#kevingray — Public Fediverse posts

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bud Powell, Time Waits (The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 4), 1958 on Blue Note

Powell joined by Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack NJ, and produced by Alfred Lion. Sleeve notes by Leonard Feather.

My copy is the 2022 Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series reissue, pressed at Optimal GmbH and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent – wonderful pressing.

Herbie Hancock, Inventions and Dimensions, 1964 on Blue Note

Hancock is joined by Paul Chambers, Willie Bobo and Chihuahua Martinez—though it’s not really what you’d call a Latin jazz album so much as post-bop or modal.

Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at his Englewood Cliffs studio.

My copy—direct from Blue Note—is the 2019 Blue Note 80 Vinyl Series reissue mastered for vinyl by Kevin Gray and pressed at Optimal Media GmbH – sounds great.

Another Sunday & I’m #NowSpinning #Indestructible by #ArtBlakey & the Jazz Messengers.

This adds #CurtisFuller bringing Mingus-eque vibes on the trombone, but, imo, #WayneShorter is the star unleashing some killer sax. Plus it has the irrepressible #LeeMorgan who is worth the price of entry alone.

This #record is cut by #KevinGray as part of the #BlueNote Classics series which, in a world of spiraling #vinyl costs, still represents great value.

#NowPlaying #NowListening #VinylRecords #Jazz

Early Friday finish, returned home to this & so I’m #NowSpinning #TheloniousMonk with #JohnColtrane from the all new #Craft reissue of the #OJC series &, on the basis of a first listen, it’s a beaut. High quality tip on jacket & reproduction of the original artwork, flawless pressing, incredible musicianship & playing which is delicate & wild, melodic & then inventive in turn.

This is cut by #KevinGray & so the SQ is bang on.

#NowPlaying #NowListening #Vinyl #VinylRecords #Jazz

Sticking with the #MilesDavis theme, I’m #NowPlaying #Milestones again for the multiple time this week.

I’m #NowListening to the #MobileFidelity pressing to confirm my recollection. It’s very close between this & the #KevinGray cut (#ColumbiaLegacy). The #MoFi sounds warmer which suits, perhaps, the surging horns of, say, Sid’s Ahead. The Legacy, however, wins out in nimbleness & pace as, for example, on Straight, No Chaser.

Both sound very, very good.

#Vinyl #VinylRecords #Jazz #Music

#NowPlaying #SoulTrane - one of my favourite #albums by #JohnColtrane. #RedGarland on amazing form, & #PaulChambers underpinning everything that is good here. #IWantToTalkAboutYou is just magical, & that reoccurring riff on #GoodBait.

I think that the recording is maybe just so so, but this #KevinGray for #AnalogueProductions fantastic #Prestige series sounds incredible - balanced, detailed, lush, but pacey where it needs to be.

#NowListening #AmListening #Jazz #Music #Vinyl #VinylRecords