Vinyl is back! Each month on “Vinyl Watch,” we list some of the most noteworthy new vinyl releases — including new albums, reissues, special-edition box sets and more. At JAZZIZ, we share the vinyl community’s appreciation of the experience of collecting and playing vinyl records. As an increasing number of music fans discover the joy of vinyl, we hope these lists will serve as a starting point for new musical discoveries.
Benny Carter, Jazz Giant (Craft/Acoustic Sounds)
Craft Recordings and Acoustic Sounds have teamed up to celebrate the long-lasting legacy of legendary jazz label Contemporary Records in a new vinyl reissue series. Their Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds Series continues this month with the reissue of Benny Carter’s classic album, Jazz Giant. Originally released in 1958, the album showcases the alto saxophone, trumpet and arrangements of Carter, whose majestic talent awed four generations of jazz artists, alongside a stellar lineup that also includes tenor sax titan Ben Webster. Release date: August 12.
Noriko Miyamoto, Push (BBE)
BBE Music presents the first official international release of vocalist Noriko Miyamoto’s 1978 debut, Push. A collaboration with Japanese jazz legend, bassist/composer Isao Suzuki, Push is also a seminal recording capturing a crossover fusion of jazz and soul that was quite popular at the time via covers and original compositions, focusing on Miyamoto’s prowess in singing songs in English. The record is being released on vinyl, CD and digital platforms as part of its ongoing J Jazz Masterclass Series. Release date: August 12.
Vince Guaraldi, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Craft)
Craft Recordings is releasing a definitive, bonus-filled edition of pianist Vince Guaraldi’s original soundtrack recording to It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Remastered from recently-unearthed original analog tapes, the album includes Guaraldi’s entire score to the 1966 PEANUTS animated special, plus seven previously unreleased alternate takes, released on CD, digital and a variety of vinyl formats, including a 45-RPM pressing, a translucent orange pumpkin shaped disc and more. Release date: August 26.
Freddie Hubbard, Breaking Point! (Blue Note)
Blue Note’s now acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue series continues to shine a light on underappreciated gems from its fabled archives. This month, we highlight the reissue of Freddie Hubbard’s Breaking Point!, recorded in 1964, shortly after the trumpeter had departed Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers to break out on his own. This quintet sessions, featuring Joe Chambers on drums, also showcases Hubbard’s compositional prowess, as a six-track program with five original works moving assuredly across vast stylistic terrain. Release date: August 21
Larry Young, Unity (Blue Note)
Not to be outdone, Blue Note’s equally praiseworthy Classic Vinyl reissue series sees this month the release of Larry Young’s Unity from 1965. The record recontextualized the possibilities of the Hammond B3 organ into a more adventurous post-bop context. Consisting of three distinctive originals and covers, Unity features a stellar band with three fellow modernist jazz visionaries: trumpeter Woody Shaw, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, and drummer Elvin Jones. Release date: August 19.
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