VIA PRESS RELEASE | A decade of dankness. Ten years ago this month, Craft Recordings launched Jazz Dispensary—a homegrown imprint that curates mind-expanding, high-grade sounds drawn from the finest strains of jazz, funk, soul, and beyond. What began as a cult vinyl series in 2016—launching with the sought-after Cosmic Stash box set on Record Store Day—soon evolved into a destination for curious and discerning listeners worldwide, through limited-edition compilations, rare album reissues, partnerships, playlists, and events.
To mark the brand’s tenth anniversary, the musical sommeliers at Jazz Dispensary are paying homage to the release that started it all with Cosmic Stash: HIGH Lights. Arriving 4/20 and available only at select retailers, the limited-edition 1-LP set features selections from the original Cosmic Stash, culled from each of the 4-LP collection’s “blends” (Soul Diesel, Purple Funk, OG Kush, and Astral Travelin’).
Inspired by some of modern music’s most iconic drum breaks and samples, HIGH Lights draws from the legendary catalogs of Prestige, Milestone, and Fantasy Records, with mood-enhancing cuts by Patrice Rushen, Funk, Inc., David Axelrod, The Blackbyrds, and Rusty Bryant, among others. The album is pressed on an eye-catching four-color splatter vinyl—taking a stylistic cue from the original Cosmic Stash jackets and LPs—and includes a “prescription” insert, while the album itself is housed in a giant grass bag.
In tandem with the release, record stores around the world will host official listening parties, with over 180 stores across the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and beyond, where fans can pick up a copy of the record, enjoy an extended mix of curated tunes, receive exclusive Jazz Dispensary merch, and enter for a chance to win other Jazz Dispensary goodies. For a list of participating retailers, visit the Jazz Dispensary website.
Since its inaugural release, Jazz Dispensary has grown into a brand of its own, revered for bringing deep catalog gems to the table and inspiring an elevated conversation. Initially defined by its vibey, limited-edition Record Store Day compilations—including Holiday Treats (Black Friday, 2016), The Dank D-Funk Blend (RSD 2019), and Night Lights (RSD 2025)—the imprint has expanded to offer 180-gram vinyl reissues of soul-jazz rarities, fusion cult-classics, and everything in between through its Top Shelf Series. Titles have included Cal Tjader’s Amazonas, Opa’s Goldenwings, and Joe Henderson’s Power to the People.
For those who prefer their jams delivered digitally, Jazz Dispensary also tenders an array of playlists, including Midnight Fantasy, High Fidelity, Jazz Dispensary’s Fusionland, and the guest artist-curated Astral Pilot. Last year, the short-form interview series What’s Your Spark? launched at the Newport Jazz Festival, with such guests as Christian McBride, Nubya Garcia, and La Lom.
Along the way, Jazz Dispensary has collaborated with a variety of partners—including California’s SPARC dispensary for the inaugural Private Stock Series release, Fords Gin for The Negroni Sessions LP (2025), and Los Angeles’ Pure Beauty dispensary, which developed an exclusive cannabis strain inspired by the label’s 2024 Black Friday compilation, The Golden Hour.
Over the years, the brand has drawn high praise from a broad array of respected outlets, including Pitchfork, which proclaimed, “When the heads at Jazz Dispensary are not going mad viral with dank jazz fusion memes on Instagram, they’re reissuing some of the best 1970s jazz records ever slapped down on tape,” alluding to the brand’s cult following on the internet, which evolved into a genuine cultural phenomenon in the recent years, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers and hundreds of millions of video views, introducing a new generation of listeners to the groovy world of jazz, funk, soul, and everything in between.
DownBeat compared the imprint’s Record Store Day exclusives to “a homemade comp from a friend with a deep record shelf who knows exactly what they’re doing and doesn’t want to tax your attention span.” On the Top Shelf series, Goldmine declared, “Each release has been carefully chosen and meticulously reproduced to exemplify the distinction of what the album series represents. Simply put, these things sound amazing,” The Needle Drop’s Anthony Fantano added “…the performances are great…and the recording is awesome too…and that’s kind of given with these Jazz Dispensary reissues…” Meanwhile Clash exclaimed, “Crank it loud and let Jazz Dispensary improve your day…Truly sensational stuff.”
On the landmark anniversary for the imprint, Craft Recordings president and Jazz Dispensary founder Sig Sigworth remarked: “What began as a high concept—to create a cool narrative path for likeminded people to explore and discover deep jazz grooves—has blossomed into a successful home-grown cosmic journey for record collectors, crate diggers, and social meme culture, with plenty more fun to come…”
With a decade of dankness under their belt, the groove purveyors of Jazz Dispensary show no signs of slowing down. With deep catalog gems as their treasure and funky grooves as their fuel, their quest to bless discerning ears around the globe continues full speed ahead.
