Wardell Gray - "Memorial, Volume One"

Wardell Gray - "Memorial, Volume One"

I came across this one recently in the Jazz bins at my local record shop, and while I recognized the cover I was not at all familiar with the playing or story of Wardell Gray. My first instinct, and a good one as it turns out, was to check the label and - bingo! - it was a vintage yellow "fireworks" pressing. Whether the music turned out to be worthwhile or otherwise, the label pretty much sold me on picking up the record for the measly asking price of $13, I mean how could I pass up an original mid-1950's Prestige album?  As it turns out, a few needle drops on the store's turntable convinced me that this LP was going to be some fun listening, whether it was an original or not. 

Read More

Teddy Charles - "The Teddy Charles Tentet"

Teddy Charles - "The Teddy Charles Tentet"

Teddy Charles had an important place in jazz in the 1950's before essentially disappearing from the music business altogether from the 1960's onward (before a brief comeback in 2012). His lasting reputation will always lie with The Teddy Charles Tentet, an influential album that took an adventurous take on jazz that was quite ahead of it's time.

Read More