Blues & Jazz
There are box sets and then there are BOX SETS. John Mayall’s The First Generation 1965-1974 set sits firmly in the latter category, being substantial both in the artefacts contained within and the superb music it encompasses.
The first set of this size to be released documenting John Mayall’s early years sees not only all albums from his much lauded formative career, but also unreleased tracks aplenty. Featuring Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Blue Mitchell, Jon Mark and many more outstanding musicians, this mammoth package contains 35 CDs, a beautiful hardback book and much more.
Not for nothing did Mayall earn the moniker ‘Godfather of the British Blues’. For a short but compelling time in the 60s and 70s he recognised raw talent, took it in, nurtured it, and everyone thrived and benefitted as a result. Many of the best musicians of the period passed through the hallowed ranks of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. All are on show here in a stunning set crammed with musical highlights.
Put together with John Mayall’s full co-operation, the full list of contents is as follows:
• 35 DISCS, inc. 3 CD singles & 8 previously unreleased discs, alongside newly remastered versions of the original Decca & Polydor albums
• MUSIC FROM SEVEN UNRELEASED GIGS (inc. Windsor 1967, Gothenburg 1968, Berlin 1969 and San Francisco 1970)
• 28 PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED BBC TRACKS featuring Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor
• HARDBACK BOOK inc. many rare photos and memorabilia plus a full gig listing for the period • INDIVIDUALLY SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH
• FAN CLUB BOOK of letters and correspondence • 2 REPLICA POSTERS - Ten Years Are Gone and 1968 tour poster
• REPLICA PRESS PACK for John Mayall Plays John Mayall
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bishop and Grammy-winning harmonica great Musselwhite join forces for a fun and historic collaboration of front porch blues. Among the most famous bluesmen in the world, with over five decades each of recording and performing, Elvin and Charlie have scanned over 600,000 units combined, despite over two dozen of their releases coming before the advent of Soundscan. Aggressive press, radio and social media outreach around the great story of these two legends recording their first album together. Radio promotion for regular airplay on Triple A and Americana stations, as well as play on blues specialty shows that are guaranteed to give it bountiful spins. Tour dates at theatres and performing arts centers as they become feasible.
2020 release. Jeremiah Johnson blends the sounds of the south, with Mississippi River blues and a touch of country flair. Emotionally charged roots rock, powered by the common man's passion for life and all the struggles in-between. Songs with meaning, a powerfully persuasive voice and master class musicianship.

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio—or as it is sometimes referred to, DLO3—specialize in the lost art of “feel good music.” The ingredients of this intoxicating cocktail include a big helping of the 1960s organ jazz stylings of Jimmy Smith and Baby Face Willette; a pinch of the snappy soul strut of Booker T. & The M.G.’s and The Meters; and sprinkles Motown, Stax Records, blues, and cosmic Jimi Hendrix-style guitar. It’s a soul-jazz concoction that goes straight to your heart and head makes your body break out in a sweat.
The band features organist Delvon Lamarr, a self-taught virtuosic musician, with perfect pitch who taught himself jazz and has effortlessly been able to play a multitude of instruments. On guitar is the dynamo Jimmy James who eases through Steve Cropper-style chanking guitar, volcanic acid-rock freak-out lead playing, and slinky Grant Green style jazz. From Reno, Nevada is drummer Dan Weiss (also of the powerhouse soul and funk collective The Sextones). Dan’s smoldering pocket-groove drumming locks in the trio’s explosive chemistry.
Founded by Larmarr’s wife and manager Amy Novo, the trio started from humble beginnings in 2015, but since then has released two Billboard charting albums and toured the world to sold out venues. The trio returns now with their second studio album, I Told You So, with even heavier grooves and more confidence. It may have been several years since their most recent studio effort, but they haven’t missed a beat.
Recommend for fans of: New Mastersounds, Soulive, Jimmy Smith, Khruangbin
Peanuts Greatest Hits is an album of all seasons for fans of the venerable Charlie Brown and the gang. The program includes the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy,” the springtime favorite ,“Baseball Theme” Halloween’s “Great Pumpkin Waltz” and the yuletide favorite “Christmas Time Is Here.” Releasing in conjunction with Peanuts’ 70th anniversary, this limited edition picture disc features a smiling Snoopy on side A and his best friend, “Little Birdie,” Woodstock on side B.
Featuring the vivid musical cues that Guaraldi wrote for the cast of the Peanuts characters, this ‘Peanuts Portraits’ LP adds new dimensions to beloved regulars like Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder and Sally. In addition to nine songs performed by Guaraldi, the album also includes two classic Peanuts tunes recorded by pianist George Winston. Eight of the selections (including Winston renditions of “Linus And Lucy” and “Masked Marvel”), make their vinyl debut on Peanuts Portraits.
Off the heels of Grammy-nominated album, Heart of Brazil, comes jazz clarinet icon Eddie Daniels' new project, Night Kisses. Paying tribute to the world-renowned Brazilian musician/composer Ivan Lins, it brings Daniels together with legendary jazz pianists Dave Grusin and Bob James, plus top-shelf trio-Josh Nelson, Kevin Axt, Mauricio Zottarelli - and the Grammy-winning Harlem Quartet. Features songs from Lins’ classic ‘70s/’80s albums and new arrangements by Kuno Schmid and Josh Nelson. CD housed in Digi-Pak.
For over 30 years Matthew Shipp has built up an unparalleled body of work and a wholly original musical language that becomes more focused and distinctive with the passage of time. His abstract eloquence is on vivid display throughout The Piano Equation, new works for solo piano. Shipp builds his solo music in a cellular fashion, formed out of disparate elements that combine and evolve in novel and fascinating forms. Stride, swing and the avant-garde collide like elemental particles, the aftereffects radiating outward in increasingly complex and intricate formations. The scientific, the personal, the political and the fantastic co-exist throughout his work, melding in the pianists radical vocabulary which speaks with it's own alien yet familiar logic. Fragments of melody coalesce and transform, dissolve or shatter into kaleidoscopic reveries. The Piano Equation celebrates Matthew Shipp's 60th birtday, and while some may have used the arrival of such a landmark occasion as their 60th birthday to look backwards, Shipp continues to move resolutely forward, further evolving a voice that is as intimately personal as it is cosmically adventurous. This release is also the inaugural release from Tao Forms, a new label founded by drummer-improviser-composer - and longtime Shipp collaborator - Whit Dickey.
Smooth Urban Jazz superstar Kim Waters has sold over one million albums in his more than 20 years of touring and recording. Loved by R&B and Jazz fans alike, his crossover appeal, Smooth Jazz #1 radio hits and dynamic performances have placed him among the elite in his field. Highlights include Kim's passionate remake of Ella Mai's smash hit "Boo'd Up" and brilliant Waters original compositions like the romantic "With Open Arms," the exotic "Nina In Tortola," the driving "In The Fast Lane" and much more! Surefire radio hits include the funky original "Shakedown," the joyful "Feels Like Friday Night" and the uplifting "The Moment I See You!"
Ambrose Akinmusire follows his acclaimed, genre-busting 2018 manifesto, Origami Harvest, with another visionary statement on his new album `on the tender spot of every calloused moment'. The trumpeter examines blackness on an uncompromising set of modern jazz laced with a heavy blues feeling. The album presents 11 new compositions by Akinmusire, featuring his quartet - pianist Sam Harris, bassist Harish Raghavan, drummer Justin Brown - with guest vocals from Genevieve Artadi and Jesus Diaz.
Guitarist John Scofield celebrates the music of his friend and mentor Steve Swallow in an outgoing and spirited recording, made "old school" style in just one day in New York in March 2019. "I love these songs", says Scofield of the selection of Swallow compositions explored here. The rapport between Scofield and Swallow is evident in every moment. Behind the drum kit, Bill Stewart, a close associate of Scofield's since the early 90s, is alert to all the implications of the interaction.

Coming off my last album I was productive, and I ended up with a great batch of songs. I ran one by Joe Bonamassa, who said right away he wanted to play on it. And that’s how this album came about. Joe inspired me to invite others. I had songs that were strong and told good stories. I wanted the best musicians alive like Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Van Morrison and more to take them in unexpected directions. Wayne Hood, my producer, brought out the best of them. We have amazing songs and great guitars. - Dion
Kahil El'Zabar's 'Spirit Groove' on Spiritmuse Records is the latest musical inspiration from a spiritual jazz master Kahil El'Zabar, featuring the legendary tenor sax colossus, David Murray. El'Zabar's and Murray's collaborative efforts span over 4 decades of exceptional explorations in the varied realms of spiritual jazz. Joining them on this project are 2 extraordinary young talents, Emma Dayhuff on acoustic bass and Justin Dillard on keyboards/organ. 'Spirit Groove' is an innovative journey into the core soul of jazz and groove, where all are one in Spirit.
Kenny Dorham's 1964 album Trompeta Toccata would be the final album that the great underrated trumpeter and composer would record as a leader, and it stands as a fitting testament to his prodigious talent. The album featured a stellar quintet with Dorham and his frequent collaborator Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone along with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath.
On 1964's Into Somethin', Larry Young made it abundantly clear that he had his own unique approach to the Hammond B-3 organ. Young explored a more modal territory over the course of his six Blue Note albums including this tremendous session featuring tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers, guitarist Grant Green, and drummer Elvin Jones. This Blue Note 80 Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.
On his second Blue Note album Smoke Stack, pianist and composer Andrew Hill used an unusual line-up of two bassists (Richard Davis and Eddie Khan) along with the masterful Roy Haynes on drums. The seven Hill compositions that the quartet explore here contain all the rare beauty to be found in his music. This Blue Note 80 Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Recorded in 1982, not long after she moved to Paris, Fodder On My Wings was one of Nina Simone's favorite albums. In addition to having written the music and lyrics for all but one of the album's 13 songs, the back cover proudly states that she 'arranged, conducted and conceived' all of them. Originally recorded for a small French label and only sporadically available since its initial release, Fodder On My Wings is a lesserknown but important part of Nina's musical history. The album contains deeply personal songs, including 'I Sing Just To Know That I'm Alive' and 'I Was Just A Stupid Dog To Them', as well a searing lyrical improvisation about the death of her father on 'Alone Again, Naturally'. Recorded at a time when Nina was feeling rejuvenated by her surroundings and the African musicians she met in Paris, Fodder On My Wings is an essential Nina Simone album that is making a longoverdue reappearance.
Three, the 21st album from legendary Australian instrumental trio The Necks, is a winding, textural, and visceral musical exploration through three individual, contrasting tracks that each delve into separate tenets of their sound. Three's variety of tones and structures offer a glimpse into the boundless, immersive sonic universe The Necks have been constructing, through recorded and live performance, for over 30 years. From its very first moments, 'Bloom' rattles and propels listeners through a dense, mesmerizing soundscape of unceasing intensity. Directly juxtaposing the consuming rattle of the opener, 'Lovelock,' dedicated to the memory of Damien Lovelock, former frontman of The Celibate Rifles, is a weightless and atmospheric threnody that ruminates in the quiet and overwhelming moments of grief. The final setting of Three is one of warmth and familiarity. 'Further,' is a confident, seductive groove in a quintuple meter, reminiscent of the groups' work on records like Sex (1989) and Aquatic (1994). Contrasting the style of their celebrated improvisational live act, the group's studio work is meticulously sculpted from beginning to end. On Three, Chris Abrahams (piano), Lloyd Swanton (bass), Tony Buck (drums/percussion), and their long-time backend collaborators Tim Whitten (engineer) and Doung Henderson (master) have again scrupulously built music that focuses on the most intricate edges of staggeringly immense, diverse worlds. From strained to still to smoky, each piece of Three marks itself as distinct and its own, but all feel representative of Australia's greatest cult band, The Necks.
Double vinyl LP pressing. Bitches Brew is a studio album by jazz musician, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis, originally released on March 30, 1970. It marked his continuing experimentation with electric instruments that he had previously featured on the critically acclaimed In a Silent Way (1969). With these instruments, such as the electric piano and guitar, Davis rejected traditional jazz rhythms in favor of loose, rock-influenced arrangements based on improvisation. In subsequent years, Bitches Brew gained recognition as one of jazz's greatest albums and a progenitor of the jazz rock genre, as well as a major influence on rock and funk musicians.