Age of Apocalypse (Brainfeeder)
Thundercat’s idiosyncratic and visionary spaced-out jazz fusion and R&B studio debut album, executive produced by Flying Lotus and featuring musical contributions from several greats, gets a 10th-anniversary edition treatment. The Golden Age of Apocalypse‘s original tracklist is augmented by two bonus tracks and the record comes in translucent red, housed in a beautiful gold sleeve with a large hologram sticker and gold holofoil detail.
Click here to check out the full list of Record Store Day: Black Friday 2021 releases.
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