Bags & Trane

John Coltrane's final album for Atlantic bookends the exploratory motifs he explores on his Impulse! debut, Africa/Brass,recorded concurrently, with each involving knotty rhythmic shifts and Spanish-derived textures. Bonding with an amazing band that includes pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and an uncredited Eric Dolphy (due to contractual reasons), Coltrane welcomes improvisations and ranging outside conventional parameters, all the while retaining melodic beauty. Yet the biggest attraction on the 1961 effort comes via the double-bass interplay between Art Davis and Reggie Workman, whose back-and-forth exchanges produce heat and cause the leader to up his own game. Mastered from the original master tapes, this dead-quiet 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents each pluck of the acoustic basses with tremendous body and decay. Long overdue for audiophile treatment, Olé Coltrane is ready for its closeup, and how.

Originally released in 1960, and on the heels of Giant Steps, Coltrane Jazz came in the midst of the saxophonist's peak Atlantic period. The album is among several recordings that Coltrane issued from 1959-1961, and which, ultimately, forever changed the face of music. Not surprisingly, Miles Davis' influence is felt throughout; his rhythm section is used on all but one selection. This reissue was mastered from the original master tapes at 45rpm with meticulous care, pressed on two 180gram LPs, and is housed in an old school tip-on style gatefold jacket. The essential edition of Coltrane Jazz.

1. Little Old Lady
2. Village Blues
3. My Shining Hour
4. Fifth House
5. Harmonique
6. Like Sonny
7. I'll Wait and Pray
8. Some Other Blues

Double LP, 4RPM Edition
180gram audiophile-grade vinyl pressed at Pallas Group in Germany
Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes

"This 1960 recording was a landmark album in John Coltrane's career, the first to introduce his quartet with himself, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Steve Davis and drummer Elvin Jones, and the first release on which he played soprano saxophone. It also provided him with a signature hit, as his new group conception came together wonderfully on the title track. It's an extended modal reworking in 6/4 time that brought the hypnotic pulsating quality of Indian music into jazz for the first time, with Coltrane's soprano wailing over the oscillating piano chords and pulsing drums. The unusual up-tempo version of Gershwin's 'Summertime'is a heated example of Coltrane's 'sheets of sound' approach to conventional changes, while 'But Not for Me' receives a radical harmonic makeover. This is an excellent introduction to Coltrane's work." — All Music Guide

Freddie Hubbard's first affair with Creed Taylor's CTI label features an all star group comprised of Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Lenny White. The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studios, and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder himself. Mastered from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman at 45RPM, pressed on two 180 gram audiophile-grade LPs at Pallas in Germany, and housed in a Stoughton case-wrapped gatefold jacket. It's never sounded or looked better.

1. Red Clay
2. Delphia
3. Suite Sioux
4. The Intrepid Fox

With two landmark albums already under its belt, the Ornette Coleman Quartet spent nearly a year out of the studio before reconvening for This Is Our Music. The album features Coleman on alto, Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums. "All in all, This Is Our Music keeps one of the hottest creative streaks in jazz history going strong" (AllMusic). This essential edition of Coleman's fifth album was mastered from original analog tapes at 45RPM by Bernie Grundman, pressed on two 180gram LPs, and is housed in a Stoughton case-wrapped gatefold jacket.

1. Blues Connotation
2. Beauty Is A Rare Thing
3. Kaleidoscope
4. Embraceable You
5. Poise
6. Humpty Dumpty
7. Folk Tale