Record Store Day is coming on April 20. In celebration of vinyl retailers who spin music in their stores, answer music questions authoritatively and were instrumental in helping to launch the LP revival of the past 10 years, record labels are releasing special vinyl releases this year that are available only at your friendly neighborhood retailer on the 20th. After that date, you'll have to turn to the aftermarket for them. I'll be featuring some of my favorites leading up to the 20th.
At your local record store, look for two Cannonball Adderley double-LPs of previously unissued music from Elemental Music, a label formed in 2012 by producer Zev Feldman and Spanish producer Jordi Soley. The first is Cannonball Adderley: Burnin' in Bordeaux, Live in France 1969. The quintet features Adderley (as), Nat Adderley (cornet), Joe Zawinul (p,el p), Victor Gaskin (b) and Roy McCurdy (d). Recorded at the Alhambra Theatre in Bordeaux, France, on March 14, 1969, the record is a mix of hard bop, stormy fusion and soul-jazz hits such as Work Song and the ever-sexy Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. The album also features the first known recording of Zawinul's Experience in E.
The second Adderley double-LP is even better and was recorded on October 25, 1972, at the Olympia Theatre in Paris as part of the Paris Jazz Festival. The lineup here is Adderley (as), Nat Adderley (cornet), George Duke (p,el p), Walter Booker (b) and Roy McCurdy (d). The album opens with a superb, 20-minute-plus rendition of George Duke's Black Messiah. It's a masterpiece. Booker's Soli Tomba also is spectacular, especially with Duke's Fender Rhodes keyboard.
Cory Weeds' Reel to Real label is issuing two double albums—Shelly Manne & His Men: Jazz From the Pacific Northwest and Brother Jack McDuff: Ain't No Sunshine. Both previously unreleased live recordings are pressed on 180-gram vinyl.
Shelly Manne & His Men: Jazz From the Pacific Northwest provides a feel for what this group sounded like on the road. The first record features the Manne ensemble performing at the first Monterey Jazz Festival on October 4, 1958. The group included Stu Williamson (tp), Herb Geller (as), Russ Freeman (p), Monty Budwig (b) and Manne (d). The show-stopper is Bill Holman's Quartet (Suite in Four Movements), a piece he wrote specifically for the quintet.
The second Shelly Manne disc was recorded on September 7 and 15, 1966 at the Penthouse club in Seattle. The lineup here is Conte Candoli (tp), Frank Strozier (as,fl), Hampton Hawes (p), Monty Budwig (b), Manne (d) and Ruth Price (voc).
Brother Jack McDuff: Ain't No Sunshine showcases the organist live at the Gallery in Seattle on September 13, 1972. He's backed by an unknown trumpeter and Leo Johnson (ts,fl,cl), Dave Young (ts,sop), Vinnie Corrao (g) and Ron Davis (d). The soul-jazz ensemble delivers peppery funk and leans hard into jazz, with McDuff's organ acting as a giant spoon stirring the cauldron. Included is a 13-minute-plus, spellbinding Three Blind Mice, a nearly 9-minute Ain't No Sunshine and a sultry I'm Getting Sentimental Over You. McDuff's own Blues 1 & 8 shows off the organist's groove.
All of these Record Store Day products have their merits, particularly the Adderley 1972 set. All of the above will be out on CD and as digital downloads and streaming in May but not on vinyl. You have one day to grab them, on April 20.
JazzWax tracks: To find a record store near you, go here.
