J.M. RECOMMENDS
Black Saint & Soul Note Box-Sets
PURE PLEASURE RECORDS
MILES DAVIS ON MUSIC ON VINYL
Artist of the Month
Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy was a true original with his own distinctive styles on alto, flute, and bass clarinet. His music fell into the "avant-garde" category yet he did not discard chordal improvisation altogether (although the relationship of his notes to the chords was often pretty abstract). While most of the other "free jazz" players sounded very serious in their playing, Dolphy's solos often came across as ecstatic and exuberant. His improvisations utilized very wide intervals, a variety of nonmusical speechlike sounds, and its own logic. Although the alto was his main axe, Dolphy was the first flutist to move beyond bop (influencing James Newton) and he largely introduced the bass clarinet to jazz as a solo instrument. He was also one of the first (after Coleman Hawkins) to record unaccompanied horn solos, preceding Anthony Braxton by five years.
Label of the Month
Relative Pitch
Relative Pitch Records is a NYC based independent record label founded by Mike Panico and Kevin Reilly in 2011. RPR's roster mainly specializes in Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz, Free Improvisation music from artists across the US. Notable artists who recorded for RPR include Greg Cohen, Joey Baron, Matthew Shipp, Vinny Golia, and many more talented musicians.
CD of the Month
Javon Jackson - For You
Solid Jackson Records presents a new CD by American tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson's Quartet. Although the opening title is Jerome Kern's well-known "I'm Old Fashioned", the rest of the program consists of lesser known original titles by other jazzmen such as Wayne Shorter's "Backstage Sally" or Cedar Walton's "Simple Pleasure" and "Holy Land", plus several original tunes by Javon himself. All in all, the quartet gives the album a wonderful continuity in sound and mood. Backing the leader are pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist David Williams and drummer McClenty Hunter.