VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Recordings and Jazz Dispensary proudly unveil the latest release in their sought-after Top Shelf series: 1975’s City Life, from the legendary jazz-funk ensemble, The Blackbyrds. Arriving May 30th, the chart-topping album features such delicacies as the effervescent “Happy Music,” the dancefloor-ready title track, and the group’s heavily sampled signature hit, “Rock Creek Park.”

Celebrating City Life’s golden anniversary, this reissue returns the album to vinyl in style, with all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI, and a gatefold tip-on jacket. Additionally, a deluxe digital edition of City Life will be available across streaming platforms on May 30th, featuring five bonus tracks, including such rarities as a disco mix of “Happy People,” a 12-inch version of “Rock Creek Park,” and a previously-unreleased extended cut of “All I Ask.” In conjunction with the release, Jazz Dispensary will also be releasing a brand-new official Blackbyrds T-shirt illustrated by acclaimed artist Madalyn Stefanak, inspired by the band’s iconic “Rock Creek Park” music video, available exclusively on the Craft Recordings store.

The story of The Blackbyrds begins with the celebrated trumpet player and vocalist, Donald Byrd (1932–2013). Rising to prominence during the hard bop era, Byrd played alongside a who’s who of jazz legends, including John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, and Herbie Hancock. By the turn of the ‘70s, however, Byrd found himself at the forefront of the fusion movement. Working with pioneering producers Larry and Fonce Mizell (better known as the Mizell Brothers), Byrd scored a string of hit records, beginning with 1973’s Black Byrd.

That same year, while serving as a professor at Howard University’s music department, Byrd encouraged several of his students to form their own group, in what was meant to be a real-world lesson in the music industry. Inspired by the title of their professor’s hugely popular debut, the fusion ensemble—including vocalist/drummer Keith Killgo, keyboardist Kevin Toney, and bass guitarist Joe Hall—called themselves The Blackbyrds. Before long, the group signed to Fantasy Records and released a pair of bestselling albums (both produced by Byrd) in 1974: The Blackbyrds and Flying Start.

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Remembering Ben Webster, born on this day in 1909. —Ed.

As one of the greatest of tenor saxophonists, Ben Webster amassed a sizable discography across a long career. His live performances were also extensive and on occasion, those nights were recorded. Released posthumously in 1985, At the Renaissance is a fine introduction to Webster’s full-bodied, mature style as he stretches out with a sharp band. There are certainly more important albums in Ben Webster’s body of work, but he rarely sounded better than he does right here.

Ben Webster is most renowned for his work with Duke Ellington, who he joined for an extended period in 1940 after playing in numerous bands, including those of Bennie Moten, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Carter, and Cab Calloway. Considered one of the “big three” tenor saxophonists of the swing era (the others are Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young), Webster was the first major player on the instrument to have a significant role in Ellington’s band, though by 1943 he’d made his exit for the clubs of 52nd Street.

Webster briefly rejoined Ellington later in the decade (he’d first played with Duke in the mid-’30s), but from the mid-’40s onward his career path is noted for an association with promoter Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic initiative, co-led sessions with Hawkins, pianists Art Tatum and Oscar Pederson and saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, plus plenty of records and club dates as a leader.

At the Renaissance is just one of numerous albums capturing those club dates. Prior to departing for Europe in 1964, Webster gigged frequently at the Los Angeles club the Renaissance, often with Mulligan, but on October 14, 1960 he was leading the band heard here, with Jimmy Rowles on piano, Jim Hall on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Frank Butler on drums.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco, a never-before-heard live performance from master hard bop trumpeter Kenny Dorham, will be released as a two-LP set by Resonance Records for Record Store Day (April 12, 2025).

The collection has been transferred from the original tape reels, mastered by Fran Gala at Resonance Records Studio, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at 33-1/3 rpm at Le Vinylist as a limited-edition package. The storming all-star club date will be issued as a deluxe CD on April 18.

Both LP and CD editions include notes by two-time Grammy winner Bob Blumenthal; a Dorham appreciation by Dan Morgenstern, the late director of Rutgers University’s Institute of Jazz Studies and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master; remembrances from trumpeters Eddie Henderson, Charles Tolliver, Steven Bernstein, and Jeremy Pelt; and more.

The collection was recorded by Bernard Drayton in 1967 at the titular New York venue, a local bar at Boston Road and 168th Street that was operated by Sylvia Robinson (previously in the hit-making duo Mickey and Sylvia) and her husband Joe; the couple went on to found the groundbreaking rap label Sugar Hill Records.

Blue Bossa in the Bronx features a hard-hitting band comprising alto saxophonist Sonny Red, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Denis Charles. It leads off with Dorham’s best-known composition, “Blue Bossa,” first heard on Page One, tenor saxophonist and longtime bandmate Joe Henderson’s 1963 debut as a leader. The repertoire also includes an untitled blues by Dorham, numbers originated by Charlie Parker, Milt Jackson, and Miles Davis, and the standards “Memories of You” and “My One and Only Love.”

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Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is considered to be one of the greats in the broad spectrum of 20th-century classical music, and he’s further distinguished as a trailblazer of “holy minimalism.” Befitting a composer of his stature, the discography of Pärt’s recorded works is vast, but from inside that number there resides a smaller group of releases holding particular import. On April 11, Mississippi Records’ Silentium is poised to join the list of essential Pärt recordings. Offering three selections on side one and a long and unique version of the title piece on the flip, the release is available on LP (in black or clear vinyl editions), CD, and digital. A 35”x35” silkscreen poster is also available.

Arvo Pärt came to prominence in his home country in the 1960s with a handful of recordings spanning the decade, but these are formative works that precede a long period of woodshedding after which Pärt reemerged with his tintinnabuli style of composing, a method where he utilizes two distinct voices (i.e. instruments), a tintinnabular voice restricted to the notes of the tonic triad and a melodic voice that can roam around freely.

Für Alina, first performed in 1976, introduced Pärt’s tintinnabuli style. It was eventually documented on one of numerous recordings made for the ECM label, a group of releases that comprise a significant chunk of his essential discography. The first recording of Pärt’s compositions released by ECM was Tabula Rasa in 1984, the title piece dating from 1977 scored for two solo violins, prepared piano, and string chamber orchestra (consisting of two violins, viola, cello, and contrabass).

The performance and recordings of Tabula Rasa were major successes integral to Pärt’s breakthrough as a composer and specifically as one of the three major pioneers of holy (or mystical) minimalism, alongside composers Henryk Górecki (of Poland) and John Tavener (of England). Holy minimalism is a sacred music of uncommonly deep feeling that’s strikingly devoid of concerns with passing fashions.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Written by PS Audio’s Paul McGowan, the all-inclusive series is a complete guide to system setup and optimization, audio technology, and more.

PS Audio announces the release of The Audiophile’s Guide, a comprehensive 10-volume series on every aspect of audio system setup, equipment selection, analog and digital technology, speaker placement, room acoustics, and other topics related to getting the most musical enjoyment from an audio system. Written by PS Audio CEO Paul McGowan, it’s the most complete body of high-end audio knowledge available anywhere.

The Audiophile’s Guide hardcover book series is filled with clear, practical wisdom and real-life examples that guide readers into getting the most from their audio systems, regardless of cost or complexity. The book includes how-to tips, step-by-step instructions, and real-world stories and examples including actual listening rooms and systems. Paul McGowan noted, “think of it as sitting down with a knowledgeable friend who’s sharing hard-won wisdom about how to make music come alive in your home.”

The 10 books in the series include:

The Stereo – learn the essential techniques that transform good systems into great ones, including speaker placement, system matching, developing critical listening skills, and more.

The Loudspeaker – even the world’s finest loudspeakers will not perform to their potential without proper setup. Master the techniques that help speakers disappear, leaving the music to float in three-dimensional space.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Charles Mingus’ thrilling, little-heard 1977 quintet finally gets its due on the revelatory In Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts, to be released on April 12 as a limited edition three-LP Record Store Day exclusive from Resonance Records.

The collection, which succeeds Resonance’s first Mingus release The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott’s (2022), will also be issued as a two-CD set on April 18. Like its predecessor, it is being released with the full cooperation and authorization of the Jazz Workshop, Inc. and the Charles Mingus Estate. The 180-gram vinyl set has been transferred from the original tape reels recorded by engineer Carlos Melero, mastered by Matthew Lutthans at the Mastering Lab, and pressed at Le Vinylist.

Recorded in concert at the Teatro Coliseo and the Teatro Sociedad Hebraica Argentina (SHA) on June 2-3, 1977, In Argentina affords a revealing look at the great composer-bassist’s little-documented working band of the era. He is joined by trumpeter Jack Walrath, a veteran of the storied “Changes band” of the mid-‘70s that included tenor saxophonist George Adams and pianist Don Pullen; their gifted successors, tenorist Ricky Ford and pianist Robert Neloms; and the leader’s long-tenured drummer Dannie Richmond. The shows took place only six months before Mingus was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), which claimed him on Jan. 5, 1979.

Exhorted vocally by Mingus, the spirited combo bracingly essayed material ranging from classic compositions like “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” and “Fables of Faubus” to such expansive latter-day compositions as “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love,” “Three or Four Shades of Blue,” and the aptly Latin-infused “Cumbia and Jazz Fusion.” Mingus also stepped to the piano for a pair of short solo performances.

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We are living in a golden age of reissue and archival vinyl releases. Pop, rock, jazz, R&B, and soul have been the dominant genres. Unfortunately, other than Bob Marley, reggae artists have been somewhat neglected. One recent release may remedy that.

Sufferer Sounds, a collection of music that reggae wunderkind Dennis Bovell was involved with between 1975–1980, was recently released. Bovell was a musician, an engineer, and a producer and is most known for being one of the key exponents of dub reggae, particularly his work with dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. He was also involved in another reggae sub-genre called lover’s rock. In addition, he produced the punk group The Slits, UK post-new wave group Orange Juice, reggae artists Steel Pulse, and African music legend Fela Kuti.

Dub was a sub-genre of reggae that ended up having a huge impact on the second wave of British punk artists, particularly on the Sandinista album and period from The Clash and John Lydon’s (Johnny Rotten) group after the Sex Pistols, Public Image Limited (P.I.L.), which on its first three albums also included Jah Wobble and Keith Levene. That trio on those first three albums was heavily influenced by dub.

The various tracks on this double album represent the many musical hats Bovell wore and how he used these various projects to work with a wide variety of musicians in many different reggae styles with dub most of the time being the primary foundation.

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With My Own Dead Love, the Milwaukee, WI-based outfit Sleepersound has just self-released their third full length album, a nine-song set that’s available on translucent green vinyl and digital. The music deftly encompasses elements of post-rock, shoegaze, indie rock, slow-core, dream-pop, and even a few touches of prog along the way. As on their previous efforts, Sleepersound can roll for significant stretches as a fully developed instrumental combo sans vocals, but when the singing does come in, the addition never connects as tacked on, instead adding an extra dimension to an already robust whole.

For this new LP, Sleepersound consist of guitarist-vocalist-keyboardists Dave D’Antonio and Kenny Buesing, bassist-keyboardist Mike Campise, and drummer Dan Niedziejko. So it has been since the beginning, with In Medias Res the band’s 2018 debut and Idle Voices its 2021 follow-up. From 2019–2021 Stephen Vincent Anderson provided a visual component, consisting of original and found footage, to the band’s live performances. Buesing exited the band in 2024, but not before the completion of My Own Dead Love.

On the post-rock side of the spectrum, Sleepersound have on more than one occasion been compared to Godspeed! You Black Emperor, and that’s a fair assessment to make, but it’s also important to pinpoint a lack of severity in their approach, and this is where the dream-pop and shoegaze sensibilities impact the sound and give their records a subtle Anglo feel, like they could’ve been signed to 4AD during that label’s heyday, or for that matter, right now.

For those hearing Sleepersound for the first time with My Own Dead Love, opener “Let’s Play Wolves” could give an initial false impression as it radiates moody indie folk vibes with mild inflections of Radiohead. But then “Tread Down” kicks the record into full-band gear, with chiming guitars, sturdy drumming and soaring vocals. There’s an atmospheric mid-section and then a slow build back up to full energy. It’s the kind of number that’ll go over huge during a live set.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Domino have today announced details of the re-release of Pete Shelley’s first two solo albums, Homosapien and XL-1—the first time both albums have been reissued individually as standalone releases since they were included as part of a box set by Genetic Records in 2018.

Out on June 6 2025, both albums come housed in gatefold sleeves featuring the original fully restored artwork, include an extra disc featuring B-sides, dubs, and extended mixes and contain inserts featuring new photos and imagery and extensive sleeve notes from the acclaimed writer Clinton Heylin. Both will also be available on CD for the first time since 2006.

Recorded in close collaboration with renowned producer Martin Rushent, both albums saw Shelley embrace a wider musical palate post-Buzzcocks and work with electronic instrumentation and synthesizers—Homosapien is seen as a massively influential and pioneering record and widely regarded as a musical signpost for the work Rushent did with The Human League on Dare a few months later.

Banned for homophobic reasons at the time by BBC radio, “Homosapiens” would become a gay club anthem and the queer element a hugely important part of both Pete’s personal and musical life, as showcased in both these albums.

Pete Shelley’s solo debut, Homosapien, released on January 15, 1982, was a long time in the making, drawing on ideas from before his time with Buzzcocks. Many of the songs, including the title track, were written as early as 1973, when Pete first began experimenting with home recording.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Hey, hard rock and metal fans—ready for another classic, early ‘90s album that never before made it to vinyl here in the States? Did we hear you say “Yeah!?” Then may we present Tyketto’s Don’t Come Easy.

This is another great, rockin’ record that got lost in the grunge craze that swept the music industry, and, just like our recent reissue of Wildside’s Under the Influence, it’s the debut release from a band that should have blown up much bigger than they did. You no doubt remember their single “Forever Young,” but the rest of the album offers melodic hard rock of the highest order, especially on tracks like “Burning Down Inside” and the power ballad “Standing Alone.”

Excellent vocal work from former Waysted frontman Danny Vaughn, too. Remastered for vinyl by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision—teal with white swirl vinyl, complete with printed inner sleeve.

Celebrating Elton John on his 78th birthday. —Ed.

“Ridicule,” said Oscar Wilde, “is the tribute paid to genius by mediocrities.” Such would seem to be the case with one Sir Elton Hercules John. Esteemed critic Robert Christgau once wrote him off as a “puling phony,” while Charles Shaar Murray dismissed him as “Elton Schmelton.” Even John understood he lacked respect, and jokingly told Murray, “I’m gonna become a rock’n’roll suicide, take my nasty out and piddle all over the front row, just to get rid of my staid old image.”

Elton never carried through on his threat, probably because he was too busy writing brilliant songs, more than I can count on my six hands even. Besides, who needs critical respect after scoring seven consecutive No. 1 albums in the U.S. between 1972 and 1975—a feat not even the Fab Four could beat? During those golden years, which extended from Honky Chateau to Rock of the Westies, John (in collaboration with lyricist Bernie Taupin) churned out hits like a one-man Brill Building, and many of them will still be around long after mankind is gone, leaving our groovy ape successors to do the Crocodile Rock.

John’s high-water mark as a songwriter was 1973’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. I consider it Elton’s masterpiece, even if The Evil One, Robert Christgau, dismissed it as “one more double album that would make a nifty single.” A concept album of sorts, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road takes a bittersweet look at a lost past, from its film stars to its dance crazes to its bovver boys in their braces and boots looking to mix it up on Saturday night.

Perhaps the most astounding thing about John’s unprecedented success is that he achieved it with Bernie Taupin—a mediocre lyricist at best, and the fourth place finisher in a 3rd grade poetry competition at worst—as a collaborator. Not only is Taupin the mook who wrote “Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids/In fact it’s cold as hell/And there’s no one there to raise them/If you did,” it’s his lyrical DNA police found all over Starship’s “We Built This City,” a song so unfathomably dumb it makes Jon Anderson’s “A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace/And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace” sound like Shakespeare. That said, his lyrics on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road are shockingly unterrible, and a few of them are actually quite good.

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Pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and guitarist Mary Halvorson are well-versed as collaborators. Bone Bells, newly released by Pyroclastic Records, is their third recording as a duo. The often stunning set builds upon the fertile dialogue between the Switzerland native and longtime New York City resident Courvoisier’s deft intermingling of chamber music roots and boundary stretching jazz verve and Massachusetts-born and NYC-based Halvorson’s ceaselessly fresh and instantly recognizable approach to the electric jazz guitar. Available on compact disc in a 6-panel gatefold wallet featuring artwork by Joskin Siljan, Bone Bells offers eight pieces and an even compositional split.

With Bone Bells, Mary Halvorson gets the odd numbered tracks and Courvoisier the evens, but it’s striking how seamlessly they fit together. Better said, there is a flow to the set that, when listening blind, essentially undercuts any easy indicators into who wrote what. And once cognizant of the credits, the album’s engaging progression, and indeed Courvoisier’s playing, simultaneously chamber-inclined and jazz-inflected in the opening title track, suggests the two principals were writing with each other in mind, though without explicit detail into the process, this is a speculative observation.

What’s not a hypothetical is the communicative heights Courvoisier and Halvorson attain across Bone Bells. As a recording rooted in composition, the dialogue is more about tone, balance, and the ebb and flow of intensity, rather than the now well-established model of free-from duo exchange, though there are certainly moments, e.g. “Esmeralda” and “Beclouded,” where they do let it fly improvisationally.

But Bone Bells isn’t an abstract bruiser, instead offering beauty moves like the crisp and again very chamber-like “Nags Head Valse” (track four, one of Courvoisier’s). Overall, the set is appealingly relaxing yet consistently assertive and secure in its position at the forefront of contemporary jazz. Of course, the music doesn’t fall back on standard swing notions, so some will question the jazz connection, but those who value the Downtown New York scene’s contribution to jazz’s eternal discourse will understand; both Courvoisier and Halvorson have records in John Zorn’s Book of Angels series.

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