Mastodawn

Sonny Rollins, Sonny Rollins On Impulse!, 1965 on Impulse

Classic album, featuring Rollins with Walter Booker (bass), Mickey Roker (drums), and Ray Bryant (piano). Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in the summer of 1965. Sadly Rollins passed this May (2026) in Woodstock NY. My copy—via Mystery Train Records in Gloucester MA—is the 2021 Acoustic Sounds Series reissue, supervised by Chad Kassem, cut by Ryan Smith, and pressed at Quality Record Pressing (QRP). Sounds fantastic!

https://goatless.org/2026/06/10/sonny-rollins-sonny-rollins-on-impulse-1965-on-impulse

John Eckman May 31

Bill Evans and Jim Hall, Intermodulation, 1966 on Verve

This was a follow-up to 1962's Undercurrent, which also featured Hall and Evans. Produced by Creed Taylor and recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in two sessions in April and May 1966. It's just Evans on piano and Hall on guitar, starting with two standards ("I've Got You Under My Skin" and "My Man's Gone Now") and then a number of more contemporary tunes, including originals by Evans and Hall as well as Joe Zawinul. My copy—via Mystery Train in Gloucester MA—is a 60s pressing with Van Gelder […]

https://goatless.org/2026/05/31/bill-evans-and-jim-hall-intermodulation-1966-on-verve

John Eckman May 18

Mose Allison, Back Country Suite, 1957 on Prestige

Mose Allison's debut album, recorded at Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack in March 1957, with Taylor La Fargue (bass) and Frank Isola (drums). Largely instrumental. The song titled here just "Blues" was later recorded on Live at Leeds by the Who as "Young Man Blues": Well a young man ain't got nothing in the world these days My copy—via Beverly Coin & Jewelry—is the 1983 reissue in the Original Jazz Classics series. The OJC series is a great way to find these Prestige records in good […]

https://goatless.org/2026/05/18/mose-allison-back-country-suite-1957-on-prestige

John Eckman Apr 25

Horace Silver Quintet, Silver’s Serenade, 1963 on Blue Note

The quintent here is Silver joined by Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Junior Cook (tenor sax), Gene Taylor (bass), and Roy Brooks (drums). Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs, with Alfred Lion producing. My copy—via Amazon—is another Blue Note Tone Poet Series reissue from 2024. Yes, I realize there are other jazz labels and other reissue series - but so many of these are so good they are hard to resist.

https://goatless.org/2026/04/25/horace-silver-quintet-silvers-serenade-1963-on-blue-note

John Eckman Apr 23

Freddie Roach, Good Move!, 1964 on Blue Note

Freddie Roach’s third album as a leader, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in Englewood Cliff with Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Eddie Wright (guitar), and Clarence Johnston (drums).

Tunes include “It Ain’t Necessarily So” (Gerswhin) and Pastel (Garner) as well as “T’Ain’t What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It).” Great soul-jazz organ here.

My copy—via Amazon—is the Tone Poet Series reissue from 2024, with lacquer cut by Kevin Gray and pressing at RTI. As you can expect from this series it’s a great sounding pressing with lovely packaging.

#1960s #1964 #2024 #BlueMitchell #BlueNote #ClarenceJohnston #EddieWright #EnglewoodCliffsNJ #FreddieRoach #HankMobley #jazz #KevinGray #Reissue #RudyVanGelder #TonePoet #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

John Eckman Apr 21

Big John Patton, Let ‘Em Roll, 1966 on Blue Note

Patton joined by Otis Finch (drums), Grant Green (guitar), and Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), and recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Fantastic Hammond B3 driven mid-sixties Blue Note jazz – can’t go wrong.

My copy—direct from Amazon, which often has deals on these—is the Blue Note Tone Poet series reissue from 2023, with lacquer cut by Kevin Grey and Joe Harley and pressing at RTI.

#1960s #1966 #2023 #amazon #BlueNote #BobbyHutcherson #EnglewoodCliffsNJ #GrantGreen #jazz #JoeHarley #JohnPatton #KevinGray #OtisFinch #Reissue #RTI #RudyVanGelder #TonePoet #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

John Eckman Apr 18

Lou Donaldson, Midnight Creeper, 1968 on Blue Note

Donaldson joined here by Leo Morris (drums), George Benson (guitar), Lonnie Smith (organ) and Blue Mitchell (trumpet). Very groovy soul-jazz LP from late sixties Blue Note.

Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs and produced by Francis Wolff.

My copy—via Amazon—is the Blue Note Tone Poet reissue from 2024, mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed at RTI.

#1960s #1968 #2024 #BlueMitchell #BlueNote #EnglewoodCliffsNJ #FrancisWolff #GeorgeBenson #jazz #KevinGray #LeoMorris #LonnieSmith #LouDonaldson #Reissue #RTI #RudyVanGelder #TonePoet #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Andi Chorley Apr 13

Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot is a pair of live albums by the jazz musician and composer Eric Dolphy. They were released in December 1961 (Volume 1) and November 1963 (Volume 2) by Prestige Records. They were recorded on the night of 16 July 1961 at the end of Dolphy's two-week residency, alongside trumpeter Booker Little, at the Five Spot jazz club in New York. It was the only night to be recorded. The engineer was Rudy Van Gelder.

Dolphy's composition "The Prophet" is a tribute to the artist Richard "Prophet" Jennings, who had designed the covers of Dolphy's earlier albums, Outward Bound and Out There.

In an AllMusic review of volume 1, Michael G. Nastos stated that Dolphy's group had "developed into a role model for all progressive jazz combos to come" - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXTdcseaWJg

#EricDolphy #BookerLittle #Jazz #FiveSpotJazzClub #Music #PrestigeLabel #RichardProphetJennings #RudyVanGelder #MalWaldron #RichardDavis #EdBlackwell

John Eckman Apr 2

Booker Ervin, The Freedom Book, 1964 on Prestige

Sixth full-length with Ervin as leader, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1963, for Prestige. Ervin is joined here by Jaki Byard (piano), Richard Davis (bass), and Alan Dawson (who was a drum instructor at Berklee in Boston) (drums).

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2023 Analogue Productions / Craft Recordings reissue, in the Prestige Stereo Series. It was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed at QRP on 180g vinyl.