Vinyl is back! Each month on “Vinyl Watch,” we list some of the most noteworthy new vinyl releases — including new albums, reissues, special-edition box sets and more. At JAZZIZ, we share the vinyl community’s appreciation of the experience of collecting and playing vinyl records. As an increasing number of music fans discover the joy of vinyl, we hope these lists will serve as a starting point for new musical discoveries.
Donald Byrd, At the Half Note Café, Vol. 1 (Blue Note)
Blue Note’s Tone Poet series continues with the release of Donald Byrd’s live recording At The Half Note Café. Recorded in November 1960, this soulful, swinging and highly enjoyable live set of hard cop features a quintet of Byrd’s mentees. They are Pepper Adams on baritone saxophone, Duke Pearson on piano, Laymon Jackson on bass and Lex Humphries on drums. Release date: January 6.
Frank Kimbrough, Frank Kimbrough 2003-2006 (Palmetto)
Palmetto celebrates the life and musicianship of the late pianist/composer Frank Kimbrough with a newly mixed and remastered edition of two of his masterful trio albums. Frank Kimbrough 2003-2006, originally released on CD/digital in August 2022, compiles a pair of gorgeous trio dates from a particularly fruitful period in his career: 2003’s Lullabluebye with Ben Allison and Matt Wilson, and 2005’s Play, with Masa Kamaguchi and Paul Motian. Both are produced by guitarist Matt Balitsaris. Release date: January 13.
Cecil Taylor, The World of Cecil Taylor (Candid)
Radical, free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor revealed his vision of what jazz meant and where it was capable of going in his fifth album, The World of Cecil Taylor, originally released in 1961. The record showcases at once a modern approach to standard material and a genre-pushing exploration. This brand-new reissue will be available on vinyl with remastered audio from the original Candid Records master tapes. Release date: January 27.
Bobby Hutcherson Featuring Harold Land, San Francisco (Blue Note)
The musical partnership between vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and tenor saxophonist Harold Land fully blossomed on the 1970 album, San Francisco. The record also found the musicians moving into fusion territory with relentlessly grooving tunes like “Goin’ Down South” and “Ummh” counterbalanced by exploratory pieces like “Prints Tie.” This reissue is part of the Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition series, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. Release date: January 20.
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