Sarah Vaughan, Sarah Vaughan Sings George Gershwin, 1958 on Mercury

Fantastic collection of Sarah Vaughan doing Gershwin standards from the twenties and thirties, supported by Hal Mooney & His Orchestra.

My copy—via a private sale—is a 2xLP gatefold reissue in mono by Verve/UMe, which reproduces the old Mercury labels.

#1950s #1958 #GeorgeGershwin #HalMooney #jazz #Mercury #SarahVaughan #Standards #UMe #Verve #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Ry Cooder, Into The Purple Valley, 1972 on Reprise

This was Cooder’s second studio album, with some great legacy American music, including “How Can You Keep On Moving (Unless You Migrate Too)” and Woody Guthrie’s “Vigilante Man.”

You can’t go wrong with Ry Cooder. Produced by Lenny Waronker and Jim Dickinson.

My copy—via a private sale—is a Pitman pressing on orange Reprise labels with a lovely gatefold.

#1970s #1972 #Americana #JimDickinson #LennyWaronker #Reprise #RyCooder #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

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.

#1960s #1964 #AlanDawson #AnalogueProductions #BookerErvin #craftRecordings #JakiByard #jazz #KevinGray #Prestige #QualityRecordPressing #Reissue #RichardDavis #RudyVanGelder #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Depeche Mode, People Are People, 1984 on Sire / Mute

Compilation album for North America put out by Sire in 1984, pulling the title track single and a combination of album cuts, and b-sides. This song was such a key to the soundtrack of my life in the early 80s: “People are people so why should it be / you and I should get along so awfully.” I still sing along word for word when it comes on First Wave.

It also included the 7-minute plus “Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts)” from the 12″ single of that song. I’m still fleshing out my Depeche Mode collection but they can be hard to find in original pressings.

My copy—via Academy Records in NYC—is a 1980s Specialty pressing with the E A S T around the spindle and the “tm” under the Sire logo.

#1980s #1984 #AcademyRecords #compilation #DepecheMode #Mute #NYC #Sire #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Milt Jackson & John Coltrane, Bags & Trane, 1961 on Atlantic

Jackson and Coltrane are joined by Hank Jones (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Connie Kay (drums). Recording supervised by Nesuhi Ertegun, engineered by Tom Dowd.

Great LP, bringing together Milt Jackson (Bags) of The Modern Jazz Quartet and John Coltrane (Trane) who had a year earlier put out Giant Steps. I’m not always a fan of the vibraphone but love how it plays off of Coltrane on this album.

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2017 reissue by Rhino Vinyl, in mono, pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal GmbH. Sounds great.

#1960s #1961 #2017 #Atlantic #ConnieKay #HankJones #jazz #JohnColtrane #MiltJackson #NesuhiErtegun #PaulChambers #Reissue #Rhino #TomDowd #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Leo Kottke, Guitar Music, 1981 on Chrysalis

Eleventh (?) LP from Kottke, a solo outing instrumental style. Recorded at Sound 80 in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Includes a cover of Ry Cooder’s Available Space” as well as “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and eight originals.

My copy—via Salem Flea Marketplace—is a Santa Maria pressing on blue Chrysalis labels.

#1980s #1981 #Chrysalis #Guitar #Instrumental #LeoKottke #MinneapolisMN #SalemFlea #salemMA #Seward #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Bill Evans, At The Montreux Jazz Festival, 1968 on Verve

Second 1968 Bill Evans performance I’ve posted this week, this one has the trio (again with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette) at Casino de Montreux in Switzerland, and was recorded by the technical department of Radio Suisse Romande.

My copy (via a private sale) is the 2020 Analogue Productions reissue on two 45rpm 200g records, cut by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. Sounds fantastic, though I can’t say I like having to change the platter twice as often.

#1960s #1968 #2020 #45Rpm #AnalogueProductions #BillEvans #BillEvansTrio #EddieGomez #JackDeJohnette #jazz #MatthewLutthans #Montreux #MontreuxJazzFestival #Reissue #Switzerland #TheMasteringLab #Verve #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Blue Mitchell, Down With It, 1966 on Blue Note

Another fantastic Blue Note jazz LP, this came out originally in 1966. It features Mitchell (trumpet) with Junior Cook (tenor sax), Chick Corea (piano), Gene Taylor (bass), and Aloysius Foster (drums), and was recorded at Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey.

My copy- via a private sale – is the Blue Note Tone Poet reissue from 2024, cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed at RTI. Great sound and packaging.

#1960s #1966 #AloysiusFoster #BlueMitchell #BlueNote #ChickCorea #CohearentAudio #EnglewoodCliffsNJ #GeneTaylor #jazz #JuniorCook #KevinGray #RTI #RudyVanGelder #TonePoet #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Too-Rye-Ay, 1982 on Mercury

Credited on the cover to “Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners,” this was their second LP, the first with Mercury Records and the one with the massive hit “Come on Eileen.” Wonderful album – also includes “Jackie Wilson Said.”

There were plans for a 40th anniversary reissue of Too-Rye-Ay “As It Could Have Sounded” (a remix) but I don’t believe it ever came to fruition.

My copy – via Vinyl Vault in Littleton MA – is a 1982 Mercury pressing with the “SRM-1-4069” catalog number and a “Previously released as SHRM 1-4069” notation.

#1980s #1982 #DexySMidnightRunners #KevinRowland #LittletonMA #Mercury #vinyl #VinylVault #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Bill Evans, Live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2020 on Resonance

Recorded back in July of 1968, this is Evans with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette at London’s landmark Ronnie Scott’s club. Resonance Records itself is part of the non-profit Rising Jazz Stars Foundation.

The trio in this form had a month long residency in 1968 at the club. The recording here was made by DeJohnette himself, so the sound quality varies a bit from the normal professional recordings of the era, but it is worth it for the playing here. Essentially like a quality “audience” bootleg pressed professionally to vinyl.

My copy – via a private sale – is the 2xLP Record Store Day 2020 edition, in mono, cut by Bernie Grundman and pressed at RTI. It includes an 11 page booklet with tributes and interviews (including DeJohnette and Gomez, as well as Chevy Chase).

#1960s #1968 #2020 #2020s #BillEvans #EddieGomez #JackDeJohnette #jazz #London #RecordStoreDay #RecordStoreDay2020 #ResonanceRecords #RisingJazzStarsFoundation #RonnieScottS #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds